WO1988009607A1

WO1988009607A1 - Earth breaking machine

Info

Publication number: WO1988009607A1
Application number: PCT/AU1988/000167
Authority: WO
Inventors: Neil Thomas Breeden
Original assignee: Breeden, Jennifer, Margaret
Priority date: 1987-06-03
Filing date: 1988-06-01
Publication date: 1988-12-15

Abstract

A self-propelled earth breaking machine, comprising a chassis supported on ground engaging means (18, 19) in the form of drums (22) carrying prongs or tynes (21) extending radially outwardly thereof and curving generally in the direction of rotation of the drums, whereby the prongs will in turn initially contact the earth at right angles thereto and subsequently penetrate in through the earth and thereafter out of the earth to break it down into discrete clumps as well as providing traction for the machine. The prongs are spaced circumferentially in rows (23) around the drum with the prongs in respective rows being so positioned relative to those in adjacent rows as to form helixes across the drums.

Description

EARTH BREAKING MACHINE Technical Field

This invention relates to an earth breaking machine, and more particularly, but not exclusively, a machine for breaking down soil and clay and which machine is either self-propelled or is adapted to be drawn by a prime-mover such as a tractor.

Background Art

The invention is applicable to breaking down earth, which may consist of one, or the other, or a mixture, of soil, clay, rock and gravel, into specified sizes of discrete clumps, whereafter conventional earth moving equipment, such as scrapers, loaders or graders, which by themselves would not have been capable of causing the breaking down actions, are then utilized to move and/or load the broken down earth. Alternatively, the earth may be broken for the purposes of cultivation, initially to break the sod and subsequently to till the soil, or in conjunction with conventional agriculture machinery, such as tractor drawn ploughs, harrows and seeding machines in agricultural applications, as distinct from earth moving or civil engineering applications.

The object of the invention is to provide an earth breaking machine which is quick and efficient to use, allows for some degree of control on the depth of earth breaking action and the size of the discrete clumps of broken down earth produced.

Disclosure of the Invention

In accordance with the invention there is provided an earth breaking machine, comprising a main frame or chassis supported on ground engaging means, wherein at least one of said ground engaging means has ground engaging prongs or tynes extending radially outwardly thereof and curving generally in the direction of movement of the ground engaging means, whereby the tips of the prongs in turn, initially contact and enter the earth at right angles thereto and subsequently penetrate in through the earth and thereafter out of the earth, to break said earth down into discrete clumps. Preferably said machine is self-propelled by drive means driving at least one of said ground engaging means, whereby the prongs also serve to provide traction. Alternatively, the machine may be adapted to be drawn by a prime-mover. Preferably said ground engaging means are drums carrying said prongs spaced circumferentially in rows around said drum in rows across said drum with the prongs in each row of prongs advanced radially with respect to the immediate preceding adjacent row so that the prongs form a helix across the drum surface.

Alternatively, said ground engaging means may be articulated tracks with rows of prongs extending longitudinally along the tracks and spaced apart across the tracks.

Preferably means are provided mounted adjacent said ground engaging means to extend between adjacent pairs of circumferentially or longitudinally extending rows of prongs to scrape any material, accumulating between said rows, from said ground engaging means.

Preferably one pair of ground engaging means is mounted adjacent the front of the machine and spaced apart from each other on either side of the machine, and a third trailing ground engaging means is provided to traverse the unbroken area of earth between said front pair as the machine moves forwardly.

Preferably the part of the machine carrying said trailing engaging means is articulated to the remainder of the machine about a vertical pivot axis.

Description of the Drawings

One preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the machine;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the machine of Figures 1 and 2. Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

In this preferred embodiment of the machine, there is provided a main body 10 supported on a chassis, and having a compartment 11 for an engine and a compartment or cabin 12 for the operator of the machine. The engine may be a naturally aspirated or turbo charged two or four cycle diesel engine, and the cabin 12 may be fully enclosed and manufactured to comply with relevant standards, with options including air conditioning and instrumentation, whilst lights may be provided on the main body for night time operation. The main body also supports an articulated rear frame 13 comprising upper and lower yokes 14 and 15, the ends of which are vertically spaced apart to straddle a portion 16 in the center of the rear of the main body and coupled thereto by a centrally extending pivot pin 17. The machine is supported on a pair of ground engaging wheels 18 for the main body 10 and a trailing ground engaging wheel 19 for the rear or trailing frame 13. Each of wheels 18 and 19 is in the form of a drum 22 of in the order of between 1.2 and 1.8 metres in diameter and in the order of between 1.0 and 2.0 metres in length. The longitudinal axes of the drums form the rotation axes 20 for each wheel, and a plurality of circumferentially extending rows 23 of prongs 21 (not all of which are shown in

Figure 1) are provided around the drum, and extend therefrom over a distance of in the order of between 300 mm to 500 mm. The prongs in each row are spaced equally around the circumference of the drum, and the distance between the prongs in each row may be variable but in general would be approximately one-half the length of the prongs. The prongs in adjacent rows are offset from each other across the length of the drum whereby they form helical rows across the length of the drum as shown to produce a smooth earth breaking action. The prongs 21 may be individually retractable and be of various cross-sections and changes in section along their length depending on the earth to be broken, the breaking action required, the depth of breaking action required and the size of broken down clumps of earth desired. The wheels 18 supporting the machine are driven by the engine in the engine department 11 through an appropriate drive transmission, and such that, when the prongs 21 penetrate the earth, they not only break down or dig the earth but also serve to provide traction to propel the machine forward. The drive transmissions consist of hydrostatic drives 30 at the wheels 18 coupled to a hydraulic pump (not shown) which in turn is driven by the diesel engine. The trailing wheel 19 may be similarly driven by hydrostatic drives, one at each end, and coupled, to the wheel.

