US3595410A

US3595410A - Tractor-mounted power assist means for elevating front-end weights

Info

Publication number: US3595410A
Application number: US850736A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman Frederick Lemmon
Original assignee: Deere and Co
Current assignee: Deere and Co
Priority date: 1969-08-18
Filing date: 1969-08-18
Publication date: 1971-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1988-07-27

Abstract

A hydraulic cylinder support bracket is pivotally suspended from underneath the central forward end of a tractor. A lever arm is pivotally interconnected between a front-end weight resting on the ground and the underside of the tractor forwardly of the hydraulic cylinder support bracket. Extension of the hydraulic cylinder elevates the front-end weight to a position for connection to the front of the tractor.

Description

of a tractor. A lever arm is pivotally interconnected between a frontend weight resting on the ground and the underside of the [/1963 Stilley... 11/1965 Pilch.......

A hydraulic cylinder support bracket is pivotally 5/1966 Lonngren. 3,375,021 3/1968 Grider............ 3/1968 Korensky et Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Robert J Spar Attorneys-H. Vincent Harsha, Harold M. .Knoth, William A.

Murray, John M. Nolan and Jimmie R. Oaks ABSTRACT:

suspended from underneath the central forward end tractor forwardly of the hydraulic cylinder support bracket.

Extension of the hydraulic cylinder elevates the front-end weight to a position for connection to the front of the tractor.

214/77, 212/49, 280/150 E ....B60r 11/00, B66C 23/72 280/150 D,

Norman Frederick Lemmon Cedar Falls, Iowa Appl. No. 850,736

Aug. 18, 1969 Deere 8: Company Moline, Ill.

FOR ELEVATING FRONT-END WElGHTS 16 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. [52] US. 1 1

150 E, 150 F; 214/77, 78, 80 77 P; 212/49 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,722,320 11/1955 Dobeus et al.

Patented July 27, 1971 Int.

United States Patent [72] Inventor 22 Filed [73] Assignee s41 TRACTOR-MOUNTED POWER ASSIST MEANS PATENTfinJuLzmn 595.410

' sum 1 or 2 'FIG.I

FIG. 2

PATENTEBJULZTIHH 3,595,410

SHEET 2 [IF 2 1 N VENTOR N. F. LEMMON TRACTOR-MOUNTED POWER ASSIST MEANS FOR ELEVATING FRONT-END WEIGHTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a power assist means for elevating front-end weights to a position for attachment to a tractor and more particularly relates to a tractor-mounted hydraulically actuated lever means for elevating a front-end weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to the front end of a tractor.

As tractor power and the horsepower-to-weight ratio have increased over the years, the problem of attaching front-end weights or ballast to tractors has become more pronounced since the amount of ballast required for some operations has increased to weights of at least 2,000 pounds.

I-Ieretofore, the most common types of front-end weights have been those which are mounted or removed by hand and since they must be made in weight increments small enough to be handled without undue efi'ort, the job of mounting such weights is tedious and time consuming. It is known to use a hoist or like apparatus to lift heavier weights into place for mounting on a tractor, but this requires that a tractor be driven to wherever the hoist is located and this too can be time consuming, especially if the tractor is in a remote area when it becomes necessary to add ballast.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a tractor-mounted power assist means for elevating ballast or weight into position for attachment to a tractor and more specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a hydraulically actuated assist means for elevating a front-end weight from a ground-resting position to a position wherein it may be attached to the tractor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a U-shaped hydraulic cylinder support bracket and a forwardly extending lever pivotally suspended by one of their respective ends underneath the central front end of a tractor and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally interconnected between the free end of the support bracket and an intermediate point of the lever.

A further object is to provide a tractor front-end weight or ballast having means for pivotal attachment to the free end of the power assist lever and being recessed to provide clearance for the lever as the weight is swung from a position on the ground to a position for attachment to the tractor.

Still a further object is to provide the actuator support bracket with an abutment for contacting the chassis of the tractor as the hydraulic cylinder is extended.

Another object is to provide a lever which is dimensioned so as to be within the confines of the front-end weight when the weight is in the position for attachment to the tractor so that removal of only the hydraulic cylinder and its supporting bracket is necessary to provide unobstructed working clearance beneath the tractor.

A further object is to provide a power assist means which can be easily and quickly attached or removed from a tractor and which is safe in operation.

These and other objects will become apparent from the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the tractor showing the front-end weight of the present invention mounted thereon and with one wheel of the tractor removed to expose the entire weight.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front of the tractor shown in FIG. 1 with portions broken away and further showing the power assist mechanism for lifting the weight from the position on the ground, shown in dotted lines, to the full line position for mounting on the tractor.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the power assist mechanism shown in FIG. 2 but with the hydraulic cylinder removed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, there is shown (FIG I) a tractor 10 which includes a chassis 12 supported by front and rear pairs of

wheels

14 and 16 respectively. only one of each being shown, the front wheels being carried at opposite ends of an axle 18.

