US2458241A - Posthole digger - Google Patents

Description

L. E. BECK POSTHOLE BIGGER Jan. 4, i949.

Filed July 31, 1944 4. Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 4, 1949. l L E, BECK 2,458,241

POSTHOLE DIGGER i Filed July 3l, 1944 4 Shee'cs-Sheei'l 2 INVENTOR.

L 55C/f Jan. 4, 1949. L. E. BECK 4 2,458,241

POSTHOLE DIGGER Filed July 31, 1944 4. Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

- Lf. 55C/f L. E. BECK POSTHOLE DIGGER Jan. 4, 1949.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 51, 1944 Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE POSTHOLE BIGGER Lester E. Beck, Danville, Iowa Application July 31, 1944, Serial No. 547,432

(Cl. Z55-22) 4 claims. l

The present invention pertains to improvements in mechanism for making vertical holes in the earths surface, primarily for use in the building of fences but not necessarily restricted to that use. For example, this apparatus may be used in the boring of holes for telephone and telegraph poles. Other uses may also be found for it, such as for the making of holes for the introduction of blasting charges for the breaking up of hardpan when .preparing to plant an orchard.

One of the purposes of my present invention is to provide an apparatus of the character indicated in which the auger will be power driven, not only for rotation thereof but also for the raising and lowering of the auger. Another purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus of the character indicated which may be driven from the power plant of the tractor, thus avoiding the necessity of providing a second .power means on the tractor. Another object of this invention is the provision of a light Weight, inexpensive, simple construction which can be operated by one man, without the necessity of having a helper. Still another object of this invention is the provision, in an apparatus of the character indicated, of a safety mechanism such that the lifting of the auger will be automatically stopped before, or at the time, the auger reaches its highest point, at which, if operation were continued, injury might result. My invention further comprises improved means for raising and lowering the auger in a construction of the class indicated. My invention further resides in the combination,

construction, and arrangement of parts illus? trated in the accompanying drawings and, While I have shown therein what is now regarded as the preferred embodiment of this invention, I desire the same to be understood as illustrative only and not to be interpreted in a limiting sense.

In the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part hereof,

Fig. l illustrates a front end View of a tractor having my present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 illustrates a rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1, parts of the tractor being omitted;

Fig. 3 shows a plan View of the structure illustrated in Figs, l and 2, parts of the tractor being omitted; Y

Fig. 4 represents a left side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary horizontal sec-` i tion taken approximately along the plane indi- Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary vertical section taken approximately along the plane indicated by the line 6 6, Figs. 1 and 2.'

Reference will now be made in greater detail :to the annexed drawings for a more complete description of this invention. In these drawings, the numeral I indicates an ordinary commercial tractor of a well-known type, numeral 2 indicates the auger, and numeral 3 a belt pulley on the power take-off shaft at the right hand side of the tractor. It is not necessary to go into a detailed description of the parts thus far men-.-

tioned.

Secured to the right hand side of the tractor frame is a supporting frame 4 which has at its upper end a bearing 5 for one portion 6 of a drive shaft whereby the auger 2 isfoperated. On the outer end of this shaft section 6 is a belt pulley 1 which is connected by a belt 8 with a 'pulley'3 on the power take-off shaft. A universal joint 9 of any approved type may be used to connect the shaft 6 with the shaft section I0. This latter is preferably of a non-circular type and fits slidingly in a shaft section I I which is, in turn,lconnected by a universal ioint I2 to the shaft section I 3. On

the inner end cf this shaft section I3 is mounted a beveled pinion I4 which meshes with a gear I 5. The gear I5 is slidingly mounted on the hollow shaft or sleeve I6 whereby to permit it to be moved finto and out of engagement with the pinion I4.

-whereby it is steadied. The shaft 'ZI has a universal joint 2lb which constitutes a part thereof and relieves strain on the shaft as the auger and its suspension means move toward'and away from the tractor during. use.

The electric lamps ,of the tractor, indicated at are adjustably mounted to be moved to de sired positions on the bar 23. The rod 25 is loosely mounted in the bracket 22. The rod or shaft ZI has a handle 2 I c by means of which it may beop- @rated to cause the crank 20 to separate the gear 65 from the pinion I4 in the manner described above. When the rod or shaft 2l is rotated through one hundred eighty degrees (180), the crank 2B pulls the link I9 and, through this, the wedge-shaped member I1, so as to permit the gear i5 to drop out of mesh with the pinion I4, gear I5 sliding on sleeve I6 when released by movement of the wedge-shaped member I1.

