US2671281A

US2671281A - Vehicular apparatus for removing snow and ice from streets and the like

Info

Publication number: US2671281A
Application number: US224011A
Authority: US
Inventors: Salmen George
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-05-01
Filing date: 1951-05-01
Publication date: 1954-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 1971-03-09

Description

March 9, 1954' G. sALMEN VEHICULAR APPARATUS F'OR REMOVING SNOW AND ICE FROM STREETS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May l, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

}\ llll lill Il l l e, almen BY @QN wouw-M March 9, 1954 G, sALMl-:N

VEHICULAR APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SNOW AND ICE FROM STREETS AND THE' LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May l, 1951 '97 JNVENToR. Gear e ezlmen lBY @du when,

iorney Patented Mar. 9, y 1954 UNITED sTATss PATENT ori-*ics VEHIGULA PPATUS FORBEMDVING sNow AND los FRoM STREETS .AND

THE LIKE George Salmon, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May' 1, 1951, Seria] No. 224,011

' (c1.- .sv-.45)

1 Claim. l

My invention relates to vehicular apparatus primarily intended for removing snow' and ice from areas such as surfaced roads, streets and highways, although the apparatus may also be used for other purposes having similar requirements.

It is common knowledge that the usual type' of snow removing apparatus', such as snow plows', are not very satisfactory in use since although theyare effective in scraping the surface snow to the sides of a road, the heaped snow has to be removed by other machines, or by men who shovel the snow into trucks.

In addition, if ice has formed, as often happens, because of the snow melting under a warm Sun during the day and then freezing during the night, such machines do not operate to advantage since the plow blades tend to slide over the frozen surface.

It is an object of my invention to provide snow and ice removing apparatus which incorporates means having a combined cutting and shoveling action, which not only removes surface or loose snow, but also digs into and breaks up compacted snow or ice, or a covering of both, 'in a positive and rapid operation. I

Another object of inv invention is toA provide vehicular apparatus for' breaking up and gatheri ingrsnow and icelon surfaced areas which is, in addition, provided with conveyor means whereby the material removed from the surface Vof the roadl or other area, is raised to' a level from which l.it may be dumped into trucks travelling alongside the apparatus and removed' in a continuous operation not requiring'- the use of a gang' of loaders.

A further object of my invention is to provide' an automotive vehicular apparatus for breaking up and removing ice and snow from surfaced areasand dumping the removed material, which is simply and strongly constructed and arranged so that the parts subject to the most wear and shock may be readily replaced when required.

One difliculty in ensuring satisfactory removal of snow and ice 'from roads is that lhighfspotsl rocks or other obstructions in the road may cause unevenness at some points and a scraping blade might' be either stopped or damaged by contact with the obstructions or the whole blade might be raised in passing over the obstruction.

Accordingly it is another object of my invention to provide an apparatus providedv with a plurality of means havingv a digging and shovelling action and which are resiliently mounted so that they will act efficiently on such rough surfaces without being damaged thereby.

Still further objects and features of my inventionuwill appear in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings or an embodiment of my invention at present considered preferable by me.

ln the drawings:` Y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of the vehicular snow and ice removing apparatus of my invention, with that chain for driving the front Ave-'j hicle Wheels nearest the viewer, being broken away to reveal parts not otherwise disclosed..

Fig. 2 is a front View elevation or tl'iev apparatus, the body of a truck in position for receiving removed material dumped from the apparatus, being shown in section.

V`Fig. 3 is a plan 'View` of the apparatus shown in Fie'. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4"-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5lis afra'gmentary cross section on the line 555 of Fig. l, but on a larger scale.

y Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross' section onthe' line ti-S of Fig. 2, but drawn on a larger scale. Fig. '7` is a fragmentary cross section on the line le-JlI vof Fig. 3, but on a larger scale.

rig. sis an emerged View showing in perspem tive one of a plurality of plates incorporated in a digging and shovelling means oi the apparatus.

