WO2010147980A2

WO2010147980A2 - Towed vehicle with hitch bar position adjustment arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2010147980A2
Application number: PCT/US2010/038662
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dale John Messenger
Original assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
Priority date: 2009-06-19
Filing date: 2010-06-15
Publication date: 2010-12-23
Also published as: WO2010147980A3

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a towed vehicle including a frame having a front end positioned opposite from a back end, and a left side positioned opposite from a right side. A hitch bar is positioned at the front end of the frame. The towed vehicle also includes a jack stand for supporting the front end of the vehicle above the ground when the hitch bar of the towed vehicle is not coupled to the hitch of a towing vehicle. When aligning the hitch bar with the hitch of the towing vehicle, the position of the hitch bar can be moved leftwardly or rightwardly by selectively pivoting the jack stand relative to the frame with an actuator.

Description

TOWED VEHICLE WITH HITCH BAR POSITION ADJUSTMENT ARRANGEMENT

This application is being filed on 15 June 2010, as a PCT International Patent application in the name of Vermeer Manufacturing Company, a U.S. national corporation, applicant for the designation of all countries except the US, and Dale John Messenger, a citizen of the U.S., applicant for the designation of the US only, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/218,755, filed June 19, 2009, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a towed vehicle having a hitch bar and an arrangement for facilitating aligning the hitch bar with a hitch of a towing vehicle.

Background

Towed vehicles (e.g., trailers, agricultural equipment, etc.) typically include a frame supported on at least a pair of wheels. The frame typically includes a front hitch bar (i.e., a tongue) including a coupling structure (e.g., a ball receiver, a pin receiver such as a loop, or other structure) adapted to be mechanically coupled or linked with a hitch of a towing vehicle. Under certain circumstances, it can be difficult to align the coupling structure on the hitch bar of the towed vehicle with the hitch of the towing vehicle. This is particularly true in applications where the towed vehicle is heavy and cannot easily be moved manually, and in cases where the towing vehicle has limited rear visibility from the driver's seat.

Summary

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a towed vehicle having a hitch bar and an actuator arrangement for modifying the position of the hitch bar to facilitate aligning the hitch bar with a hitch of a towing vehicle. In one embodiment, the actuator arrangement includes a first actuator for raising and lowering the hitch bar relative to the hitch of the towing vehicle, a second actuator for extending the hitch bar forwardly and rearwardly relative to the hitch of the towing vehicle, and a third actuator for moving the hitch bar left and right relative to the hitch of the towing vehicle.

A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic top view of a towed vehicle having a hitch bar and an actuator arrangement for adjusting the position of the hitch bar relative to a hitch of a towing vehicle, in Figure 1 the hitch of the towing vehicle is shown offset to the left of the hitch bar of the towed vehicle;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a jack stand of the towed vehicle of Figure 1 from the perspective of section line 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 2 also includes a top view showing the relative positioning of the hitch bar of the towed vehicle and the hitch of the towing vehicle with the hitch offset to the left of the hitch bar;

Figure 3 shows the jack stand of the towed vehicle pivoted from an upright position of Figure 2 to a leftwardly angled position in which the hitch bar of the towed vehicle has been moved leftwardly into alignment with the hitch of the towing vehicle;

