US3230645A

US3230645A - Snow removal attachment for sweeping machines

Info

Publication number: US3230645A
Application number: US290684A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mac W Lutz
Original assignee: Tennant Co
Current assignee: Tennant Co
Priority date: 1963-06-26
Filing date: 1963-06-26
Publication date: 1966-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1983-01-25

Description

M. W. LUTZ Jan. 25, 1966 SNOW REMOVAL ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPING MACHINES I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26 1963 2 INVENTOR.

MAC W LU'TZ BY BM WqZMM ATTORNEYS Jan. 25, 1966 M. w. LUTZ SNOW REMOVAL ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPING MACHINES Filed June 26, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet FIG. 3

INVENTOR. M A C W. L uT'z ATTORNEYS SNOW REMOVAL ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPING MACHINES Filed June 26 1963 M. W. LUTZ Jan. 25, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6

INVENTOR. W L uTZ 5 QM W gum ATTORNEYS Jan. 25, 1966 M. w. LUTZ SNOW REMOVAL ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 26 1963 FIG. 7

FIG. 8

INVENTOR. MAE lA/ Lurz ATTORNEYS Unitecl States Patent C) i Claims. (Cl. 37--50) The present invention has relation to self-propelled sweeping equipment and more particularly to snow removal attachments which can be placed on self-propelled sweeping equipment and utilized for removing snow.

With the advent of self-propelled sweeping equipment, companies have found they have a substantial investment in such equipment. The more uses the basic unit of the sweeper can be put to, maximizes the return from this investment.

In colder portions of our country, where snow falls during the winter time, most industries and businesses which need self-propelled sweeping equipment also have walks, driveways, parking lots and loading docks which must be cleared of snow. The attachments of the present invention permit utilization of the self-propelled sweeping unit .to be converted into an item of snow removal equipment. The sweeping broom is left intact on the selfpropelled sweeper and can be utilized for clearing residual snow left by the snow removal attachments, if desired. In this way the bulk of the snow can be removed with the mechanical equipment and the remainder swept out of the way.

The self-propelled sweeper, which mounts the snow removal attachment, has a pair of forwardly disposed arms which fit onto provided attachment lugs on the snow removal equipment and in this manner the snow removal equipment is easily attached to the sweeper. The arms are controlled by a hydraulic cylinder which permits the attachments to be raised or lowered as desired.

The attachments are easily installed, quickly removed and operate very efiiciently. As shown, the attachment includes a blade and a rotary snowplow, each of which is adapted to do a particular type of job of snow removal.

It is an object of the present invention to present snow removal attachments for mounting onto the front of a selfpropelled power sweeper.

It is a further object of the present invention to present snow removal attachments which can be utilized at the same time the main broom for the sweeper is operating.

It is a still further object of the present invention to present snow removal attachments which are easily attached to existing support arms on a power sweeper unit.

It is a still further object of the present invention to present a self-propelled power sweeper which has snow removal equipment mounted on the front thereof and which utilizes existing hydraulic power to raise and lower the snow removal equipment.

Other and further objects are those inherent in the invention herein illustrated, described and claimed and will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments o-f the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated by reference to the drawings in which corresponding numerals refer to the same parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a power sweeping machine having a snow removal blade attached thereto.

3,23%,645 Patented Jan. 25, 1966 r ECG FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the snow removal blade pictured in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the snow removal machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a snow removal machine made according to a second form of the present invention showing a rotary snowplow mounted on the power sweeping machine;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the from the power sweeping machine and with drive parts removed for the sake of clarity.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4 and the numerals of reference thereon, a powered, self-propelled sweeping ma chine is illustrated generally at 15. The machine is mounted on

wheels

16, 16 that are powered through suitable mechanism from a motor 17 mounted on the top of a main frame 18.

A steering wheel 19 is utilized by an operator sitting in a seat 29 to steer the vehicle in a conventional manner. A transverse sweeping rush 21 is rotatably mounted adjacent the intermediate sections of the power sweeper and engages a surface 22 to remove material therefrom. The sweeping brush can be powered in any desired manner, for example, a chain and sprocket illustrated in dotted lines at 23. The wheels can be powered to move the sweeping machine in direction as indicated by arrow 26'.

A pair of support arms 27, 2'7 are mounted onto a rock shaft 28 which is pivotally mounted on the frame of the sweeping machine 15. The rock shaft 28 can be pivoted about its axis through the operation of a hydraulic cylinder 29 which is connected as at 39 to the main frame of the sweeping machine and which has a longitudinally extendable rod 31 that is connected as at 32 to a lever 33 drivably mounted onto rock shaft 2-8. The cylinder 29 is powered from a source of fluid under pressure (not shown) and is controlled through a control lever 34 mounted onto the main frame and positioned so that the operator can use it. By directing fluid under pressure to cylinder 34 the

lift arms

27, 27 can be raised or lowered in directions as indicated by double arrow 33.

