US3377725A - Snow compressing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 16, 1968 F. J ARMBRUST SNOW COMPRES S ING APPARATUS INVENTOR.

J. ARMIBRUST 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 flmfiswmw ATTORNEYS Filed March 31, 1965 April 16, 1968 F. J. ARMBRUST SNOW COMPRESSING APPARATUS INVENTOR. FERDINAND J. ARMiBRUST 691440- ATTORNEYS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 flmlaw fl Filed March 31, 1965 United States Patent 3,377,725 SNOW COMPRESSING APPARATU Ferdinand J. Armbrust, 350 W. Main Road, Newport, RI. 02840 Filed Mar. 31, 1965, Ser. No. 444,244 4 Claims. (CI. 37-10) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLUSURE An apparatus for compacting snow for more easy storing or handling comprising using the weight of the vehicle to compact the snow by directing snow as the snow travels beneath the vehicle which has some revolving means such as an endless belt or chain for propelling the vehicle and then cutting the compacted snow into suitable units for easy handling.

An object of the invention is to utilize the weight of the vehicle for compressing the snow into small volume that it may be more easily handled.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which by its use may reduce the number of trucks necessary to cart snow from a given area by compacting the snow before it is handled.

A more specific object of the invention is to channel the snow beneath the belt-like chains which support the vehicle and provide a means for driving the vehicle over the snow which is to be removed.

A further more specific object of the invention is to channel the snow beneath the paths of travel of the vehicle even though these paths of travel may be separated and removing the snow between the separated portions of the paths of travel of the propelling means for the vehicle.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain constructions which will be more fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the vehicle equipped with the snow compressing apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 of a portion of the vehicle; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmental sectional view showing the motor support.

In the handling of snow, there is considerable bulk, and when attempts are made to carry this snow away from a certain area, many trucks are needed because of the bulk of the snow which quickly fills the truck to ca pacity. Further in the removal of snow often it is piled along the side of the road in heights which become difficult to manage. Attempts heretofore of compacting snow have been in the area of picking up the snow and using some compressing means to handle it. However, the apparatus with which this invention is concerned utilizes the weight of the vehicle for compressing the snow, making unnecessary separate compressing units or apparatus. Accordingly, I have provided a framework which carries fins or guides for receiving the snow from a rather wide area and channeling it beneath the treads or revolving means which propel the vehicle, and I maintain the snow beneath these treads against being squashed laterally from the treads so that the weight of the vehicle will be supported on the snow, thus compressing it into the smaller volume which is desired, and I then break up this compressed snow into blocks which may be somewhat of the character of ice for more ease of handling or for diversion to one side of the road for more compact storing.

With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates vertical I section posts 10, 11 carrying at their upper ends a channel bar 14 and at their lower ends a channel bar 15, these bars being braced by diagonals 16 and 17 of I section. The upper channel bar 14 supports an identical series of guide rollers 20 while the lower channel bar supports a series of identical guide rollers 23 to support and guide the endless belt-like chain. This framework is the same on both sides of the machine. An I beam 28 located inwardly from each of these endless belt-like chain frames (see FIG. 4) is supported in position by arms 29 and diagonal 30 and on these beams 28 along opposite sides of the machine the driving motor 31 is supported and serves to drive the driving sprocket 32 for the chain which is trained over lower sprockets 33 and 34 mounted on bar 15 and over upper sprocket 35 adjustably supported at the end of bar 14 through adjustment 36, thus providing a means by which the endless loop-like belt chain may be adjusted to the desired tension.

Each of the links 37 of this chain are broad as seen in FIG. 3 so as to cover a substantial width, and these links are of a length and so shaped that they may be traveled about the sprockets above mentioned. Certain of these links have outwardly extending projections 38 which will serve to indent or cut through the compressed snow so as to afford an easy breaking area or line in the compressed snow or ice. This chain is driven by its sprocket 32 by means of a shaft 39 from transmission gears, such shaft 39 extending laterally from the engine or transmission through the housings 40 as seen in FIG. 2.

