US2258890A - Road grader - Google Patents

Description

ct. '14, 1941. I c. A. CISUSTAFSON' 0 ROAD GRADER Filed Oct. 7, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 c. A. GusTAFsoN ROAD GRADER Filed Oct. 7, 1940 LE mw I Get. 14, 1941.

INVENTOR.

(M52. 19. 6UJTHF50N BY, A

ATTORNEY.

- adapted to be detachably connect Patented Oct. 14,1941 1 2,258,890 ROAD omen Carl a. gunman, Peoria, m., assignor to campillar Tractor-00.. San Leandro, Calib n-cor poration of California.

I Application October'I, 1940, Serial No. 360,011 1 towns. (01. 31-156) My invention relates .to road graders; and more particularly to mountlngmeans for the grader blade of such machine to enable endwise adjustment thereof.

In road graders, the grader blade is customarily mounted on a blade supporting frame which is connected to the main frame of the machine by lift means providing for vertical adjustment of either end of the blade: and such blade supporting frame is also mountedfor transverse movement to enable lateralshlfting of the blade therewith. The blade itself is generally angularly adjustable on the blade supporting frame.

for adjustment of theangle' of the bladewith respect to the line of draft of the machine; and in addition, the blade is mounted for endwise adjustment with respect to the blade supporting .frame. By these movements, the blade can be adjusted .to any suitable position'adapting it for the various types ,of work which a road grader-is called upon to perform. With the exception of the endwise adjustment of the grader blade with respect to the blade. supporting frame, all of the adjustments can be relatively easily obtained on present commercial machines, by control means accessible to the operatora't the operator's station of the machine.

The endwise adjustment of the blade itself with respect to the blade supporting frame has heretofore been usually obtained by providing a plurality of sets of spaced brackets the blade on the blade'supporting-frame. Such mounting means has heretofore necessitated disconnectin the entire blade, shifting it bodily, and reconnectin'g it when an adjustment was desired, which was very difficult vto perform by one.man.- My invention is designed to obviate this difficulty,

. and has as its objects among others,'the provision of improved mounting means enabling endwise I or lateral adjustment of a grader blade with respect to its blade supporting frame, which ,mounting means is of simple and economical construction, and of such character as to permit the adjustment to be made by one man. Other ob I jects of my invention will become apparent from fa perusal'of' thefollowing description thereof.

In general, the mounting means of my inven-- tion for'obtaining endwise adjustment of a, grader blade with respect to its blade supporting frame comprises rail. and guide supporting means between the blade and itssupporting fr which permits endwise sliding movement of the blade. with respect to such frame. Locking means in stations in the'form of notches or recesses formed in the'blade structure to hold such blade structure in adjusted position. Preferably, the locking pin and each recess are tapered to provide a wedging engagement therebetween, and hold the blade firmly in adjusted position.

Reference is now made to the drawings for a more detailed description of the invention, in which: h

Fig. l is'a more or less schematic side-elevational view of .a self-propelled road grader in which the blade mounting means 'of my invention v is employed.

ing means of my invention, looking inthe direction of arrow 2 in Fig. i; f Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane indicated byline 33 in Fig. 2. V

Fig. 4 is a section taken in a plane indicated by line l-- linlls.2. a Fig. 5 is a section taken in planes indicated by line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a section taken line 6-6 inFig. 3. F18. 7 is a more or less schematic view illustrating one way in which the blade structure of in a plane indicated by Figs. lthrough a maybe shifted with respect to to' brackets its supporting frame.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevational view similar to that of Fig.2, of modified form of construction.

Fig. 9 is a ection'taken in a plane indicated by line 9-9 in Fig. 8. e

. Fig. 10 is a section taken in a plane indicated by line III-Ill in Fig. 8.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational'view of the mount- Fig. 11 isa section taken in a plane indicated byline llllinFig. 1c.

