NZ193700A - Land rolling apparatus:outer rollers swing inwards for transportation - Google Patents

Description

193 No.: 193700 Date: 13 May 19 80 53Z-VV I t- iCffr.-s':~ "T ' ' ;■ • * ;PATENTS ACT, 1953 ». J ;NEW ZEALAND ;rzr.~v ;COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ;"LAND ROLLING APPARATUS" ;l/WK, JAMES CLARKE BRADLEY, a New Zealand citizen, of R.D. 1, Mataroa, Near Taihape, New Zealand, ;hereby declare the invention for which I /«*« pray that a patent may be granted to me/xus, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - 193700 The present invention relates to improvements in and/or relating to land rolling apparatus.

Various forms of land roller are known which can be used to break up soil, compact the soil or the like. These vary from heavy land rollers to relatively light skeletal type rollers and many forms of the same are well known. Perhaps the most common form of land roller is a modified form of sheeps foot roller.

With the modern usage of agricultural tractors it has become more convenient to attach land rollers especially for agricultural use to the draw bar of such a tractor so that the same can be moved at ease but at considerable speed over for example ploughed paddocks to thereby obtain the desired r breaking up of the soil with the accompanying levelling thereof. Difficulties arise however, since with the high horse power output of an agricultural tractor it is possible to pull a land roller of effective rolling width several times the width of a tractor. Acting against however the desirability of having an implement of such dimensions is the fact that most fences in a farm are dimensioned to accommodate farm vehicles and implements having a width of that order. Also of course road travel capability is important. Therefore it has been usual for land rollers to be relatively small in effective rolling width thereby leading to a wastage of fuel and time since it is necessary to make more runs over a paddock in order to cover the same area than would be the case if a wider land roller was used. 193700 Also most existing rollers rely upon a frame mounted roller arrangement whereby the weight of the frame is bourne by the roller or rollers. Such structures however are not always suitable and there are many instances where it would be preferable to have rollers or the roller subframes which allow the rotation axis thereof to be movable upwards or downwards or tilted relative to an overall frame arrangement so that the contour of the land can be more closely followed by each of a plurality of rollers.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means and/or methods which will go at least some way I to meet some of the abovementioned desiderata or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect the present inventioA consists in land rolling apparatus capable of being drawn by a vehicle or being vehicle mounted, said apparatus having a rolling mode wherein a plurality of land rollers are disposed with their axes of rotation substantially transverse to the direction of rolling travel, the1 plurality of land rollers complementing each other to provide an effective rolling width which is substantially accumulative of the width of said rollers and a transport mode with ground wheels and an effective width more amenable for trailing or movement by having at least the flanking land rollers with their axes of rotation substantially aligned with the direction of travel, the land rollers being disposed substantially behind or in advance of at least one other land roller with its axis of rotation transverse to the direction of travel.

Preferably there are only three land rolls.

Preferably said apparatus is movable from its rolling to its road transportable mode and preferably vice versa from the control position of the vehicle of which the apparatus forms part or behind which the same is trailable.

Preferably the movement is controlled hydraulically and preferably by at least one double acting hydraulic ram.

In the preferred form of the present invention the land roll which does not rotate its axis of rotation is the central one of three land rolls of the apparatus.

Preferably those flanking land rolls that have their axes of rotation rotated and aligned with the direction of travel when in the road trailable mode are disposed rearward 1 with respect to the direction of travel of the central land roll.

Preferably the ground wheels or land wheels number two and preferably they flank in the road trailable mode the effective width of the^land roll.

Preferably said ground or land wheels contact the ground irrespective of the mode but in the ground rolling mode subframe assemblies each of which includes a roller are movable within constraints with respect of the main portion of the frame of which the ground wheel assembly forms part thus enabling the plurality of rollers to more easily cater for the contour of the land to be rolled. Preferably each roller bears on the ground with substantially only its own weight and that of portions of its subframe. 193700 Preferably the prefered mode of actuation is at least one double acting hydraulic ram and cylinder combination linked via the supports for the land wheels to the supports for the flanking rollers for the appropriate purpose.

Preferably the arrangement is substantially as hereinafter described.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in land rolling apparatus capable of being drawn by a vehicle or being vehicle mounted, said apparatus having a main frame and a plurality of subframe assemblies each of which includes at least one ground roller, said subframe assemblies being constrained within limits to said main frame but having a f certain degree of movement capability with respect thereto, the construction and arrangement being such that when in its ground rolling mode while advanced by said main frame said subframe assemblies can move at least to some extent in response to the contour of the ground over which they move.

