GB2173233A - Cable plough - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable plough (1) has a transversely extending frame (2) mountable on a three-point linkage of an agricultural vehicle, an assembly (20) for trenching ground and simultaneously laying a cable in the trenched ground and means for detachably mounting the assembly (20) on either side of the frame (2). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A Cable Plough This invention relates to a cable plough of the kind comprising a transversely extending frame, means for mounting the frame to a three-point linkage of an agricultural vehicle, an assembly for trenching ground and simultaneously laying a cable in the trenched ground and mounting means for detachably mounting the said assembly on the frame.

A known cable plough of the kind referred to is disclosed in US-A-3037357. In this known cable plough,the mounting means mountthetrenching and cable laying assembly substantially centrally, in the transverse direction on the frame. Although such an arrangement is suitable for laying cables on open ground it is not ideal for laying cables, such as telephone cables, along the sides of roads since the tractor or other agricultural vehicle pulling the cable plough has to travel partly at least, off the road.

The present invention seeks to provide a cable plough in which the above-identified problem is overcome.

According to the invention a cable plough of the kind referred to is characterised in that the mounting means enable the said assembly to be detachably mounted on either side of the frame.

By providing for the trenching and cable laying assembly to be detachably mounted on either side of the frame, it is possible with relatively little difficulty, to change the side that the assembly is mounted during a cable laying operation. This facilitates the laying of a cable, e.g. a telephone cable, which may run on different sides of a road along different parts of its length, or which may run alongside a fence.

Conveniently the transverse frame supports a platform for an operator who is able to ensure that a cable is correctly guided through the said assembly during a cable laying operation.

The mounting means may be of any suitable form to enable detachable mounting of the said assembly to either side of the frame. In its simplest form the mounting means merely comprises bolts and bolt holes on either side of the frame and on the assembly to enable the latter to be bolted to either side of the frame. A number of bolt holes may be provided on the assembly to enable the mounting position of the assembly on the frame to be adjustable. Instead of bolts, detachable release pins may be located in the bolt holes.

A preferred mounting means comprises means for pivotally mounting the said assembly on either side of the frame and strut means connectible between the frame and the said assembly for setting the assembly at a desired angle relative to the frame. For enabling adjustment of the assembly angle relative to the frame, the point of connection of the strut to the assembly and/or the point of connection of the strut to the frame is or are adjustable. In addition, or alternatively, the pivotal mounting means may enable the vertical position of the assembly relative to the frame to be adjusted.

Conveniently the pivotal mounting means comprise a pair of spaced apart frame holes at each side of the frame, and an assembly hole. The assembly hole is positioned between and in alignment with the spaced apart frame holes at a selected side of the frame and a pivot member, e.g. a pivot pin or a bolt, is inserted through the aligned holes and retained in position. If the position of the assembly is to be vertically adjustable, a number of vertically spaced apart assembly holes are provided in the assembly.

Suitably the said assembly comprises an upright plough blade, having a share at its lower end, and a cable shoe positioned at the trailing edge of the plough blade. Preferably the cable shoe is hingedly attached to the trailing edge of the plough blade and is designed to lead cable down to the lower end of the plough blade and then allow the cable to lie in the bottom of the trench or furrow dug by the plough blade and share. Typically the cable shoe comprises a narrow channel member open at its top, bottom and trailing edges and a closure member for closing the said trailing edge which is readily detachable from the channel member.

Conveniently the cable plough may be provided with a coulterwheel detachably mountable on either side of the frame. A detachable sole wheel, mountable on either side of the frame, may also be provided for mounting on the side of the frame opposite to the side that the said assembly is mounted.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are a plan and a view from behind, respectively, of one embodiment of a cable plough according to the invention, Figures 3A and 3B are side views of the cable plough shown in Figures 1 and 2 illustrating a trenching and cable laying assembly with a cable shoe having a closure member shown, respectively, in an open position and a closed position, Figure 4 is an enlarged side view of part of the cable plough shown in Figures 1 and 2 and illustrating the trenching and cable laying assembly, Figures 5A and 5B are end and side views, respectively, on enlarged scales, of the cable shoe, without its closure member, of the cable plough shown in Figures 1 and 2, Figures 6A and 6B are end and side views, respectively, on enlarged scales, of the closure member of the cable shoes of the cable plough shown in Figures 1 and2, and Figure 7 is a plan of another embodiment of a cable plough according to the invention.