The mounting means of my invention for endwise adjustment of a grader blade on its-sup 40 porting frame, may be employed on any. type'of blade supporting frame. 'For purposes of illustration, I have disclosed such mounting means on a'self-propelled motorgrader having a blade supporting frame similar to that shown in my Patent'No. 2,189,286, dated February 6, 1940,

which enables the blade to be angularly adjusted with respect to the line of draft of the machine,

vertically adjusted at eitherend laterally adjusted togetherwith thesupporting frame, and

also adjusted toba'nk sloping position at either side of the machine- With-reference to Fig. 1, such bladesupporting frame comprises auxiliary or'drawbar frame 2 universally connected at its front end by any suitable means (not shown) to the form of an axially movable pin is provided to main frame 3 of the machine. Such mainframe is mounted on front steerable, and titlable or leaning wheels 4, steerable from operator's station 6 through steering shafting 1, and on rear propelling wheels 8 drivable from power plant 8 of the machine.

At its rear end, auxiliary or drawbar frame 2 is suspended from main frame 3 by means including a pair of independently adjustable lift links Ii each of which is connected to a side of frame 2; thus; either side of frame 2 may be adjusted vertically. -Lateral shift mechanism including lateral shift strut l2 connected to slidably mounted arcuate rack [3 adjustable through shafting connected to driving pinion I4, is provided for lateral adjustment of frame 2. A circle frame It forming part of the blade supporting frame, is rotatably mounted on frame 2 and has secured thereto rearwardly extending beams I1 guide 39. A pin 40 secured to the associated circle beam 11 projects through the slot of each bracket to provide for clamping thereof by means of serrated clamping member 4| engageable with the serrations of guide 88 and securable by nut 42,

Means is provided for locking the blade structure in endwise adjusted position, comprising a having downwardly extending. rear projections 11' upon which blade structure I8 is mountable. By rotation of circle frame i8, through suitable actuating means IS, the blade may be angularly adjusted with respect to the line of draft of the machine. All of the adjustments thus far described can be very readily made by suitable controls at operator's station 6, as is disclosed in my previously mentioned patent.

For some purposes, for example, where it is desired to shift the blade to reach way out to either side of the machine in the dressing of road shoulders'or gathering in of material from the outside slope on a, grade, or for adjusting the blade to bank sloping position so as to'enable its heel to clear th ground more readily, it is desirable that the blade be shiftable endwise on its supporting frame. The mounting means of my invention is designed to accomplish this with ease. With particular reference to Figs. 2

through 6, the mounting means of my invention.

v gether, to thus provide a rigid box-like reenforcing structure for moldboard 21.

Rails 26 are slidably mounted 0.. the blade supporting frame to permit endwise adjustment of the blade'structure I8 with respect to the frame. Such mounting comprises upper and lower guideways- 32 in which rails 28 engage for relative sliding movement with respect thereto; the guideways being formed in pairs on each of a pair of brackets 33 each of which is pivotally mounted at the lower end of a circle beam exten-.

sion l1. As can be observed more clearly from Fig. 2, the pivotal mountinz of each bracket 88 comprises a stationary pin 84 secured in hollow reenforcing strut 88 connected between the lower ends of beam extensions l1, and a bearing 31 journalled on pin 34 and held in position by nut 31. Additional upwardly and diagonally extending struts 38 are connected between thelower ends of beam extensions l1 and the circle 18 to reenforce the structure. .Because of the pivotal mounting of brackets-33, the grader blade mounted on such brackets canbe adjusted as to pitch. For securing brackets" in adjusted position, each of them is provided at its upper end with an arcuatel'y shaped, slotted and serrated flat sided locking pin 48 mounted for axially slidable but non-rotatable movement in similarly shaped flat sided aperture 41 formed near the top of each of brackets 33; the longitudinal edges of pin 48 being chamfered slightly at 48 to permit freedom of movement. The front end portion 48 of each pin 48 is adapted to project into a selected one of a plurality of properly spaced looking stations in the form of notches or recesses 8| formed in top rail 28, to hold the blade structure locked against endwise movement. For holding the blade structure firmly without chatterin the lower side of the front end 48 of each pin 48 is formed with an upward taper 52; and the edge 53 forming the lower boundary of each recess Si is similarly tapered to provide for wedging engagement between the recess and the pin. Such firm wedging engagement is maintained when the blade structure is locked against endwise movement by a coiled spring 54 abutting the rear end 58 of each pin 48.