Fig. '9 is an enlarged `detail perspectivevview of one of the members in which the plates shown in vFig'. c are mounted. Y p ,p

`'In Fig. 1, the numeral Ill indicates generally the bed frame of a vehicle lon which the snow and ice removing means 'of my invention are mounted, and whichv comprises longitudinal members Il and transverse members l2. The vvehicle is provided with front Wheels lI3 and I4 mounted on an axle I5 carried in bearing bracke ets I6, l1, bolted or otherwise connected to the frame members of the vehicle. A pair `of steerable rear Wheels I8, [9 are mounted in castering forks 3,21l rotatably mounted at the back of the vehicle in'

bearings

22, 23 secured to 'the ve hicle frame". n u

Arms 24, `2li are secured,tov the forks zo, 2 l' Vand are connected by a' par as pivotany secured to the arms. A steering column 21 is' fitted at its upper end with a steering arm 28, and at its lower endwithan arm 29. The outer end of arm 29 is fitted with a depending pin 35 rotatable in the par 2s. thus affording a direct steering air*- r'angement for the rear wheels i8, It. It 'is obs vious that any other suitable steering arrange-'- ment may be provided, that described being given by way 'of example only;

An engine or motor, generally indicated at 3l,

is mounted at the rear of the frame |0. The engine and all controls for the apparatus are arranged within easy reach of the drivers seat 33, and a closed drivers cab 34 is provided with the door thereof indicated at 35.

A main engine driven shaft 36 is arranged transversely at the rear of the frame I0, and a clutch 31 operated by a lever 38 is provided to connect and disconnect the shaft 36 to the transmission contained in a box 31a. Rear sprocket wheels 39, 40 xed on the ends of the shaft 36, sprockets 4|, 42 fixed on the shaft I5 and drive chains I43, 44 connecting the sprocket wheels provide a driving mechanism for wheels I3, I4.

A frame comprising

vertical beams

45, 46 are mounted toward the front of the main frame I 0, and are braced from the longitudinal members I I by diagonal struts 41, 48.

A frame, generally indicated at is pivoted at its upper end on a transverse shaft 52 carried in

bearings

53, 54 secured to the vertical beams 45, y46 adjacent the upper ends thereof. 'I'he frame comprises spaced

side members

55, 56, in the lower ends of which is mounted a shaft 51. Upper sprockets 58, Fig. 6, are fixed on the ends of shaft 52, and lower sprockets 59, Fig. '7, are similarly fixed on the ends of the lower shaft 51 on the inner sides of the

side members

55, 56.

Endless chains

60, 6| are trained around such upper and lower sprockets.

A wide and endless conveyor belt 62 of suitably flexible and strong material, such as heavy webbing is secured along its edges in any suitable manner to

chains

60, 6|. Angle bars 63 are riveted to extend across the width of the conveyor belt and are spaced along the length thereof and prevent ice and snow from sliding downwards on the upper stretch of the belt.

The lower end of the conveyor frame 5| is supported for vertical movement by an arm 64 f of a bell crank lever pivoted at 65 in a bearing supported on the floor |2a of the cab. The other arm 66a. of the bell crank lever is fitted with a handle 61 and a releasable detent 68 engageable with a notch 66 in a quadrant 69. Arm 64 is pivoted at its outer end to a link which in turn is pivoted on a cross rod 1| midway of its length. Rod 1| is mounted at its ends in

triangular brackets

12, 13 extending upwardly from the lower ends of the

frame side members

55, 56.

Side plates 14, extending upwardly and over the edges of the belt 62 are supported by brackets .16, 11 and 18, 19 bolted or riveted to the

side members

55, 56 and to the plates. These plates serve to confine the snow and ice on the belt 62.

Snow and ice loosening and shovelling means generally indicated at 80, and a gathering and guiding means generally indicated at 8|, are carried by the frame 5|.

The snow and ice loosening and shovelling means 80 is mounted on a shaft 82 carried at each end in

bearing blocks

83, 84 vertically movable in supporting

brackets

85, 86, depending from the

side members

55, 56 and formed with vertical guideways 81, 88 (Fig. 4) for the bearing blocks.

Coil springs

89, 90 are positioned between the tops of guideways 81. 88 and the tops of the bearing blocks.

The means 80 comprises a plurality of units 9| (Fig. 9) all fixed to the shaft 82. Each unit 9| comprises a hub 92 receiving the shaft 82, a longitudinal keyway 93 being provided alignable with a longitudinal keyway 94 in the shaft and both receiving a key 94a to fix the hub to the shaft. Arms 95 are fixed to and radiate from the hub 92 and are tapered from the hub outwardly 'to their free ends into relatively sharp transverse edges a. The side faces of the arms 95 are provided with

parallel anges

96, 91, the grooves 98 between the anges being aligned with grooves 98a in the hubs 92. Plates |00 (Figs. 4 and 8) are fitted into the facing grooves of the arms of adjacent units 9|, and are secured therein by screws |0I. Six units 9| are shown in Fig. 4 and ve plates |00 are secured between each series of aligned arms 95 to span the space between the same.

Sprocket Wheels |85, |66 are secured on the ends of shaft 82, and other Wheels |01, |08 are mounted on the ends of shaft 51 on the outer sides of the

side members

55 and 56. Endless chains |09, ||0 are mounted on sprockets |05. |01, and |06, |08 respectively. These wheels and chains provide means for driving the units 9| from the shaft 51, as will be understood.

