US1531226A - Power-driven earth auger - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1925. I 1,531,226

- J. B. SPOWART POWER DRIVEN EARTH AUGER Filed M ay 25, 1922 4 SheetsSheet 1 Q Q N INVENTOR.

v JOHN 5. SP0 WAR? ,1 TTORNEYS.

March 24, 1925.

- J. B. SPOWART POWER DRIVEN EARTH AUGER Eiled Mpy 23,1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

JON/V 5. SRDWV/W BY mm A TTORNEYS.

March 24,1925.

. J. B. SPOWART POWER DRIVEN EARTH AUGER Filed May 23,

1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 illv Ill III! II [III/III] ll/llllll/lll HIIHIIH ATTORNEYJ' Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN B. SPOWART, 0F BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

PtiWER-DRIVEN EARTH AUGER.

Application filed. Z llay 23, 1922. Serial No. 563,086.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN B. Srowarrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at virrrlzeley, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Power-Driven. Earth .-\ug'ers,of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to a power driven earth auger, and especially to improvements over the structure shown in my copendi'ng application entitled Eartlr auger, filed July 28, 1920, Serial No. 399,504.

- The objectof the present invention is to generally improve and simplify boring inachines of the character described; to provide a machine which may be readily mounted on the chassis of an ordinary motor truck and so positioned that its operating mechanism may be coupled to the engine shaft or transmission of the truck, thereby enablingthe boring operation to he effected by means of power transmitted .lrom the engine; to provide a novel mounting for the boring mechanism whereby it the truck is standing OII'SlOPlHg or otherwise uneven ground, the a tiger and conn cted driving mechanism may be adjusted to assume avertical position, and conversely whereby angular adjustment of the auger may he obtained-when angular holes are desired, and further to nfm-ide a novel gear transmission and a pair ot'clutches cooperating therewith whereby the auger m'ay be quickly raised or lowered to boring position and automatically ad-.

vanced while boring. Other objects will hereinafter appear. I

One form which my invention may assume exemplified in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which l ig. 1 is a side elevation of the front end of a. motor-truck showing the application of the invention.

Fig. 2 .is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged-plan section taken online 33, Fi 1.

,Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical, longitudinal section taken on line 4-4, Fig. 2.

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross action taken on line 5--5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an'enlarged vertical, longitudinal section talreii oii lino 6-6, Fig. 1.

Fig.- 7 is an enlarged detail view of the brake band actuating mechanism. e

. whereby Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, A indicates the main frame-of a motor truck, 13 the engine, 2 the transmission, 3 an auxilliary transmission, and 4 the front or'steering gears through which power is transmitted to rotate the auger generally indicated at C.

Disposed on one side of the main frame is a sleeve shaft 9, and an internal solid shaft 10', and forming acontinuation of said shaft-s is a sleeve shaft 9-,see Fig. 3, and an internal solid shaft 10. These last named shafts are journalled in a head member 11,

which is tnrnahly mounted in the bearing casing 5, the bearings employedheing preferably anti-friction hearings as indicated at 12 and 13, respectively. The head member 1.1 is secured on the end of the bearing casing 5 by means of a ring plate 14, and 7 one side of the head member 11 has teeth formed therein .as at 15, which 'intermesh with a worm pinion 16 journalled in the lower end of the hearing casing, that is the worm pinion is secured on a horizontally disposed shaft extending through the lower part of the hearing casing 5 and one end thereof is provided with a handgwheel 17 rotarymovement may be imparted to the shaft and the worm pinion. Such rotary 'movcnient'is in tnrn transmitted to the head member 11 through the teeth 15, and its position may thus be adjusted. The gearing. casing 7 is rigidly attached to the head member 11 and as such will turn in unison therewith. The transmission case 8,- as previously stated, is turnably mounted with relation to the casing 7 This mounting is clearly illustrated at 18, see Fig. 3, that is, the inner face of the case 8 is provided with an annular flange. and this is a hand wheel 24 and when this hand wheel is rotated movement is transmitted to turn the case 8 with relation to the casing 7. In other words universal adjustment of the case 8, which supports the earth auger C, is permittedas two turnable supports are provided, that isthese supports are disposed at right angles to each other and universal adjustment may hence be obtained. This is of considerable importance as -it permits boring of vertical holes when the truck is standing on sloping or otherwise uneven ground, and it is of further importance as it also permits angular adjustment of the auger whenslopiiig holes are required.

