US2376250A - Snowplow - Google Patents

Description

May 15, 1945.

H. R. HOLMES ET AL 2,376,250

snow PLOW Filed D o. 9, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HARLEM; H R. HoLMsDR.

LEE EDGAR HOLMES BY INVENTOHS ATTORNEY 1 y 1945- H. RQHOLMES ET A;

snow PLOW 5 Sheecs-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

Arraermy 15, 1945. H.- R. HOLMES Em 2 376,250

- SNOW PLOW Filed Dec. 9, 1943 5Sheets-Sheet 3 FigiZ jljjjj w 6 82 1 I I 67 a? .53

2/ J I A 96 ,Rvenions' Earle lbHolmes liarleigiv 1%. HoZme.s,Jn Lee Edgar Holmes y 1945- H. HOLMES ET AL I 2,376,250

SNOW PLOW Filed Ded. 9, 1945 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 HARLEIGH R. HOLMES HARLElGH R. HOhMES,1IU

LEE EDGAR HOLMES BY INVENTORS ATTOE/VE Y y 1945. H. R. HOLMES ETAL ,250

SNOW PLOW Filed Dec. 9, 1943 5 sheets-sheet 5 HARLEtGH R HOLMES HARLEIGN R HOLHESJR L as EDGAR HoLM Es INVENTOR5.

Armrmsy Patented May 15, 1945 rLeerEdgamHolmes, Littletonnflolo. Application'llecemher 9, 1943, se ie No-.:-5 ije,5s0

I .14 Claims.

fliisinrentionrelatesto improvements ,in snow plows of the type employed for removing .snow from. public highways. I

In order rtoiheep.the highways open io r travel during. the.,winter,..theymust be. cleared after eachiheavysnowiall. .Whenever snow is accompaniedlby highv .Winds so .asflto form .a blizzard,

the snow frequently. drifts. and packs, makingv it,;too.high and hard in ,places to be removedby the ordinary.A-type.snow plowgand this .m-akesit necessary toemploya rotary .(snow plow eof Lsom'e iorm. I I Y ..It. the.,-object of this invention .to produce a snow. .plow of a very simple -and..substantial..cons'truction that can betbuilteither. ontothe front e'ndoi ,an ordinary truck ,or -constructed asa .pa'rt of r,ahsnec'ially designed truck land'which-will have .a. large napacityv for removing snow.

Snow'p lows ofdi'fierent types employing centnifugalfans ,for discharging theshow to oneside orv the other .ottheroadway, are well known. Such .snow plows, however, .are vopen to. certain objections which need. not be enumerated here and whichthe present ,constructionavoids.

It is onegof theobiects .of-this invention to of ue of the bladedwhee'ls showing the manner of attaching'the guide thereto; I I a Figure 6 is a "fragmentary diagrammatic view showing the relation of 'the parts I Figure? is a diagram looking down on the machine showingthe position of the. parts during I operation; J I

Eigure\8 a section takenon line8-8, Fig ure4; t Figure '9..is va section taken on line 9-'-9, Fig,- urea;- r

Produce asnow plow having two laterally spaced wheels provided with radiallyv extending blades whichv are mounted at opposite ends of .an ordinary frontwheel drive -axle "of. the. type ,shown and described .in Patent No. ;1,'61Q,672, granted on 1 March jI; 1927., and to provide ;said tront axle and-wheel construction with .a steeringmechanisrnjbyjmeans of which, the bladed wheelsean be simultaneously andequiangulafly adjusted comparatively narrow wheels will each .cuta furrow greater than its own width, ,thereby simplitying the, construction, wherefore the-device can be made and ,sold..a.t substantially lower price than .the lisnalfitypeof snow .plow. 3

Another object -.of .this invention is .to prodiice asnowplow of the .type :described in which the .SHQW can be delivered to either/side of: the roadway as may betfound most convenient and desirable. l I

V Figure leis, atop planview -of the (improved snow ,plow showing .the. same attached to the front .end of auteur-wheel .drive truck which has been indicated in .a general way; I

Figure .2 is aside elevation; .;Fig ure 31's a .front elevation;

Figure 4 is aseetion taken on (lined- 4, Fig- .ure. 23

, Figure 101-5 a sideelevation showing afslightly modified iorm of .Icon'struction;

Figure .11 is a top plan view tially o' line Itl-.' l'l ;Fi gure 10; I I

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view partially 'in section, showing the position of .lthe principal parts during operation; I

Figure 13 is'a patial'iront elevation showing the appearance of the deflector plate during opert on; an I V l figurelll is a diagrammatic vviewshowihg a taken substanmeans for-adjusting the deflector plate.