Shaft or lever 25,-may be turned vertically and horizontally about; its*- point of contact,Y with they bracket 22, as a pivot, and the forward end of the lever, which is secured in the end of the latch.

r21, may lift this end and, by horizontal Inovement, cause the latch to move lengthwise. Asf' shown in Fig. 2, the latch 21 has pawls 28.,.29. pivotally mounted thereon and spring-pressed into engaging position such that one/.or theotherof the pawls engages the ratchet 30, as willbe ob.-l vious from Fig. 2. These pawls serve as latching means for the ratchet 3@V when the latter is rotated, either to theK left or the right, V The left end of the latch 21, as viewed in Fig. 2, pivotaliy connected tol-the lo-wer end of the link 3| which is pivotal-'1y mounted?upontheframe-member 32. Therefore, as thel-latch 21* is moved.l to ward the left or right, it causes a corresponding swinging of the-lower endl of the link 31|. Intermediate the two ends-of the link- 3I=, at 33, is pivotally connectedia l'everf 34E carrying a pair of pivotedpawls 35,' 36. I

Theendj 31lof" the lever' 3'4, as shown in Fig. 2, extends. through afblocky 38., i-n-Ywhich itl is rockablysupported; and-which: isconn-ected by means of a linkI 39 t0I a crank pin 0-1on'thepulleyy M, Thisvpulleysis connected' in driving relationby a belt Wtosapulleyr3lonthe`shaft l-S From what has been said?, it will' befrealized'that rotation of the shaft comprising the parts 6 and 9 to I3fyinfelusive, will cause rotation of the pulleys 4fIf' and It.L andthis will', in turn, cause reciprocation of* the link 38; causing oscillation of' the block 38 andi` lever 34?. When. the parts are inthe posi-v tion` shownri'fn Fig: 2, thepawll 35fwillcause countercloek'wise rotationy of the ratchet 30; since lifting of' the eri-df 37E of lever 3@ will cause pawl 351 to engage in a higher notch in the2 ratchet 30. Then, asr the` lever 3d goes down, it will cause rotation of theV ratchet. As this is stepped forward', the pawl 28i engages'- in thev notches of: the

ratchetV preventing' backward' rotation` thereof.

This: operationl causes downward feeding' of the auger.

Thef ratchet 30? is mounted on a shaft and'is connected'5 by this shaftl toa sprocketl 4'4" 'which engages in the 1in-ks of the chain 45secured to the square bar 446. Thsbar'is: secured atri'ts lower end, by a suitable` brackety M, to the auger 2f. The auger has a squared sha-ft 4'9 which extends upwardly through the' driver gear `I fandthe sleeve 65 It, by which the auger-can be rotated.

An: angle bracket 511 is mounted on the'supporting frame .4 and furnishes' a support for the front? end' of the lever 5.1. @n the rear edge of the bracket' 50,: isA a ratchet 52' whichV cooperates with ratchet mechanism 53 provided with a contr'olting'handlet. .lswilllibeseen in Fig. 3; there isa. lug` projecting fronfr one edge' ofthe lever Y 5I. and tl'nl'sI iisconnected byfa link 56 to a" gen erally A-shaped frame 51. Albrac-k-et 58 issecured-` to.1 therleft: side otthe tractor and. the arm-s.r off this VMll raised; as. farl as; it. should g0 bracket are pivotally connected at 59 to the arms of the frame 51. This lis shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. At its top, the frame 51 has a horizontal crossbar 6i) which is pivotally connected to the upper ends 9i the side members of the frame 51. Extending toward the right side of the tractor from the bar is a bracket el which, as shown in Figs. l and 2, is connected to the frame 32. The double Ubolt connection 6d suspende the auger in such a manner that it is free to swing in any direction and will therefore as sume a substantially vertical position when free to move. The auger is provided with a removable.. tini whichhas a cutting. blade 6,1 remov ably'secfured, thereto so that. it may beA removed and' sharpened when desired. The tip 5t may be...` removed by removing one or more bolts 63, shown in Fig. 4. f

A; safety mechanism is provided to keep the operator from breaking the machine by continuing the lifting of the auger after it has been This comprises a lever 10 pivotally mounted upon sleeve 56a, shown in Fig; 5, and having arod 1l depending from one end to be engaged by the auger-suspending head2 1%, whenIthef-lfatter reaches thel safety limit ot-'i-tsupward motion. Suspended from the second: end" o'ffthelever 10 is astop 13 which pre` in-gf` and actuatingV the ratchet 3d and, through it;v

thee sprocket'.Y M; The stop member T3 is norma'lyfliftedout of its pawl-stoppi'ng position by a springi'13a. whenfrod 'I-iI is not raised by the head 'E22 A. pair ofl arms litri` are straddled by Ui--bolts 1E which pass through the plate 15' andv connect. this to thearrns and, hence, to the` head 12.. Thev plate surroundsv the auger shaft and moves. verticalhT4 therewith. A

Ani angled" fratrie member 1l" issecured to the top of. the frame andi extends downwardly at the ri'g-htfhand' sifdethereofy asy shown most clearly in Figi, 2. This: downwardly extending portion is indicatedAbythenurneral18;` A bracket, shown at 19, extends laterally from the vpart 18, as'

as'. indicated ata.' Theseu notches and the lowerV edge: portion.- of. thefbracket 'i9-v cooperate in hold'-A ingthe link 21 inf adjusted position as 'the linky ,is moved from.. position to position by the rod- 25. to change. the directionof translation of the augllr 2.` f y It isy desired toY note, that, becauseoi the posi@ tioning of the feed pawls 3,5, and 3.6., .the rate of downwardfeeding of the auger is considerably slower than the rate of retraction thereof. This is apparent from Fig. 2 from` which itwill be seen that the ratchet 3U will be, ordinarily, stepped forward only onenotch at a time by the pawl 35, whereas, when the-pawls `and 28 are shifted out loff engage-ment with the ratchet 3G and the pawls 29 and 36 are shifted into engagement, then each oscillationV ofthe lever 31 will produce a grattery retractivel nfxovernent-v foreach os :illation of the lever 31. It is also to be noted thattha- Under such circumstances, the`v bolts passing through these slots, permit the relative longitudinal adjustment of the plate 11a with relation to the frame Tl. This permits adjustment of the auger with relation to the sup porting frame of which the arms 51 form a part, thus making it possible to compensate for changes in weight of diierent sized augers used, whereby to be sure that the auger1 will hang vertically.