Each spring 84 is contained within a cylindrically shaped housing 51 having welded thereto a flange 88 secured to the rear end of each bracket 83 by cap screws 58; the rear end 58 of each pin 48 being formed with a projection 8| about which spring 84 is centered. Thus, each spring 54 always urges the associated pin 48 into locking position; and in cooperation with the wedge shape of the forward end of each pin 48 and the recesses 8|, tight locking engagement is maintained at all times when the locking pins are engaged.

In adjusting the blade structure endwise from any previously adjusted position, it is necessary to retract-each of pins 48 from engagement with the associated recess II, and hold it in retracted position against the action of the associated spring 64. For this purpose, I provide in the side of each pin 48 a transversely extending notch 82 in which is engaged a pin 83 eccentrically mounted on a disk 84 integral with a shaft 88 journalledin a cap 81 secured to the side of each bracket 83; the outer end 88 of each shaft 88 being flat sided to facilitate engagement with a suitable tool, such as a wrench, to enable turning of shaft 88 in either one of opposite directions. Turning of shaft 88 in the proper direction results in movement of pin 83 engaging notch 82, which causes retraction of locking pin 48 when so desired. When retracted and with pin 88 at dead center position, illustrated by the phantom lines in Fig. 4, each locking pin will remain retracted against the action of the associated spring 84 because of the abutment which. pin 83 forms at such dead'center position; After the blade structure is adjusted endwise to the desired extent, re-engagement of the locking pins 48 in the associated recesses 8| can be positively effected by turning of shafts 88 to move pins 88 from dead center position, whereupon springs 84- ways 32. and thus preclude the blade structure from running oif of the guides when being adjusted.

In making 'such endwise adjustment of the attempt to shift manually the blade in the blade supporting frame, because such adjustment can be positively effected by turning circle l6 so that 1 grader blade, it is unnecessary for the operator to I the blade extends diagonally with respect to the line of draft'of the machine, with one end thereof engaging the ground, In such position and with. the locking means released, the. machine when driven the proper distance toward the ground engaged end of the blade, will cause shifting'of the blade with respect to its blade supporting frame. when shifted to the desired extent, the locking means may be reengaged in the manner described. Generally, it is desirable to ,have the bladediagonally arranged with respect to the line of draft ofthe machine rather than substantially longitudinally thereof, when it is to be shifted with respect to the blade supporting frame, so as to avoid; possible interference underneath the machine; To facilitate the described adjustment with the blade diagonally positioned, it is desirable to lean the front wheels and also steer the machine in the direction of inclination of the blade.

Another way in which relative endwise shifting between the blade and its supporting frame may be obtained positively, is illustrated'diastructure is provided with a hook ll adapted to engage one end of a chain 12 which is adapted to be connected adjacent its opposite end to a pin 13 on main frame 3 of the machine. when the chain is so connected and the blade locking means is released,'relative shifting may be ob- .tained between the blade and its supporting frame, by shifting auxiliary. or, drawbar frame 2 laterally in the direction of the end of the blade to which the chain 12 is connected, while the blade remains relatively, fixed with respect to the main frame. Such shifting may be accomplished aaoaaeo when I is turnedin either one of opposite directions, locking pin .01. may be axially moved in either one of opposite directions to effect engagement or disengagement thereof, depending upon the direction of rotation of pin 89.

. I claim:

1. Ina road grading machine, a main frame,

a grader bladesupporting frame mounted under- 1 neathsaid main frame, said grader blade. supporting frame being connected at its front to said main frame. and beingsuspended at its rear from said main frame by spaced lift links, a

grader blade structure including a grader blade and spaced rails rigidly secured at the back of said blade and extending longitudinally thereof,

bracket means having guideways in which said rails are .relatively slidable to enable endwise ad justment of said blade structure with respect to ,said grader blade supporting frame, means pivotally connecting said bracket means tosaid grader blade supporting frame toenable adjustment of the pitch of said blade, oneof .said rails having a plurality of spaced-recesses, and a locking pin mounted for axial. movement in said bracket means to engage selected of said recesses to lock said blade structure in endwise adjusted position.

