US20080066349A1

US20080066349A1 - Collapsible snow grooming device

Info

Publication number: US20080066349A1
Application number: US11/520,568
Authority: US
Inventors: Len Gaudette
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-09-14
Filing date: 2006-09-14
Publication date: 2008-03-20

Abstract

A collapsible snow groomer designed to be provided as a partial kit where the buyer purchases two runners separately. Along with the runners the kit comprises all materials necessary to assemble a snow groomer for use on personal snow trails. The collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention includes and comprises: a tubular front spreader, two L-angle cross blades, a square central joiner tube, four angle grooming blades and all required fasteners. All grooming hardware members are thus strategically attached to one edge of each runner and to each other at one edge, thereby allowing to flip the whole assembly over to drag it where grooming is not desired.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a collapsible snow groomer designed to be provided as a partial kit where the buyer purchases two runners separately. Along with the runners the kit comprises all materials necessary to assemble a snow groomer for use on personal snow trails. The collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention includes and comprises: a tubular front spreader, two L-angle cross blades, a square central joiner tube, four angle grooming blades and all required fasteners. All grooming hardware members are thus strategically attached to one edge of each runner and to each other at one edge, thereby allowing to flip the whole assembly over to drag it where grooming is not desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the increasing cost of maintaining public grooming trails, more and more snow-machine owners; especially those with acreage, desire to create their own personal trails. Many have attempted various grooming methods such as dragging a few pallets behind a snow machine, but this proved difficult and inefficient.
The inventor sought to provide snow-machine owners; especially those with acreage, with an easy-to-assemble, lightweight, affordable, collapsible and effective snow grooming device that also incorporates snow gathering and dispersion means.
The applicant has retrieved attempts in prior art that provide means of providing snow-machine owners with personal snow grooming devices.
An example of such art may be had by referencing U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,069 of Cheney issued Mar. 5, 1974 wherein this trail groomer is designed to adapt itself to the trail condition, and automatically reduces the load on the towing vehicle whenever the groomer meets high resistance such as iced snow cover or very heavy snow fall. The unloading of the groomer is accomplished by tilting the main beam upwards to lift a fixed blade, and pulling a lifting wedge, which responds to excessive drawbar pull under a movable blade to reduce some of the load of snow. This groomer fails on two major aspects in comparing the groomer of the present invention wherein, there are many components, making it more difficult to assemble and expensive to manufacture, and the safety design prevents proper “averaging” of trail height variances.
Another example may be had by referencing U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,913 of Esquilat issued Nov. 22, 1977 wherein a light weight trail groomer is supported at its rear end on each side by a pair of longitudinally aligned skis connected to respective arms of a bracket pivotally mounted on a main frame element. The frame structure is arranged for connection at its forward end to a towing vehicle and includes a scraper blade structure the height of which can be adjusted by independent adjuster means connected between an auxiliary frame structure and each one of the main frame elements. Again, this groomer proves lengthy in assembly and would much less affordable.
While many attempts have been made to provide land owners with a lightweight snow trail grooming device, none of these prior art inventions provide a device with an easy-to-assemble, lightweight, affordable, collapsible and effective snow grooming device that also incorporates snow gathering and dispersion means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus the object of the present invention to provide land owners with an easy-to-assemble, lightweight, affordable, collapsible and effective snow grooming device that also incorporates snow gathering and dispersion means.
In one aspect of the invention, the length of the device can ultimately be the user's choice.
In another aspect of the invention, skids may be added to both edges of the side members so as to ease sliding.
In yet another aspect of the invention, an accessory kit that carves out one or more pairs of ski traces can also make cross-country trails.
Accordingly, the device of the present invention therefore provides users with all the benefits of prior art inventions while also being collapsible, easy to assemble, affordable and incorporates snow gathering and dispersion means.
The utility of the present invention includes but is not limited to snow machine trails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following brief description and upon referring to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention in an grooming attitude.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention in a non-grooming attitude.

FIG. 4 is a partial top plan view of the tongue connection of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial top plan view of the hitch portion of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the packing of the collapsible snow grooming device kit of the present invention.