A common support shaft 31 for the hydrostatic drives is suspended beneath the chassis of the main body 10 via a pivot connection 32 whereby the shaft and wheel assembly can oscillate about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the machine, and within the limits shown in Figure 3, as the machine traverses uneven terrain.

As an alternative to using hydrostatic drives, the transmission may be a multi-speed torque converter with soft shuttle forward/reverse capacity, and coupled to the wheels through a standard differential final/drive type gear train.

The lower yoke 15 of the rear or trailing frame 13, comprises laterally extending members 25 and longitudinally extending members 26 to define a square frame within which the rear wheel 19 is supported by a drive or freewheeling axle 27. As shown in Figure 2, the front wheels 18 are spaced apart with the main body mounted therebetween, whilst the rear wheel 19 trails centrally of the main body to traverse the strip of earth not contacted by the front wheels.

The prongs 21 may be formed from steel, and apart from extending radially outwardly from their respective drives, also curve forwardly in the direction of rotation of the wheels, whereby their tips will initially contact the earth in a direction at right angles thereto, and thereafter penetrate and move through the earth to prise and separate clumps of earth from its compacted state, and thereafter the prongs as the wheels continue to rotate, lift the clumps upwardly before they drop from the prongs, thus leaving behind earth broken down into discrete clumps. When the machine is reversed the angle at which the prongs contact the earth is such as to not penetrate the earth, and as such reversing is one of the ways whereby the machine can be driven from one work site to another without functioning as an earthbreaker.

Scraper support members 28 are mounted to extend away from either side of the main body 10 and behind the wheels 18, and carry a plurality of scrapers 29 each of which projects or extends between adjacent circumferential rows 23 of the prongs 21 on the front wheels 18. The rearmost lateral member 25 of the trailing frame also carries a plurality of scrapers 29 each of which projects or extends between adjacent circumferential rows 23 of the prongs 21 on the rear wheel 19. The effect of the scrapers 29 is to remove or scrape out material wedged between the rows of prongs as the wheel rotates. The length of the scrapers 29, and their shape and positioning relative to their respective wheels 18 and 19, may be varied depending on the nature of the earth being broken down. In cases of severe clogging of the prongs, it may be advantageous that the scrapers or the scraper assembly be mounted to oscillate longitudinally and/or laterally and/or vertically. The scrapers 29 may be coupled to their respective supports in such a manner as to enable their removal and replacement in the vent of required changes in shape or size, damage or breakage.

Where particularly hard earth is to be broken down, vibratory mechanisms may be mounted on or within the wheels, for example in a manner analogous to vibrating rollers, to assist the prongs in penetrating and loosening the earth.

The machine is steered about its articulated pivot 17 between the main body 10 and the rear frame 13 by means of a power assisted hydraulic steering mechanism consisting of a pair of hydraulic rams 33 one on either side of the machine and coupled at pivot points 34 to the main body 10 at one end, and at their other ends to pivot points 35 on the lower yoke 15 of the trailing frame, and fed by the hydraulic system of the machine with a control to selectively admit fluid under pressure to one ram and exhausting fluid from the other ram to thereby pivot the trailing frame 13 and cause the machine to change direction when required. The machine may be fitted with external remote hydraulic outlets for coupling to hydraulic circuits for ancillary equipment, and provision may also be made for the connection of a dozer blade and other forms of earth moving devices to the machine. When the machine is required to be transported between working sites separated by distances, or across terrain, where it would be impractical or inappropriate to drive the machine itself, a float or other machine transport would be used.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. An earth breaking machine, comprising a main frame or chassis supported on ground engaging means, wherein at least one of said ground engaging means has ground engaging prongs or tynes extending radially outwardly thereof and curving generally in the direction of movement of the ground engaging means, whereby the tips of the prongs in turn, initially contact and enter the earth at right angles thereto and subsequently penetrate in through the earth and thereafter out of the earth, to break said earth down into discrete clumps.

2. A machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the machine is self-propelled by drive means driving said at least one of said ground engaging means, whereby the prongs also serve to provide traction.

3. A machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the machine is adapted to be drawn by a prime-mover.

4. A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said ground engaging means are drums carrying said prongs spaced circumferentially in rows around said drum in rows across said drum with the prongs in each row of prongs advanced radially with respect to the immediate preceding adjacent row so that the prongs form a helix across the drum surface.

5. A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said ground engaging means are articulated tracks with rows of prongs extending longitudinally along the tracks and spaced apart across the tracks.

6. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein means are provided mounted adjacent said ground engaging means to extend between adjacent pairs of circumferentially or longitudinally extending rows of prongs to scrape any material, accumulating between said rows, from said ground engaging means.

7. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein one pair of ground engaging means is mounted adjacent the front of the machine and spaced apart from each other on either side of the machine, and a third trailing ground engaging means is provided to traverse the unbroken area of earth between said front pair as the machine moves forwardly.

8. A machine as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the part of the machine carrying said trailing engaging means is articulated to the remainder of the machine about a vertical pivot axis.

9. A machine as claimed in Claim 7 or 8, wherein a support for said one pair of ground engaging means is adapted to oscillate about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the machine.

10. An earth breaking machine, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.