In the drawigs reference numeral I'll designates the side 'fra ve members of a four-wheel drive truck, whosewheel have been indicated by reference numeral I I. "Transverse channels l'2 connect the side members at positions spaced longitudinally thereof. The front pair of drive wheels is secured to an ordinary four-wheel drive axle which has been designated by reference numeral 13. .A connecting link [4 is provided for the pair and .thisis controlled by means of s. steering wheel 1'5 and .an ordinary steering about parallel vertical pivots, whereby the tw m han m ,1 h h been indicated by dotted'lines in Figure 2. Since steering mechanisms: are well known," the drawings have not shown the construction in detail as this forms no part .of the present' inven tion except in so ..far as. itis an element of the combination.

.An engine l! is carriedby the truck and is ,positionedsubstantially above the rearpairo'f drive wheels and this engine serves to propel the truck by mechanisms. well known for-this ,purpose, the transmissionof whichhasi'been shown in Figure 2 and designated by "reference numeral Hi. The "frame oft-he tru'ckjis provided with a support l9 that carries the transmission 1 8. Engine 20 is sup- 1porte'd between the two pairs of drive wheels and is provided with an ordinary radiator 2-l which is connected-with the water jacket of the engine by "the usual .connections, including the hose 22. .Thisengine islprovided with a fan123 :driven from the engine shaft :in some approved manner.

Figure 51s a partial section through theihub ,r i fi ysince the engine isI-of an ordinary commercial type it has merely been indicated in a diagrammatic manner without an attempt being made to show the several parts in detail. The crank shaft projects forwardly through the crank case 24 and is provided with a flange coupling 25, one side of which is connected with the universal 26. A torque shaft 21 extends from the universal 26 to the universa1 28 as shown in Figure 1. Universal 28 is connected through a flange couplin 250. with a drive shaft that enters the housing 29, where it is provided with a bevel gear 30 that is operatively connected with 3!. The two bevel gears have been indicated by full lines in Figure 2 and since this is merely an ordinary way of transmitting power at right angles, the construction has been merely indicated without an attempt being made to show the specific bearings in which the shafts rotate. Extending downwardly from the bevel gear 3| is a vertical shaft 32 that transmits power to the gear housin 33, which has been indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2 and by full lines in Figure 3. Extending from the gear housing is an axle housing comprising parts 34 and 35 shown by dotted lines in Figure 1. The axle housing encloses a shaft which has been shown in Figure 3 where it has been designated by reference numeral 36.

