GB2212135A - Tractor equipped with an articulated arm for handling materials - Google Patents

Abstract

A tractor has an articulated arm (11), suitable for handling loads, which is supported by a three point linkage at the rear part of the tractor. The articulated arm (11) can be shifted in height relatively to the chassis of the tractor and can be removably mounted to the three-point linkage. An element (12) of the articulated arm (11) has, on its bottom portion, two protruding appendices (13) which are articulated to two points of the three-point. An opening is provided in the element (12) through which a strut (8) of the third point of the connection passes. The strut (8) is hinged onto the element proximate to the opening. The tractor driver's cabin can be equipped with controls installed also on the rear side of the tractor, opposite to the articulated arm. <IMAGE>

Description

"TRACTOR EQUIPPED WITH AN ARTICULATED ARM FOR HANDLING MATERIALS" The present invention relates to a tractor equippec with an articulated arm for handLing materiats.

Tractors provided with a frontal loading means, or another articulatea-arm device, e.g., of the bucket type, for handling earth or other materials, such as materiaLs coLLected on the fields, manure, and so forth, are known.

These devices, which advantageousty integrate the traditional operating capabiLities of the tractor, t making itj possible, accoding to the asstied device type, still other operations to be carried out besides the tracitional ones, generally invelve non-negtigin@e overali dimensions, in that, by being positiones on t@e front sidej of the tracter, and being mestly constitutes by matually articulated enns, octupy a rather large r@@t aven when they are in their resting position, in that both arms cannot be retracted, or closes in a paratte.

position, in which their everatt dimensions are minimur.

These devices, funtnermore, presisety owing to their sosition, do net generally allow a good visibility of the operating area, ans anyway do not make it possible the driver to manoeuver with the required precision, in that, by operating ahead of the guide wheels of the tractor, and, in case of steering, the rotation of the tractor taking place around a point lying on the axis of tne rear wheels, the rotation of the handling device takes pLac with a considerably de r a b Ly long radius, and therefore wit greater difficulty in positioning tie working device in a precise operating position.

he present invention aims at obviating thes drawbacks, by proposing a tractor of the type equipped with an erticultated arm, or another equivalent device which has, in its resting position, jparticularty reduced overall dimensions and which, in its operating position, makes it possible the tractor to be manoeuvered with an improved precision, and under conditions of optimum visibility.

Therefore according to the present invention a tractor equipped with an articulated arm for handling materials is proposed, which is characterized in that said arm is supported by means of a three-points connection of the tractor in corresponcence of the rear portion at the sark tractor.

Advantageousty, the articutated ar@ can be controtled from the tractor criver's cabin equippes for reverse driving, so that the oriver can seat cirectly in front of the arm to be controlled.

A tractor equipped with a so-arranged articutated or universat arm snows the advantage that it allows an optimum visibitity of the whole working area of the arm, and a higher manoeuvering precision, in that, inasmuch as the tractor, in case of steering, rotates around vertical axis passing through a point situatec an the axis of the rear wheels, the rotation radius of the arm is considerably reduced, a fact, this, which, togetner with the optimum visibility, makes it possible a high precision to be achieved in material handling operations.

When it is not used, the arm occupies a limited room, in that is can be positioned opposite to the driver's cabin, substantially parallelly to it, and for a height approximately corresponding to the height of the cabin.

The details, and the advantages of the invention are better evidenced in the following discLosure, in which an exemplifying $form of practical $embodiment of the invention is described, which is illustrated in the hereto attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a tractor according to the invention, with its articulated arm being in its resting position; in Figure 2, the tractor of Figure 1 is partially shown, with its articulated arm being in its work inc posities, in Figure 3, a detail is shown of the tractor of the preceding figures, in a perspective view.

Reiferring to the hereto attachned drawing, a tracte 1, in particutar a farm tractor, is provided, in a know way, with a oriver's cain 2, ahead of which the engine unit 3 is instaled, whitst behind it, in a Lowe- position, a tnree-points connection 2, ben se known, is provided.

Tne connection is provide with two jploughtaits 5 and 6, hinged onto the chassis 7 of the tractor, and an upper central strut 8, also higneo onto the framework 7.

The free enos of the ploughtaits 5 and 6 and of the stro.