The gathering and guiding means 8| comprises a blade I, Figs. 1 and 7, inclined rearwardly and upwardly and curving around the lower end of the conveyor belt 62. The leading edge of the blade is preferably made of especially tough steel and tted as a renewable element ||2 secured to the lower edge of the blade. The blade is held in place on the frame of the vehicle by depending side plates ||3 secured at their upper ends to

brackets

12, 13. The blade is secured at its upper edge to a rod 1| by brackets ||4, and is supported intermediate its length by a rod |5 which is secured at its ends in the side plates I3. To ensure that the lower edge of the blade being held closely adjacent the surface being cleared but to prevent the edge digging into such surface, rollers ||1 are mounted on a rod ||8 supported at its ends in the side plates.

The conveyor belt 62 delivers material to a transversely arranged delivery conveyor, generally indicated at H9, supported by the

posts

45, 45, and a second pair of posts |20, |2| supported at their lower ends on the side members of the vehicle frame and braced by diagonal braces |22, |23 secured to cross member |2. Posts |20, |2| may be secured at their upper ends to the upper ends of

posts

45, 46 by any suitable means as, for instance, by the plate |24.

posts

A pair of opposed bevel gears |48, |49 are nxed on sleeve |43 and are spaced apart so that either one lor the other vmay be brought into meshV with a bevel gear |50 xed to the upper shaft 52.

The shaft 52 is rotated when required from the shaft 35 through la sprocket |5| secured on shaft 52, driving chain |52 and sprocket |53 fixed on a sleeve |54., freely rotatable on shaft 3E. Sleeve |54 may be connected to shaft 35 by a clutch |55 comprising teeth formed on a side face of sleeve |54 and on aside face of sleeve |56 slidable on, but held for rotation with shaft 3S by a spline connection indicated at |57. The clutch sleeve |56 may be moved on shaft 36 toward sprocket |53-to clutch'the wheel |53 to the shaft 36, or in the reverse direction to leave the sprocket disconnected from the shaft, by means of a lever |59 pivoted on a bracket i projecting from and secured to the side frame of the vehicle. 'One end of the lever |59 is provided with a pin '13| projecting into the groove iii-2 of the sleeve 158. The opposite end of lever is connected by a push-pull rod |54. to an arm '|55 projecting from a vertical shaft iota 'supported in a vertical tubular bearing lee. An operating lever' |51 is secured to the upper end of shaft |65a. The clutch rmay be held in engaged or disengaged position by any suitable means associated 'with the shaft |65a.

The material deposited on delivery conveyor` belt |33 may be delivered from either side of the l' machine, depending on the setting of the bevel gear train |48, |50, |49, by a detachable delivery chute |69 removably secured by bolts |70, to the vertical posts at the front of the machine. As shown in Fig. 2 the delivery chute is arranged for dumping material into a truck body at the side of the vehicle. In the operation of the apparatus, the engine 3| operates to drive the wheels |3 through the chains 43, 4t, and thus propel the vehicle forwardly as indicated by the arrow in Fig. l. During travel of the vehicle to a road, street or highway to be cleared of snow and ice, the arm 66 is in a position to the left end of the quadrant 63 in which it is held by the detent 58. In this position of the arm S6 the frame 5| is held in the elevated position indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, so that the blade the rollers ||1, and the arms 95 are all elevated to positions which will clear road surfaces over which the vehicle may travel to the particular road to be cleared.

Upon reaching the road to be cleared the operator moves the arm 56 to its forward position thus lowering the blade, rollers, and arms 95 to operative positions, as shown in Fig. l. By now actuating the arm |65 the clutch |55 may be operated to connect the shaft 36 to the sprocket |53 through chain |52 and sprocket |5| to drive shaft 52 for driving the conveyor belt G2 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. With driving of the conveyor belt the shaft 57 is also driven through the

chains

63, 6| to drive the shaft 82 so that the arms 95 with the plates |08 are rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l.

Thus the arms 95 below the shaft 82 are driven downwardly, rearwardly and then upwardly to cause their outer relatively sharp ends 95a to dig and cut the snow and ice along lines extending lengthwise of the highway. The outer edges of the plates may also be made relatively sharp so as to dig and cut the snow and ice on lines extending across the highway. 'Ihus the arms and plates coact to break up and thus loosen the snow and ice as the vehicle moves along a highway.