- Secured to the ends of parts 34 and 35 are hub spindles of the type employed in connection with front wheel drives an example of which is shown in Figure 1 of U. S. Patent 1,619,672, granted March 1, 1927. In. order to facilitate the description, the construction of these hubs has been indicated in a rather general way in Figure 3 in which reference numerals 3! designate the two vertical spindle bearings that are positioned between the axle housing and the hub spindle 38. Surrounding the hub spindle is a wheel hub 39 that rotates about the hub spindle on roller bearings, which have been designated by reference numeral 40. Extending from the shaft is a power transmitting yoke 4| that has the shape of a wide U whose sides project in between the two concentric parts of the hub 39 and are pivotally connected with the latter by means of a gimbal ring 4 la nd pivots 42 that are positioned on a diameter. The gimbal ring is also pivoted to the wheel hub 39 on an axis spaced 90 degrees circumferentially from the pivot connections between the yoke 4| and the gimbal ring. The wheel hub spindle 38 can move about the vertical pivot formed by the bearings 31 and the hub spindle 39 can rotate about the hub spindle on the bearings 40. An arm 43 is integrally connected with the hub spindle 38 and extends rearwardly and to the ends of which a ti rod 44 is connected in the manner shown most clearly in Figure 5. The tie rod connects both arms 43 on the ends of the axle housing so as to interconnect them for si multaneous and equiangular movement. The tie rod 44 may be controlled by means of. some suitable form of steering apparatu which has been indicated in a diagrammatic way in Figure 6 and designated by reference numeral 45. Since the wheels that are carried by the axle housing parts 34 and 35 are only adjusted at infrequent intervals and must be held positively in adjusted position, it is permissible to dispense with the steering Wheel and steering post and to provide some means for clamping the tie rod in adjusted position. In any event applicants do not want to be limited in any way to the use of an ordinary steering mechanism in this particular place and whatever mechanism is employed must be either a similar bevel gear nonreversible or so constructed that it will retain its adjustment against heavy strains.

' Enclosing the hub 39 is a cylindrical sleeve 46 that is held in place and held against rotation by suitable means. In Figure 5, the sleeve 46 has been shown as secured between the outwardly extending flange 4'! and the flange 48 that forms the outer periphery of the hub cap 49. Either splines or other means for preventing relative rotation between the hub 39 and the sleeve 46 must be provided. Secured to the inner end of the hub spindle 38 is an annular ring 50 of Z- shape cross section, and secured to the inner end of the hub 39 is a ring 5| of L -shape cross section. The ring 5| forms the brake drum. The brake shoes which have been designated by reference numeral 52 in Figure 3, are connected with ring 50 in some approved manner. The construction of the brake ha not been shown in detail for the reason that it is merely an adaptation of the usual brake mechanism employed in front wheel drive trucks.

Extending radially from the cylindrical sleeve 46 are blades 53. These blades are slightly concave on their leading surfaces and are secured to the cylindrical sleeve by means of radially extending arms 54 from which gusset plates 55 project rearwardly so as to provide rigid braces for the blades. When the sleeves are in position,

the wheels will have the appearance shown in Figure 2, when seen in side elevation, and will rotate in a clockwise direction when viewed as in Figure 2. By means of the mechanism already described, it is apparent that the bladed wheels can be rotated by power from engine 20 and that they can be adjusted angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the truck by some uitable adjusting means, such as that which hasalready been described.

' Secured to the rear side of the gear housing 29 is a bracket 56 having spaced rearwardly extending arms 5'! that are perforated for the reception of pivots 58. A frame comprisin two side members 59, one of which is located on each side of the truck, is pivotally connected with the side frames at points 60, extends forwardly and is formed with inwardly ranging portions 6| that terminate in forwardly extending bearings through which the pivots 58 extend. The two side members are interconnected by a transverse channel 62 and form one link of a deformable frame construction that guides the bladed wheels. This deformable frame comprises the downwardly extending tubular housing 63 that connects the gear housing 29 with the gear housing 33, and tubular extension 64 that connects the gear housing with a runner 65 that rests on the surface 66 of the roadway. This runner Will be described in greater detail hereafter. A heavy link 6'! is pivoted to the rear end of the runner at 68 and extends rearwardly and upwardly and is pivotally connected with the axle housing l3 at point 69. A hydraulic cylinder 10 is pivotally connected at H to a stationary portion of the truck frame. Within the cylinder is a piston, which has not been shown, from which the piston rod 12 extends. The lower end of this piston rod is connected with the pivot 68. A conduit 13 is connected with the interior of cylinder 10 between the lower end thereof and the piston and this conduit also extends up into the cab 14 where it is provided with a three-way valve 15 by means of which it can be connected with the intake or the outlet port of a high pressure pump 16 that is driven by the time t I wheels."

en'angulerlytelated positie B. The en bladed wheel whose front been in l feces 'o' f-the twofbladed whe ls aie spec eezeese Oil et ee Ae is ees ee use me e e see eee iet the melee;

