US3651966A

US3651966A - Cane grab for windrow loader

Info

Publication number: US3651966A
Application number: US45380A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold A Willett
Original assignee: Cane Machinery and Engineering Co Inc
Current assignee: Cane Machinery and Engineering Co Inc
Priority date: 1970-06-11
Filing date: 1970-06-11
Publication date: 1972-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 1989-03-28

Abstract

For Windrow Cane in which the cut canes are haphazardly deposited on the flat field (there being no hills). The suspending mechanism for the grab is mounted to rotate on the upper boom about a substantially vertical axis whereby the grab jaws may be made to open lengthwise or crosswise of the vehicle on which the cut canes are deposited for transfer to the sugar house.

Description

limited fiates Patent Willett 1451 Mar. 28, 1972 [54] CANE GRAB FOR WHNDRQW LEADER FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Inventor: Harold Willelt, Thibodaux, L 1,067,996 10/1959 Germany ..214/147 G 73 A. C M i1! e & En eerln Com an I I sigma z g z z La 8]" g p Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham l Attorney-Wilkinson, Mawhinney & Theibault (21] Appl. No.: 45,380

' [57 ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl. 214/147 G For Windrow Cane in which the cut canes are haphazardly Int. Cl. ....B66c 3/04 deposited on the flat field (there being no hills). The suspend- Of Search 1 G ing mechanism for the grab is mounted to rotate on the u per boom about a substantially vertical axis whereby the grab jaws 5 6] References Cited may be made to open lengthwise or crosswise of the vehicle on UNTED STATES PATENTS which the cut canes are deposited for transfer to the sugar house. 3,330,056 7/1967 Woodside .214/147 G X 2,831,589 4/1958 Way ..2l4/l47 G 1 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZB I9?2 3.651 ,966

SHEET 1 BF 2 & gill" INVL'NTOR HAROLD A. WILLETT FIG.2

DJW,

ATTORNEYS P'ATENTt-jgmm I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR HAROLD A. WILLETT in ATTORNEYS CANE GlRAB FOR WINDROW LOADER The present invention relates to CANE GRAB FOR WIN- DROW LOADER and has for an object to deal with sugar cane for the purpose of lifting the canes from in front of the loader and transferring the harvested canes onto wagons or other vehicles which thereupon transport the canes to the mills for expressing the juice therefrom.

In Louisiana the canes are grown on hills and the cut canes are deposited across two adjacent hills whereby the grab or grapple may engage crosswise of the canes and beneath the same through the troughs, between adjacent hills.

However, in the Tropical Islands where sugar cane is grown, no well defined rows and intervening troughs are used but the cane grows haphazardly on flat terrain so that the job of collecting the same by the grab and transferring it in proper position as to lengthwise dimension of the canes poses a different problem for the grab and in order to deal with this situation the present invention proposes to modify and improve the grab and its support from the upper boom to permit controlled rotation of the grab about an upright axis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swivelly supported grab with appropriate control whereby the operator may at any time alter the position of the jaws relatively to the windrowed Canes for the purpose of rapid pickup and also, and more particularly, for altering the horizontal direction of the canes to better accommodate the same on the customary flat platforms on the carts or railcars whichever affords delivery communication with the sugar house.

The invention has for a further object to accomplish the above-stated purposes at a minimum of alterations from standard grab and boom construction, which at the same time will provide a simple form of control for the operation in carrying out the normal activities of the grab, plus the new functions achieved by the added construction according to the invention.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the improved grab and its mounting on the outer end of the upper boom, the jaws of the grab being in open position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view with the jaws open but turned at substantially right angles from the position of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view taken on an enlarged scale with the jaws fully open, and being in substantially the same plane with the upper boom.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view on a somewhat smaller scale showing the jaws in the same general attitude but closed.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2, of the grab and its pivotal mounting.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. ll.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 represents the so-called upper boom or dip stick of a conventional cane grab vehicle that is movable through the cane field to pick up cut canes and deposit same on vehicles for transport to the sugar house for processing into juice and ultimately into cane sugar.

The boom is mounted to the vehicle in the customary way, not shown, projects forwardly from the vehicle and has up and down and pivotal swinging movements about its mounting on the vehicle frame, all in accordance with customary practice.

At its forward free end, the boom 10 carries a fork 11 across the open end of which is fitted a cross pin 12. Perforated lugs 13 are supported by the cross pin 12. Where the lugs 13 are made fast to the cross pin 12 the end journals of pin may be made rotatable in the fork, but the pin 12 may be made fast in the fork and the lugs 13 rotatable about the pin.