The sleeve shaft 9 and the interior shaft 10 are driven by means of a pair of multiple disk clutches, generally indicated at 24 and 25; shaft 9 being driven by the clutch 24, and shaft 10 by the clutch 25. The driving members of the clutches 24 and 25 are connected as a unit by means of bolts 26 to a sprocket gear 27, which is driven from a main drive shaft 28, through a sprocket pinion 29 and a chain 30, the shaft 28 being in turn driven from the auxiliary transmission 3 by sprocket gears and chain as at 31, or in any other suitable manner desired.

The (11" ing'membef'of the clutch 24 is keyed or splined to the sleeve shaft 9, as at 32, while the driving member of the clutch 25 is keyed or splined to the inner solid shaft 10, as at 33. The clutches are thrown into or out of engagement with their respective driving members by means of cams 34, and these are in turn actuated by cones slidably mounted on the respective shafts 9 and 10; the cones and dogs being of the usual construction and being actuated by manually controlled levers 36 and 3? disposed Within convenient reach of the drivers seat. The driving part of each clutch is, surrounded by brake bands, as at- 38 and 39, and these are in turn thrown into and out of engagement by means of cams 40 actuated bylevers 41 direztly connected to arms 42, that is both clutches may assume neutral position, driving position or stationary position; neutral position being assumed when the clutches are free and the bands are disengaged; driving position being assumed when the clutches are engaged and the bands are free, and locked or stationary position being assumed when the clutches are free but the bands are tightened to secure the clutches. The sleeve shafts 9 and 9 and the inner solid shafts 10 and 10 are disposed in alignment with each other, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, and a driving connection is formed between the respective shafts as indicated at 43 and 44, respectively; the connection formed between the shafts 10 and 10* being nothing more or less than a sliding spline, while the cennection 43 is a jaw coupling. These couplings to a certain extent form a flexible coupling, and as such automaticall Y take care of any disalignment between the respective shafts.

Secured on the ends of the shafts 9 and 10" are bevel pinions, as indicated at 45 and 46, and intcrmeshing therewith is a pair of bevel gears 47 and 48. The four gears specified are disposed within the gear casing 7; the gears 47 and 48 being secured to the shafts indicated at 49 and 50. These shafts are also disposed within the casing 7 and they are also supported in anti-friction journals, as at 51. The shaft 49 is a sleeve shaft while the shaft 50 is an interior solid shaft. These shafts also have pinions secured on their respective ends, as at 52 and 53, and these pinions intermesh with bevel gears indicated at 54 and 55, said last named gears. being disposed within the transmission case Sand being so disposed as to surround a drive shaft 56 whereby the auger The gear is raised, lowered androtated. 54 is employed for the purpose of transmitting a rotary movement to the shaft 56, while the gear is employed for the purpose of imparting a vertical movement thereto. This is accomplished in the following manner:

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noted that gear 54 is secured to or formed as an integral part of a sleeve 57 surrounding the shaft 56. Further by referring to F igs. 3, 4 and 5, it will be noted that splined grooves 58 are formed in the shaft and extend from end to end thereof. The sleeve 57 is keyed or otherwise connected as at 57 with a lower sleeve 59, in which are journalled "rollers 60. The flanges of these rollers enter the splined grooves as shown in Fig. 5, thereby forming a driving connection between the gear 54 and the shaft 56. In actual practice two sets of rollers, such shown at 60, are employed, one set being disposed above the other, the lowermost set being indicated in dotted lines as at 61, in Fig. 5, while the upper set only is shown in Fig. 4.- These rollers are of further importance as they permit a free vertical movement of the shaft when the auger is being raised or lowered and when it is being automatically advanced as will hereinafter he described. The sleeve 55 is also extended in an upward direction as shown at 62, and gear is journalled exterior thereof; A sleeve 63 is formed as an integral part of the gear 55, and this sleeve carries a nut 64 which rotates in unisen therewith; the nut being in. this inst-a 01 supported by the upper end of the sleeve 62 and being secured to the sleeve 63 b means of clamping nuts 65. The exterior surface of the shaft 56 is threaded or h..;-: spiral shaped teeth cut therein, as at 66, and these spiral teeth intermcsh with the nut 64 and as this nut is rotated by the gear 55, an up or down movement may be transmitted to shaft 56 during the operation of the machine.

