US2323108A - Road grader - Google Patents

Description

June 29, 1943. 1 -r 2,323,108

ROAD GRADER Original Filed No). 2a, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l //vvE/v7'oe FRANKLIN E. ARND'I:

June 29, 1943. F. E. ARNDT 2,323,108

ROAD GRADER Original Filed :Nov. 2:, 1938.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 /NVEN7'OE FRANKLIN E.AENDT ATT'Y June 29, 1943.

F. E. 'ARNDT 2,323,108

ROAD GRAD'ER Original Filed Nov; 23, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 HTT'Y- Jun e 29, 1943.

Original Filed-Nov. 23, 1938 F. g AR DT 2,323,108

noAn GRADER} 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 "0 358'm 3am FRANKLIN E.AI?ND1;

HTT'Y Patented June 29, 1943 ROAD GRADER Franklin E. Arndt, Galion, Ohio, assignor to The Galion Iron Works & Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Original application November 23, 1938, Serial No. 241,979. Divided and this application April. 29, 1941, SerialNo. 390,953

8 Claims.

My invention relates to road graders, and one of its objects is the provision of improved and efficient drawbar structure for adjustably supporting a. circle carrying the grader blade or moldboard.

Another object of the invention is the provision ofimproved and efiicient'mechanism. for supporting a moldboard circle on a drawbar and. adjusting such circle relative to the drawbar.

Other objects of. the invention will appear hereinafter, thenovel features and combinations being set forth. in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figs- 1 and 2, placed'end to end, show a side elevation of the road grader embodying my improvements;

Figs. 3 and 4, placed end to end, show a plan view of the road grader shown'in Figs. 1 and 2', but with the moldboard shifted to a longitudinal position from the transverse position shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the gearing for operating the circle to shift the moldboard from the" transverse position" shown in Fig. 2 to the longitudinal position shown in Fig; 4;

Fig; 6 is' a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5, looking" in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a plan-view of the supplemental frame serving as a drawbar, as shown in" Figs. 3 and 4 placed end to end;

Fig. 8 is aside View of the structure shown in Fig.- 7 adapted to serve as a drawbar, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 placed end to end; and

Fig: 9 is a sectional elevation of the front steering'wheel unit, looking, forward, the section being taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrows.

This application is a division ofmy co-pending application S. N. 241,979, filed Nov. 23', 1938,. and since. issued as Patent No. 2,247,007; for a Road grader.

Referring to the road-working implement comprising a moldboard or. scraper blade I09 and the structure for supporting the, same, it will be seen that the supplemental. frame H6: constitutes a drawbar for the moldboard 109. mentalframe ordrawbar is a rigidstructure relatively narrow and elongated throughout most of its length, particularly at its-forward. end portion, to. facilitate its movement laterally of the narrow elongated main framawhen the moldboard.

This suppleis shifted from road-grading position to steep 55 bank-cutting position at-one side ofthe machine. By referring to Fig. 3 of the drawingsit will be seen that the forwardportion of the main frame isnarrower than the main portion of the drawbar, but the latter istapered at itsforward end where it is even narrower than the main frame.

While themain frame is upwardly arched to provide ample room" for the drawbar and moldboard'in their various positions of adjustment, the drawbar is sopshaped as'to have its rear end portion approximately horizontal when the moldboard is in road grading position. The intermediate portion of the drawbar is inclined upwardly and forwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 placed end to end. The forward end portion of the drawbar slopes upwardly and forwardly more gradually than the intermediate portion and has its upper portion at HI approximately horizontal so as to increase the space between the front end of the drawbar and the beams 40, 40 of the main frame which slopes downwardly and forwardly at its forward end, as viewed in Fig. 1. It should be understood that the main frame and drawbar are thus specially shaped to facilitate movement of the moldboard to steep bank-cutting position. These special shapes of the frames are particularly desirable when the moldboard is to be shifted to an upright bankcutting position.