To the lower ends of the lugs 13 an upper plate 14 is rigidly secured while a lower plate 15 spaced below the upper plate 14 is or may be supported from said upper plate by a bushing 16 or otherwise as best seen in FIG. 5. The two

plates

14 and 15 do not rotate and form a support therebetween for a cylinder 17 of a fluid pressure motor.

Still referring to FIG. 5 a pivot pin or bolt 18 passes through both

plates

14 and 15, the latter plates being held separated by the bushing 16. One or more washers 19, 20 surround the pin 18 above the upper plate 14 being confined in place by the pin or bolt head 21. The lower end of the bolt 18 passes through the lower plate 15 and through a cap plate 22 of the grab head 23 which is supported for rotation by nut 24 threaded on bolt 18 below the cap plate 22.

The cylinder 17 is pivoted at 25 between the

plates

14 and 15 and the plunger rod 26 has a rotary fit about a pin 27 upstanding from the cap plate 22 of the grab head 23 outside the perimeter of the lower plate 15.

The

jaws

28 and 29 of the grab are pivoted together at 30 to the lower portion of the grab head 23 and such jaws are opened and closed at the will of the operator through hydraulic or

other motors

31, 32 in a manner well known in this art through the usual hose connections with the well known operators control platform mounted on the vehicle. The closed position of the jaws is seen in FIG. 4 and the open position in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The

motor

17, 26 will also have suitable hose connections from the usual source of hydraulic fluid or compressed air which is a standard installation on vehicles of this kind and will be subject to control of the operator of the machine who occupies a chair at the usual control station on the vehicle.

In operation, the machine carrying the above described equipment is driven to the cane field after the cane has been cut and is lying haphazardly on the ground without orientation. The boom 10 is normally in raised initial position and the

jaws

28, 29 may be initially open. The observible concentrations of the cane in which the stalks or canes may have somewhat the same orientation and opens and closes the jaws on such canes which purpose is best served by rotating the grab in one or other direction about the axis of the pin or bolt 18 through charging or discharging the cylinder 17. In this way successive grabs at the cane concentrations may be made from different angles in rapid passes of the machine such as to in short time collect a grab full of the canes at which time the full load for the grab may be transferred to the transport vehicle for which purpose the boom is turned at substantially right angles to the vehicle carrying same from the collecting front position to a side delivery locus and the grab brought to a position directly over the receiving cart or flat car. At this point due to conditions of the cart or car and also due to position of the canes in the grab it may be necessary or desirable to rotate the grab about the vertical pivot 18 in which event the operator either charges or discharges the cylinder 17 and accordingly the grab and its load will be reoriented to a more suitable angular position for the discharge of that particular load upon that particular pile already loaded into the incident vehicle.

The vertical pivotal movement of the grab gives greater flexibility to the operator, secures better results and saves valuable time 'of operatives in the field.

What is claimed is:

1. A cane grab and loader for windrowed cane comprising a boom, an open forked end on said boom, a cross pin journaled in said forked end proximate the open end of said fork, a first elongated plate having upstanding lugs secured thereto; said lugs being secured to the cross pin, a complemental elongated plate spaced from said first plate by a bushing, a grab cap plate for supporting the grab, pivot means passing through said elongated plates, bushing and cap plate, a rotary drive pivot secured to said cap plate proximate one comer thereof, a cylinder and ram assembly pivoted at one end to said elongated plates and positioned therebetween and to said rotary drive pivot at the other end to cause said grab cap plate to rotate about said pivot, a cane grab secured beneath said grab cap plate and means for opening and closing said grab for picking up and discharging cane.

Claims

1. A cane grab and loader for windrowed cane comprising a boom, an open forked end on said boom, a cross pin journaled in said forked end proximate the open end of said fork, a first elongated plate having upstanding lugs secured thereto; said lugs being secured to the cross pin, a complemental elongated plate spaced from said first plate by a bushing, a grab cap plate for supporting the grab, pivot means passing through said elongated plates, bushing and cap plate, a rotary drive pivot secured to said cap plate proximate one corner thereof, a cylinder and ram assembly pivoted at one end to said elongated plates and positioned therebetween and to said rotary drive pivot at the other end to cause said grab cap plate to rotate about said pivot, a cane grab secured beneath said grab cap plate and means for opening and closing said grab for picking up and discharging cane.