US3856092A

US3856092A - Post driver

Info

Publication number: US3856092A
Application number: US00349716A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Mann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-04-10
Filing date: 1973-04-10
Publication date: 1974-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 1991-12-24

Abstract

A manually operated post driver is provided with the usual capped tube to fit over and ram down against the top of a post, such as of tubular, channel, or angle type construction to drive the post into the ground. In addition, a weight system separate from the capped tube is provided. Stiff springs are interposed between the weight system and the capped tube in order to provide a resilient rebound effect to the weight system in order to minimize manual lifting of the weight system during a post driving operation.

Description

United States Patent 1 3,856,092 Mann 1 1 Dec. 24, 1974 POST DRIVER Primary ExaminerErnest R. Purser Assistant Examiner-William F. Pate, III [76] Inventor Morley Mann 221 Normandy Attorney, Agent, or Firm-O1son, Trexler, Wolters,

Addison, 111. 60101 Bushnell & Fosse, Ltd. [221 Filed: Apr. 10, 1973 t A manually operated'post driver is provided with the 5 1 933 usual capped tube to fit over and ram down against 1 Field 91 126 the top of a post, such as of tubular. channel. or angle 3 type construction to drive the post into the ground. In addition, a weight system separate from the capped tube is provided. Stiff springs are interposed between [56] References Clted the weight system and the capped tube in order to UNITED STATES PATENTS provide a resilient rebound effect to the weight system 874,499 12/1907 Gunn 173/121 in order to minimize manual lifting of the weight sys- 2,983,323 5/1961 Whitney... 173/119 tem during a post driving operation 3,747,690 7/1973 Deike 173/121 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDDEBZMBM TEL POST DRIVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is common practice to drive posts and other like structures into the ground. Mechanical drivers, such as steam operated pile drivers are well-known in the art for driving relatively large elongated bodies into the ground. However, in the case of relatively small posts, and particularly for small scale operations, such as posting of traffic signs, installation of fencing in a residential yard, etc. the size and number of posts to be driven do not economically warrant investment in mechanical driving equipment. Manual drivers for such relatively small posts, which may be of tubular, channel-shaped, angle-shape, or other cross section, are well known in the art, and generally comprise essentially a heavy, capped steel tube. For example, a steel or iron pipe of IV: to 2 inches or more inside diameter may have a cap welded onto the upper end thereof. In some instances, the upper end of the pipe is externally threaded and a cap is threaded thereon. The pipe is placed over the post to be driven, and is lifted up and then manually brought down rapidly so that the inside of the cap hammers against the top end of the post to drive it into the ground.

In such known manual post drivers the total weight or mass that can be provided is rather limited, and this may make driving difficult in frozen or sun-baked earth. Handles of some sort may be provided on the pipe for aid in lifting the post driver during operation, or for carrying.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF' THE PRESENT INVENTION In accordance with the present invention a post driver is provided which includes a capped tube to be received over the post or the like to be driven. However, unlike the conventional manual postdriver this capped tube is not raised up and down to hammer against the top of the post. Rather, an additional tube slightly telescopes over the aforementioned tube, and is provided with a weight system. The weight system including the outer tube moves up and down manually relative to the capped tube. Guide bars are provided for alignment and for limiting the moving apart of the outer tube and the capped tube.

Reaction members or flanges are provided on the outer tube and on the capped tube, and in the illustrative example these reaction members or flanges are relatively toward the bottom ends of the respective tubes. The guide members extend between these flanges, and stiff springs encircle the guide members and rest on their lower flange, and are impinged against by the upper flange as the weight system is manually lowered at a rapid rate, thereby to provide a hammering force to the flange of the capped tube, which force is translated by the capped tube to the top of the post to drive the post.

As the flange of the outer tube engages the tops of the springs the springs are compressed, and provide a rebound effect on the flange ofthe outer tube, thereby at least starting to raise the outer tube and the, weight system. Accordingly, the amount of manual eflort re quired to raise the weight system, and particularly the manual effort involved in lifting the weight system, is greatly reduced.

In addition, the shock load imposed on the arm and hand joints of the party manually operating the post driver are greatly reduced, thereby reducing discomfort to and undue wear and tear on the operator.