Figure 4 is a top view of the towed vehicle of Figure 1 with the hitch of the towing vehicle offset to the right of the hitch bar of the towed vehicle; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the jack stand of the towed vehicle from the perspective of section line 5-5 of Figure 4, Figure 5 also provides a top view showing the relative positioning of the hitch bar of the towed vehicle and the hitch of the towing vehicle with the hitch offset to the right of the hitch bar; and Figure 6 shows the jack stand of Figure 5 pivoted from the upright position of Figure 5 to a rightwardly angled orientation in which the hitch bar of the towed vehicle has been moved rightwardly into alignment with the hitch of the towing vehicle. Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a towed vehicle 20 having a frame 21 that includes a front end 22, a back end 24, a left side 26 and a right side 28. The frame 21 is supported on a pair of wheels 30 located at the left and right sides 26, 28 of the frame 21 at a rear half of the frame 21. A hitch bar 32 is mounted at the front end 22 of the frame 21. The hitch bar 32 includes a coupling structure adapted to be coupled to a hitch 36 of a towing vehicle 38. In one embodiment, the coupling structure of the hitch bar 32 can include a ball receiver that receives a hitch ball provided on the hitch 36. In the depicted embodiment, the coupling structure of the hitch bar 32 includes a pin receiver 33 (e.g., an opening) adapted to be placed in axial alignment with a coupling structure (e.g., a pin receiver 40) of the hitch 36. Once the pin receivers 33, 40 are coaxially aligned, the hitch 36 and the hitch bar 32 can be mechanically connected by inserting a hitch pin through the aligned pin receivers 33, 40. The towed vehicle 20 also includes a jack stand 42 that supports the weight of the front end 22 of the towed vehicle 20 when the towed vehicle 20 is not coupled to the towing vehicle 38. The jack stand 42 can be used to raise and lower the front end 22 of the towed vehicle 20.

In the depicted embodiment, the towed vehicle 20 is a harvesting machine such as a cob harvester. An example harvesting machine is disclosed at U.S. Patent No. 5,941,768, that is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The harvesting machine is adapted to be hitched behind a towing vehicle such as a combine. The harvesting machine includes a conveyor 44 that receives harvested product from the combine and carries the harvested product to a rear storage bin 46. A towing vehicle such as a combine has limited rear visibility from the operator's seat. Therefore, it can be time consuming to manipulate the combine so as to align the hitch of the combine with the hitch bar of a piece of agricultural equipment such as a harvesting machine. To overcome this problem, the towed vehicle 20 of Figure 1 includes an actuator arrangement for moving the towed vehicle 20 relative to the towing vehicle 38 to achieve alignment between the hitch 36 of the towing vehicle 38 and the hitch bar 32 of the towed vehicle 20. Referring to Figure 1 , the actuator arrangement includes a first actuator 48 for sliding the hitch bar 32 forwardly and rearwardly relative to the frame 21 along a front-to-back orientation 50. The actuator arrangement also includes a second actuator 52 corresponding to the jack stand 42 for raising and lowering the front end 22 of the frame 21. By raising and lowering the front end 22 of the frame 21 , the hitch bar 32 is simultaneously raised and lowered thereby allowing the hitch bar to be set to an elevation suitable for facilitating coupling between the hitch 36 and the hitch bar 32. The actuator arrangement also includes a third actuator 54 for moving the front end 22 of the frame 21 in a leftward direction 56 or in a rightward direction 58 to bring the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the hitch 36.

In one embodiment, the first, second and third actuators 48, 52 and 54 are linear actuators such as hydraulic cylinders that are powered by pressurized hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic pump driven by an engine or other drive mechanism. In other embodiments, other types of actuators such as pneumatic actuators, screw drives, or other type of drive mechanisms could be used. It will be appreciated that the actuators can be manually powered by the operator or powered by a drive source (e.g., hydraulic fluid, pneumatic pressure, drive linkages that convey power from an engine or other arrangements). In one embodiment, the first, second and third actuators 48, 52 and 54 are hydraulically powered and can be controlled by an operator from a control panel 57 located at one of the sides of the frame 21 of the towed vehicle 20.

Referring still to Figure 1, the hitch bar 32 is shown telescopically mounted within a sleeve 59 that is a fixed part of the frame 21. The first actuator 48 is depicted as a hydraulic cylinder having a barrel portion 60 connected to the sleeve 59 and a piston rod 62 connected to the hitch bar 32. The hitch bar 32 can be respectively extended and retracted along the front-to-back slide orientation 50 by extending and retracting the piston rod 62 relative to the barrel portion 60 of the first actuator 48.

