US2710466A

US2710466A - Trench digging attachment for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: US2710466A
Application number: US242600A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eldrick D Chartier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-08-20
Filing date: 1951-08-20
Publication date: 1955-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 1972-06-14

Description

June 14, 1955 (:HARTlER 2,710,466

TRENCH DIGGING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 20, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 5y Ame/ 1a aka/ewe,

June 14, 1955 E. D. CHARTIER 2,710,466

TRENCH DIGGING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 20. 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. D. CHARTIER TRENCH DIGGTNG ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES June 14, 1955 4 Shpts-Sheej. 5

Filed Aug. 20, 1951 June 14, 1955 E. D. CHARTIER TRENCH DIGGING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 20; 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 14, 1955 ice TRENCH DEGGENG ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Eldrick D. Charticr, fiauta Cruz, Calif., assignor to Robert 0. Hansen, Inglewood, Calif.

Application August 20, 1951, Serial No. 242,660

4 Claims. (Cl. 37 eo This invention relates to a trench digging attachment for motor vehicles and particularly the type of motor vehicle known as a jeep.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel trench digging attachment which can be mounted on a relatively small motor vehicle, such as a jeep and mounted in such a manner that the weight carried by the rear end of the vehicle is not excessive, and also when the boom is raised to non-digging position that the weight is so distributed that there is no dangerous overhanging or" the weight structure beyond the rear wheels but, on the contrary, the weight is carried close to the rear wheels thus enabling the vehicle to be guided On the roadway and without dangerous sway.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel trench digging attachment in which the boom can b moved from side to side of the vehicle as required to permit the boom to dig a trench in any position transversely of the vehicle which might be desired.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel means of mounting the boom so that it can be shifted laterally by a hydraulic cylinder as controlled by the operator.

A feature of my invention resides in the road engaging shoes which are mounted adjacent each side of the trench digging attachment and are raised and lowered with the boom so as to either engage or disengage the roadway.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel trench digging attachment in which the entire boom structure and digging chain can be rotated around a drive shaft,. this rotation being accomplished by means of a hydraulic cylinder attached to a sleeve encircling the drive shaft.

Still another feature of my invention is to provide a novel trench digging attachment with a dirt conveyor belt that carries the dirt to one side of the vehicle and this conveyor being adjustable vertically so that the dirt from the trench is carried to one side of the ditch in a continuous mound.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my trench digging attachment on a motor vehicle, the attachment being shown in raised position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my trench digging attachment in lowered or digging position.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of my trench digging attachment with the boom in partially raised position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the digger chain.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of my trench digging attachment.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of the drive mechanism and the method of mounting the boom n the drive shaft.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the mount for the dirt conveying belt and the means to raise and lower the same.

Referrin more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a motor vehicle, such as a jeep which includes the usual rear deck 2, positioned above the rear wheels 3. A pair of plates 4 and are mounted one on each side of the deck and are fixedly attached to this deck by suitable means, such as welded, bolted, etc., these plates are each fixedly attached to a pair of spaced rods 6 and 7, which extend laterally of the deck 2. The side plates i and 5 and the rods 6 and 7 form a rigid foundation upon which the trench digging attachment is mounted.

A sleeve 8 fits on the rod 5 and is materially shorter than this rod and, therefore, can slide from end to end of this rod. A similar sleeve 1 is mounted on the rod 7 and is slidable on this rod simultaneously with the sleeve 8, as will be further described.

An arm is fixedly attached at one end to the sleeve 8 and at the other end to a gear box 11; the construction of this gear box is the same as the standard rear end or differential gear housing of the usual automobile. A second arm 12 is fixedly attached at one end to the sleeve 8, and at the other end to the mounting of the boom 13. This mounting is best shown in Figure 6. A trunnion 14 is fixedly secured to the outer end of the arm 12 and projects inwardly from this arm, substantially as shown. The boom 13 is provided with a tubular housing 15, one end of which housing fits on to the trunnion l4 and the other end fits on the tube in which projects from the gear housing 11. Thus it will be evident that the inner end of the boom 13 is rotatably mounted on the trunnion 14 and the tube 16 so that the boom can be raised or lowered.

The gear box 11 is additionally braced and supported by a second'supporting arm 17 which extends from the sleeve 9 and is fixedly attached thereto and thence to the gear box 11 to which it is also fixedly attached.