The drawbar, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, comprises spaced-apart angles H2, H2 connected by the transverse bracing tubes H3, H4, the ends of which are welded to the angles H2, H2. Welded between the forward ends of the angles H2, H2 is a longitudinally extending tubular socket H5. As shown in Fig. 1, an I-bolt H6 is adapted to be swiveled to the front end of the drawbar having its screw-threaded rod H1 extended through the socket H5 and secured in place by the nut H8. A horizontal U-bolt H9 extends through the I-bolt H6, as shown in Fig. 1, and this U-bolt extends through openings in the laterally extending brackets I20, I20

r and is held rigidly connected to the vertical post by means of the nuts l2l. The rear side of the post 45 has a semi-circular recess, as indicated at I22 in Fig. 3, for receiving the forward end of the I-bolt H6 but it should be understood that while the U-bolt H9 occupies a horizontal plane, and the I-bolt H6 occupies a vertical plane, a universal connection is afforded to the extent that the I-bolt may be moved laterally on a vertical pivot relative to the U-bolt H9 and also vertically on a horizontal pivot relative to the U-bolt II9. By reason of the universal connection between the front end of the drawbar H and the post 45, the front end of the drawbar may be swung laterally and vertically and also rotated in either direction on the axis of the bolt II 1.

To the rear ends of the heavy structural angles II 2, I I2 is welded the cross-piece I 23 to which in turn is welded the additional crosspiece I24. Diagonal braces I25, I25 are welded at their ends to the structural angles H2 and the cross-piece I23. To the outer ends of the cross-pieces I23 and I24 are welded the longitudinally extending tubular sockets I26, I21. The socket I26 is adapted to receive the neck I28 of the spherical head I29 which is adapted to serve as the ball of the ball and socket joint at the lower end of an extensible hanger, as hereinafter fully explained. The socket I21 is adapted to receive at its ends the necks I30 and I3! of the spherical heads I32 and I33, respectively. The head I32 is adapted to serve as the ball of a ball and socket joint at the lower end of another extensible hanger at the opposite side of the machine. The head. I33 is adapted to serve as the ball of a ball and socket joint for one end of the laterally shifting hydraulic motor as hereinafter fully explained. The neck I28 is held in the socket I26 by means of the bolt I34. The necks I30. and I3I are held in the socket I21 by means of the bolts I135 and I36, as shown in Fig. 7.

To the under sides of the structural angles I I 2, H2 and the under sides of the cross-pieces I23, I24 is welded a shallow cup-shaped bearing sup port I31 having a central opening I38 for receiving the king pin I39 shown in Fig. 2. The lower side of the bearing support I31 is circumferentially flanged at I49 to provide on its under side the annular bearing I4I, It will thus be seen that the drawbar structure shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is well braced and reinforced in an all welded assembly including the bearing support I31. I

The semi-circle I 42 is preferably forged integrally with the moldboard knees I43, I43 which are connected by the diagonal braces I44, I44 to the cross-piece I45, as shown in Fig. 4. The lower or depending ends of the knees I 43 are pivoted-at I46 to the moldboard carrier I 41 which may be adjustably connected to the knees I43 by means of the bolts I48 and perforations M9, as shown in Fig. 2.

The semi-circle I42 is reinforced by the diagonal braces I50, I58'which are secured at their rear ends to the cross-piece I45, as shown in Fig.4. The semi-circle I42 is additionally reinforced by thestructural angles II, I5I, 552, I52 and I53, as shown in Fig. 4. Within the square space enclosed by the structural angles I52, I52, I53 and the cross-piece I45, is located the wheel shaped or disc shaped bearing support I5 4, the cylindrical periphery of which is preferably welded to the crosspiece I45 and the structural angles I52, I52, I53. The bearing support l54, as shown in Fig. 2, is of the same diameter as the fiange I40 of the bearing support I31. The upper peripheral ring portion of the bearing support I 54 engages the lower peripheral portion I4I of the bearing support I 31. I31 is provided with a hub I55 concentric with the hub I56 of the lower bearing support I 54. Thehub I55 is rigid with the drawbar structure, and the'hub I56 is rigid with the semi-circle structurathe lower end of the hub I55 being en The bearing support P gaged by the upper end of the hub I56 when the king pin I39 is in the position shown in Fig. A cap plate I51 of larger diameter than the king pin I39 is secured to the lower end of the latter by means of the cap screw I58 in position to en-- gage the lower end of the hub I56. The washer I59 engages the upper end of the hub I and a nut I60 locked to the upper end of the king pin I39 is relied on to hold the bearing supports I31 and I54 in mutual engagement over wide areas of bearing surfaces. That is to say, not only are the adjacent ends ofrthe hubs I55 and held in engagement with each other but the annular bearing surfaces of the circular bearing supports I31 and I 54 are also held in engagement with each other.