, M, l A l BF eetl ee ee ewh e s le irame nh zthemeee pe eteil will flee.fie e elee eleee thus b .eueeene zeeete teiee tee tte eee -te iee at leele ylae s m te when tmseee -eei me tem Ye! eheeteem ppint; slightly belew the wi he that. the shields :28 base ,euryledlen a e essemewhet greener. than: that or: theLpeniph-J ery of the wheels and form a guidelor haleki-ng" 'surieee aleai-natwhich the snow is-thrownlby the ent t s1 iugale tion of the wheels and along-which esfiupwvardll l 1 v.

waitd yuendilqliwerdly ran ing guides 82; Iihese hiwea. Cagoss section substantialhL-likelthatshown- Fi llteifi: The, lower ends of the 'g-uides a't are pesitioneda to. the'rleamiof the upper ends of the shields .fllc so, that the snowi wtll not meet any obstruction in moving fromthe'. shields to the uides, The. guides .lhayexforweirdly extending sides 83 that are located on the inside ofithev bladed Wheels'and brake housing-l 5J1, spindle lay-means"oi beltswuin themannersh inKE-ig-ure 5'. y i g It will. now be. apparent that w heney e an .upwatdly directed movement 'an'd'-w-i-il tteacted': upon" bye str ong c en-ti iiuget that I keeps the snow ega insw the '-s'u'rfiarie of the. shields and the guide and when it"lee" "stionediabqve sthe .eumed I shields are upJ-'" n wmoxepe tieulaelyte-Eigure it the'" wheels are 'turned'about their vertieal piybts-j' runn r in 5. 0. 3 e w st-that it v plane: of: the wheel with bee whee e e e nw ee,

hey int-lee mex mumle tetler neei l hewidthei the on e.. e v ei s st ti nexy turned ebeut as been shew whenv the? bladed whee s are tertielalpm ts. Y l 1 v In: the medifi d construetiqm thelsli tdcfi Lubes. been :eennected: with the: brake 5111 9f; th humspindleuand made integral with theeuifle 82g; With-this:construetipn, We shield emit guide. always retainthelsame, .lfelatiohshinto the theyere connect: ed.- llfiince thezroteting-bladed wheels are held t predetermined. distancev above-the roadway. by means of. the downwardly extending tuhule member: 6.4 land-the runner 6.5;,11he3f1'0nt. edges; 81 of the shields will always be kept a precletermimed distance abovettheroadway l Instead. oteeonneeting the hydraulic lift, com: prismg the cylinders m: and; the piston rod 1 7.2: betweenflthe pivot 68: endwthepivot 'H; thetz'is connected with the truck frame, this hydraulic 1i-it has now been-Connected between pit/iota?! endpivet 'Hsa as shown in Figure 10. Te pro-e. vide a supportforqthe'pivot BBtwo bracketsnsfl have been seeu-red-tb thei tnuekframe. and 'pro- ,ieet downwardly 'a, suffi ei-ent distance to eceome the guides, it will move in the directiqriYe'f v armw ail and will be thrown-tethe sides: the

roadway-me manner-that-will beeom-elmp're a parent by a reference to Figureflg Fr Ih-Figigre turnedab eutthe vertical pivotsfofthe sjgfnf;

dlesffiom the'pesition in whiph' the pl neeg o tation is parallel with the center jl-ipe df the; truck, which-pqsition hasbeendesignated hyA 0 me emen; is suc the t theinner eigrneyj e id y i ou eel ine ithtbe e twqls: a t er' elthei eh he. @Qt

cover the reanendupwardly-moving p r-tiep 0t the. wheels in any-0p. t pgsmons m i they canbetumed; M 2 i 'ln'the example illustrated, th widt gie;

blade isseeure d algng modate the hydraulie cylinder! The pivot pin Ha iscon-negted with the'linkstl and tlsiere-v fore when; liquid under the -hyclteul-ie cylinder through pipe-x13, it will raise'the irqhtehds of the links upwardly, therebylif ting the-whole snow plqw assembly. With this 1 ai ra vng-ement of the lifting fotce, the latter: is preetieelly ell utilized in lifting the snow plow: ire/me, whe'reas-,' w th the 'arrangement vshewn in Figure 2 the foree is separatedintotwe (som pat ents; the resulte'ntet hieh is resisted by 1mg 61;. 1 v

