US2639940A - Orchard spraying machine - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1953 R. H. FISH 2,639,940

ORCHARD SPRAY'ING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 50, 1950 I INVENTOR Rickard fLEsh m N 'BY wai ATTORNEYS May 26, 1953 R. H. FISH ORCHARD SPRAYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 30, 1950 Ly w w INVENTOR Richard 1-6. Eds

ATTORNEYS Patented May 26, 1953 ORCHARD SPRAYING MACHINE Richard H. Fish, Morgan Hill, Calif., assignor to Air- Fan Products Corporation, a corporation of California Application October 30, 1950, Serial No. 192,964

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in orchard spraying machines used for the purpose of applying disease and pest control liquids to the orchard trees.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a compact, unitary, self-powered, centrifugal fan-type spray unit adapted to be arranged in novel combination with a high pressure hose and nozzle type spraying machine whereby to convert the same from a hand to an automatic sprayer. By automatic sprayer is meant a machine which travels between the orchard rows and discharges high velocity spray directly from a fan into the trees.

Afurther object of this invention is to provide a spray unit which is designed for ready and convenient mounting in place, whereby to facilitate the conversion of a hose and nozzle type spraying machine to an automatic type, as aforesaid.

Another object of the invention is to construct the spray unit so that it may function to emit a spray blast from one side or the other, or from both, selectively; the unit including novel adjustable air blast deflector vanes which control the pattern of the spray from each side of the machine.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel valve assembly, adjacent the tractor seat, for the selective control of the spray blasts to one side or the other, or both sides, as in the preceding paragraph.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a spray unit designed for ease and economy of manufacture. 7

Still another object of the invention is to provide a practical and reliable orchard spraying machine, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the orchard spraying machine.

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation, partly broken away, of the unitary, self-powered spray unit employed in the machine.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of said spray unit.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section of the valve assembly as mounted adjacent the operators seat on the tractor.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral l indicates, generally, a tank trailer adapted to be coupled in driven relation by a tongue 2 to the rear of a tractor 3. The tank trailer I includes therein a tank 4 for liquid spray material, and a conduit 5 connects the tank 4 to a gas engine driven pump unit 6 likewise within the trailer 1.

2 A supply hose 1 leads out of the trailer I to supply the liquid spray under pressure from the pump unit 6.

In some adaptations a tank trailer as above may be used as a hose and nozzle type spraying machine, and in such event the supply hose I is extended, valve controlled, and fitted with a hand supported nozzle, by means of which an operator may manually direct said nozzle to spray orchard trees or the like.

The present invention contemplates the conversion of the above type of spraying machine to an automatic sprayer; i. e. a machine which sprays directly from a spray unit, fixed on the machine, into the adjacent orchard trees, such conversion being accomplished as follows:

At the rear end thereof the tank trailer I is formed with a rearwardly projecting platform 8, and a compact, unitary, self-powered centrifugal fan-type spray unit, indicated generally at 9, is mounted on such platform 8; such unit being constructed and functioning as follows:

The spray unit 9 comprises a base to secured to the platform 8, with an engine housing ll upstanding from said base rearwardly of a centrifugal fan housing l2.

Within the housing It the base 10 supports a gas engine [3 which includes a starting crank l4 and an exhaust Hi.

The engine I3 includes a direct-drive fan shaft I6 which extends rearwardly and coaxially into the centrifugal fan housing 12.

The centrifugal fan housing l2 includes a front plate 11, a back plate l8, and a bottom plate l9; said housing, above said bottom plate [9, being formed with an arcuate discharge slot 26 of at least extent, disposed half on each side of the fan housing I2.

Radially inwardly of the discharge slot 2 i] there is a corresponding, outwardly tapering throat 2|,

- which throat extends in matching relation about a centrifugal fan 22 mounted on the fan shaft [6; said throat running unbroken from opposite ends of the bottom plate IS.

The centrifugal fan 22 includes a hub 23, a front plate 24, and a back plate 25; there being a plurality of volute-like fan blades 26 extending toward the hub 23 between the plates 24 and 25 in equally circumferentially spaced, spider-like arrangement.

The back plate !8 of the fan housing and the back plate 25 of the centrifugal fan are formed with enlarged openings 21 and 28, respectively, for the purpose of air intake into the fan. The opening 2 has a grill-type guard 29 fitted there- Radially out from the centrifugal fan 22, and within, the tapering throat 2|, there is a condistantly and being adjustably secured in said throat by studs 31 which project laterally outwardly from the lower end of each vane through the plates l1 and [8; said studs normally being maintained-tight and against rotation by nuts 32. With this arrangement the deflector vanes 30 are normally held in fixed position but may be adjusted, preparatory to use of the machine, as working conditions may require.

