US2407965A - Roller - Google Patents

Description

L. B. SMITH Sept. 17, 1946.'

v ROLLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1943 LUTHER 5. SMITH L. B. SMITH Sept. 17, 1946.

ROLLE R Filed May 4, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 LUTHER B. 8/?! TH '2 l v: .lll .Hvllill 1 iv u Patented Sept. 17, 1946 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May 4, 1943, Serial No. 485,636

This invention relates to rollers especially adapted for use in the compaction of earth areas such as road beds, playing fields or the like where it is desirable to have the earth surface well packed and level.

A principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a roller or compactor embodying a plurality of wheels, each of which is individually mounted in a novel type of carrying bracket for vertical oscillation independently of the other Wheels, with separate yieldable pressure imposing means interposed between each bracket and the body of the roller and located in a position to impose a direct downward pressure or thrust on the wheel in the vertical plane of the wheel axle.

Another objectof the present invention is to provide a roller or compactor in which the roller wheels may be separately removed and replaced;

when necessary, without having to disconnect the carrying bracket therefor or disturb the other roller wheels.

A further object of the invention is to provide pressure imposing means for each roller wheel with novel means associated therewith for looking the wheel against vertical movement relative to the body or for decreasing the extent of vertical movement of the wheel and increasing the pressure of the wheel upon the ground.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel coupling arrangement between the .axle of each wheel and the fork of the supporting bracket therefor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings showing illustrative embodiments of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan of a roller constructed in accordance with the present invention, parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4, of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical, longitudinal section on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, parts being shown in elevation.

Figure 7 is a view in perspective of a, wheel bracket with the holding plates for the wheel axle shown in removed relation therewith.

Figure 8 is a section taken substantially on line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a vertical detail section through a spring unit showing the wheel locking means.

Figure 10 is a section taken substantially on line |0|0 of Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral Ill generally designates a steel box type body or 5 Claims. (Cl. 94-50) platform, consisting of the top and bottom plates H and I2, welded or otherwise secured to the U-beam frame Hi. The platform has openings normally covered by doors 15 through which sand or other ballast material may be introduced into a box l6 disposed at the underside thereof. The bottom of the box 16 is provided with a suitable opening controlled by a slide l8 to permit dumping of the ballast when desired.

Disposed beneath the front portion of the platform and pivotally connected thereto by a king bolt I9 is a fifth-Wheel 2!) having a tongue 21 by which the roller may be coupled with a suitable draft machine.

The platform is preferably supported. by or mounted up'on thirteen wheels provided with smooth-tread 7.50 x 15 pneumatic tires. However, a greater or less number of wheels may be used as well as different types and sizes of tires.

Secured to the underside of and extending acros the front or forward part of the fifthwheel is a series of pairs of hangers 22 through which extends a shaft 23. This shaft has oscillatably mounted thereon a leg 24 of each of a series of substantially L-shaped wheel brackets or forks B. A second or rear series of' pairs of hangers 25 are secured to and extend rearwardly from the back wall of the ballast box IE which is reinforced by the bar 26. These hangers perform the same function as hangers' 22, supporting a shaft 21, to which a series of the brackets B is pivoted. The positions of the pairs of hangers of one series are such, however, with respect to those of the other series, as to stagger the front and rear brackets and the wheels connected thereto, so that, as best seen in Figure 1, the rear wheels will pass over or cover the part of the ground which passes between the front wheels. Thus, the entire ground surface will be packed along a strip having a width equaling the distance between the outer sides of the extreme wheels of the widest series. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, this is the rear series.

The wheel mounting brackets B together with the compression spring set-up, locking means and wheel structure are the same in the front and rear series of wheels. Therefore a description of one unit will suffice.

Each bracket B is in the form of an L having the previously referred to leg 24, which is normally substantially horizontal, and the angularly related, downwardly extending leg 28, which is divided to form a fork, having the two spaced portions 28a. As best shown in Figure 7, the free ends of the portions 28a of each fork are slotted or notched from the bottom edges as indicated at 29 to receive a portion of a wheel axle. l

The numeral 30, generally designates the spring assembly for each wheel and bracket unit.

ures and 7, a compression spring 33, having" bearing plates 34 at its ends, is mounted in each pair of vertically aligned cups 3| and 32 to transmit to each individual wheel its proportion of. the

weight of the loaded body or platform.