As thus far described, it will be evident that the sleeves 8 and 9 can slide on the rods 6 and 7, respectively, thus moving the boom 13 from adjacent one side of the vehicle to the other side, and this side to side movement of the boom 13 is accomplished by a hydraulic cylinder 18 which lies horizontally, one end thereof being secured to the side plate 4 and the piston of the cylinder 13 bears against the arm 12. As the hydraulic cylinder 13 is actuated, the piston rod thereof Will move the sleeves 8 and 9 along the rods 6 and '7 so as to position the boom 13 as required by the operator. A drive shaft 19 extends into the gear box 11 for the purpose of driving the shaft 26 and the sprocket 21 at the inner end of the boom 13 is mounted on the shaft with a driving connection as is commonly done in vehicle rear drive assemblies. The drive shaft 19 extends from a reduction gear box 22, the gears in which are rotated by the usual power shaft 23 of the vehicle 1. This method of driving auxiliary mechanism on a motor vehicle is usual and well known in the art. The shaft 20 is journaled in bearings 20a and 29b, which bearings are mounted in the housing 15.

A digger chain 24 is mounted on the boom 13 and encircles the sprocket 21 at one end of the boom and a sprocket 25 at the outer end of the boom. Chain 24 passes over

idlers

26 and 27 one of which is positioned at each side of the boom approximately at the center thereof. The chain 24 is provided with spaced sockets 28 in which spade-like digger teeth 29 are fixedly mounted. The chain 24 rotates in the direction shown by the arrows in Figure 3, and the outer end of the boom is raised or lowered as required to dig the trench to the necessary depth.

The boom 13 is raised or lowered hydraulically by the following construction:

A sprocket 30 is fixedly secured to the housing 15 and a chain 31 encircles this sprocket and an idler is mounted on the arm 10. A hydraulic cylinder 33 is fixedly mounted on the sleeve 8 and the piston rod 34 of the same is secured at its outer end to the chain 31. Thus, as the piston rod 34 is moved inwardly or outwardly by the cylinder 33, the chain 31 will rotated. thus rotating the entire housing 15' which will raise and lower the outer end of the boom 13.

The vehicle 1 is provided with the usual springs the frame of the vehicle and in digging operation the rear springs will tend to vibrate or bounce, and this vibration or vertical movement of one end of the boom is undesirable. To overcome this, I provide a pair of shoes 35 and 36, one on each side of the boom 13, and these shoes are pivotally attached to a transverse shaft 37, which shaft is mounted on arms 38 which depend from gear housing 11 and from the arm 12. Lifting links 39 and 40 are attached to the shoes 35 and as, the link 39 being attached at one end to the sleeve 15 and rotates with this sleeve when the boom 13 is raised or lowered, thus the shoes 35 and 36 will be raised or lowered simultaneously with the boom 13, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

A transversely extending conveyor belt 41 is mounted back of the deck 2 in the following manner.

A plate 42 is pivotally mounted at 43 on a second plate 44, the plate 44 is slidably mounted in

vertical guides

45 and 46, which are fixedly attached to the rear face of the deck 2. The plate 44 can be raised or lowered by means of the manually operated shaft 47 which is journalled on the arms 16 and 12. Linkage 48 extends from the shaft 47 to the plate 44, thus raising or lowering this plate in the

guides

46 and 45, as the shaft 47 is rotated by the handle 47' on the end of the shaft 47. A latch (not shown) can engage the handle 47' to hold the plate 44 in a raised position. The plate 42 can also be tilted or rotated on its pivot 43 by means of the screw jack 4-9 which is mounted on the face of the plate 42 and is threaded through a lug 56 which projects from the plate 44. By this means, the belt :1 can be raised or lowered on either side to cause the dirt to pile correctly on the side of the ditch. The belt 41 encircles the

pulleys

51 and 52 which are journal ed on the plate 4-2, and the belt is con tinuously rotated by means of a small hydraulic motor 53 which drives one of the

pulleys

51 or 52.

In operation, when the trench digger is being moved from place to place, the boom 13 is carried in raised position as shown in Figure l, and in this position the center of gravity of the entire boom structure is relatively close to the rear deck 2 and, consequently, close to the rear wheels 3, That is the overhanging weight of the boom assembly is relatively close to the rear wheels of the vehicle. Therefore, there is little swaying tendency due to this weight and the vehicle 1 can be maneuvered in the usual manner.

In the raised position of the boom 13, the hydraulic cylinder 33 has been actuated to pull the chain 31 over the sprocket 3il, thus rotating the boom housing and causing the boom 13 to be elevated and simultaneously raising the shoes 35 36 above the road level. Also the shaft 47 is rotated (either manually or otherwise) and this raises the plate 4-; and the plate 42 which causes the belt 41 to be moved upwardly a sufficient amount for road clearance.