Referring to Figure 2, the jack stand 42 of the towed vehicle 20 includes an upper sleeve 64 and a lower sleeve 66 telescopically mounted within the upper sleeve 64 such that the upper and sleeves 64, 66 are slidably movable relative to one another along a slide axis 68. The second actuator 52 is mounted within the upper and lower sleeves 64, 66 and is used to telescopically slide the upper and lower sleeves 64, 66 relative to one another. As shown in Figure 2, the second actuator 52 is depicted as a hydraulic cylinder having a barrel 72 connected to the upper sleeve 64 and a piston rod 74 connected to the lower sleeve 66. In use of the jack stand 42, the jack stand 42 is initially oriented in a generally upright orientation as shown in Figure 2. In such an orientation, a foot 70 mounted at the bottom end of the lower sleeve 66 engages the ground with the weight of the front end 22 of the frame 21 being supported by the jack stand 42. By extending the second actuator 52, the upper and lower sleeves 64, 66 are moved toward an extended orientation thereby causing the front end 22 of the frame 21 to be lifted. By retracting the second actuator 52, the upper and lower sleeves 64, 66 are moved toward a retracted orientation thereby causing the front end 22 of the frame 21 to be lowered. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the upper sleeve 64 of the jack stand 42 is pivotally connected to the frame 21 of the towed vehicle 20 at a pivot axis 76. The pivot axis 76 is preferably generally horizontal and extends along the front-to- back orientation 50. Referring still to Figures 1 and 2, the third actuator 54 is depicted as a hydraulic cylinder having a barrel 78 pivotally connected to a bottom side of the frame 21 at a pivot axis 80 and a piston rod 82 pivotally connected to the upper sleeve 64 of the jack stand 42 at a pivot axis 84. As depicted in Figures 1 and 2, all of the pivot axes 76, 80 and 84 extend in a direction parallel to the front-to- back orientation 50.

The first actuator 48 is used to move the hitch bar 32 forwardly or rearwardly relative to the hitch 36 to bring the coupling structure (e.g., the pin receiver 33) of the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the coupling structure (e.g., the pin receiver 40) of the hitch 36.

The third actuator 54 is used to move the front end 22 of the frame 21 and thus the hitch bar 32 left or right relative to the hitch 36 of the towing vehicle 38 to bring the coupling structure (e.g., the pin receiver 33) of the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the coupling structure (e.g., the pin receiver 40) of the hitch 36. Figures 2 and 3 show how the third actuator 54 is used to move the hitch bar 32 leftwardly relative to the hitch 36 to bring the coupling structure (e.g., the pin receiver 33) of the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the coupling structure (e.g., the pin receiver 40) of the hitch 36. For example, as shown at Figure 2, the jack stand 42 is in an upright position and the center of the pin receiver 33 of the hitch bar 32 is offset a distance d rightwardly from the center of the pin receiver 40 of the hitch 36. To bring the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the hitch 36, the third actuator 54 is extended to pivot the jack stand 42 from the upright position of Figure 2 to the leftwardly angled orientation of Figure 3. As the jack stand 42 pivots from the upright orientation of Figure 2 to the leftwardly angled orientation of Figure 3, the jack stand 42 pivots in a counterclockwise direction around the pivot axis 76 and the foot 70 pivots in a counterclockwise direction relative to the ground. The pivotal movement of the jack stand 42 from the upright position of Figure 2 to the leftwardly pivoted orientation of Figure 3 causes the frame 21 of the towed vehicle 20 to move leftwardly relative to the hitch 36 such that the pin receiver 33 of the hitch bar 32 moves leftwardly a distance d to bring the pin receiver 33 of the hitch bar 32 into coaxial alignment with the pin receiver 40 of the hitch 36. As the front end 22 of the frame 21 of the towed vehicle 20 is moved leftwardly by the pivotal movement of the jack stand 42, the wheels 30 may turn slightly to accommodate the leftward movement of the front end 22 of the frame 21 relative to the ground (i.e., the right wheel may turn slightly in a first direction about a central axis while the left wheel turns slightly in an opposite, second direction about its central axis of rotation). As the jack stand 42 extends and pivots, a lateral force is transferred from the ground through the jack stand 42 to the frame 21 to cause the leftward movement of the front end 22 of the frame 21.