In actual operation it will be understood that the auger C. is suitably secured to the lower end of the driving shaft 56. If it is desired to lower the auger rapidly to boring position, it is accomplished by holding the gear 55 stationary and rapidly rotating gear 54:; gear being held in a stationary position by locking the clutch 24 through which it is driven. If it is desired to raise the auger rapidly out of the .hole, gear 54 is held stationary and gear 55 is rapidly rotated, gear 54: being held stationary by locking the clutch member :25 through which it is rotated. If the auger has been lowered to digging position, and it is desired to automatically advance the same, it may be stated that it is slowly rotated and that it is slowly fed in a downward direction. This is accomplished by rotating the gears54 and 55 in unison by throwing the respective clutches Q-l and 25 in engagement. The pitch and the diameter of the gears 54 and 55 are such that the inner gear 55 will rotate at a slightly slower speed than the exterior or larger gear 54, thus while the two gears rotate in unison, one gear will nevertheless rotate at a slightly this gear rotates the 1111564, it can be seen that the driving shaft 56 will be slowly fed in a downward direction. If the auger has, been raised out of the hole and is clogged with dirt and it is desired to remove the same by centrifugal action, it is possible to rapidly rotate the shaft 56 by speeding up the engine. and 25 will in that case be thrown into engagement and the operation will be the same as when digging position is assumed. The gears 54 and 55 are the final driving gears and the transmission of power from the engine to said gears can be readily traced by referring to Figs. 1, 3 and 6. For instance power is transmitted to shaft 10 when the clutch 25 is engaged; power being transmitted to the clutch through the sprocket gears 27 and chain 30 to the shaft 28, which in turn is driven from the engine through the auxiliary transmission '3 and the chain drive 31. Withthe shaft 10 rotating, power will be transmitted through the splined connection 44 to shaft 10. It is then transmitted through the gears 45 and 48 to shaft 49, and through the pinion 53 to the inner gear 54. Siniilarly, power is transmitted through clutch 2-1 when this is engaged and sleeve shaft 9 to sleeve shaft 9" through the jaw-coupling 43. It is then transmitted through the gears 46 and 4:7 to the shaft 50, and as thisshaft carries and drives the pinion52,

greater speed, and as" Bot-l1 clutches 24;

sired to raise the auger out of the hole and gear 55 is held stationary when it is desired to lower the auger to boring position. These different operations are obtained by swinging the levers 36 and, 37, which are within convenient reach of the operators seat, and it is therefore possible for the operator to drive up to any point where it is desired to bore a hole and then to spot the auger by operating the hand wheels 17 and 24'. Vhen the auger has been properly spotted or directed, it is only necessary for the operator to return to his seat and to transmlt power to shaft 28. He then operates the lovers 36 and 37 and will through these levers control the raising and lowering of the auger, and also throw the clutches into position where the auger is automatically fed in a downward direction when in boring position. The entire mechanism is simple and fairly light in construction and as such may be applied to practically any standard form of motor truck. The positioning of the mechanism at the extreme forward end of the truck permits corners and odd places to be reached, which is a great advantage when it is considered that the machine is employed for the purpose of boring .holes for telephone poles, and similarly for boring fence post holes, etc., that is rocks and other obstructions are often encountered and may in this instance be avoided, due to the position of the mechanism with relation to the truck.