Typical mechanism for driving the broom is more fully explained in the co-pending application of Joseph G. Kasper, Serial No. 205,243, filed June 26, 1962. Typical propulsion mechanism for the sweeper and control mechanism for the arms is shown more fully in the application of Mac W, Lutz, Serial No. 137,863, filed September 13, 1961.

The

lift arms

27, 27 normally support a receptacle and filter system for catching dust and debris swept thereinto by brush 21. However, in this invention the recep tacle is removed and a snow removal tool illustrated generally at 40 is installed thereon. In the first form of the invention the snow removal tool is constituted as a snow blade 41 which has a blade cutting edge element 42 that engages the surface 22. As shown in FIG. 1 the blade 41 has a curved forward surface 43 which can engage a pile of snow 44 on the ground surface 22 and push it forwardly as the power sweeping machine is driven forwardly. The blade can be positioned at an angle with respect to the direction of travel, as will be more fully explained later.

The blade 41 has a pair of

upright support bars

45, 45 mounted to the back side thereof and a transverse connecting bar 46 extending between the upright bars. A mounting frame assembly 37 is attached to the

upright bars

45, 45 through pins 48, 4%. The mounting frame assembly 47 includes a transverse attachment member 50 and a rearwardly extending substantially semi-circular locking bar 51. The locking bar 51 is fixedly attached to the attachment member 50. A cross mem ber 52 is fixedly attached to the top surface of the lock ing member 51 and extends in a chord line thereto. A pair of

braces

53, 53 are mounted as at 54, 54 to the cross member 52 and extend upwardly and are mounted as at 55, 55 to the rear of the blade 41. The

braces

53, 53 hold the blade in a fixed position about its longitudinal axis and prevent it from pivoting about

pins

48, 43. The blade also has a pair of

guide shoes

56, 56 which are welded to substantially vertical shafts '7, 57 that are rotatably mounted in

housings

58, 58 which in turn are fixedly mounted to the blade. The shoes are disc-shaped and will prevent the blade edge member 42 from di ging into the surface 22. The shoes will provide guiding regardless of the position of the blade and whether or not the machine is turning.

An attachment frame assembly 61 is utilized to attach the blade and its mounting frame assembly to the power sweeper. The attachment frame assembly 61 comprises a pair of

plate members

62, 62" which are joined together with a cross brace 63 and also a pair of

braces

64, 64 that form an A frame. The

braces

64, 64 are welded or otherwise fixedly secured to a tongue 65 which extends rearwardly from the junction between the braces 64, 6 2 and attaches to cross brace 63 as at 66. The tongue 65 extends forwardly from the junction with

forward braces

64, 64 and is pivotally mounted as at 67 to the attachment member 519 of the blade. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the mounting frame assembly is positioned above the attachment frame assembly.

The locking bar 51 is positioned over the tongue 65 and extends underneath a guide 68 attached to the tongue. A cross bar 69 extends between the forwardly directed braces 64, 64 and is attached to the tongue 65 and the guide 63.

A locking pin 71 is positioned through a provided opening in guide 68 and in cross bar 69 and also protrudes through provided openings in locking bar 51. The locking bar 51 is provided with a plurality of openings 72 spaced therearound. By releasing the pin 71 and pivoting the blade 41 about pivot 67 the angular position of the blade with respect to the direction of travel can be changed. The blade can be adjusted to any angle in either direction as desired, within predetermind limits.

A pair of

auxiliary braces

73, 73 are also provided and extend from the forwardly directing braces 64, 64 back to the

side plates

62, 62,

As can be seen the

side plates

62, 62 have

lugs

74, 74 fixedly attached thereon. The

lugs

74, 74 fit within provided

notches

75, 75 at the outer ends of arms 27. The upper ends 76 of the side plates 62 are offset inwardly toward each other as can be seen in FIG. 4. A bolt 77 passes through 21 provided slot 79 in the upper portion 76 of the plate 62 and through a provided hole in the

arms

27, 27 and the plates and arms are fixedly attached together. A

spacer

73, 78 is positioned between each of the arms and its associated upper portion 76 of the side plates 62. In this way the offset portions can be clamped tightly against the arms. The slot at the upper end permits adjustment of the blades so that it can be tilted to obtain the correct angle of the cutting edge.

The vertical adjustment of the blade can be controlled through operation of the lever 34 and the hydraulic cylinder 29. Angular adjustment can be controlled by removing pin 71 and rotating the blade about its pivot 67 between tongue 65 and mounting member 51). The angular position can be adjusted in predetermined increments as desired.