Figures 1-6B illustrate one embodiment of a cable plough according to the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 1 and including a main frame 2 supporting a platform 3.

The main frame 2 extends transversely of the intended forward direction of movement A (see Figure 1 ) of the cable plough 1 and includes a front transverse angle-section beam 8 having spaced apart attachment members 4a, 4b, 5a and Sb connected, e.g. welded, together, two pairs of spaced apart angle-section beams 6a, 6b and 7a, 7b connected, e.g. welded, to, and extending rearwardly from, opposite ends of the beam 8 and defining opposite parallel sides of the frame, two pairs of upstanding angle-section beams Sa, 9b and 1 0a, 1 0b connected, e.g. welded, to the beam 8 on either side of the mid point of the latter, and angled support struts 1 la, 1 1b and 12a, 12b connected between upper portions of the beams 9a, 9b and 10a, lob, respectively, and a rear transverse angle beam 13.

The cable plough 1 also includes a substantially upright standard, generally designated 20, which is shown detachably mounted to the angle beams 7a, 7b and which constitutes an assembly for trenching ground and simultaneously laying a cable 21 (see Figure 3A) in the trenched ground. The standard 20 comprises an upright plough blade 22 having vertically spaced apart attachment holes 23 and at its lower end, a share 24, and a cable shoe, generally designated 25, hingedly attached to the trailing upright edge of the plough blade 22. The cable shoe 25 comprises a narrow, channel section member 26 which is open along its top, bottom and trailing edges and a closure member 27 for closing the trailing edge of the channel section member 26 and which is detachable from the member 26.The channel section member 26 has spaced apart side walls 26a, 26b and a web portion 26c integrally joining the side walls 26a, 26b at the front of the member 26. As can be seen in Figures 5A and 5B, the lower end of the channel section member 26 is provided with spaced apart slots 28 in the side walls 26a, 26b for receiving lugs 29 and 30 formed at the lower end of the closure member 27. When the lugs 29,30 are received in the slots 28, the closure member 27 is pivotable between a closed position (as shown in Figures 3B and 4) and an open position (as shown in Figure 3A).When the closure member 27 is in its open position, it can be easily detached from the member 26 by lifting the lugs 29 and 30 out of the slots 28 thereby to enable the cable 21 either to be positioned within, or removed from, the channel section member 26. The closure member 27 is retained in its closed position by a removable release pin 40 which is positioned within aligned holes 32 formed in the side walls 26a and 26b and which passes through a handle 33 of the closure member 27. The cable shoe 25 is hingedly connected to the plough blade 22 by means of stub shafts 34,35, formed at upper and lower ends, respectively, of the member 26. The lower shaft 35 is received in a hole (not shown) at the bottom of the plough blade 22 and the upper shaft 34 is received between a pair of spaced apart connecting pieces 37 having aligned holes (not shown) therein.A removable release pin 39 is received within these holes to hold the shaft 34 captive between the connecting pieces 37.

The standard 20 is mounted between the anglesection beams 7a and 7b by means of a releasable location pin 41 which is inserted through aligned holes (not shown) in the beams 7a, 7b and through one of the holes 23 formed in the plough blade 22.

By appropriate choice of the hole 23 through which the pin 41 is inserted, a desired plough depth is achieved.

In order to set the angle at which the plough blade 22 is disposed, a strut 42, which is pivotally and detachably mounted at 43 to the front of the frame 2, is connected to the top of the blade 22 with the aid of a releasable location pin 44. The angle of the plough blade 22 is adjustable by inserting the pin 44 through a hole (not shown) formed at the upper end of the blade 22 and a selected, desired one of a plurality of adjustment holes 45 provided in the strut 42.

