US3056218A - Snow blower - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 2, 1962 J. J. DEvNovAN ETAL 3,056,218

SNOW BLOWER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 26, 1960 ATTORNEY Oct. 2, 1962 J. J. DENOVAN ETAL 3,056,218

SNOW BLOWER 5 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1960 AWENTOW 1962 J. J. DENOVAN ETAL 3,

3 Sheets-Sheet, 3

Filed Sept. 26, 1960 "Egg 2% T rates aterrt 3,056,218 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 3,056,218 SNOW BLOWER John 11'. Dencvan and Robert A. Denovan, Dailreith, On-

tario, Qanada, assignors to Denovan Ltd, Dallreith, Qatari-a, Canada, a corporation of Canada Filed Sept. 26, 15 58, Ser. No. 58,566 5 Claims. (Cl. 31-43) This invention relates to snow blowers or snow removing apparatus.

it is an object of this invention to provide a snow blower of simple construction and convenient, inexpensive manufacture, which is of improved effectiveness in operation, which is subject to easy and efficient control in use, and which may be quickly and easily associated with and detached from conventional power operating means therefor such as a tractor or the like.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a snow blower in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the blower.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the blower,

FIGURE 4 is a partial sectional view on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is a partial sectional view on line 55 of FIGURE 1.

In the drawing, the snow blower in accordance with the invention is generally indicated at 1. It is specifically designed for easy and convenient attachment to and disengagement from a conventional motor vehicle, such as a tractor as indicated at 2, from which the operating power supply and motive power for the snow blower is to be derived.

The blower comprises a cylindrical impeller casing 3 having a pair of mold boards 4- fixed to the forward end of the casing and flaring outwardly and forwardly therefrom for sweeping snow into the casing. For cutting high banks of snow, an upwardly extending cutter blade 5 may be mounted at the forward end of each mold board. A supporting frame is indicated at 6.

The casing 3 is open at its forward end and its rearward end is closed as indicated at 7. It is supported on the ends of a frame comprising a pair of rearwardly extending beams 8 which may be of metal channel form.

Extending axially through the casing is an impeller shaft 9 mounted in bearings 19 and 11 respectively carried in forward and rearward frame members 12 and 13 fixed to the casing.

A plurality of series of inclined beater arms 14, 15 and 16 are mounted on shaft 9 in axially spaced relation. These arms extend radially from the shaft and are fixed thereto for revolution therewith. These arms act to break up the snow entering the impeller casing and to propel it rearwardly to the rear end of the casing. Furthermore, as shown, the blades of each series are angularly oifset with respect to the blades of the other two series.

At the rearward end of the casing, an impeller 17 is fixed to shaft 9 for revolution therewith. Impeller 17 comprises a radially extending plate 18 and a plurality of radially extending impeller blades 19 having their rear edges in substantial abutment with and attached to said plate. Each blade 19 is of shallow V-shape in cross section to present a shallow troughlike surface 20 for reception of the snow. The plate 18 may be of any suitable shape, such as square, as shown, and its radical extent at the corners thereof is substantially equal to the radial extent of arms 19 whereby the plate acts to prevent rearward displacement of the supply of snow carried by each blade. It will be apparent that, on revolution of the impeller, the snow picked up by the impeller blades 19 will tend to be discharged radially outwardly therefrom under the influence of centrifugal force. The impeller blades 19 may be braced to the plate 18 as by braces 19a.

Means permitting selective location of discharge from the casing of snow from the impeller arms 19 comprises a pair of door-controlled openings 21 and 22 in the casing wall in opposed relation to the impeller. Opening 21 is located on one side of the casing for discharge of snow to one side of the blower, and opening 22 is located in the top portion of the casing for discharge of snow to the other side of the blower. A pair of snow directing baffle plates 23 fixed to the casing and extending radially outwardly therefrom are provided respectively immediately forwardly and rearwardly of the openings.

Opening 21 is provided with a door 24 hinged by means of a hinge pin 25 to an outwardly deflected portion 26 of the casing wall. The door 24 has an offset lip portion 24:: to prevent silting of snow through the opening when the door is not tightly closed. A baffle 27 at the edge of the opening opposite the door hinge assists in directing the flow of snow from the opening when the door is open, such open door also serving to direct the discharge snow.

Opening 22 is provided with a door 28 hinged by a hinge pin 25 to an outwardly deflected portion 30 of the casing wall, such door also having an offset lip portion 23a.