Referrin dewm'oye particularly to Figures- 12 anq- -"1'3 ,"it will; be seen that when the bladed wheels' are ti'irr-i'e'dto.the right as shown" in FigurelZj uin-the opposite direction, the-outward lyi cu-ned' wheel cuts the snowybalnktoe line leavinge cQl-j-jn'n Of snowdireetlylin frqnt o'fi the gear' housing and.- the cut shew wili'p'i-le *frqnt of the machine and;

support; 64". This unintegfer'e with its 013 a tien unless means-is provided fer directing it; Int-6 the; ble de's 0 f the outwe r dlyinqlinegl wheel. I- o 'rerned-y this difl'ieulty; a; de f ieetelf b1etde;9-! isf itsf frent edge to a yertiealj shaft 9-2 "This 3 shaft ispiyoted at its lower end in aIsu-itebl'e bearing-in the runner and'th-e urgiier' end is meun'ted' i61 rotation in a, bear ing 93 at the tron-t end- 09 is secured tothe gee-r housing ZBfi-The hladeeal must be a-dj-usted a-ngularlyabout its pivot and:

be: heldin adjustedfpesitionduring--opemtinn. This-adjustment I may becifieal'ly different means, but as an example one pressure is supplied to provided. Thisfdefieet'or' a bra'ket i 94: which.

effected by? many spee,

means'that may be employed for this purpose, the"'-u'pper end of shaft 92 has been provided with a worm gear 95 that is in operative engagement with a worm 96 on shaft 91. Shaft 91 has been shown as formed of two sections connected by a universal 98, the rear end has been shown as mounted in a bearing 99 that is movable about the pivot I00. A crank III! has been shown as a. means for rotating the, shaft 91 and turning the vertical shaft 92. I

As stated above, this adjusting mechanism has been shown merely for the purpose of illustrating a means for adjusting the deflector plate, and it is to be understood that it can be replaced by any other mechanical equivalent means and that applicants in nowise intend to limit themselves to this particular means for effecting the adjustment of the deflector plate. In the actual machine, means is provided for adjusting the deflector plate automatically whenever the bladed wheels are turned about their vertical pivots.

It will be apparent from the above description that the modification operates in substantially the same manner as the machine shown in Figures 1 to 9, inclusive. The deflector plate 9| must be provided in amachine constructed as shown in Figures 1 and 2 where the machine is to be used in connection with the removal of deep drifts of snow. For the removal of snow of moderate depth, the deflector plate may be dispensed I with.

It is, of course, to be understood that the machine shown in Figures 9 to 13, is operated in the same manner as the machine already described.

Figures 10, 11, 12 and 13 are not intended to show every part, but are in some respects diagrammatic, the intention being to show clearly those parts that form the gist of this invention and to which the claims are directed.

Particular attention is called to the construction of this machine which is believed to be entirely different from anything heretofore suggested in connection with snow plows for use on public highways. The ordinary rotary snow plow has heretofore been provided with a centrifugal fan rotating about an axis parallel with the line of movement and into which the snow is directed by means of augers or by inclined side surfaces. Such snow plows have operated successfully but are of such a nature that they are expensive to construct.

With the present construction the axle which forms the support and driving means for the bladed wheels is of construction similar to the front axle of a correspondingly made front wheel drive truck and the bladed wheels are movable about vertical pivots in the same manner and by a mechanism similar to that employed for this purpose in front wheel drive trucks, except thatno differential gear is required. It is evident that bladed wheels like those shown if they were rotated in planes parallel with the direction of movement, the snow would merely be thrown forwardly and would accumulate so as to render the whole machine inoperative. By the simple expedient of turning the bladed wheels about their vertical pivots to positions like those shown in Figures 4 and '7, the snow will be discharged in an annular direction and due to its high velocity it will be thrown to the outside of the roadway that is being cleared. Due to the fact that the Wheels can be turned to either of two angularly related positions, either to the right as shown in Figure 7, or to the left, as shown in Figure 4, the snow can be thrown towhichever.

side of the roadway is most desirable, for example if the roadway is along the side of a hill, the snow would naturally be thrown to the lower side. By providing the truck with wings or Presser plates 86, the roadway can be further widened to any desired extent as even where the snow is drifted, it is.never so solid that the walls cannot be moved outwardly at least two feet.