A coulter disc 50 is also detachably mounted between the angle-section beams 7a and 7b forwardly of the standard 20. On the other side of the frame 2, a sole wheel 55 is detachably mounted between the angle-section beams 6a and 6b to act as a road wheel.

Although the angle-section beams 6a and 6b have not been described in great detail, it will be appreciated that they are similar to the beams 7a and 7b and are designed to enable the standard 20 and coulter disc 50 to be detachably mounted on the left-hand side of the cable plough 1 instead of on the right-hand side of the cable plough as previously described. In this case attachment means 80 are provided for pivotally mounting the strut 42 to the front left-hand side of the frame 2 and further attachment means (not shown) are provided for detachably mounting the sole wheel 55 between the angle-section beams 7a and 7b.

The cable plough 1 described herein is particularly suitable for burying telephone cables. Normally telephone cables are initially laid on the ground surface between junction boxes, each of which junction boxes has a number of telephone subscriber lines connected thereto. It is only after the cables and lines have been checked that they are buried between the junction boxes whilst still "live" or in a working condition.

In order to bury a pre-laid telephone cable 21 between a pair of junction boxes it is first necessary to mount the cable plough 1 to a conventional three-point linkage of a tractor or other agricultural vehicle (not shown) having a top link 60 and lift arms 61 and 62. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lift arms 61 and 62 are connected to the attachment members 4a and 5a, respectively, and the top link 60 is connected between the upper ends of the angle section beams 10a and lob. It is then necessaryto attach the coulter disc 50 and standard 20 on either the right-hand side or the left-hand side of the frame 2 depending upon whether the cable of a road. In the drawings the standard 20 is shown mounted on the right-hand side of the frame 2. mounted on the right-hand side of the frame 2.

With the three-point linkage connected to the cable plough 1 in the manner described above and the standard 20 and coulter disc 50 mounted on the right-hand side of the frame 2, the coulter disc 50 and the plough blade 22 are designed to run in the path of the rear right wheel (or right track) of the tractor. It is possible, however, to connect the lift arms 61 and 62 to the attachment members 4b and Sb, respectively, and to connect the top link 60 between the upper ends of the angle-section beams 9a and 9b. In this case, the coulter disc 50 and the plough blade 22 will be off-set to the right of the path of the tractor.

Before the pre-laid cable 21 is buried it is located in the cable shoe 25. This is achieved by opening and removing the closure member 27, inserting the cable 21, whilst the latter is still connected to a junction box or sub-station, in the channel section member 26 and replacing the closure member 27 in its closed position. The cable 21 is then buried under ground by lowering the lift arms 61 and 62, so that the blade 22 and coulter disc 50 enterthe ground, and moving the cable plough and tractor forward in the direction A along the line of the pre-laid cable.

As the cable plough 1 moves forward the coulter disc 50 and plough blade 22, with its share 24, cut a furrow or trench in the earth. Whilst one operator drives the tractor, another operator either stands on the platform 3 or walks immediately behind the standard 20 feeding the cable 21 into the top of the channel section member 26. Because of the narrow width of the standard 20, the earth is not overturned as the furrow or trench is formed as is the case with a conventional agricultural plough. Instead, as the cable 21 is fed downwardly through the cable shoe to the bottom of the furrow, the earth falls together and closes the furrow or trench immediately behind the cable plough 1 to automatically backfill the trench or furrow on top of the cable which has been laid therein.

When the tractor approaches a junction box cable burying is stopped immediately before the junction box and the cable 21 is disconnected from the cable plough. The cable is then re-located in the cable guide 25 on the far side of the junction box for re-commencing the burying of the cable. The parts of the cable immediately entering and leaving the junction box are buried manually. In this way there is no need to cut or disconnect the cable from the junction box.

If, during cable laying, it is desired to change the side of the cable plough 1 from which cable is laid, the cable plough 1 can be modified to accommodate this change in a simple manner. In particular the standard 20 is simply disconnected from between the beams 7a and 7b and from the strut 42 and is then re-connected between the beams 6a and 6b.

The strut 42 is re-positioned on the left-hand side of the frame 2 and is then connected between the attachment means 80 and the upper end of the plough blade 22. The coulter disc 50 is re-positioned between the beams 6a and 6b and the sole wheel 55 is re-positioned between the beams 7a and 7b. It may be possible to perform these operations on the cable plough 1 whilst the cable is retained in the cable shoe 25. However, if not, it is a simple procedure to remove the cable 21 prior to re positioning the standard 20 by opening and removing the closure member 27.

Another embodiment of cable plough according to the invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 100 is shown in Figure 7. The cable plough 100 is substantially the same as the cable plough 1 except that it is not as wide as the latter and only has a single set of attachment means for connection to the three-point linkage of a tractor or other agricultural vehicle. When connected behind a tractor, the standard is designed to follow in the path of a rear wheel (or track) of the tractor whichever side of the cable plough it is mounted.

It will be appreciated that an essential feature of the present invention is the ability to mount an assembly for trenching and burning a cable on either side of a frame of a cable plough. Other features, such as the provision of a coulter disc and sole wheel and the facility for adjusting the depth and angle of the plough blade, are preferable but not essential features of a cable plough according to the invention.

Claims (15)

1. A cable plough comprising a transversely extending frame, means for mounting the frame to a three-point linkage of an agricultural vehicle, an assembly for trenching ground and simultaneously laying a cable in the trenched ground and mounting means for detachably mounting the said assembly on the frame, characterised in that the mounting means enable the said assembly to be detachably mounted on either side of the frame.

2. A cable plough according to claim 1, in which the transverse frame supports a platform for an operator.

3. A cable plough according to claim 1 or 2, in which the mounting means comprises bolts and bolt holes on either side of the frame and on the assembly to enable the latter to be bolted to either side of the frame.

4. A cable plough according to claim 3, in which a number of bolt holes are provided on the assembly to enable the mounting position of the assembly on the frame to be adjustable.

5. A cable plough according to claim 1 or 2, in which the mounting means comprises means for pivotally mounting the said assembly on either side of the frame and strut means connectible between the frame and the said assembly for setting the assembly at a desired angle relative to the frame.

6. A cable plough according to claim 5, in which, for enabling adjustment of the assembly angle relative to the frame, the point of connection of the strut to the assembly and/or the point of connection of the strut to the frame is or are adjustable.

7. A cable plough according to claim 5 or 6, in which the pivotal mounting means enables the vertical position of the assembly relative to the frame to be adjusted.

8. A cable plough according to claim 5,6 or 7, in which the pivotal mounting means comprise a pair of spaced apart frame holes at each side of the frame, an assembly hole positioned between and in alignment with the spaced apart frame holes at a selected side of the frame and a pivot member insertable through the aligned holes and retained in position.

9. A cable plough according to claim 8, in which a number of vertically spaced apart assembly holes are provided in the assembly.

10. A cable plough according to any of the preceding claims, in which the said assembly comprises an upright plough blade, having a share at its lower end, and a cable shoe positioned at the trailing edge of the plough blade.

11. A cable plough according to claim 10, in which the cable shoe is hingedly attached to the trailing edge of the plough blade and is designed to lead cable down to the lower end of the plough blade and then allow the cable to lie in the bottom of the trench or furrow dug by the plough blade and share.

12. A cable plough according to claim 10 or 11, in which the cable shoe comprises a narrow channel member open at its top, bottom and trailing edges and a closure member for closing the said trailing edge which is readily detachable from the channel member.

13. A cable plough according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a coulter wheel detachably mountable on either side of the frame.

14. A cable plough according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a detachable sole wheel, mountable on either side of the frame, for mounting on the side of the frame opposite to the side that the said assembly is mounted.

15. A cable plough constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 6 or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.