While the invention is described in conjunction with preferred illustrated embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals.
Turning to FIG. 1, a perspective view from the front of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention comprising; two side runners 2 acting as skids, a structural beam 4, a front tie bar 6 and bracket 22, a central blade spreader 8, a rear blade spreader 10, two gathering blades 12, two dispersing blades 14, a towing tongue 16, and an anti-jolt hitch 3. While forward motion of the device is directed toward the tongue 16, the gathering blades 12 cut down any high points and gather material toward the center also filling any low points in the center of the trail, excess material spills over the gathering blades 12 and fall in the path of the central blade spreader 8 to be further spread outward, and again any overspill of material is then placed in the path of the dispersion blades 14 where the material is now directed outwardly, filling any low points in the outer edges of the newly formed trail, at which point if any material spills over, it is directed in the final path of the rear blade spreader 10 for a last spreading, creating an evenly packed trail.
Turning to FIGS. 2 and 3, both perspective views from above and below respectively wherein the arrangement and assembly of the components can be better viewed. A layout plan would be included to inform the user of the proper fastening location of each component. Assembly begins by first roundedly shaping the runners 2 at the top and bottom of the front ends of said runners 2 so as to form a ski-shape. Positioning and fastening the tie bar bracket 22 to the runners 2 at the front portion so as to attach each end of the front tie bar 6 along with one each end of the tow tongue 16. Next, the other extremities of the two tongue members 16 are joined by way of an anti-jolt bracket 3. Next, the user locates and bores holes at a predetermined places along the runners 2, then fastens only the central blade spreader 8 at its intended locations. Next, the user fastens the structural beam 4 at the mid section of each front and rear blade spreader 8 and 10. Finally, the user attached the outer ends of both the rear blade spreader and the dispersion blades' 14 outer ends to the runners 2 using the same fastener at each end, then secures the inner ends of each dispersion blade 14 to the intersection at the structural beam 4 where they meet.
Turning specifically now to FIG. 3, a front perspective view from below of the collapsible snow grooming device wherein the illustration depicts the device flipped over 180 degrees on a lengthwise axis thus disengaging the blades and spreaders from the surface below thereby allowing the device to be towed without enabling the grooming features.
Turning now to FIG. 4, a partial top plan view of the runner/tie bar/tongue intersection of the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention wherein a bracket 22 is attached to each runner 2 using lag screws 24, and the tie bar 6 shares a bolt 20 with one tongue member 16.
FIG. 5 further describes an anti-jolt hitch 3 wherein a joiner plate having two angular rearwardly extending flanged have each two perforations so as to accept fasteners 11 for the securement of both tongue members 16 thereby completing a triangular form along with the tie bar. A central perforation traverses the joiner plate and allows the traverse of a shock bolt 17 on which at each side of said joiner plate is adapted a resilient spring 15 at the front and rear portion of said bolts 17. The shock bolt is in turn threadedly engages to a clevis 7 and said clevis 7 is retained onto a machine's hitch by means of a retainer pin 9. Therefore, the jolts created by the starting and stopping motions of the drive machine is minimized by the compression of the springs 15.
FIG. 6, an end view of the packing of the collapsible snow grooming device kit show in a container 5 visually describes the layout of the components making up the collapsible snow grooming device of the present invention wherein one rear blade spreader 10, one central blade spreader 8, two gathering blades 12 and two dispersion blades 14 are cradled together in a space-efficient manner, and one tie bar 6, inserted within the hollow opening of the one structural beam 4 also cradle with the blade members 8, 10, 12 and 14, and finally two tow tongues 16 fit nicely along the top of the previously described members.
Upon referring to the drawing figures and the above specification, it can be understood that the collapsible snow grooming device is collapsible, easy to assemble, affordable and incorporates snow gathering and dispersion means.

Claims

1. A collapsible snow grooming device comprising:

i. two side runners,

ii. a structural beam,

iii. a front tie bar,

iv. a central blade spreader,

v. a rear blade spreader,

vi. two gathering blades,

vii. two dispersing blades,

viii. a towing tongue, and

ix. an anti-jolt hitch.

2. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the runners are reversible from top to bottom.

3. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the structural beam is a tubular square form having predrilled perforations to ease alignment of mating components.

4. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the front tie bar is located at mid-height of the runners so as to enable similar towing attitude when device is rotated on its back.

5. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the central blade spreader has an “L” shaped cross-section and that the mouth of the “L” is directed downwardly and frontwardly.

6. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the rear blade spreader has an “L” shaped cross-section and that the mouth of the “L” is directed downwardly and frontwardly.

7. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the two gathering blades have an “L” shaped cross-section and that the mouth of the “L” is directed downwardly and frontwardly, and are disposed in a “V” formation where the mouth of the “V” faces forward.

8. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the dispersion blades have an “L” shaped cross-section and that the mouth of the “L” is directed downwardly and frontwardly, and are disposed in a “V” formation where the mouth of the “V” faces rearward.

9. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein all hardware components can pack into a relatively small package so as to reduce shipping size thus cost.

10. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the whole assembly may be rotated 180 degrees on a lengthwise axis so as to simply towing the device and disengage grooming members from the trail below.

11. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the tongue is adapted with an anti-jolt hitch further comprising a joiner plate having two angular rearwardly extending flanged each having at least one perforation so as to accept one or more fasteners for the securement of both tongue members along with the tie bar, a central perforation traversing the joiner plate allowing the traverse of a shock bolt on which a resilient spring is adapted over the front and rear portions of said bolt at each side of said joiner plate, and the shock bolt is threadedly engages to a clevis where said clevis is retained onto a machine's hitch by means of a retainer pin.

12. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein said device, when towed over particular material, manages said material where the gathering blades cut down high points and amass same material toward the center region of the device, filling any voids in the material at the central region of the device, and the dispersion blades further cut down material and disperse same material toward the outer region of the device, filling any voids in the material at the outer region of the device.

13. The collapsible snow grooming device of claim 1 wherein the hardware components, excluding the runners, are provided to the user in kit form thereby substantially reducing the total cost to the user.