Preferably each said subframe assembly is mounted from said main frame by a sliding pivot or pivots or some form of appropriate trailing connection.

Preferably flexible means such as a chain, springs or the like are provided whereby a subframe assembly can be lifted with respect to said main frame. Preferably the arrangement is substantially as hereinafter described.

Pr-SffQrah1y- ga^ 1 -inH Tolling -ippiritnr nr. nlnn n hi » .. J. P. & s.

Htoda-t—j^aiid uulliny appparatua in accordance another aspoot Ml. bho pre-oent invention» 193700 In a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of use in accordance with the present invention which method involves the control of the width of the apparatus by appropriate control of the mode thereof.

In other aspects the present invention may consist in a framed apparatus of the kind in accordance with the present invention for trailing behind an agricultural trailer -hence for present purposes a trailer is a "vehicle".

One preferred form of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a simplified diagrammatic plan view of three rollers showing their axis of rotation with broken lines in their road trailable condition where an advance roller with its rotational axis transverse to the direction of travel (denoted by the arrow) is in advance of two otherwise disposed flank rollers which do not add significantly to the overall width of the apparatus and which themselves are disposed inwardly of two ground wheels with their axis of rotation transverse to the direction of travel, Figure 2 is a similar view to that of figure 1 but showing the forward relative movement in the preferred form of the present invention of the ground wheels as the portal frame thereof is moved relative to the land rollers and also showing how the flanking rollers are disposed to have the rotational axis thereof transverse to the direction of travel, the three rollers of the preferred form of the present invention providing an accumulated land roller width which corresponds in the preferred form of the present 19370 invention preferably to. at least twice the width of the trailing vehicle, Figure 3 is a view AA with respect to figure 1 showing a few of the structural members but again being simplified for ease of explanation, the land rollers being shown in dotted outline, Figure 4 is a similar view to that of figure 3 but showing the apparatus in the direction BB with respect to figure 2 again being very much simplified in form, Figure 5 shows in more detail preferred apparatus in accordance with the present invention in its road trailable form and Figure 6 shows the same apparatus that is shown in figure 5 but shown in its ground rolling form, and allowing t a person skilled in the art to appreciate how the bi-modal preferred form of the apparatus has for all intents and purposes when in its ground rolling form an independent suspension for each roller thus allowing high speed passes over ground with each roller conforming to the localised contours.

In the preferred form of the present invention is an advance land roller 1 which is preferably identical to the two flanking rollers 2 and preferably all of the preferred three rollers 1 and 2 have a skeletal, sheeps foot or the equivalent like ground contacting surface.

In the preferred form of the present invention preferably each of the rollers is supported by a trailing axle support frame 3 and preferably (not shown in great detailJ such trailing axle support frames (i.e. the sub-frames or subassemblies) 3 are rotational so as to be capable of allowing 193/00 the raising or lowering of the appropriate roller 1 or 2. The raising and lowering of the appropriate roller 1 or 2 is achieved by providing a sliding pivot type arrangement in advance of each roller so that the same can rise or be lowered so as to conform with the ground contour. Ideally also the embodiment as shown in figures 5 and 6 allows a certain amount of twisting in all directions of the arrangement. As shown throughout the drawings it can be seen that a subframe dependent from the main frame and not forming part of the sub-assembly of which the roller forms part has flexible linkages e.g. chains or the like which act on arms of the sub-assembly thereby allowing for the height control of the rollers when in the transportable mode. A person skilled in the art will appreciate the manner in which this is achieved by an appropriate camming action. r Persons skilled in the art will appreciate therefore the advantages that arise from the ability to dispose the complementing land rollers in the various configurations shown in figures 1 and 2. Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate how a double acting ram 5 can be fixed at for example a pivotal point 6 of a frame member and act in a pivotal manner on a point.7 which controls the disposition & of the portal frame member of the land wheels x (preferably there being a double acting hydraulic ram system on each side of the apparatus) and in turn by virtue of a linkage 8 the angular disposition relative to the advance direction of the rotational axis of each associated flanking roller 2.

Linkage 8 is pulled in. the advance direction when the double action ram is moved from its expanded condition as in figure 19370 3 to its condition as shown in figure 4 thereupon swinging the associated flanking roller 2 by its support frame about a pivot point 9. Ideally the swinging from the condition shown in figure 3 to figure 4 releases the tension on the chains 10 thereby lowering the trailing rollers 2. Similarly by virtue of a linkage a similar lowering of the advance land roller 1 occurs. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate- how such arrangements can rely on linkages to the distal end of arms extending from their appropriate rotational shaft or the like means.

