US2698035A

US2698035A - Chain saw attachment for tractors

Info

Publication number: US2698035A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Chester A Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-02-28
Filing date: 1950-02-28
Publication date: 1954-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 1971-12-28

Description

C. A. SMITH, JR

CHAIN SAW ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Dec. 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1950 m m .m w T m 7 9 ZMQ A. m m m T g \R a 9% m w Dec. 28, 1954 c. A. SMITH, JR 2,698,035

CHAIN sAw ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Feb. 28, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 I Inventor Chester A. Smith, Jr

Dec. 28, 1954 c. A. SMITH, JR 2,698,035

CHAIN SAW ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Feb. 28, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Chester A. Smith, Jr.

Fig. 3

By 24mm United States Patent'f) This inventionrelates to a mobile power-operated saw, and more particularly pertains to a chainsaw 651960131131! well suite'd for sawing logs into sections which is mounted to be supported andopera-ted by. tractors'of rthe general type disclosed in the patents to= Ferguson Nos: 2,118,180

and 2,118,181.

The primary object ofthisinvention is toenable a person tosaw objects ins-a pl'upality of vertical planes: without the necessity of moving the object and -withaa min imurn expenditure of time, efforn-and' attention-,and Without requiring a the use of expensive equipment other; than a; tractor that has other utility, or-partichlanskill on the partof the operator.-

Another important object of-.the present inventionis to provide an attachmentwhich may be etficaeiously attached and removed from tractors of -the well-known Ford-Ferguson type, which will be capable of realizing the foregoing object, which will'be safe -to'operate,=and-which will itself be subject to aminimum; possibility of damageduring operation of the same.

Anotherimportant object of this-invention is to provide an attachment ofthis character, in conformity With-1116;

foregoing objects, Which Will utilize the hydraulic lift of; tractors of the beforernentioned-type for controlling the vertical movement of the'sawing elementof the attach ment but inwhich a degree of-freedomis'perrnitted thesawing elementin the verticaiplane so thatthe'actual sawing operation will be automatic when once; initiated,; and .which freedom will also, atfordqa-safeguard against damage to the sawing element upon striking obstructions during the sawing operations.

A further important object of; thfiyPI'fiSfiIlt invention is to provide an attachment of this character which'will be adjustable to inclination to the horizontal plane, and which adjustability also permits the same tobe compactlyfoldem for storage, or for transport of the.sameupona tractor when proceeding to the point of use.

A meritorious feature of the present .inventionresides in .the simplicity ofthe means providedfor mounting the attachment 'upon a tractor, which nieans are particularly well suited to cooperate with the implement lift-.means of. Ferguson type tractors, and which renders the attaehment the facility 1 of attachment to the implement lift commensurate with the ease and flexibility with which agricultural implements are customarily attached. .to.,th e i t'o t i t p or .char stsn. and h s r s a ification whatsoever of the tractor itself.

Another important feature of the present invention resides in the utilization of the lift arms of the tractor for vertical movement of the saw attachment, and the flexible connection between the lift arms and the attachment which permits independent upward movement of the at-. tachment.

Still another important feature of the present invention resides in the foldability of the attachment and the angular adjustability between the chain saw and the drive therefor.

A final important feature of the present invention to be specifically enumerated herein resides in the simplicity of the attachment, which renders the same of great structural strength, durability and low manufacture and cost, and yet which is highly efiicient for the purposes intended.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

2,698,035 Ratented. Dec, 28, 19.54,

Figure; liiS atreanrelevational viewr-iofstheipresent in vention. showing. the. same attached :to a =.tractor, and 'zan itlternateiposition of the attachment shown in.-dotted.5ou-t-\.=

Figure.-,2 .is a: vertical sectional view..oftl1'e present in- 'vention .taken vvuponrtherplane ofthe section line 305 f Figurel. .andash'owing certaintconcealed portions thereof in dotted outline;

Figure B is. a toprplanaviewzofi tlIeJembodiment shownin Figure 1;.

F igure. 4." is .a vertical: sectional I view: taken rup'on -the a plane of the section line 4:. 4.of Figure.2; and I Y Figure-5 is a sectional detail view taken upon-the plane of the broken section'line=5-5'of Figure 1.