A linkage mechanism is provided for maintaing one door open when the other is closed and for opening the closed door and closing the open door as desired whereby the snow is selectively discharged through one or other of the openings 21 and 22. Such mechanism comprises a shaft 31 journalled in the bafile plates 23 and having an arm 32 fixed thereto intermediate its ends. One end of arm 32 is pivotally connected to a relatively long depending link 33 which in turn is pivotally connected to one end of an arm 34 the other end of which is fixed to hinge pin 25 of door 24.

The other end of arm 32 is pivotally connected to a link 35 which in turn is pivotally connected at 36 to one end of an arm 37 the other end of which is fixed to hinge pin 29 of door 28. The arm 37 and link 35 are loosely supported on a rod 3d carried by the baflle plates 23 adjacent the pivot 36.

It will be apparent that rotation of the shaft 31 in one direction will act through the linkage mechanism described to close door 24 and open door 28, whereas rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction will act to open door 24' and close door 28. It will be observed that the pivotal connection of link 33 with shaft 31 is located below the midsection of the link whereby movement of the link over its central vertical position locks the respective door shut. A spring 39 having one end fixed to a baflle plate 23 and its other end fixed to an arm 40 carried by the shaft 31 acts to rotate the shaft in such first direction and therefore normally holds door 24 closed and door 23 open. The shaft 31 is arranged for manual rotation in the opposite direction to reverse the open and closed position of the doors by means of a rod 41 pivotally connected at 42 to the shaft and having a crank 43 at its free end.

Means for driving the impeller shaft 9 comprises a driving shaft 44 mounted in bearings 45 carried by transverse frame members 46 and 47 fixed to beams 8, frame member 47 being located at the rearward ends of the beams. Shaft 44 is drivably connected to shaft 9 as by sprockets 48 and 49 and chain 50. The rearward end of shaft 44 is drivably connected to a stub shaft 51 as by means of sprockets 52 and 53 and chain 54. Shaft 51 is mounted in bearings 55 carried by frame member 47.

It will be apparent that the driving assembly elements mounted on frame member 47 may be readily removed therefrom when required.

Means are provided for readily associating the blower described to the tractor 2 for operation of the blower. It will be apparent that the tractor may be driven over the beams 8 and associated elements to the position indicated in FIGURES l and 2. The rearward end of the beam assembly is raised and connected to the tractor drawbar 56 by means of a bracket 57 having tongues 58 fitting into the drawbar and a drawbar pin 59. The shaft 51 is connected by means of a universal joint 60 to the power take-off shaft 61 of the tractor.

Power means are preferably provided for raising and lowering the forward end of the blower and beam assembly and comprises a pair of cables 62 each having one end connected to one of the conventional hydraulic lift arms 63 of the tractor. Each cable extends over a pulley 64 mounted on a beam 8 and then forwardly along the beam and thence over a second pulley 65 mounted on the beam, the other end of the cable being connected to a pin 66 carried by a bracket 67 fixed to the tractor frame. It will be apparent that actuation of the lift arms 63 will exert a pull on the cables 62 to raise the beam assembly.

Instead of, or in conjunction with, the power lift means described, there may be provided manual lifting and lowering means for the forward end. Such means may comprise a manually operated device such as illustrated and comprising a shaft 68 rotatably mounted on each beam 8 as by means of brackets 69 and a chain 70 fixed intermediate its ends by a pin '71 to shaft 68 and having its end portions arranged for releasable locking engagement with a flange 72 fixed to bracket 67. Shaft 68 is manually rotatable in either direction as by insertion of a rod in one or other of the openings 73 in the shaft. It will be apparent that rotation of the shaft in one direction will apply tension to one portion of chain 7% to impose a degree of lifting movement to the beam while the other portions of the chain will be slackened. The latter slackened portion is then pulled taut, locked in such position, and the shaft rotated in the opposite direction. The operation is continued with respect to each chain 70 until the desired height has been reached. The

chain connection described is described in greater detail in prior United States Patent 2,803,899.

It will be apparent that the lifting chains 79 are located approximately at the center of gravity of the blower attachment. Thus, when the tractor is driven over the rearward portion of the attachment and the manual lift actuated to raise the machine, the suspended machine may be easily moved to swing the rearward end laterally as well as in a fore and aft direction to position the same in proper position for connection to the drawbar 5d by insertion of the pin 59. Therefore, the connection may easily be effected by one man, which is a very important advantage of the structure described.

It is desirable to provide a sway chain connection between the blower frame and the tractor. This connection may comprise a pair of chains 74 each having one end connected to a beam 8 and 75 and its other end connected to a bracket 78 on the opposite side of the tractor, the chains 74 crossing each other as shown in FIGURE 5. The sway chains 74 may be of differential length whereby the blower may be offset relative to the tractor in certain instances where, for instance, it may be desired to run the blower closer to a ditch.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the door operating shaft 31 may be supported in a tubular member 76 fixed to the tractor and the end portion of the shaft journalled in a bracket 77 also mounted on the tractor.

