Snow groomer with a variable snowchamber tiller assembly
First Claim
1. A tiller assembly for shaping a surface, comprising:
- a main frame;
a ground shaping element carried by the main frame;
a finishing element supported by the main frame and arranged to trail behind the ground shaping element over the surface, wherein a chamber having a volume is formed between the ground shaping element and the finishing element;
a bracket secured to the finishing element; and
a driven member connected between the main frame and the bracket that moves the bracket in an arc with respect to the surface to thereby change the volume of the chamber.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A snow tiller (10) suitable for grooming ski hills, trails, or other areas, provides an adjustable snow housing assembly. A snow chamber (70) is formed between a ground shaping element (48) that has a rotatable drum (50) and a trailing finishing element (62) that is supported by a trailing bar bracket (84, 110, 130). The shape and/or volume of the snow chamber (70) can be adjusted by activating a finisher positioning mechanism (72), such as a hydraulic cylinder, to pivot the trailing bar bracket (84, 110, 130). A pair of connecting bars (98 and 100) from a pivot point about which the trailing bar bracket (84, 110, 130) pivots in an arc with respect to the snow surface, thus providing for precise positional control of the snow chamber (70).
13 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A tiller assembly for shaping a surface, comprising:
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a main frame;
a ground shaping element carried by the main frame;
a finishing element supported by the main frame and arranged to trail behind the ground shaping element over the surface, wherein a chamber having a volume is formed between the ground shaping element and the finishing element;
a bracket secured to the finishing element; and
a driven member connected between the main frame and the bracket that moves the bracket in an arc with respect to the surface to thereby change the volume of the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A tiller assembly for shaping a surface, comprising
a main frame; -
a ground shaping element carried by the main frame, wherein the ground shaping element has a longitudinal axis;
a finishing element supported by the main frame and arranged to trail behind the ground shaping element over the surface, wherein a chamber having a volume is formed between the ground shaping element and the finishing element;
a pivot arm extending outward from the ground shaping element;
a bracket secured to the finishing element;
a pivoting connector pivotally attached between the bracket and the pivot arm; and
a driven member connected between the main frame and the bracket that causes the bracket to pivot with respect to the pivot arm to thereby change the volume of the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of working the surface of the ground, comprising:
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providing a tiller assembly having a ground shaping element and a finishing element with a chamber defined therebetween, wherein the finishing element is supported by a bracket;
tilting the finishing element to change the volume of the chamber by moving the bracket in an arc with respect to the surface of the ground;
operating the ground shaping element to grind the surface; and
driving the tiller assembly across the surface to drag the finishing element over the surface and provide a finished texture to the ground. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
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Specification