Reference is now made more specifically to th'e'accompanying. drawings, whereinlike nurnerals= designate '-similar parts throughout the various-views; and in which' the reference :numeral =10 designates- -generally a tractor'of the well-known Ferguson type which includes a transmission housing 12, axle housings 14 and 16, and hydraulically op erated lift arms 18-that are pivotally mounted tothe trac tor it) as at 20 for movement about a transverse horizontal) axis, which arms 18,-'as will be understood, are-controlled in their position'by an operators control lever, not shown, carriedby the-tractor pin In mounting -the subject matter of the present inven tion upon the tractor10, the elevating lijnkfls-Zl-remainsecured-to brackets 22 as on conventional Ford or -Fergu sou -tractors, and it will be noted that the usual connect-ing'- links, not shown, between-the 'lift'arms IS-andthe-ele vating links ZI'have-been-removedi The attachment; designated generally at 23; which con stitutes thesubject matter of the presentinvention, in-' cludes' a ;triangular saw supportframe 24, the horizontal 5 portion 26 ofwhich is connctedbymeans of bolts -28orlynch pins'of the well 'known- Ferguson type -at-'the -op-- positeends thereof to the outer ends of the elevating links 2115 The inclined portions of the-frame'24 have their lower ends suitably secured to the opposite ends of the por-' tion 26 and have their upper ends spaced to receivethere betweenxthe outerend ofa top link 32,"and' are pivotally connected by-means ofa bolt 34 extended through the portions and the outer endof the links 32. As inthe Fergusontype of tractor, an L -shaped'bracketf36ihas the outer end'of' one leg pivotally connected-at '38'toythe transmission housing 12*and the outer end ofith'e other] end pivotally andoperatively connected at. 40 to' a spring assemblyAZ: A pair ofsuch brackets 36 are provided and spaced to receive therebetween the inner-end of the. top link". 32' and" the inner ends 'of a pair of divergent: members 44, the :inner'end of the'linksj32 and the'innerj endsof the members 44' being pivotally connected to the uncture of the legs of the brackets 36 by means ofa pivot bolt 46 extending therethrough; The outer ends of the; diyergent members 44 are secured to the opposite ends'of thepor tion 26 Df the triangular frame' 24 as Well as the links 21'by means of the'pins Zt}:

As best shown in Figure 2, the link 32 isjformedin two e tions t a are onne ed. at 48, the arrang ment b g suchflthata limited amount of yerticaljadjustr'nent is, per? mitted the triangular frame 24.

Mounted intermediate the ends of the portion 26 is a bearing 50 through which rotatably extends a shaft 52, one end of which is operatively connected to the power take-off 54 of the tractor 10 by means of an upwardly in clined intermediate shaft 56 and universal couplings 58, whereby the shaft 52 is rotated in response to rotation of the power take-0E 54.

F votally mounted upon the drive shaft 52 is a saw driving assembly 60 which includes a channel-shaped hous1ng 62 and a member 64, which channel-shaped housmg 62 is disposed to shelter therein a drive pulley 66 fixed upon the shaft 52 for rotation therewith. Formed at the end of the member 64 remote from the shaft 52 is a transverse housing 68 in which is journaled a shaft 70, to one end of which is keyed a driven pulley 72, and a pair of V-belts 74 are entrained over the

pulleys

66 and 72 in the housing 60 for establishing a driving connec' tion between the power take-ofi 54 and the pulley 72 through the shafts 32, universal couplings 58, shaft 52, and the

pulleys

66 and 72. To the end of the shaft 70 opposite the pulley 72 is mounted the driven sprocket 76 of the chain saw assembly indicated at 78.

The chain saw assembly 78 includes a frame 80 and the saw chain 82 which is entrained over the sprocket 76.1 Since the chain saw assembly 78 does not, in itself, constitute the subject matter of the present invention and is entirely conventional in design, it is believed that a further explanation of the same is not necessary.

Except as hereinafter pointed out, the connection between the drive assembly 60 and the chain saw assembly 78 is analogous in all fundamental respects to that shown in the patent to Arsneau, issued May 9, 1944, No. 2,348,588, which includes means, indicated at 84 for adustably extending the frame 80 for tensioning the chain 82 and in which the frame 80 includes a sleeve 86 rotatably mounted on the housing 68. As will be described hereinafter, the assembly 60 is adjustably retained in fixed angular relationship with the assembly 78.