Thus, it will be seen that the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved manually operated post driver.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated post driver having a spring system which reduces the manual effort required in driving a post, and at the same time reduces the discomfort to and wear and tear on the operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 comprises a perspective view of the post driver constructed in accordance with the principles of my present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-section taken substantially along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view on an enlarged scale with parts broken away showing the internal construction of the post driver and illustrating the operation thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Turning now in greater detail to the drawings, there will be seen a post 10 having a T-shaped cross section. Posts of other shapes, such as tubular, channel-shaped or angle-shaped can equally well be driven. Such post is being driven into the ground 12 by means of my In the present illustrative example of the invention, the post driver 14 includes a tube 16 having a cap 18 at the upper end thereof. The capp 18 preferably is welded to the tube 16, and preferably is made of hardened tool steel to withstand the hammering against the upper end of the post l0. The capped tube 16 has welded thereto at the lower edge a disc or flange 20 comprising a reaction member.

The post driver also includes a ram 22 having an outer tube 24 telescoped with and sliding over the capped tube 16. The outer tube 16 terminates substantially above the lower end of the capped tube and has welded thereto a reaction member 26 comprising a disc or flange spaced parallel to the disc 20, both being horizontally disposed.

At the upper end of the outer tube 24, there is welded a disc-shaped weight base 28. One or more additional weights or masses 30 are mounted on top of the weight base 28 by means of bolts 32 extending through the weight or weights 30 and tapped into the weight base 28.

Three equally arcuately spaced vertical side members perform multiple functions as will be brought on hereinafter, and are welded to the

discs

26 and 28 through supporting gussets 36 at the upper ends and 38 below the disc 26.- These vertical side members serve as handles for carrying the post driver, and also for operating the post driver in a driving operation.,The lower ends 40 of the vertical members 34 extend below the disc 26 and some, distance below the disc 20 thereby serving as feet to support the post driver in upright position when the post driver is at rest.,

Three vertical guides 42 in the form of rods or through bolts are threaded at their lower ends through the disc and have jamb nuts 44 threaded on their lower ends thereof to hold the guide rods 42 in upstanding position extending slidingly through aligned bores in the disc 26. The guide rods 42 extend up nearly to the weight base 28 and have limiting stop nuts 46 threaded on their upper ends.

Relatively stiff helical springs 48 encircle the guide rods 42 at the lower ends thereof which rest on the reaction member or disc 20 through the intermediary of washers 50. Like washers 52 rest on top of the springs.

A remaining accessory part of the post driver comprises a bolt 54 extending up through a bore 56 in the lower disc or thrust member 20 and threaded into an alignment bore 58 in the upper disc or thrust member 26 for supporting the capped tube 16 and thrust member 20 for transportation. Preferably the bolt 54 extends above the reaction member 26 when threaded into place and has a jamb nut thereon. This bolt is used only for holding the parts together during transportation, and therefore is shown in phantom in the drawings since the drawings show the post driver in driving operation.

Operation.

Operation of the present post driver is relatively simple. The carrying bolt 54 is removed, and the capped tube 16 is slipped over'the upper end of the post to be driven. This may be done with the post driver lying on the ground and the post simply slippled into the capped tube. Thereafter, the post and the post driver are tipped up to vertical, operating position. The stiffness of the springs 48 is determined by the requirements of a given job, although a single set of springs is adequate for most driving operations. it may, under some conditions, be necessary to substitute springs for a given job, but this is easily done. The stiffness of the springs, and the total mass of the weight base 28 and additional weight or weights 30 is determined by the type and size of post to be driven, and the hardness of the ground. As will be appreciated, frozen or sun-baked ground can be quite hard. Stones or rocks in the ground also may impede driving. Under other circumstances, the ground, particularly if wet, may be quite soft, and driving may be quite easy. Depending on the conditions of the ground, and of the total weight of the ram 22, the post driver may be manually operated by one, two, or three men.

For the first stroke, the uprights 34 of the ram 22 are gripped and lifted manually. The ram then is brought down manually with considerable force so that the reaction member 26 impinges against the tops of the springs 48. The springs, in turn, bear impulsively down against the reaction member 20 whereby to act through the capped tube to cause the cap 18 to hammer the post a certain distance into the ground. The springs 48 compress during this ramming operation, and subsequently release the energy stored therein by causing the ram 22 to rebound upwardly, thus greatly reducing the manual strength or force necessary to lift the ram. The ram again is then brought manually down, as in the first stroke, and the rebounding and downward thrusting continues until the post is driven to the desired depth.