If desired, the

braces

53, 53 can be replaced with springs so that the blade will give slightly if the blade edge member hits an obstruction during the plowing operation.

The unit can be operated by the power sweeper and used to clear walks, driveways, parking areas or whatever needs to be cleared of snow. The brush 21 can be operated at the same time as the snow removal so that the heaviest portions of the snow will be scraped away or windrowed by the blade and the brush will remove the final coat on the surface 22'. The brush will throw the snow ahead of it and when the end of the run has been reached, or when accumulation behind the blade becomes large, the blade can be raised to clear the pile of snow, and the machine backed up to pick up accumulatlon when the blade is dropped again. Ifdesired, the blade can be positioned at an angle with respect to the direction of travel of the machine and leave a Windrow. The windrow could then be picked upon the next round and in this way the parking lot can be cleared of snow and all the snow thoroughly removed.

Second form of invention In the second form of the invention the snow removal attachment is comprised as a rotary snowplow illustrated generally at 90. The power sweeping machine 15 is the same and utilizes the same arms 27 and lifting mechanism as before. Brush 21 is likewise driven the same as before.

The rotary snowplow comprises a housing 91 having a snow feeding auger assembly 92 rotatably mounted therein. The auger assembly includes a center shaft 93 mounted at opposite ends thereof in suitable hearings in

end plates

94, 94 of the housing. The shaft 93 has hitedly attached auger flights 95 attached thereto which feed the snow into a center blower 96 which in turn discharges the snow out through a duct 97 and a curved discharge chute 98. The chute 93 is rotatably mounted about the duct 97 through suitable brackets 101.-

The rotary snowplow attachment 90 is carried by the

arms

27, 27. The housing 91 has a transversely extending mounting brackets 102 attached to the rear surface thereof.

A pair of

arms

103, 103 are attached to the mounting bracket and extend rearwardly therefrom. The arms 1113 have lugs 194, 104thereon which fit within the notches 75 on the lift arms 27. The

arms

103, 103 have upper offset

portions

105, 105 anda bolt 106 is utilized for attaching these offset portions to the lift arms 27. Spacers or stops 78 are also provided on lift arms 27 as in the previous form of the invention.

The arms 103 are thus fixedly attached to lift arms 27. The transverse bracket 102 also has a motor mounting plate 107 attached thereto. The motor mounting plate is further placed back to arms 10'3, 10$ with a U-shaped brace 108.

An auxiliary motor 111 ismounted on motor bracket 107 and has a driven powered output shaft 112. The output shaft 112 has a sheave 113 drivably mounted thereon. A belt 114 extends up to a driven sheave 115 which is drivably mounted onto a jack shaft 116. The jack shaft 116 is rotatably mounted on a bracket 117 and a rearwardly extending portion 118 of the adjacent end plate 94. A. sprocket 121 .is mounted onto jack shaft 116 adjacent portion 118 and a drive chain 122 is driven by the sprocket 121 and drives a sprocket 123 that is drivably mounted onto shaft 93 for the snow feeding auger. The motor 111 can have a conventional clutch mechanism mounted thereon so that the snow feeding auger can be engaged and disengaged even with the motor running. The snow feeding auger or rotary snowplow attachment is driven through the auxiliary motor 111 and the forward propulsion is through the drive system of the sweeping machine 15. merit also has

guide shoes

124, 124 mounted to

vertical shafts

125, 125. The guide shoes 124 aid in keeping a cutting element 99 attached to the 'bottom forward The rotary snowplow attach-' edge of the housing 91 spaced the correct distance above the surface 22 that is being cleared of snow. A rock guard 100 is provided on the cut-ting element ahead of the fan to protect it.

As in the first form of the invention the rotary broom 21 can be driven at the same time that the machine is moving forwardly and that the rotary snowplow is working. In this way, the plow can blow the snow through chute 98 and the broom 21 can sweep away the residue left by the rotary snowplow. The snowplow can be raised and lowered through actuation of cylinder 29 moving lift arms 27 to any desired height. A safety chain 126 is provided between each of the

arms

103, 103 and extends back to the frame of the power sweeper to prevent the unit from being lifted excessively high.

Thus it can be seen through the use of mechanical snow removal attachments on a power sweeper, snow can be removed expeditiously and completely from any desired surface. The units are quick to attach upon removal of the normal receptacles for catching dust from the broom 21 and the broom 21 will continue to function to clean the surface over which the machine is traveling.