. grammatically in Fig. 7,. Each 'end of the blade 2. In a road grading machine, a main frame, a grader blade supporting frame mounted underneath said main frame, said grader blade supporting frame being connected at its frontwto said main frame and being suspended at its rear from said main frame byspaced lift links; a grader blade structure including a grader blade and spaced rails rig dly secured at the back of said blade and extending longitudinally thereof, bracket means havingguideways in which said rails-are relatively slidable to enable endwise adjustment of said blade structure with respect to said grader-blade supporting frame, means pivotthrough the previously described lateral shift mechanism. Fig. '7 illustrates in phantom lines a laterally shifted position of the blade supporting frame toward an end of the blade to which chain 12 is connected.

Figs. 8 through 11 illustrate amodifled form of construction inwhich a different form of means is provided to effect positively endwise'shifting of the blade; and a somewhat different form of locking means i provided. Many parts are esi sentially the same as those in the previously described modification; and to' facilitate the description, such parts are designated by the same reference characters and the description is con-. fined essentially to those parts which diii'erzz- For effecting endwise adjustment of the blade, a

rack bar 8| is welded against plate 25' underneath the lower edge of top raildfi, and engages a pinion 82, secured to shaft 83 which projects through one of brackets 33 and is formed-with a flat sided outer end 84 adapted to be engaged by a removable crank 86 by which pinion 82 may be turned in either one of opposite directions. Each locking pin 81 is essentially the same as lockin'e pin 46 being provided with'front tapered end 41" ally connecting said bracket means to said grader blade -supporting frame to enable adjustment of the pitch of said blade, one of I said rails having a plurality of spaced recesses, and a locking pin mounted for axial movement in said-bracket means to engage selected of said recesses to lock said blade structure in endwise adjusted position, Y each of said recesses'and said locking pin being tapered to provide wedging engagement therebeendwise sliding movement to enable endwise adjustment ofsaid blade structure with respect to saidgrader blade supporting frame, and means.

for effecting said endwise adjustment includfor connection between said blade structure and said main frameto hold said blade structure adapted to engage a selected one of tapered recesses 5!, but it is not spring pressed. However, it is formed with a threaded aperture having threaded engagement with a pin 88 integral with a. disk 9|, journalled. in bracket" and clamped in position by a cap- 82 secured to bracket 33 by cap screws 93. The outer projecting end of pin 89 is flat sided to enable engagement by a suitfor turning of the'pin. to. said drawbar frame,

able tool such as a wrench a member independent of said lift links adapted relatively fixed with respect to said main frame while said graderblade supporting frame is laterally shifted.

- 4. In aroad grading machine, a main frame, a

grader-blade supporting frame mounted underneath said-main frame comprising a drawbar frame and a circle frame rotatably mounted on said drawbar frame being spect thereto, a grader blade structure; rail and movably connected at its front to said main frame and being suspended at its rear from said main frame by spaced lift links, said circle frame including a pair of downwardly extending membars, a grader blade structure including a grader blade and spaced rails rigidly secured at the back of said blade and extending longitudinally thereof, a pair of brackets having guideways in which said rails are relatively slidably to enable endwise adjustment of said blade structure with respect to said grader blade supporting frame, means plvotally connecting each of said brackets to an associated one of said downwardly extending .members to enable adjustment of the pitch of said blade, one of said rails having a plurality of spaced recesses, and a locking pin mounted for ,axial reciprocation in each of said brackets to engage selecte'd of said recesses to lock said blade structure in endwise adjusted position.

5. In a road grading machine. a main frame, a grader blade supporting frame mounted underneath said main frame, said grader blade supporting frame being movably connected at its front to said main frame and being suspended at its rear from said main frame by spaced lift links, a grader blade structure including a grader blade and spaced rails rigidly secured at the back of said blade and extending longitudinally-there of, a pair of brackets on said grader blade sup- 1 porting frame having guideways in which said said brackets and bearing against each of said pins in a direction to maintain tight locking engagement when such pin is engaged in a recess, and means providing for retraction of each of said pins against said resilient means.

. CARL A. GUSTAFSON.

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