The adjustable vanes 3B are concave on one side, which is for the purpose of redirecting the air flow from the fan to effectively control the spray pattern.

Substantially radially outwardly facing spray nozzles 33 extend in an arcuate path about the upper and side portions of the centrifugal fan 22, being disposed substantially in the slot centrally between opposite sides thereof.

The nozzles 33 are in communication with, and are supported by, lateral fittings 34 which extend forwardly through the adjacent part of the fan housing, connecting-outwardly of the housing-with a corresponding manifold '35. There is a manifold 35 for each side of the spray unit 9; i. e. from a point adjacent the top downwardly to a point adjacent the corresponding end of the bottom plate l9. With this arrangement, the nozzles on one side of the machine are fed by one manifold, while the nozzles on the other side of the machine are fed by the other manifold.

Separate hoses '36 lead from a tractor mounted control valve assembly, indicated generally at 31, rearwardly along the tank trailer I to connection with the lower end of the corresponding manifold-35.

The control valve assembly 3'! is preferably mounted alongside the operators seat 38 on the tractor, being secured thereto by a clamp 39. The control valve assembly 31 comprises a T-fitting 49 connected, at the central leg, to the-supply hose 1, and connected, at opposite ends, to the feed hoses '36-, with manual valves 4| interposed between each such feed hose 3'6 and the corresponding end of said T-fitting 40.

In operation of the described orchard spraying machine, liquid spray material is fed under high pressure from the tank 4 through hose 1 to the control valve assembly 31.

By the selective manipulation of the valves 4| by the tractor operator, high pressure liquid spray can be fed through one or the other, or both simultaneously, of the feed hoses 3 6, to the end that spray emits from the nozzles 33 at either side, or both sides simultaneously, oi the centrifugal fan 22.

With said centrifugal fan 22 driven at relatively high speed by the engine 13, a high velocity air blast delivers from the discharge slot 20, picking up the atomized liquid spray from the nozzles 33 and blowing it forcefully into the orchard trees along the row between which the machine is traveling.

By reason of the described selectively controlled valve assembly 31, the tractor operator, from the seat 38, may cause the machine to spray from either side, or both sides, as aforesaid, and as working conditions may require.

A combination orchard spraying machine as described provides for the practical, convenient, and effective spraying of orchard trees; the spray unit 9 being initially separate, unitary, and selfpowered, which. makes possible the ready conversion of a hose and nozzle type spraying machine into an automatic spraying machine, with the ad'- Yantaees attendant the latter.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, Still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, th following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. In combination, a tractor, a trailer coupled to the tractor, the trailer including means to supply a liquid spray under pressure, a platform at the rear of the trailer, a unitary selfpowered spray unit mounted on the platform, a conduit system mainly exteriorly of the trailer connected between said spray supply means and the spray unit, and a control valve assembly fnsaid conduit system mounted on the tractor adjacent and alongsidethe operators station.

2. A combination, as in claim 1, in which the spray unit includes sets of spray nozzles adapted tod'i'scha-rge laterally outward from opposite sides of said unit; the conduit system having a separate conduit lea-ding from the valve assembly on the tractor to each set of spray nozzles, and said assembly including a valve corresponding to each of said separate conduits.

3. In combination, a tractor, a trailer coupled to-thetractor, the trailer including means to supply a liquid spray under pressure, a supply conduit leading forwardly from said means to the tractor, a valveassembly on the tractor adjacent the operator's station, the supply conduit connecting to the valve-assembly, a feed conduit leading from the valve assembly rearwardly to adjacent the rear end of the trailer, the latter including a rear end platform, and a unitary selfpowered spray unit mounted'on the platform and connectedwith said feed conduit; the supply and feed conduits including flexible portions between th valve assembly and the trailer.

4. In combination with a wheel supported vehicle including means thereon to supply a liquid spray under pressure, a platform on the vehicle, a unitary self-powered spray unit mounted on the platform, and a valve controlled conduit system connected between said spray supply means and said spray unit; there being a tractor coupled to th vehicle, said system including a portion extending to adjacent the operators station on the tractor, and a valve in said portion manually accessible to said operator and mounted on the tractor.

RICHARD H. FISH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,761,723 Greer June 3, 1930 2,08%)55' Taylor July 6, 1937 2,226,192 Barrett Dec. '24, 1940 2,238,120 Launder Apr. 15,. 1941 2,429,374 Shade Oct. 21, 1947 2,47%,9 Daugherty July 5, 1949 2,476,969 Daugherty July '26, 1949 2,538,879 Newcomb et al. 1 Jan. 23, 1951 2,604,357 Daugherty July 22. 1952

Images