From the foregoing then it can be seen therefore that by virtue of a control to the appropriate hydraulic line 11 a tractor driver can control the disposition of the land rolling apparatus from its condition as shown in figure 1 to that as shown in figure 2. It may well therefore be that apparatus in accordance with the present invention may also have application to other forms of implement and therefore the present invention should be considered as encompassing other ground treatment arrangements which can be used in . place of the land rollers in accordance with the present invention, such alternative arrangements of course having preferred directions of ground contact during advancement. It is believed therefore that the present invention in both its preferred and expressly stated form and in any appro-praite alternative form should find widespread acceptance in the community.

Claims (18)

193700 £ WHAT CLAIM IS:

1. Land rolling apparatus capable of being drawn by a ^ vehicle or being vehicle mounted, said apparatus having a rolling mode wherein a plurality of land rollers are disposed with their axes of rotation substantially transverse to the direction of rolling travel, the plurality of land rollers complementing each other to provide an effective rolling width which is substantially accumulative of the width of said rollers and a transport mode with ground,wheels and an effective width more amenable for trailing or movement by having at "Wo least -tho flanking land rollers with their axes of rotation , J. P. & S. lUnkina Isubstantially aligned with the direction of travel, the landJ rollers being disposed substantially behind or in advance of at least one other land roller with its axis of rotation transverse to the direction of travel.

2- Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there are three land rollers.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said : apparatus is moveable from its rolling to its road transportable mode from a control position of the vehicle of which the apparatus forms part or behind which the same is trailable.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said apparatus is moveable from its road transportable mode to its rolling mode from the control position of the vehicle of which the apparatus forms part or behind which the same is trailable.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein said movement between modes is controlled hydraulically. - 10 - 193700

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said movement is caused by at least one double acting hydraulic ram.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the land roller which does not rotate its axis of rotation is the central one of three land rollers of the apparatus.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the flanking ..J. P. & S. u>Hieh land rollers^have their axes of rotation rotated and aligned with the direction of travel when in the road trailable mode are disposed rearwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the central land roller.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the ground wheels number two.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedirfg claims wherein said ground wheels contact the ground irrespective of the mode but in the ground rolling mode subframe assemblies each of which includes a roller are moveable within constraints with respect to the main portion of the frame of which the ground wheel assembly forms part thus enabling the plurality of rollers to more easily cater for the contour of the land to be rolled.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein each roller bears on the ground in the ground rolling mode with substantially only its own weight and that of portions of its sub-frame.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims J P &S wherein the actuation between the modes is with the assistance of at least one double acting hydraulic ram and cylinder Artina betu/eci*v acfcomg botwoom a support for the ground wheels a support for a flanking roller. - 11 - Ml 19370 Aotot-dtna 4.t-tord i'*a 4o tIAiVW I

13. Land rolling apparatus oapablo of boing dravm by a- vehicle-or being vehicle mounted, said apparatus having A.. J. P. & S. a main frame and $UK a plurality of subframe assemblies each of which includes "*"f at least one ground roller, said subframe assemblies being constrained within limits to said main frame but having a certain degree of movement capablility with respect thereto, the construction and arrangement being such that when in its ground rolling mode while advanced by said main frame said subframe assemblies can move at least to some extent in response to the contour of the ground over which they move.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said subframe assembly is mounted from said main frame by a sliding pivot or pivots or some other form of trailing connection.'

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 or claim JLS wherein or ' J P. & S. flexible means such as a chain^ springs -qe the—like are provided whereby a subframe assembly can be lifted with respect to said main frame. . e\il*er cUima er

16. Apparatus as claimed in any—eno -of claims 13^ 14 and 15 J p & c saiflt wherein^ subframe assembly mounting is substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one some or all of the accompanying drawings. ~K>e f>ireee«/ii\a •Sub<tAn+»aU<| J. P. & S.

17. Apparatus as claimed in any one of ^claims —3r4-y—' KerciiAbehove dzstribtA rePeir-ence +o avM^ $on\e. or a.H ■&€ l/,J' " and 16 which ia aloo apparatuc ao claimed in any one of (Ktt olaimo 1 -to 12^ as A I<yt\l rosier

18. A method of use^of apparatus as claimed in any one of ,0 'J 0JUL^ If/o-zh' the preceding claims when performed oubctantially .ao hereinbefore. TsS-1 J. P. & S substantially as hereinbefore described or without, reference Uf-10-91 to any one, some or all of the accompanying drawings.^ DATED THIS is+ DAY OF 19*^/ A. J. PARK & SON - 12 - per AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS