US3391545A - Continuously burying plow for pipe and the like - Google Patents

Description

y 9, 1968 F. H. LINNEMAN 3,391,545

CONTINUOUSLY BURYING PLOW FOR PIPE AND THE LIKE Filed April 20, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 film" INVENTOR.

FRED H. LINNEMAN ATTORNEYS CONTINUOUSLY BURYING PLOW FOR PIPE AND THE LIKE Filed April 20, 1966 July 9, 1968 F. H. LINNEMAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FRED H. LINNEMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,391,545 CONTINUOUSLY BURYING PLOW FOR PIPE AND THE LIKE Fred H. Linneman, 1300 Harlan St., Wheatridge, Colo. 80215 Filed Apr. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 543,833 6 Claims. (Cl. 6172.6)

This invention relates to devices for laying pipe and tubing or the like in plowed but essentially unexcavated underground trenches.

The device of the invention is a front mounted earth plow or ripper which is arranged to be mounted on a prime mover, preferably a crawler-type tractor, and the device is arranged to lay a continuous length of pipe or tubing into the bottom of the unexcavated, narrow ditch made by the plow or ripper. The plow loosens the earth, forming an unexcavated ditch of minimum width and with a minimum furrow of loosened earth thrown out of the ditch. Back-fill blades may be mounted on the support frame near the plow to move the small amount of furrow of loosened earth back into the plow line and a packer may be mounted on the prime mover to tamp the loose earth. During the ripping operation, a long length of pipe or tubing which is essential continuous is laid in the bottom of the unexcavated ditch which normally runs along a survey line. Initially, pipe or tubing in a continuous length is laid on the ground along the survey or other direction line. The pipe or tubing is fed through a feeder tube attached to the plow and is continuously deposited beneath the earth into the bottom of the unexcavated ditch as the prime mover travels along its course. In many soils the ditch is plowed, the tubing is laid into the ditch, back-filled and tamped in one pass, thereby reducing the cost of installing the line. Means may be provided to additionally lay a finder wire along with plastic tubing for subsequently locating the tubing by a metal detector.

Among the objects and advantages of the present invention is to provide a device arranged for a one-pass plowing, pipe or tube installing underground, back-filling and tamping operation. The device of the invention includes a front mounted plow and conduit-laying means which permits close control of the operation and in addition permits laying a conduit very closely to an obstacle. The plow is provided with an enlarged rounded leading edge which has a reduced resistance to the earth. Additionally, means are provided for laying a finder wire along with plastic tubing in the bottom of an unexcavated ditch or trench to permit subsequent location of the pipe.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention may be readily ascertained by referring to the following description and appended illustrations, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, generally schematic, of a device according to the invention illustrating the operation of the device in laying pipe or tubing underground;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the leading edge of the ripper of the device of FIG. 1 taken along section lines 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the plow and pipe laying feeder tube taken along section line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the plow taken along section lines 55 of FIG. 1.

In the illustrations, letter A indicates in general a crawler-type tractor which is arranged with endless treads and 12. The treads are mounted on drive bogies for movement of the tractor. A dozer yoke 14 is pivotally mounted by pivots 16 and 18 on opposite sides of the vehicle Patented July 9, 1968 and hydraulic cylinders 20 and 22 are arranged to raise and lower the yoke 14. Such dozer yokes are conventional equipment, and the particular one as shown with the rounded front or leading edge is arranged to support an angle dozer. Square front end yokes are, also, used for straight-on dozers. A boxed-in triangular shaped frame 24 is mounted on the dozer yoke and is secured by pin 26 in the middle. Where desired for strength, a pair of clamps near the outer end of the frame may be used. The boxed-in frame 24 is shown in cross section in FIG. 4 and includes side channels 26 and 28 extending from the forward end to the rear end thereof and top plates 30 and 32 complete the box. A ripper tooth 34 or other upright extends through the front end of the box frame to a lower point therebelow. A tubular member 56 is slotted from end to end and placed over the leading edge of the upright 34 by welds 38 as shown in FIG. 3. The bottom of the tubular member 36 is closed at 40. A feeder tube 44 is welded to the tooth 34 and extends forwardly at an angle extending upwardly in front of the box frame 24 and downwardly and rearwardly of the upright 34 below the box frame 24.

As shown in FIG. 5, the feeder tube 44- is welded on the side of the tooth 34. The feeder tube may, also, pass through the tooth 34, as by cutting the tooth and welding the tube 44 between the two ends of the tooth. The positioning of the tube is preferably arranged with minimum bend and sufficient strength of the unit for its in tended use. A plate 46 which is somewhat of a triangular shape is welded along one side to the box frame generally center-wise thereof and to the tooth 34. The plate extends from the apex toward the base of the box frame, and the bottom edge 47 of the plate is welded to the feeder tube 44. The end of the plate 46 terminates adjacent the end 43 of the feeder tube 44. Another plate 55 of generally triangular configuration is welded along one of its sides to the bottom of the feeder tube 47 and one of its other sides to the back of the upright 34. The assembly of the two plates in the feeder pipe makes a thin plow blade extending rearwardly from a leading edge 36.

The feed end of the feed tube 4-7 is provided with a funnel-like member 52 into which a pipe or tube 53 may be easily fed. The pipe or tube passes through the feeder tube and out the outlet 48 into the bottom of the unexcavated trench. The feeder tube is provided with a slight bend adjacent the outlet end 48 so that feeder tube is substantially level for laying the pipe or tube 53 into the ditch cut by the plow.