Operation Assuming that the operator of the machine has finished the making of a hole and is ready to go to the next location, he has the auger in elevated position, as shown in the drawings. He then drives the tractor to the new location and, if the auger is inwardly or outwardly from the exact position indicated for the hole, he releases the ratchet mechanism 52, 53 and swings the lever 5l to the right or left which swings the frame 5l toward or away from the tractor. This causes corresponding movement of the auger 2. If the latter is too far forward, or not far enough, he moves the tractor until he can lower the auger to the exact position indicated. The ratchet mechanism 52, 53 will hold the frame 5l against 35 This releases pawls 28, 29, 35, and 36 from the 45 ratchet 30 which permits the auger 2 to descend, the point of the auger penetrating the ground and serving as a guide for the auger while the boring is taking place. When the point of the auger enters the ground, the lever is moved over to the rst notch so that the pawls 28 and 35 engage ratchet 30. Then, as shaft 9, IG, ll, l2, i3 roatates, it causes lever 31 to oscillate vertically, resulting in rotation of the ratchet and downward movement of the chain and bar 46. This i downward motion of the bar 45 forces the auger. 2 into the ground, aided by the blade El. Rotation of the auger is started by causing engagement of the tractor clutch, which causes rotation of the shaft 9, l0, Il, I2, I3

After the desired depth has been reached, the tractor clutch is released so that operation of the mechanism is stopped. Next, the handle 2id is turned to release gear I5 from pinion lll so that the auger will not rotate when being lifted from the ground. Next, the lever 25 is moved to bring the end notch into engagement with part 19. thus causing pawl 36 to engage ratchet 3Q. The parts are now positioned to cause lifting of the auger when lever 37 is oscillated. Now, when the tractor clutch is put into engagement, the ratchet 30 will be rotated in the opposite direction and will lift the chain 45 and bar 46, thus lifting the auger out of the hole. When it reaches its upper limit of motion, the lever 'l0 and parts associated therewith will hold the pawl `36 away' from; the ratchet 30' and will Ythus-'stop the `l`lifting;lino"- tion. The pawl 29 being 'in engagement with-the ratchet 30 prevents downward liriotionof 'the auger. Before moving to :the next" location, it is desirable to throw theclutch out of engagement so as to stop the rotation ofishait '9, ill, il, 12,13. Everything is now're'adyv for moving to the' next lclation'. l' y V It will of course be understood that thespeiiic description of structure set -forth above may be departed from without departing from lthe spirit of this inventionas vset forth herein and in the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. Ina digger of the type indicated, means for adjustably mounting a vertically reciprocating auger upon the side of a tractor, an auger carried by said mounting means, and means for raising and lowering said auger, the last mentioned means including a chain secured to the auger, a sprocket carried by the supporting means and engaging the chain for moving the auger lengthwise, and operating means for rotating the sprocket, the operating means for the sprocket comprising a lever pivotally mounted at one end, carrying a pair of spaced pawls pivotally connected to the lever intermediate its ends, a ratchet xedly connected to the sprocket, and mechanism for pivotally oscillating the lever about its end pivot in a vertical direction, with one of the pawls in engagement with the ratchet.

2. In a power driven post hole auger for use on a self-propelled power unit, having an auger-suspending frame, a vertically reciprocable auger suspended from the suspending frame, pawl and ratchet mechanism connecting the auger and said frame for causing raising and lowering of the auger, and a safety stop for holding a pawl out of engagement with the ratchet whereby to render the raising mechanism non-operative to cause further raising of the auger after it has reached a predetermined fixed point in its course of upward travel.

3. In a power driven post hole auger to lbe mounted on a self-propelled power unit, having an auger-suspending frame, a vertically reciprocable auger suspended from the suspending frame; the combination of pawl and ratchet mechanism connecting the auger and frame for causing raising and lowering of the auger, and a safety stop for holding a pawl out of engagement with the ratchet whereby to render the raising mechanism non-operative to cause further raising of the auger after it has reached a predetermined fixed point in its course of upward travel, said stop comprising an abutment connected with the upper part of the auger and travelling upwardly and downwardly therewith, a pendulant, vertically reciprocable link to be engaged by the abutment as the auger is raised, and a guard connected with the link and moving therewith, said guard, when the auger approaches the upper end of its course of travel, being moved into a position to prevent actuating contact between the ratchet and the pawl which engages it to cause raising of the auger.

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