When the trenching operation is about to start, the hydraulic cylinder 33 is again operated, rotating the chain 31 so that the sprocket 30 will rotate the housing 55 to lower the outer end of the boom 13. This position is shown in Figures 2 and 3. The hydraulic cylinder 33 is continued to be manipulated until the outer end of the boom 13 is lowered to the required depth of the trench which is being dug. The conveyor belt 41 is now lowered by rotating the shaft 47 and the hydraulic motor 53 is started. The belt 41 is also tilted the required amount so that the dirt from the ditch is deposited at the required position.

The drive shaft 23 is now started which rotates the drive shaft 19 and thence the shaft 20, thereby rotating the sprocket 21 which drives the chain 24 and causes the teeth 29 to dig the trench. The teeth deposit the dirt on the belt 41 and the accumulated dirt is then deposited at the side of the trench. The vehicle motor 1 is moved slowly forwardly and this forward movement is accompanied by a very slow movement so that the ditch is dug to the required depth continuously as the vehicle and the ditch digging attachment moves forwardly. The boom 13 can be le gthened or shortened by means of a pivoted handle 55, the end of which handle serves as a pawl to engage teeth on the sliding end 56 of the boom. Thus, the boom can be shortened when it is desired to remove the chain for repair purposes.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motor vehicle including a rear deck and a drive means driven from the engine thereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates, means mounting each of the plates on the deck, a rod extending between said plates and fixedly attached thereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a boom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end of the boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft on which one of said sprockets is mounted, drive means extending from the first named drive means to said drive shaft, supporting arms extending from said sleeve to said drive shaft, and means attached to the sleeve to shift said sleeve and supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod, said means to shift said sleeve including a hydraulic cylinder, means on one of said plates supporting said hydraulic cylinder, said hydraulic cylinder bearing against one of said arms to shift the sleeve, the arms and the boom laterally of the vehicle.

2. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motor vehicle including a rear deck, and a drive means driven from the engine thereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates, means fixedly mounting each of the plates on the deck and one on each side thereof, a rod extending between said plates and fixedly attached thereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a pair of spaced arms fixedly attached to said sleeve and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a boom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end of the boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft on which one of said sprockets is mounted, a gear housing, said drive shaft projecting from the gear housing, and drive means extending from the first named drive means to said gear housing, said gear housing being secured to one of said arms, a tubular housing on the boom encircling the drive shaft, means journalling the tubular housing on said arms, and hydraulic means mounted on one of said side plates to shift said sleeve and supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod.

3. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motor vehicle including a rear deck, and a drive means driven from the engine thereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates, means fixedly mounting each of the plates on the deck and one on each side thereof, a rod extending between said plates and fixedly attached thereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a pair of spaced arms fixedly attached to said sleeve and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a boom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end of the boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft on which one of said sprockets is mounted, a gear housing, said drive shaft projecting from the gear housing, and drive means extending from the first named drive means to said gear housing, said gear housing being secured to one of said arms, a tubular housing on the boom encircling the drive shaft, means journalling the tubular housing on said arms, and hydraulic means mounted on one of said side plates to shift said sleeve and supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod, and hydraulically actu ated means mounted on said side plates and connected to said tubular housing to rotate said tubular housing and raise or lower said boom.

4. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motor vehicle including a rear deck, and a drive means driven from the' engine thereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates, means fixedly mounting each of the plates on the deck and one on each side thereof, a rod'extending between said plates and fixedly attached thereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a pair of spaced arms fixedly attached to said sleeve and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a boom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end of the boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft on which one of said sprockets is mounted, a gear housing, said drive shaft projecting from the gear housing, and drive means extending from the first named drive means to said gear housing, said gear housing being secured to one of said arms, a tubular housing on the boom encircling the drive shaft, means journalling the tubular housing on said arms, and hydraulic means mounted on one of said side plates to shift said sleeve and supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod, and hydraulically actuated means mounted on said side plates and connected to said tubular housing to rotate said tubular housing and raise or lower said boom, a pair of shoes one on each side of the boom, and means mounting said shoes from said tubular housing to raise and lower said shoes with the boom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,463,302 Townsend July 31, 1923 1,630,231 Vaughn May 24, 1927 1,689,981 Vaughn Oct. 30, 1928 1,891,428 LeBleu Dec. 20, 1932 2,428,131 Uebelhoer Sept. 30, 1947 2,519,075 Schmidt Aug. 15, 1950 2,584,287 Przybylski Feb. 5, 1952