The mechanism for rotating the semi-circle I42 together with the moldboard I89 carried thereby is power-operated under control of the operator at his station at the rear end of the machine shown in Fig. 2, and this power-operated mechanism is so arranged as to be fully operative in any position of adjustment of the moldboard, including steep bank-cutting posi-' tions. As shown in Fig. 6, annular gearing I6I' is secured to the semi-circle I 42 and with this annular gearing meshes a pinion I62 carried by the lower end of the shaft I63 (Fig. 5) journaled in a bearing I64 detachably bolted to the structural angles H2, H2 of the drawbar frame. For this purpose transverse perforations I65, I65 are provided in the vertical flanges of the structural angles H2, H2, as shown inl 'igs. '1 and 8.

As shown in the enlarged sectional elevation of Fig. 5, the housing I66 for the journal bearing I64 spans the space between the structural angles I I2, II 2 and is bolted thereto by means of the bolts I61, I61. Keyed to the upper end of the shaft I63 is a worm wheel I68 located in the housing I69, and this worm wheel meshes with a worm I10 which is keyed to the shaft I1I which extends longitudinally of the drawbar frame and toward the front end thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.

By means of cap screws I12 a cover I13 is secured to the gear housing I69. A nut I14 locks the worm wheel I68 to the shaft I63, as shown in Fig. 5. By connection to the fitting I15, lubricant may be introduced into the housing I69 without removing the cover I13. The worm gearing I68, I10 is preferably self-locking to hold the moldboard in adjusted position on the king pin I39 relative to the drawbar frame.

The forward end of the shaft I1I is connected by means of the universal joints I16, I 11 and connecting link I18 to the shaft I19, the forward end of which is connected to a spur gear rotatable on a longitudinal axis and meshing with another spur gear connected extending shaft I19, the spur gearing being mounted in the housing I which is attached to the vertical flange of the structural angle II2 shown in Fig. 1.

By placing Figs. 1 and 2 end to end it will be seen that the rearwardly extending shaft I19 is connected by means of the universal joints I8I, I82 and intermediate connecting link I83 to the horizontal rearwardly extending shaft I84. The link I83 is extensible in length in that it comprises a tubular section I85 having a socket square in cross-section into which fits the rod I86 also square in cross-section.

The rear end of the horizontal shaft I84 is connected by means of a universal joint I81 to a shaft which is journaled in the bearing I89 1n the front side of the housing I90, as shown to the rearwardly in Fig." 2; Within the housing-I 90islooated manually'controlled power-operated reversing mechanism for effecting rotation of the moldboard in opposite directions on the axis of the king pin I39; For this purpose", an internal combustion engine I9I is'mounted on the main frame adjacent the operator's platform I92, as shown in Fig. 2, and connected to the operating gearing.

By means of an upwardly extending operating lever 2 I 5 whichis adaptedto be moved forwardly and rearwardly, the operating gearing may be actuated to effect reversal of rotation of the moldboard semi-circle operating mechanism.

When the lever 2I5 is moved rearwardly the moldboard is rotated on the king pin" I39. in one direction and. when the lever M5 is moved forwardly the moldboard is rotated in the opposite direction.

It should be noted. that while the internal combustion engine I! may be continuously operated at relatively highspeed, the gearing effects such speed of rotation of the moldboard on the axis of the king pin I39 as to enable the operator to adjust the position of the moldboard relative to the drawbar with accuracy while under his observation, and this is particularly true since the main frame of the machine is open and relatively narrow adjacent the moldboard.

When the operating lever is released springactuated centering mechanism automatically returns the lever to neutral position, when the self-locking worm gearing is relied on to hold the moldboard in adjusted angular relation to the drawbar.

By reason of the narrow width of the front end of the main frame and the forward tapering to a narrow width of the front end of the drawbar, as shown in Fig. 3, the drawbar is free to be moved on its flexible connection between the front end of the drawbar and the post 45, to an upright plane where the moldboard is in upright bank-cutting position. This is particularly true by reason of the fact that the vertical flanges of the angle iron structures H2, H2 are spaced-apart to a no greater distance than the vertical plates of the channel iron structures 40, 40 of the main frame, as may be seen by referring to Fig. 3. Furthermore, the tapering of the vertical flanges of the angle iron structures II2, II 2 at III (Fig. 1) enables the hangers to lift the moldboard up off the roadway and to hold the moldboard with ample clearance of the road surface while being shifted laterally to steep bank-cutting position. For all desired adjustments of the drawbar there will be no interference with the front end portion of the main frame.