A beam 41 extending laterally of the machine is supported from the rear end of motor 31 while a beam 42 extending laterally at the forward portion of the machine is supported from longitudinally extending I beams 43 in turn supported by posts 44 and 45 from beam 28 at either side of the machine. Supported from these beams 41 and 43 there are the four hydraulic cylinders which adjustably support the two lateral beams 51 and 52 which protrude outwardly through the loop-like belt chain above described. These laterally extending beams 51 and 52 have suspended from them outer plates 53 and inner plates 54 on either side of the belt-like chains by suitable hangers 55, 55 with lateral web braces 56, 56' (FIG. 3). The plates 53 and 54 extend the length of the chains and serve to channel the snow beneath the chains 37. These plates may be raised and lowered by the four hydraulic cylinders 50 to accommodate the thickness of the packed snow by controls from pressure tank 59..

At the forward end of the inner plates 54, vanes 60 and 61, intersecting as at 62 in a plow fashion, are fixedly secured which are supported in their lowered position on the ground by wheels 63 and 64. The upper portions of these vanes are tied together by a lateral channel beam 65 which extends over the revolving chains and provides a mounting for upper portion of the movable vanes 66. These vanes 66 are hinged as at 67 to the beam 65 and their lower portions are hinged as at 68 to the outer plates 53. A bar 69 is hinged to the outer surface of the vanes 65 and adjustably connected to the beam 52 by a selected one of the openings 70 to vary the angle of the vane 66 with reference to the extent of the channels between plates 5 3 and 54.

It will be apparent that the plates 53, 54 and vanes 60, 61 and 66 will be raised and lowered together. I have illustrated the ground level at and the plates as having their lower edges as in contact with the ground while snow at 76 (FIG. 1) is compressed beneath the chains at 77 (FIG. 3) and is supporting the vehicle.

The control cab is shown at 78 for operating the vehicle and the various operations thereof.

At the trailing end the side guide plates 53 and 54 will extend rearwardly and will be tied together supporting a crossbar 80 from which a knife blade 81 (FIG. 1) extends downwardly into contact or close proximity to the road over which the vehicle passes so as to break up the blocks of ice or compressed snow which has been formed by each belt-like chain traveling over the snow as the snow is funneled beneath the belt-like chain.

In order to move the blocks of ice or snow to one side of the path of the vehicle, arms 85, 86 extend rearwardly from the inner guide plates 54 and support a bar 87 upon which a diverting member 88 is arranged at an incline so as to divert the block from the path of one endless chain over to the path of the other endless chain, thus accumulating them. The member 88 is provided with braces 89, 90 secured from member 88 to the arms 85, 86 and ears 91, 92 for mounting it as shown in FIG. 2 or at the opposite incline to move the blocks and divert them laterally in the other direction.

Water may be carried in the tank 93 and directed to a boiler 94 which is fired by some oil-burning apparatus to generate steam which may be directed to various locations for freeing parts from ice as may be desired. Thus, there may be conduits 95 to the fixed vanes 60, 61 which mount jets 96 and from conduit 97 to jet 98 in the adjustable vanes to moisten particularly dry snow so that it may be compressed more readily into ice-like block formations.

I claim:

1. A snow compressing apparatus comprising a vehicle having a body, revolvable means at either side of the body upon which the body is supported, a motor on the body for actuating said revolvable means to drive the body, means at the leading end of said body to guide snow into the paths of said revolvable means as the vehicle advances and over which said revolvable means will travel to compress it and means at the trailing end of the body to cut free the compacted snow.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein there is a blade to divert the compacted snow to one side of said paths.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said guide means are adjustable with relation to said frame on which said guide means is mounted.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein vertically disposed guides attached to said frame extend lengthwise of said body and are located on either side of said revolvable means to limit laterally spreading of snow as compressed beneath said revolvable means.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 12/1930 Germany. 10/1956 Germany.

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