In order to present clearly a picture of the post driver comprising the present invention, without limiting the same, certain dimensions are set forth as illustrative. For example, the total height of one specimen of my post driver is on the order of 2 feet. The diameter of the weight base 28 and of the

reaction members

20 and 26 is on the order of 7 inches. The bottom of the reaction member 26 is spaced up about 6 inches from the bottom ends 40 of the vertical uprights 34 while the springs 48 are on the order of 4%; inches long. The through bolts or guide rods 42 are approximately 19 inches long. The total weight of the specimen post driver may approximate 50 pounds, although this will vary considerably in accordance with driving conditions.

The capped tube 16 has an internal diameter on the order of 1% inch and an outside diameter on the order of 1% inches.

Although the

telescoping members

16 and 24 conveniently and preferably are tubular in nature, this particular shape is not necessary, for example, they could be replaced by channel or angle members. The specific example of the invention as herein shown and described is for illustrative purposes only, and various changes will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art, and will be understood as comprising part of the present invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

ll. A manually operable driver for the post or the like comprising a first, inner tube having a cap at the upper end thereof and adapted tooverlie a post or the like to be driven with the cap impinging against the top of said post or'the like, a reaction disc fixed to said tube adjacent the lower end transversely thereof, a ram having a second tube telescoping over said first tube and adapted to slide longitudinally relative thereto, said ram having a substantial mass including a transverse weight base adjacent the upper end thereof and further having a reaction disc secured to the ram tube adjacent the lower end and extending transversely thereof, guide rods extending from one of said reaction discs through the other thereof in sliding relation relative to the other thereof, and a plurality of compression springs respectively encircling said guide rods between said reaction discs and in lost motion connection with said reaction discs, whereby downward movement of said ram imposes a driving load on said first tubeand said springs thereafter providing an upward restoring force of said ram.

2. A driver as set forth in claim 1 and further including a plurality of substantially vertical side members connected to the ram reaction disc and to the weight base and extending downwardly therefrom providing supporting feet with said driver in upright position, said side member providing hand grips for an operator of said driver.

3. A manually operable driver for a post or the like comprising a first, inner tube having a cap at the upper end thereof and adapted to overlie a post or the like to be driven with the cap impinging against the top of said post or the like, a disc fixed to said tube adjacent the lower end transversely thereof, a ram having a second tube telescoping over said first tube and adapted to slide longitudinally relative thereto, said ram having a substantial mass including a transverse weight base adjacent the upper end thereof and further having a disc ram disc and to the weight base and extending down wardly therefrom providing supporting feet with said driver in upright position, said side members providing hand grips for an operator of said driver.

Claims

1. A manually operable driver for the post or the like comprising a first, inner tube having a cap at the upper end thereof and adapted to overlie a post or the like to be driven with the cap impinging against the top of said post or the like, a reaction disc fixed to said tube adjacent the lower end transversely thereof, a ram having a second tube telescoping over said first tube and adapted to slide longitudinally relative thereto, said ram having a substantial mass including a transverse weight base adjacent the upper end thereof and further having a reaction disc secured to the ram tube adjacent the lower end and extending transversely thereof, guide rods extending from one of said reaction discs through the other thereof in sliding relation relative to the other thereof, and a plurality of compression springs respectively encircling said guide rods between said reaction discs and in lost motion connection with said reaction discs, whereby downward movement of said ram imposes a driving load on said first tube and said springs thereafter providing an upward restoring force of said ram.

3. A manually operable driver for a post or the like comprising a first, inner tube having a cap at the upper end thereof and adapted to overlie a post or the like to be driven with the cap impinging against the top of said post or the like, a disc fixed to said tube adjacent the lower end transversely thereof, a ram having a second tube telescoping over said first tube and adapted to slide longitudinally relative thereto, said ram having a substantial mass including a transverse weight base adjacent the upper end thereof and further having a disc secured to the ram tube adjacent the lower end and extending transversely thereof, guide rods extending from one of said discs through the other thereof in sliding relation relative to the other thereof, and a plurality of substantially vertical side members connected to the ram disc and to the weight base and extending downwardly therefrom providing supporting feet with said driver in upright position, said side members providing hand grips for an operator of said driver.