In order to pivotally move the assembly 60 and assembly 78 in a vertical plane about the axis of the shaft 52,

a laterally extending lever 88 is suitably secured to the assembly 60, and the outer end of the lever 88 is operatively connected to one of the lift arms 18 by means of a chain 90. One end of the chain 90 is secured, as at 92, to the bifurcated outer end of the arm 18 and is secured at its other end to the outer end of the lever 88 and is intermediately entrained over a guide pulley 94 carried by a bracket 96, which bracket is, in turn, secured to the portion 26 at the end remote from the chain saw assembly 78 as best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the arrangement being such that upon upward movement of the arm 18 the

assemblies

60 and 78 are moved from the full line position shown in Figure 1 to the alternative raised position shown in dotted outline at 98.

In order to adjustably fix the angular relationship between the

assemblies

60 and 78, a bracket arm 100 connects the member 64 and the frame 80, as best shown in Figures 1 and 3. In the preferred construction, the bracket 100 is secured as at 102 to the frame 80 and is adjustably secured at its other end to a plurality of projecting lugs 104 angularly disposed on the housing 68, whereby, as will be readily understood, the angular relationship between the

assemblies

60 and 78 may be adjustably fixed.

In order to prevent side sway of the attachment, a stabilizing brace 106 is secured at its inner end to the axle housing 14 and at its outer end to the end of the portion 26 adjacent the chain saw.

. The operation of the attachment will be readily understood. One of the most important advantages of the present invention resides in the fact that the operator may sever a log or the like into a plurality of sections without leaving the operators position of the tractor, and another important advantage of the present invention resides in the flexible connection between the lift arm 18 and the attachment 23, whereby the attachment 22 may be positively lifted while the chain saw 78 advances into a log by gravity, with the flexible connection serving only to limit the rate of advance as desired.

Since, from the foregoing, the construction and advantages of this invention are readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompany- $1 a transverse drawbar secured to the tractor frame by a pair of elevator links and supported by a pair of divergent members secured adjacent the ends of said drawbar and to a bracket mounted on the tractor, said attachment comprising a pair of downwardly divergent frame elements connected together at their upper ends, the lower ends of said divergent members being secured to said drawbar, an articulated link secured between the upper end of the divergent members and said bracket, a bearing mounted intermediate the ends of said drawbar, a shaft 'journaled in said bearing, a driving connection between said shaft and said power take-off, a housing journaled on said shaft, a sheave fixed on said shaft within said housing, a transverse-shaft journaled in said housing, a sheave on said transverse shaft in said housing, a flexible ..'driving element entrained over said sheave, a saw opera-v tively connected to said transverse shaft.

2. A saw attachment for mounting a saw on a tractor of the type having hydraulic lifting arms, a power takeoff, a transverse drawbar secured to the tractor frame -by a pair of elevator links and supported by a pair of divergent members secured adjacent the ends of said drawbar and to a bracket mounted on the tractor, said attachment comprising a pair of downwardly divergent frame elements connected together at their upper ends, the lower ends of said divergent members being secured to said drawbar, an articulated link secured between the upper end of the divergent members and said bracket, a bearing mounted intermediate the ends of said drawbar, a shaft journaled in said bearing, a driving connection between said shaft and said power take-off, a housing journaled on said shaft, a sheave fixed on said shaft within said housing, a transverse shaft journaled in said housing, a sheave on said transverse shaft in said housing, a flexible driving element entrained over said sheave, a saw operatively connected to said transverse shaft, an adjusting lever secured on said housing adjacent said bearing, a sheave journaled adjacent the end of said drawbar, a flexible tension member secured to said lifting arm and to said lever, said tension member being entrained over the sheave adjacent the end of said drawbar.

- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 995,269 Maurino June 13, 1911 2,420,836 Nelson May 20, 1947 2,432,726 Crawford Dec. 16, 1947 2,436,504 Duncklee Feb. 29, 1948 2,439,607 Irwin Apr. 13, 1948 2,461,384 Kelly Feb. 8, 1949 2,560,641 Goodlet July 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 118,817 Australia Aug. 14, 1944