8 define the true three-points connection.

The ploughtails 5 and 6 can be supported by respective tie-rods 9, hydrautically driven by contrc; arms 10 hyc'raulicaLly actuated in a per se known way, fa lifting and lowering the ploughteils 5 and 6, as ê function of the connection needs.

Onto te outer ends of the ploughtails 5 and 6 arc of the strut 8, a universat arm is hinged, generall indicated by 11. More particutarly, the arm 11 has a support arm 12 which is provided, at its loer end, with two appendices 13, protruding downwards, and hinged to the ends of the ploughtails 5 and 6 by means of pins 14.

Above the appendices, the support arm 12 has an opening 15 through which the end of the strut 8 passes, with said strut end being hinged to the arm 12 by means of a pin 16 passing through side walts of the arm i2, as well as through the end of the strut 8. The arrangement is such as to allow the arm 12 to be mounteo, with possibility of removat, to the three-points connection 4.

In the ittustrated exempte, onto the upper end of the support arm 12 a movable arm 17 is mountes, which constitutes the true articulated arm, and can be hydrauticliy or pneumatically actuated by means of a cylinder-piston unit 18 articulatedly insta.led between the support arm 12 and the movable arm 17.

Onto the free end of the movable arm 17, in the herein cepisted example, a toading imotement 19 is mountec, which is constituted by a fork frame, with teiescopically movable coposite forks 20 and 21.

Of course, instead of the universat arm ittustrated in the examples, to the three-points connection 4 another working device could be applied, suc1h as, e.s., an articulated arm bearing a loading bucket, e.g., a ctamsheil bucket, for handling earth, and so forth.

AS one can see from Figures 1 and 2, the driver's cabin 2 is equipped for the reverse drive, with the steering wheel and the control pedats teing provided alse on the rear side of the tractor 1. In this way, the driver, turned towards the rear side of the tractor, is directLy in front of the arm he shouLd controL, of which -arm he can supervise all movements without any visual hindrances.Not only, but the steering of the tractor 1 by means of the guide wheels 22 causes an easily contolled rotation of the arm 11, by taking place according to a bending radius which is defined by the rotation of the tractor around a point lying on the axis of the rear wheels, with a consequently shorter bending radius than of the articulated arms known fron -ir art, applied to the frontal side of the ti'L ,m c-n such an arrangement, besides a better o@@ precision, a higher ease of handling results.

As one can see from Figure 1 , in i. rig position, the arm 11 occupies a very limited 'j' of course, excluding the fork loader 19), in tit both articulated arms 12 and 17 which compose it can be completely closed parallel to each other, a possibility this, which does not exist in case of fronta; positioning of the arms. Furthermore, the disclosed arrangement does not cause any hindrances as regards the sheltering of the tractor.

Advantageously, the connection means for the universal arm 11 are of the type which allows a quick assemblage and disassemblage of the arm 11, so that the three-points connection 4 can always be made available for other working implements, which can ht se @o@@@ connected to such a connection.

Any one will understand from the above @@ t @osu@e that a tractor according to the present invention results particularly flexible in use.

Claims (7)

Claims

1. Tractor equipped with an articulated arm suitable for handling materials, characterized in tnat said arm is supported by means of a three-points connection of the tractor in correspondence of the rear portion of the same tractor.

2. Tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that it has the tractor drivers cabin equipped for the reverse driving, with the control members being installed also on the rear side of the tractor, opposite to the articulated arm.

3. Tractor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the articulated arm is an arm bearing a loader implement.

4. Tractor according to claim 3, characterized in that the articulated arm bears a fork-loader implement preferably of the type with mutually opposite, telescopically-movable forks.

5. Tractor according to claim 1 or 2, characteri- zed in that the articlated arm is an arm bearing a bucket.

6. Tractor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the articulated arm can be shifted in height relatively to the chassis of the tractor.

7. Tractor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the articulated arm is mounted with the possibility of removal relatively to said three-points connection.

& Tractor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the articulated arm is provided with an element which, in its bottom portion, is provided with two protruding appendices, hinaed to two points of the three-points connection, and with an opening through which a strut of the third point or the connection passes, which is hinged onto said element in the nearby of said opening.