Because of the width of the plates |00 and the fact that they span 'the arms cf adjacent units, these plates act as shovels to sweep the loosened ice and snow rearwardly and upwardly against the blade I which is carried forwardly with the vehicle, the material being guided upwardly over and onto the surface of the conveyor B2. The angie bars will ensure upward movement of the material between the .sides '14--15 of the conveyor and the delivery of the material onto the trans verse conveyor belt |33.

It may be desired tc deliver the material cleared from the street to either one .side or the other yof the vehicle into .a truck travelling along? side the vehicle. This is provided for by the fdriv ing gear arrangement for the conveyor belt |38 andthe detachable delivery chute |54. If it is desired to change delivery of material from one side of the vehicle to the lother the bolts HB of the chute are removed, and the chute fixed in position on the opposite side of the vehicle as indicated in dot dash line in Fig. 2. The direction of travel of the conveyor belt is changed by moving lever |43 in the direction Opposite to that in which it is set thus engaging the previously ldisengaged gear of the pair of gears |48, |49 with gear |53.

.It will be noted that the resilient bearing arrangement for the shaft 82 of thedigging .and shovelling means enables such .means to adapt itself to small differences in the surface of the road or street, and to absorb shocks, such as might be caused by an arm striking a large stone, without breaking. However, should one of the arms be broken from any cause, or a plate |00 be cracked, the damaged part may be readily removed and replaced.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of vehicular apparatus for removing snow and ice from roads, streets or highways, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of my invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In an apparatus for removing snow and ice from roads, streets and like surfaces, comprising a vehicle having a horizontal bed frame and an upright frame extending upwardly at one end thereof, said horizontal bed frame having front and rear supporting wheels, the front wheels being spaced apart and located adjacent one end of the bed frame and on each side thereof, a single elevator conveyor including a pivotally inclined frame for supporting the same, the elevator conveyor and its supporting frame being of substantially the same width as the horizontal bed frame and extending lengthwise thereof, the elevator frame being pivoted adjacent the top of the upright frame and inclined downwardly at an angle of approximately 45 with the upright frame, a mechanism carried by the bed frame and connected to the lower end of the elevator frame for raising and lowering the lower end of the elevator frame relative to the road or street surfaces over which the vehicle is passing, a horizontal conveyor extending along the top of the upright frame and cross-wise in relation to the horizontal bed frame, the horizontal conveyor being mounted directly above the front supporting wheels, one edge of the horizontal conveyor being slightly beneath the upper end of the inclined conveyor to receive the snow and ice caried un the inclined conveyor, an elongated horizontal rotor mounted upon a horizontal shaft; the rotor being of substantially the same width as the inclined elevator conveyor and having means for mounting the same under the lower end of the supportingr frame of the inclined conveyor for detaching the snow and ice from the road surface, said rotary supporting means consisting of a pair of arms extending forwardly and substantially horizontally from and under the lower end of the inclined conveyor frame and in a plane substantially parallel with the side of the said frame and a corresponding vertical supporting bracket extending downwardly from each side of the said frame to the outer end of the horizontal arms and xedly connected thereto, the junction of the arms and brackets having vertical guideways formed therein, a bearing block carried within each guideway for supporting the shaft, a resilient member carried between the tops of the guideways and the bearing blocks for resiliently supporting the said blocks to provide for a limited upward movement of the rotor should the rotor come in contact with an obstruction, the said rotor having a plurality of radial blades of equal length secured to the horizontal shaft. a curved scooping blade secured to and under the lower end of the inclined elevator frame and located immediately in rear of the rotor, the lower edge of said blade being substantially in a horizontal plane with the lowest point of the rotating blades of the rotor, the scoop extending upwardly and around the lower end of the elevator conveyor and terminating above the upper surface thereof for receiving the snow and ice from the rotor end depositing the same on the upper surface of the inclined conveyor, a rolling support carried on the lower end of the inclined conveyor for guaging the lower end of the scoop and rotor a predetermined distance from the road surface. a single power plant carried rearwardly of the lower end of the inclined conveyor for operating the rotor, the inclined and horizontal conveyors and for moving the vehicle along and over the road or street surfaces.

GEORGE SALMEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 687,312 Hughes Nov. 26, 1901 818,214 Anderson Apr. 17, 1906 825,226 Linden July 3, 1906 1,502,430 Hayes July 22, 1924 1,567,627 Stanton Dec. 29, 1925 1,654,685 Gettelman Jan. 3, 1928 1,724,494 Maust Aug. 13, 1929 2,093,721 Grattan Sept. 21, 1937 2,150,396 Niewendorp Mar. 14, 1939 2,547,752 Hasskamp Apr. 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 747,275 France Mar. 28, 1933