We claim:

1. In combination with a tractor having a drawbar, a power take-off shaft, and hydraulic lift arms, a snow blower comprising a cylindrical impeller casing having 1 a horizontal axis, mold boards carried by said casing and extending forwardly therefrom, an impeller shaft journalled in said casing and extending axially therethrough, a series of beater arms carried by said shaft and extending radially therefrom, a bladed impeller fixed to said shaft rearwardly of said beater arms, door-controlled openings in said casing opposite said impeller for passage of snow discharged therefrom, a frame extending rearwardly from said casing and under said tractor, said frame having a forward end fixed to said casing and a rearward end, a cable lift device mounted on said frame and attached to said hydraulic lift arms, a drawbar connection mounted on the rearward end of said frame and connectable to said drawbar, and means for driving said impeller shaft comprising a driving shaft journalled in said frame and extending from the forward to the rearward end thereof, a driving shaft journalled in the rearward end of said frame, said frame and driven shaft being located in planes parallel to said casing axis but disposed below the horizontal plane of said axis for reception of said tractor thereover, means mounted on said frame forward end drivably connecting said driving shaft with said impeller shaft and means mounted on said frame rearward end drivably connecting said driving shaft with said driven shaft, and a universal joint connec tion between said driven shaft and said power take-off shaft.

2. A snow blower as defined in claim 1, including a pair of laterally spaced brackets fixed to the forward end portion of said tractor, and a sway connection between the forward portions of said tractor and frame comprising a pair of flexible lines each connecting one of said brackets with the opposite side of said frame, said flexible lines extending diagonally across each other.

3. A snow blower comprising a cylindrical impeller casing having a horizontal axis, mold boards carried by said casing and extending forwardly therefrom, an impeller shaft journalled in said casing and extending axially therethrough, a series of beater arms carried by said shaft and extending radially therefrom, a bladed impeller fixed to said shaft rearwardly of said beater arms, doorcontrolled openings in said casing opposite said impeller for passage of snow discharged therefrom, a frame extending rearwardly from said casing, said frame having a forward end fixed to said casing and a rearward end, a cable lift device mounted on said frame, a drawbar connection mounted on the rearward end of said frame, and means for driving said impeller shaft comprising a driving shaft journalled in said frame and extending from the forward to the rearward end thereof, a driving shaft journalled in the rearward end of said frame, said frame and driven shaft being located in planes parallel to said casing axis but disposed below the horizontal plane of said axis, means mounted on said frame forward end drivably connecting said driving shaft with said impeller shaft and means mounted on said frame rearward end drivably connecting said driving shaft with said driven shaft, and a universal joint connection on said driven shaft.

4. A snow blower comprising a cylindrical impeller casing having a horizontal axis, mold boards carried by said casing and extending forwardly therefrom, an impeller shaft journalled in said casing and extending axially therethrough, a series of beater arms carried by said shaft and extending radially therefrom, a bladed impeller fixed to said shaft rearwardly of said heater arms, door-controlled openings in said casing opposite said impeller for passage of snow discharged therefrom, a frame extending rearwardly from said casing, said frame having a forward end fixed to said casing and a rearward end, a drawbar connection mounted on the rearward end of said frame, means for driving said impeller shaft comprising a driving shaft journalled in said frame and extending from the forward to the rearward end thereof, a driving shaft journalled in the rearward end of said frame, said frame and driven shaft being located in planes parallel to said casing axis but disposed below the horizontal plane of said axis, means mounted on said frame forward end drivably connecting said driving shaft with said impeller shaft, and means mounted on said frame rearward end drivably connecting said driving shaft with said dr-iven shaft, and a lifting device mounted on said frame and comprising a pair of flexible lines each connected to said frame at a point in transversely opposed relation to the approximate center of gravity of said snow blower.

5. A snow blower as defined in claim 4, said lifting device comprising a pair of shafts rotatably mounted in said frame, each of said flexible lines having an end fixed to one of said last-mentioned shafts for winding thereon in response to rotation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 580,004 Ruggles Apr. 6, 1897 6 Brown Feb. 23, Barry Feb. 12, Green et a1 Apr. 2, Carpenter July 15, Hulslander Jan. 20, Neal Oct. 1 1, Davis June 10,

Heaman Dec. 2, Hickman Sept. 1, Cady May 31, Kiecker et al Jan. 15,

Fiacco Dec. 10,

FOREIGN PATENTS Norway Feb. 27, Norway July 31, Canada Dec. 3,

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