Attention is also directed to the fact that due to the direction of rotation of the bladed wheels, their rearward movement against the resistance of the snow tends to move the truck forwardly and therefore some of the power applied to the wheels to rotate them will produce a force tending to move the truck forwardly and to that extent relieve the truck propelling engine of some of its work. Tests have shown'that under certain circumstances, the tractive eifort exerted by the bladed wheels is sufiicient to move the truck forwardly and even at times make it necessary to apply brakes.

The fact that the bladed wheels are supported from the surface by means of a runner assures that they are always a certain distance above the road surface and makes it impossible for them to gouge into the surface of the roadway. The supporting runner has been shown as provided with a slightly upwardly curved front end. It is contemplated to provide suitable means in front of this runner to prevent it from gradually rising on the snow.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A snow plow comprising a truck and a transversely extending horizontal axle secured to the front of the truck, bladed Wheels secured to the ends of the axle and mounted for simultaneous angular movement about vertical pivots, means for turning the wheels about their vertical pivots to effect angular adjustment, a shield extending from substantially the bottom of each bladed wheel upwardly along the rear thereof, the upper ends of the shields terminating in upwardly and forwardly inclined guides, and means for rotating the bladed wheels to move their lower surfaces rearwardly, whereby snow will be moved towards the shields and then thrown upwardly and forwardly alongthe guides by the centrifugal force.

2. A snow plow comprising a truck and a transversely extending horizontal axle secured to the front of the truck, bladed wheels secured to the ends of the axle and mounted for simultaneous angular movement about vertical pivots, means for turning the wheels about their vertical pivots to effect angular adjustment, a shield extending from substantially the bottom of each bladed wheel upwardly along the rear thereof, guides forming extensions of the shields, the guides being upwardly and forwardly inclined, means for rotating the bladed wheels to move their lower surfaces rearwardly, whereby snow will be moved towards the shields and then thrown upwardly and forwardly along the guides by the centrifugal force, a deflector blade positioned in front of the bladed wheel axle, mounted for angular movement about a vertical axis positioned substantially in the median plane of the truck and means for adjusting the deflector blade angularly about said pivot.

3. A snow plow comprising a truck, means for propelling and guiding the truck, a snow clearing device comprising a framework connected with the front of the truck, a transversely extending horizontal axle housing supported by the framework, a hub spindle connected to each end of the the planes of rotation of the bladed wheels, a deflector blade positioned in front of the bladed wheel axle, mounted for angular movement about a vertical axis positioned substantially in the median plane of the truck and means for adjusting the deflector blade angularly about said pivot.

9. A snow plow assembly for attachment to the front end of a truck, comprising'an axle housing, a shaft extending through the axle housing, hub spindles connected with the ends of the axle housing and mounted for angular adjustment about vertical pivots, bladed wheels rotatably mounted on the hub spindles, means for transmitting rotation from the axle housing shaft to the wheels,

a runner for engaging the roadway, a rigid mem- I ber extending from the axle housing to the runner, a tubular member extending upwardly from the axle housing, a shaft in the tubular member,

.the lower end of the shaft being operatively connected withthe shaft in the axle housing to effecta rotation thereof, a bevel gear secured to the upper end of said shaft,,a drive shaft having a bevel gear operatively connected with said first mentioned bevel gear, shields positioned to the rear of the wheels and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the center of the wheel, and upwardly and forwardly inclined guides attached to the hub spindles and positioned to receive snow from the shields and direct it forwardly and upwardly in the direction of the plane of rotation.