Figure 4 shows the towed vehicle 20 with the hitch bar 32 offset to the left of the hitch 36 by a distance d. To bring the coupling structure of the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the coupling structure of the hitch 36, the jack stand 42 is pivoted from the upright position of Figure 5 to the rightwardly angled orientation of Figure 6. As the jack stand 42 pivots from the upright orientation of Figure 5 to the rightwardly angled orientation of Figure 6, the front end 22 of the frame 21 moves rightwardly relative to the hitch 36 causing the hitch bar 32 to move rightwardly a distance d to bring the coupling structure (e.g., pin receiver 33) of the hitch bar 32 into alignment with the coupling structure (e.g., pin receiver 40) of the hitch 36. In moving from the upright position to the rightwardly angled position, the jack stand 42 pivots in a clockwise direction about the pivot axis 76 and the foot 70 pivots in a clockwise direction relative to the ground. The clockwise pivotal movement of the jack stand 42 about the pivot axis 76 is caused by retracting the third actuator 54. As the jack stand 42 pivots rightwardly via retraction of the third actuator 54, the front end 22 of the frame 21 is pulled rightwardly relative to the hitch 36 by a force transferred from the ground through the jack stand 42. As the front end 22 of the frame 21 moves rightwardly, the wheels 30 can slightly turn about their central axes to accommodate the movement.

While the towed vehicle 20 has been shown as a piece of agricultural equipment, it will be appreciated that aspects of the present disclosure are applicable to other types of towed vehicles as well. As used herein, the phrase "towed vehicle" means a vehicle intended to be towed behind another vehicle.

The preceding embodiments are intended to illustrate without limitation the utility and scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A towed vehicle comprising: a frame including a front end positioned opposite from a back end, and a left side positioned opposite from a right side; wheels mounted at the left and right sides of the frame for supporting a rear portion of the frame; a hitch bar located at the front end of the frame; a jack stand for supporting a front portion of the frame above the ground when the towed vehicle is not coupled to a towing vehicle, the jack stand being pivotally connected to the frame at a pivot axis that extends in a front-to-back direction; and an actuator for pivoting the jack stand about the pivot axis relative to the frame, wherein when the jack stand is supporting the front portion of the frame, the actuator can be used to move the hitch bar leftwardly or rightwardly by pivoting the jack stand about the pivot axis.

2. The towed vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the hitch bar is slideable in the front- to-back direction relative to the frame.

3. The towed vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the jack stand is configured to raise and lower the front end of the frame.

4. The towed vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the actuator includes a first hydraulic cylinder, wherein the hitch bar can be extended and retracted relative to the frame by a second hydraulic cylinder, wherein the jack stand is extended and retracted by a third hydraulic cylinder, and wherein the towed vehicle includes a control panel mounted to the frame for controlling the first, second and third hydraulic cylinders.

5. A method for adjusting a position of a hitch bar positioned at a front end of a towed vehicle, the towed vehicle including a jack stand for supporting the front end of the towed vehicle above the ground when the towed vehicle is not coupled to a towing vehicle, the method comprising: pivoting the jack stand relative to the towed vehicle while the jack stand continues to support the front end of the towed vehicle above the ground, wherein pivoting the jack stand relative to a frame of the towed vehicle causes the hitch bar to be moved into alignment with a hitch of the towing vehicle to which the hitch bar is desired to be coupled.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the jack stand is pivoted relative to the frame in a first direction to cause the hitch bar to move in a leftward direction relative to the hitch.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the jack stand is pivoted in a second direction relative to the frame to cause the hitch bar to move in a rightward direction.