A pair of back-fill scraper blades 56 and 58 are welded to the box frame at about its base and are pointed inwardly so as to scrape any furrow which may be thrown out of an unexcavated ditch by the action of the plow.

A yoke 69 is mounted by pivot pins 62 and 64 at the rear of the tractor A, and an axle 66 provides means for holding a roller 68 which follows in the plow line to tamp the loose dirt in the unexcavated ditch. The roller may be weighted or hydraulic cylinders attached to the yoke arms for raising the roller and for applying pressure on the roller for the tamping operation. Additionally, the roller may be a sheeps foot roller or a smooth roller as desired by the user.

The conduit burying machine may be used with threaded or welded pipe in joined lengths or with other types of conduit which includes plastic tubing, electric conduit or the like. When plastic tubing is laid in the unexcavated ditch, a finder wire is normally laid with the plastic tubing so that it may be found at a later date by a metal detector. For purposes of laying a finder wire, a reel 70 is mounted on a yoke-like frame 72 which is attached to the outer or feeder end of the feed tube 42.

The reel is rotatably mounted on a reel pin 74 on the frame. A feeder wire 76 on a spool is then attached to the end of the plastic tubing before it is fed to the feed tube 44 and the finder wire unreels and. is laid side by side with the plastic tubing passing through the feed tube.

The frame of the device of the invention may be made to be accommodated on a round end dozer bar or a square end dozer bar by changing the configuration of the box frame 24 to fit the particular unit. The operation of the device is the same in either case.

In the operation of the device, a line of pipe or conduit is laid along a predetermined course, usually a surveyed course in a road right-of-way or the like. The tractor is brought into position and the pipe or tubing is fed through the feed tube to where its end comes out of the end 48. The frame is lowered and the tractor is moved forward so that the plow moves down into the earth ripping an unexcavated trench. During movement of the ripper or plow through the earth, a small furrow may be raised and some earth thrown out of the unexcavated ditch along both sides thereof. The backfill scraper blades scrape any furrow back into the ditch line and as the tractor passes along its course, the roller 68 tamps the earth, thereby providing a one-pass operation for burying such conduit, cable or the like.

In many soils, the device may be used as a one-pass operation; however, in some soils which are especially heavy and tight, a tractor with a straight ripper teeth may be necessary for initially ripping at least a part of the unexcavated trench. The device of the invention may then follow along the unexcavated trench, laying the pipe or the tubing down in the bottom of the unexcavated Y trench, backfilling the furrow into the trench and then packing the trench.

Since the plow is in front of the tractor, positive control may be maintained over the operation by the operator of the tractor and the plow may be made to run accurately along the survey line. Additionally, the ripper may be moved very closely to an obstacle, decreasing the amount of hand labor necessary adjacent such an obstacle. The frame construction withstands the extreme lateral pressures involved in the turning movements of the tractor as it follows the course line. In addition, the device may be made in various sizes to accommodate various sizes of pipe or tubing.

While the invention has been illustrated by reference to a particular embodiment, there is no intent to limit the spirit or scope of the invention to precise details so set forth except as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Equipment for buying continuous lengths of pipe or the like, in combination with a prime mover; frame means pivotally mounted on said prime mover providing front mount bars means; plow support frame means mounted on said bar means and extending forwardly of said prime mover; an elongated, thin-profile plow means mounted adjacent the forward part of said support frame means and extending downwardly therefrom; pipe feeder means extending forwardly of said plow means at its forward feed end and rearwardly thereof at its discharge end, said pipe feeder means being mounted at an angle to said plow means from the upper feed end to the lower discharge end; upper and lower reinforcing plates welded to said frame means and to the upper and lower sides of said pipe feeder means respectively, said reinforcing plates extending from said plow means to about the rear of said frame means; means for raising and lowering said frame means from an upper inoperative to a lower plow position; and a rounded cover mounted over the leading edge of said plow means covering at least the earth contacting portion thereof.

2. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein a pair of backfill blades are mounted adjacent the rear of said frame means in position to scrape any furrow raised by said plow means back into the unexcavated ditch.

3. Equipment according to claim 2 wherein a tamping roller is mounted on said prime mover in position to tamp earth in the plow line loosened by said plow, providing a one pass operation.

4. Equipment according to claim 2 wherein a wire reel is mounted adjacent the feed end of said pipe feeder means in position to simulatneously feed a finder wire with pipe passing through said feed means.

5. Equipment according to claim 2 wherein said backfill blades positioned at an angle to each other with their forward ends extending forwardly.

6. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein said pipe feeder means has an outwardly flared feed end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,909,134- 10/1959 Kniefel 6l72.6 3,170,301 2/1965 Kelley 6l-72.6 3,300,989 1/1967 Reising 6l72.6

EARL I. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. EQUIPMENT FOR BUYING CONTINUOUS LENGTHS OF PIPE OR THE LIKE, IN COMBINATION WITH A PRIME MOVER; FRAME MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID PRIME MOVER PROVIDING FRONT MOUNT BARS MEANS; PLOW SUPPORT FRAME MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID BAR MEANS AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF SAID PRIME MOVER; AN ELONGATED, THIN-PROFILE PLOW MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE FORWARD PART OF SAID SUPPORT FRAME MEANS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFORM; PIPE FEEDER MEANS EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF SAID PLOW MEANS AT ITS FORWARD FEED END AND REARWARDLY THEREOF AT ITS DISCHARGE END, SAID PIPE FEEDER MEANS BEING MOUNTED AT AN ANGLE TO SAID PLOW MEANS FROM THE UPPER FEED END TO THE

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