A front-end weight or ballast 20 is supported on the front of the tractor 10 and includes a central V-shaped portion 22 and

opposite side portions

24 and 26. A pair of fore-and-aft-extending elongated U-shaped weight-

retaining brackets

28 and 30 are disposed on opposite sides of the tractor and have

respective web portions

32 and 34 adjacent the respective front-end

weight side portions

24 and 26. The bracket 28 has opposite

horizontal leg portions

36 and 38, the rear ends of which are interconnected by an upright apertured plate 44, which is fastened to the side of the tractor by means of stud bolts 48. The bracket 30 similarly has opposite horizontal leg portions having their rearward ends connected by an upright plate 46 bolted to the opposite side of the tractor. The

web portions

32 and 34 are respectively slotted as at 50 and 52 for reception of the threaded ends of respective T-

bolts

54 and 56, the head ends of the T-bolts being received in

apertures

57 and 58 in the front-end

weight side portions

24 and 26, which apertures slant forwardly from the rear of the sides to the inner surfaces of the sides and have respective intermediate neck portions 59 and 60 which permit passage of the body portions only of the T-bolts. Nuts 62 are on the threaded ends of the T-bolts and when tightened secure the front-end weights 20 to the tractor.

The power assist mechanism of the present invention includes a bracket 64, which includes respective apertured horizontal rear and vertical

front portions

66 and 68, which are respectively fastened to the underside and forward end of the tractor chassis 12 by stud bolts 70, the horizontal and vertical end portions being interconnected by an upwardly and forwardly inclined generally L-shaped intermediate portion 72. The intermediate portion 72 has

vertical flanges

74 and 76 at its opposite sides and adjacent pairs of aligned apertures are formed in the sides and receive mounting pins 78 and 80, the apertures receiving the pin 80 being slightly above and forwardly of those receiving the pin 78. A lever 82 includes a pair of transversely spaced

parallel arms

84 and 86 joined by a connecting plate 88 and having transversely aligned apertures at their opposite ends, which respectively receive the mounting pin 80 and a mounting pin 90 carried by a transversely apertured U-shaped bracket 92 fastened to the inner top portion of the front-end weight 20 by bolts 94. An elongated U-shaped cylinder support bracket 96 has transversely aligned apertures in the ends of its opposite legs which pivotally receive the mounting pin 78. The bracket 96 also has a transversely apertured lug 98 fixed centrally on its web, and a hydraulic cylinder 100 has one end pivotally connected to the lug 98 and has the other end pivotally connected to a lug 102 fixed centrally on the connecting plate 88 of the lever 82. A strap 104 is affixed to the opposite legs of the bracket 96 and is positioned so as to engage a surface of the chassis, here shown as the axle 18, of the tractor when the hydraulic cylinder is extended.

The power assist mechanism is readied for operation by fixing the weight-attaching

brackets

28 and 30 to the opposite sides of the tractor 10 and by fixing the bracket plate 64 to the lower front portion of the tractor. The tractor is then driven to the position wherein the weight 20 is between the front wheels 14 and partially underneath the front end of the tractor as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. Before attaching the bracket 92 to the front-end weight, the lever 82 is pivotally attached to the bracket by inserting the mounting pin 90 through the aligned apertures in the bracket and lever end. The cylinder support bracket 96 and the free end of the lever 82 are then pivotally secured to the bracket plate 64 by inserting the mounting pins 78 and 80 through the aligned apertures in the respective ends of the lever and cylinder support bracket and the bracket plate. The opposite ends of the hydraulic cylinder 100 are pivotally connected to the lug 98 on the cylinder mounting bracket 96 and to the lug 102 on the connecting plate 88 of the lever 82. The hydraulic cylinder is then pressurized by conventional means (not shown) to extend its piston rod and the action of the cylinder between the bracket 96 and the lever 82 will first cause the bracket 96 to swing rearwardly until the strap 104 abuts against the axle l8 and then cause the lever 82 to swing upwardly to the solid-line position (FIG. 2). Next, the body portions of the T-

holts

54 and 56 are positioned in the

slots

50 and 52 of the

side brackets

28 and 30 and the nuts 62 are tightened to securely fasten the front-end weights to the brackets. Once the frontend weight is securely mounted on the tractor, the cylinder and its mounting bracket are removed to provide unobstructed clearance beneath the tractor, it being noted that the lever 82 is left connected to the tractor and to the front-end weight and is disposed within the confines of the front-end weight.

While a solid, one-piece front-end weight has been illustrated and described, it should be understood that the power assist device is equally applicable for elevating composite front-end weights which are assembled as a unitary mass before attachment of the lift lever 82. Also, it should be understood that instead of removable mounting brackets being used, suitable brackets may be made unitary with the tractor chassis 12 for providing connections for the front-end weight and the power assist device.

lclaim:

l. A power assist means adapted for elevating a front-end weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to a tractor comprising: a lever pivotally connected to the lower front end of a tractor for vertical pivoting move ment between a first lower position wherein the lever may be pivotally attached to a front-end weight resting on the ground and a second upper position wherein a weight lifted by the lever is in position for attachment to the tractor, said lever having means adapted for pivotal attachment to a front-end weight, a mounting bracket pivotally connected to said tractor rearwardly of said lever, and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally interconnected between the bracket and the lever whereby extension and retraction of the cylinder will swing the lever between said first and second positions.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket is pivotally connected to the tractor forwardly of the tractor front axle and includes an abutment positioned for contacting the front axle of the tractor upon extension of the hydraulic cylinder.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the bracket is U-shaped with the upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the tractor and with the hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected centrally to the web.

4. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the lever includes a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.

5. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the lever includes a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.

6. Power assist means for attaching ballast to a vehicle comprising: a lever pivotally connected for vertical swinging movement about a horizontal axis adjacent said vehicle and including attachment means adapted for pivotal attachment to a ballast resting on the ground, a bracket pivotally secured in depending relationship to said vehicle inwardly relative to said lever, and a retractable and extensible power means pivotally interconnected between said lever and bracket whereby extension and retraction of said power means will swing said lever between a lower position wherein said lever may be attached to a ballast and an upper position wherein a ballast carried by the lever may be attached to said vehicle.

7. The invention defined in claim 6 wherein said vehicle and said bracket have opposed abutment surfaces which come into contact upon extension of said extensible and retractable means.

8. The invention defined in claim 7 wherein the bracket is U-shaped with the upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the vehicle and with the extensible and retractable means pivotally connected centrally to the web.

9. The invention defined in claim 7 wherein the lever includes a pair of spaced parallel arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.

10. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein the lever includes a pair of spaced parallel arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.

1]. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means for elevating the weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to the front end of a tractor com prising: a tractor, a front-end weight having front walls and sidewalls defining an opening for receiving the lower corner of the front end of said tractor, a transverse, horizontal pivot connection located within the upper portion ofsaid opening, a lever having one end pivotally connected under the front end of said tractor and the other end connected to said pivot connection, said lever being angled complementary to the lower front corner of said tractor and being positioned adjacent thereto when said weight is in position for connection to said tractor, and a bracket connected to said tractor, and extensible and retractable means pivotally interconnected between said bracket and lever.

12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein said tractor includes spaced front wheels interconnected by an axle, and wherein the bracket is pivotally mounted to the tractor forwardly of said axle and includes an abutment positioned for contacting said axle upon extension of the extensible and retractable means.

13. The invention defined in claim 12 wherein the bracket is U-shaped with the upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the tractor and with the extensible and retractable means pivotally connected centrally to the web.

14. The invention defined in claim 13 wherein the lever includes a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.

15. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means for lifting the weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to the front end of a tractor comprising: a front-end weight having front walls and sidewalls defining an opening for receiving the front end of said tractor, a transverse, horizontal pivot connection located within the upper portion of said opening, a first bracket affixed to the underside of the tractor front end and including transverse horizontal pivot connection means, a lever and a second bracket each having one end connected to said pivot connection means of said first bracket, the other end of said lever being connected to said pivot connection of said front-end weight, and an extensible and retractable means pivotally interconnected between the other end of said bracket and lever.

16. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein said lever has a length less than the vertical height of the front-end weight and wherein said pivotal connection of the lever to the tractor is positioned so as to be enclosed by said sidewalls of the frontend weight when the weight is in said upper position whereby upon fastening the front-end weight to the tractor the bracket and extensible and retractable means may be removed, so as not to obstruct tractor clearance, leaving the lever in place enclosed by the front-end weight.

Claims

1. A power assist means adapted for elevating a front-end weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to a tractor comprising: a lever pivotally connected to the lower front end of a tractor for vertical pivoting movement between a first lower position wherein the lever may be pivotally attached to a front-end weight resting on the ground and a second upper position wherein a weight lifted by the lever is in position for attachment to the tractor, said lever having means adapted for pivotal attachment to a front-end weight, a mounting bracket pivotally connected to said tractor rearwardly of said lever, and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally interconnected between the bracket and the lever whereby extension and retraction of the cylinder will swing the lever between said first and second positions.

11. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means for elevating the weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to the front end of a tractor comprising: a tractor, a front-end weight having front walls and sidewalls defining an opening for receiving the lower corner of the front end of said tractor, a transverse, horizontal pivot connection located within the upper portion of said opening, a lever having one end pivotally connected under the front end of said tractor and the other end connected to said pivot connection, said lever being angled complementary to the lower front corner of said tractor and being positioned adjacent thereto when said weight is in position for connection to said tractor, and a bracket connected to said tractor, and extensible and retractable means pivotally interconnected between said bracket and lever.

16. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein said lever has a length less than the vertical height of the front-end weight and wherein said pivotal connection of the lever to the tractor is positioned so as to be enclosed by said sidewalls of the front-end weight when the weight is in said upper position whereby upon fastening the front-end weight to the tractor the bracket and extensible and retractable means may be removed, so as not to obstruct tractor clearance, leaving the lever in place enclosed by the front-end weight.