At the rear end of the leg 24 is located a rearwardly extending apertured ear 35, and above such ear is. a corresponding aperturedear 36 carried by the top spring cup 32. Through these apertured ears 353B passes a headed bolt 31' having. a nut 38 threaded thereon and engaging one earwhile the head of the bolt engages the remote side of the other ear. By means of this bolt connection between the spaced spring cups, relative movement thereof is controlled, so that the tension of the spring may be increased or slackened or if desired, the cups may be drawn together to the maximum, degree so that no movement of the bracket relative to the machine body will be permitted, thereby locking the bracket and wheel carried thereby.

Each wheel 39 is mounted to rotate about a short axle 40, on a suitable anti-friction bearing, notv shown. Each end of the axle has asquared portion 4| which is located in a slot 29 of the bracket fork. when the wheel is in position in the fork as shown particularly in Figure 6. Thus,

the axle is held from turning in the slots of the fork portions but the wheel may turn freely about the axle.

The axle. is retained inthe forkportions 28a by1locking plates 42, each of which has an opening 43, to receive a squared end 4| of the axle and these plates 42, are bolted against the. outer sides of the fork portions, as best illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. Thus, the wheels are each securely held in a fork of a bracket, but may be easily and quickly removed and replaced, when necessary, without dismounting the bracket or disturbing any of the other brackets and wheels.

While any form of bearing may be employed between the forward end of bracket arm 24 and the. shaft to. which it is connected a simple and efi'icient type of bearing, is detailed in Figure. 10, wherein there is employed a. sleeve 44, extending. thru thexarm 24 and having a bearing 45 secured in each end through which the bracket supporting. shaft passes.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present roller embodies a novel, compact wheel unit in which the pressure is applied directly downwardly on the wheel through the straight vertical leg. 28 of the bracket whereby the maximum: of pressure-is obtained with a minimum use of. "space.

Also, it will be readily be. seen that the wheel pressure. may be varied as desired, within certain limits,.through the medium of the coupling between the spring cups, or the wheel may be locked, if desired, against any vertical movement independent of the: body l0.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed. is: v

1. A roller of the, character described, come prising a weighted body and a forward and a rear series of supporting units therefor, each series comprising a plurality of angled brackets, each having a substantially horizontally disposed leg in close proximity to said'body and a substantially vertical, downwardly extending leg having a forked lower end, a horizontal pivotal coupling between the first leg of each bracket and the body, a ground engaging wheel rotatably carried within said forked lower end of the downwardly extending leg and underlying a part of said horizontally disposed leg, and a short compression spring interposed between said part of each of the first legs and the body.

2. A roller comprisinga weighted body, a series of supporting units disposed beneath and across the underside of the body at the front end, a series of supporting units disposed beneath and across the under side of the body rearwardly from the first series, a horizontal shaft supported transversely of the body adjacent each series of units, each unit comprising a substantially L-shaped' bracket having a substantially horizontal leg the free end of which is pivotally mounted on the adjacent shaft and having the other leg extending downwardly in the form of a fork, a ground engaging-wheel rotatably mounted in each fork and disposed entirely below'the top of said horizontal leg so as to be readily removable from the bracket, and a short compression spring interposed between the non-pivoted end of each of the first-mentioned legs of the brackets and the overlying body.

3. A roller as set forth in claim 2 with an adjustable coupling between each bracket and the body and adjacent the spring by which the spring tension may be controlled and the wheel locked against movement relative to the body.

4. A roller of the character described, comprising a weighted body and a forward and a rear series of supporting units therefor, each series comprising a plurality of angled brackets, each having a substantially horizontally disposed leg and asubstantially vertical, downwardly extending leg, a horizontal pivotal coupling between the first leg of each bracket and the body, a

ground engaging wheel rotatably carried by thelower end of the downwardlyextending leg, and a compression spring interposed between each of the first legs and the body, each of said springs being disposed substantially in alignment with the adjacent vertical leg to impart a direct down ward thrust to and through the center of the underlying wheel.

5. A roller of the character described, comprising a weighted body and a forward and a rear series of supporting units therefor, each series comprising a plurality of angled brackets. each having asubstantially horizontally disposed leg in close proximity to said body and a substantially vertical, downwardly extending leg having a forked lower end, a horizontal pivotal coupling between the first leg of each bracket and the body, a ground engaging wheel rotatably carried within said forked lower end of the downwardly extending leg, a. short compression spring interposed between each of the first legs and the body,and means constructed and arranged relative to each spring and bracket and the body for restraining the reaction of the spring and adjustable to sufficient extent to positively interengage the'bracket and the body.

LUTHER B".

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