When the moldboard is operating in steep bank-cutting position it may hook back of an obstruction in the bank, tending to pull the semicircle I42 from the king pin axis I39 to the rear end of the drawbar. To assist the king pin to resist such pulling strain, a guide plate 385 may be secured by means of the bolt 33'! to the bottom of the bracket 388, as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 7, the bracket 388 may comprise plates 389, 389 welded to the inner faces of the vertical flanges of the angle iron structures H2, H2. A cross-plate 399 is shown welded at its ends to the plates 389. Sockets 39!, 39I are welded to the plates 389 and 399 in vertical position to receive the bolts 38'! of Fig. 2. The bracket structure 388 co-operates with the bracing tubes I I3 and I I4 to rigidly connect the angle iron structures H2, H2 of the drawbar frame.

The upper andloweredges'of the'semi-circle; I'd! are guided along the-lowersides of the horizontal flanges of the angleiron structures H2; H2"; and the lower edge of this semi-circle H2 is guided along the upper surface ofthe guide plate 386, as shown in Fig; 2.

Obviously those skilled in the art'may' make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit. and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, andiI' therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embod'ie ment' of my inventibnwhat Idesire to secure by" Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1'. In a, road grader, the combination with a drawbar having spaced-apart verticalflanges, of a grader blade circle pivoted tosaid drawbar on an upright axis, an arcuate rack on said. circle, driving gearing supported, by and. between said vertical flanges and connectedtosaid rack at the front end portion of said circle, direction. gearing supported by said drawbar in advance of said driving gearing, a flexible connection between said driving gearing and said direction gearing, means comprising a horizontal plate suspended from said drawbar below the front end of the circle below and adjacent to said driving gearing, and means extending rearwardly from said direction gearing for actuating the latter, the construction and arrangement being such that while said driving gearing turns said circle the front end of the latter rests on said horizontal plate below and near such driving gearing.

2. As an article of manufacture, a road grader drawbar having on its bottom at its rear end two downwardly facing concentric bearings both in the same plane and surrounding a central opening adapted to receive a king pin for pivotally supporting a grader blade circle.

3. A road grader comprising the combination with a semi-circle, of supporting framework therefor having a square opening therethrough, and a circular bearing extending into said square opening and having its periphery at spacedapart points welded to said framework at the inner sides of said square opening.

4. A road grader comprising the combination with a semi-circle, of supporting framework therefor, said framework having an opening therethrough, and a circular bearing extending into said opening and welded to the framework at the inner sides of said opening, said circular bearing having an annular bearing surface on its upper side.

5. A road grader comprising the combination with a semi-circle, of supporting framework therefor, said framework having an opening therethrough, and a circular bearing welded to said framework to occupy a position in said opening, said circular bearing having concentric annular bearing surfaces on its upper side with an upwardly facing depression between them and with an opening through the center of the circular bearing to receive a king pin.

6. A road grader comprising the combination with a semi-circle, of supporting framework within the boundary thereof, said framework having an opening therethrough with a plurality of straight sides, a circular bearing in said opening and welded to said straight sides, said circular bearing having an annular bearing surface on its upper side, and an annular rack spaced radially from said circular bearing and having as its center the center of said circular bearing, said rack being concentric with said annular bearing surface.

7. A road grader comprising the combination with a relatively narrow drawbar, of a circle support having on its under side a downwardly facing annular bearing the diameter of which is approximately equal to the width of said drawbar, .a semi-circle having an arcuate rack, supporting framework for said semi-circle, mechanism secured to said framework to afford an up wardly facing annular bearing surface adapted to engage said downwardly facing annular bearing, said annular bearings being spaced inwardly from said arcuate rack, means comprising a king pin for pivotally connecting at the centers of said annular bearings said semi-circular and said drawbar, means carried by said drawba-r in ad- Vance of said semi-circle for supporting the for- Ward portion of the latter, and means on the drawbar spaced forwardly of said annular bearingsv and comprising a pinion meshing with said arcuate rack for rotating the semi-circle on the king pin as a center.

8. A road grader comprising the combination with a drawbar, of a disc secured to said drawbar and having an opening in its center with a downwardly facing hub surrounding such opening and an annular bearing facing downwardly and spaced radially from said hub, a semi-circle having an arcuate rack spaced from said annular bearing and concentric therewith, a diSc mounted on said semi-circle of about the same size as said first-named disc and having an opening in its center with an upwardly facing hub surrounding said last-named opening and an upwardly facing annular bearing spaced radially from said last-named hub, and means comprising a king pin extending through the openings in said discs for pivotally connecting said a semicircle to said drawbar, the construction and arrangement being such that said hubs engage each other and said annular bearings engage each other with the latter entirely separated from said arcuate rack but concentric therewith.

FRANKLIN E. ARNDT.

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