Units utilizing the blade attachment have been on erated to remove material from the holds of ships. The blade will push the major portion of the material into a windrow and the brush will remove the remaining material. The brush can be lifted at the end of the run to leave the material pushed ahead of it. Mechanism for raising and lowering a brush such as that shown herein is more fully illustrated typically in the applications of Joseph G. Kasper and the application of Mac W. Lutz. Previously mentioned, both of these applications are assigned to the same assignee as this application.

As many widely varying and apparently different modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of this invention, the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a self-propelled power sweeper having a main frame, means for moving said power sweeper and frame along a supporting surface, a powered rotary brush mounted on said frame and extending generally transverse to the direction of movement of said frame, said brush being mounted between the front and rear portions of said frame, of: a pair of arms mounted adjacent the forward portions of said frame, said arms being movable between raised and lowered positions, an attachment frame mounted between said arms, said attachment frame including a pair of lugs that fit within a provided notch on each of said arms, slotted adjustment means at the upper end of said attachment frame adjustably connecting said frame and said arms for limited pivotal movement of the frame about the lugs with respect to the arms, power means for moving said arms between their raised and lowered positions, and a mechanical snow removal implement mounted on said attachment frame and extending forwardly from said main frame, said mechanical snow removal implement being adapted to clear a path of snow through which said power sweeping machine may move.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said snow removal implement is a blade, said attachment frame mounted on said arms having a tongue for pivotally mounting said blade about a substantially upright axis,

6 and means on said blade cooperating with mounting means on said frame to permit angular adjustment of said blade with respect to the direction of travel of the powered sweeping machine.

3. The combination with a self-propelled power sweeper having a main frame, means for moving said power sweeper and frame along a supporting surface, a powered rotary brush mounted on said frame and extending generally transverse to the direction of movement of said frame, said broom being mounted between the front and rear portions of said frame, of a pair of arms mounted adjacent the forward portions of said frame, said arms being movable between raised and lowered positions, an attachment frame mounted between said arms, said attachment frame including a pair of lugs that fit within a provided notch on each end of said arms, a pair of adjustment slots at the upper ends of said frame, a pair of bolts, one passing through each adjustment slot and fastening said frame to said arms, power means for moving said arms bet-ween their raised and lowered positions, a transverse blade member, a mounting frame on rear portions of said blade, said mounting frame being pivotally mounted to said attachment frame about an upright axis, and releasable means cooperating between said mounting frame and said attachment frame to permit positioning of said blade at an acute angle with respect to the axis normal to the direction of travel of said sweeping machine and holding said blade at said acute angle.

4. The combination as specified in claim 3 wherein said releasable means for positioning said blade at an angle with respect to the direction of travel of said frame includes an arcuate locking bar on said mounting frame, and a guide on said attachment frame positioned adjacent said arcuate locking bar, said guide having an opening therethrough, a locking pin in said opening in said guide, said arcuate locking bar having a plurality of openings therethrough, each positioned sothat it is aligned with the opening of the guide as the blade is positioned at difierent angles with respect to the direction of travel of said frame.

5. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein the snow removal implement is a rotary snow plow.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,634 11/1884 Drake 3741 530,739 12/1894 Wood 3721 1,594,234 7/1926 Aiken 37-42 1,652,603 12/ 1927 Born 37-36 2,094,515 9/ 1937 Abbe 37-42 2,175,542 10/1939 Robarge 37-43 2,248,012 7/ 1941 Phillips 1582 2,697,846 12/1954 Wilcox 15-83 2,711,597 6/ 1955 Werner 37-42 2,807,991 10/ 1957 Sawyer i- 172-272 2,829,391 4/ 1958 Swanson 1534O 3,115,261 12/1963 Antolini 37-117.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 321,425 1/1957 Switzerland.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Examiner.

G. T. MOLLER, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A SELF-PROPELLED POWER SWEEPER HAVING A MAIN FRAME, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID POWER SWEEPER AND FRAME ALONG A SUPPORTING SURFACE, A POWERED ROTARY BRUSH MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FRAME, SAID BRUSH BEING MOUNTED BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME, OF: A PAIR OF ARMS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE FORWARD PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME, SAID ARMS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN RAISED AND LOWERED POSITIONS, AN ATTACHMENT FRAME MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID ARMS, SAID ATTACHMENT FRAME INCLUDING A PAIR OF LUGS THAT FIT WITHIN A PROVIDED NOTCH ON EACH OF SAID ARMS, SLOTTED ADJUSTMENT MEANS AT THE UPPER END OF SAID ATTACHMENT FRAME ADJUSTABLY CONNECTING SAID FRAME AND SAID ARMS FOR LIMITED PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE FRAME ABOUT THE LUGS WITH RESPECT TO THE ARMS, POWER MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ARMS BETWEEN THEIR