10. A snow plow assembly for attachment to the front end of a truck, comprising an axle housing movably connected with the truck, a shaft mounted for rotation in the axle housing, a hub spindle connected with each end of the axle housing for angular movement about a vertical pivot, a bladed wheel rotatably connected with each hub spindle, a runner for engaging the roadway, a rigid member extending from the axle assembly to the runner, a tubular member extendingupwardly from the axle housing, a shaft in the tubular member, means atthe lower end of the last named shaft comprising cooperating gears, for transmitting rotation from the vertical shaft to the shaft in the axle housing, a bevel gear secured to the upper end of said shaft, a drive shaft having a bevel gear operatively connected with said first mentioned bevel gear, a guide positioned to the rear of each wheel and extending downwardly to a point below the center of, the wheel, the

upper end of the guide being upwardly and forwardly inclined, the lower end of the guide being positioned to receive snow from the bladedwheel and direct it forwardly and upwardly inthe direction of the plane of rotation, a deflector blade positioned in front of the axle housing, mounted forangular movement about a vertical axis positioned substantially in the median plane of the axle housing and means for adjusting the ,deflector blade angularly about said pivot.

11. A snow plow comprising an automobile truck, an axle housing secured to the front end of the truck, a shaft mounted for rotationtherein, hub spindles secured to the ends. of the shaft for angular adjustment about vertical pivots, bladed wheels carried by the hubspindle, means ,for supporting said axle housing and bladed wheels a predetermined distance above a roadway, means for raising the'axle housing assembly and 'bladed wheels relative to the truck and the roadway, means comprising a motor carried by the truck for rotating said shaft and bladed wheels in a direction in'which the upper peripheral surfaces of the wheels move forwardly, means for turning the bladed wheels about the vertical pivots to change their planes of rotation relative to the direction of truck travel, a shield and guide member carried by each hub spindle, the shield portion extending from a point underneath the bladed wheel and upwardly along its rear surface, the guides extending tangentially in an upwardly ranging forward direction, whereby snow moved rearwardly by the bladed wheels will be thrown against the shields and projected in a forward direction by the guides, a deflector plate positioned in front of the axle housing, said plate being movable angularly about a vertical pivot, and means for adjusting said plate and for holding it in adjusted position.

12. A snow plow comprisin an automobile truck having a frame, and a front axle housing, a link pivoted to the truck frame and extending forwardly therefrom, a snow plow axle housing assembly pivotally attached at its upper end to the front end of the link, bladed wheels connected with the ends of said axle assembly for angular adjustment about vertical pivots, means for simultaneously adjusting the wheels about the pivots, means for rotating the wheels in a direction to move their lower surface rearwardly, a support extending downwardly from the said axle assembly, the lower end of said support forming a runner, a second link having its front end pivotally connected with the rear end of the runner, the rear end being pivoted to the front axle housing of the. truck, means comprising a hydraulic cylinder and piston operatively connected with said last named link and with the truck frame for raising the snow plow axle housing assembly and attached parts relative to the truck frame, a deflector plate extending rearwardly from and swingable about a pivot extending vertically from the front end of the runner, and means for angularly adjusting the plate about the pivot and for holding it in adjusted position.

13. A snow plow comprising a front wheel drive axle assembly, a wheel hub spindle secured to each end thereof and mounted for angular adjustment about vertical pivots, means for; adjusting the two hubs angularly about the vertical pivots, cylindrical sleeves removably secured to the hub spindles, the sleeves having a plurality of blades projecting radially therefrom, and means for rotating the bladed sleeves.

14. A snow plow comprising a front wheel drive axle assembly having an axle housing, a hub spindle mounted on each end of the housing for movement about a vertical pivot, a hub rotatably mounted on each spindle, a bladed wheel removably connected With each hub and a combined curved shield and guide connected with each hub spindle, the shields having curved portions positioned to the rear of the wheels and terminating in forwardly and upwardly inclined guides.

HARLEIGI-I R. HOLMES. HARLEIGH R. HOLMES, JR. LEE EDGAR HOLMES.

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