\Vhile certain features of the present invention are more or less specifically il-' lustrated, I wish it understood that various changes in form and proportion may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, similarlythat the materials and finish of the several parts employed may be such as the experience and judg ment of the manufacturermay dictate or various uses may demand.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the lower collar 59 as bolted to the lower end of the sleeve 57, as indicated at 57*. A spline connection may here be formed, if desired, but the bolts may be preferred as they serve the same purpose and permit ready removal of the lower collar 59. ,Thereis no spline connection between the sleeve 57 and the shaft, but the spline connection is formed by the rollers 58 and 61 carried by the collar 59. These rollers therefor form a driving connection and they at the same time permitfree vertical movement of the shaft with relation to the collar 59 and sleeve 57.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an earth boring machine of the character described, acasing, a shaft extending therethrough, an anger St cured to said shaft, a )air of gears within the casing and surrounding the shaft, means for transmitting power from said gears to impart vertical and rotary movement to the shaft, means for rotating the gears in unison and one gear at a greater speed than the other, and means for locking either gear against rotation.

2. In an earth boring machine of the character described, a casing, a shaft extending therethrough, an anger secured to said shaft, a pair of gears within the casing and surrounding the shaft, worm gear teeth formed on the exterior surface of the shaft, a nut engageable with said teeth and adapted to be rotated by one gear, a spline connection formed between the other gear and the shaft to rotate the shaft. means for rotatingthe gears in unison and one gear at a greater speed than the other, and means for locking either gear against rotation.

8. In an earth boring machine of the character described, a bearing casing, a gear casing carried thereby and turnable with relation thereto, and a transmission case carried by the gearcasing and turnable with relation thereto, and said gear casing and transn'iission case being turnable independently of each other.

4. In an earth boring machine of the cha actor described a bearing casing, a gear casing carried thereby and turnable with relation thereto, and a transmission case carried by the gear casing and turnable With relation thereto, and said gear casing and transmission case being turnable independently of each other, and at right angles to each other to permit universal adjustment.

5. In an earth boring machine of the character described a bearing casing, a gear casing carried thereby and turnable with relation thereto, a transmission case carried by the gear casing and turnablewith relation thereto, and said gear casing and transmission case being turnable independently of each other and at right angles to each other to permit universal adjustment, and manually operated means for turning the respective casings, said means also looking the caslugs agamst turning movement. I

6. In an earth. boring machine of the character described a bearing "casing, a gear casing carried thereby and turnable with relation thereto, a transmission case carried b the gear casing and turnable "with? relation -member secured at one end thereof and turnable about a central axis, a. gear casing secured to the head member, a transmission case secured to the gear ease and tnrnable about the central axis of the gear case, said head member and the transmission case bee ing turnable at right angles to each other to permit universal adjustment, and manually operated means whereby each casing may be turned independently of the other.

8.111 an earth boring machine of the character described, a bearing case, a head member secured at one end thereof and turnable about a central axis, a gear casing secured to the head member, a transmission ease secured to the gear ease and turnable about the central axis of the gear case, said head member and the transmission case be ing turnable permit universal adjustment, s am shaft and an interior solid shaft jour nalled in the head member, means for transmitting power to either: shaft or to both in unison, a sleeve shaft and an internal solid shaft journa-lled in the gear casing, bevel gears connecting the sleeve shafts, bevel gears connecting the interior solid shafts, a pair of gears disposed in the transmission case, pini'on'gears seh cured on the last named sleeve and interior solid shaft intermeshing with the gears 1n the transmission case, a shaft passing through the transmission case and the gears contained therein,-and means for transmitting vertical and rotary movement to said shaft from the two gears through which it passes.

.9. In an earth boring machine of the character described, a bearing casing, a gear casing carried thereby and turna-ble with relation thereto; a transmission case carried by the gear casing and turnable said gear casing, said gear casing and transmission casing being turnableindependently v of each other, a shaft extending through the transmission case, an'auger carried by said shaft, ,and means for transmitting power through the bearing case, the gear case and the transmission case to rotate and elevate the last named shaft and the auger carried thereby.

JOHN B. SPOWARTL at right angles to each other to with relation to

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