SNOW PUSHER FOR ICE AND SNOW REMOVAL

• US 20070107272A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pro-Tech Manufacturing and Distribution Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pro-Tech Manufacturing and Distribution Incorporated
• Inventors: Maier, James, Guggino, Michael, Weagley, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/407
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/06 dislodging essentially by non-driven elements, e.g. scraper blades , snow-plough blades, scoop blades
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/062 by scraper blades displaceable for shock-absorbing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/066 Snow-plough blade accessories, e.g. deflector plates, skid shoes
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/12 Apparatus or implements specially adapted for breaking, disintegrating, or loosening layers of ice or hard snow with or without clearing or removing E01H5/10 takes precedence; Roughening ice or hard snow by means of tools by means of gritting materials E01H10/00; roughening or breaking-up pavements E01C23/08, E01C23/12
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/3627 with a hook and a longitudinal locking element
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/80 Component parts
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/8152 Attachments therefor, e.g. wear resisting parts, cutting edges E02F3/8155, E02F3/8157 take precedence; teeth per se E02F9/28
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/8157 Shock absorbers; Supports, e.g. skids, rollers; Devices for compensating wear-and-tear, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/962 Mounting of implements directly on tools already attached to the machine E02F3/404 and E02F3/8152 take precedence

Abstract

Disclosed herein are various aspects of an improved snow or material pushers for use with loaders, backhoes, agricultural and larger home and garden tractors and the like for moving snow or other materials on generally flat areas such as parking lots, driveways, feed lots, runways, and loading areas. The improvements include, among others, a reversible design, extended side plates and/or wear shoes as well as improved scraping edge configurations so as to provide added functionality and versatility to pushers. As described the various features may be employed alone or in combination to provide the capability for snow and ice removal while minimizing the potential for damage to surfaces and objects thereon.

Claims

1. An improved scraping edge for attachment along a longitudinal edge of a moldboard, comprising:

a flexible base, removably attached to the moldboard, along a top portion of the base;

a rigid cutting edge extending along and removably attached to said flexible base along a bottom portion of the base, wherein said flexible base flexes to allow the cutting edge to bypass immovable objects it contacts; and

a tensioner to bias said flexible base into a partially flexed position.

2. The scraping edge of claim 1, wherein said flexible base is a polymer.

3. The scraping edge of claim 2, wherein said flexible base comprises a polyurethane material with an average thickness of at least about 1.0 inch.

4. The scraping edge of claim 1, wherein said rigid cutting edge comprises an elongated strip of metal selected from the group consisting of steel and it various alloys.

5. The scraping edge of claim 1, further comprising at least one rigid hold-down member applied on an outward-facing face of said flexible base such that said flexible base is sandwiched between said hold-down member and said moldboard.

6. The scraping edge of claim 1, wherein said tensioner is removably attached to the moldboard along with said metal hold-down member and is in biasing contact with said metal cutting edge said flexible base is biased into the partially flexed position.

7. The scraping edge of claim 6, wherein said tensioner places said flexible base into a slightly rearward-directed position.

8. A material pushing apparatus, comprising:

an upstanding moldboard including a bottom longitudinal edge, and left and right ends;

a vertical side plate attached to and extending forward at a generally perpendicular angle from each of said left and right ends of the moldboard; and

a scraping edge attached to the moldboard along said bottom longitudinal edge, said scraping edge including,

a flexible base, removably attached to the moldboard, along a top portion of the flexible base using at least one hold-down member;

a rigid cutting edge extending along and removably attached to said flexible base along a bottom portion of the base, wherein said flexible base flexes to allow the cutting edge to bypass immovable objects it contacts;

a tensioner to bias said flexible base into a partially flexed position.

9. The material pushing apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a removable wear shoe attached along a bottom edge of each vertical side plate, wherein said removable wear shoe extends from a position in front of the moldboard and generally adjacent a front edge of the vertical side plate to a position beyond a rear surface of the moldboard.

10. The material pushing apparatus of claim 9, where the position beyond the rear surface of the moldboard is also generally adjacent a rear edge of the vertical side plate.

11. The material pushing apparatus of claim 9, where the position beyond the rear surface of the moldboard is beyond a rear edge of the vertical side plate and where said removable wear shoe further includes a cap, permanently attached to a web and a ramped surface of the wear shoe.

12. A material pusher, comprising:

an upstanding central blade including a lower longitudinal edge and left and right ends;

a vertical side plate extending forward at a right angle from each end of the central blade; and

removable wear shoe attached along a bottom edge of each vertical side plate, wherein the removable wear shoe extends from a position adjacent a front edge of the vertical side plate to a position at least 6 inches beyond a rear surface of the moldboard so as to assure that a bottom surface of the wear shoe remains in complete contact with a surface on which the pusher is used.

13. The pusher of claim 12, wherein the wear shoe extends at least a distance equal to twenty-five percent of the side plate length beyond the rear surface of the moldboard.

14. An extended wear shoe for use on a material pusher, comprising:

a web for attachment to a side plate of the pusher;

a generally horizontal lower surface for sliding contact with the ground, the lower surface transitioning to front and rear ramped surfaces on either end thereof; and

a cap, permanently attached to the web and the upper end of the rear ramped surface thereof.

15. The wear shoe as set forth in claim 14, wherein said cap covers a region of the shoe extending beyond a rear edge of the pusher side plate.

16. The wear shoe as set forth in claim 14, wherein at least the horizontal lower surface is made from a steel with a Brinnell Hardness of at least about 300.

17. An improved scraping edge for attachment along a longitudinal edge of a pusher moldboard, comprising:

a plurality of rigid sections;

said sections being attached along the longitudinal edge using fasteners having a low yield strength and hardness such that one or more sections are dislodged from a normal operating position upon contact with an immovable object to thereby prevent damage to the object.

18. A material pushing apparatus, comprising:

an upstanding central blade including a lower longitudinal edge and left and right ends;

a vertical side plate extending forward at a right angle from each end of the central blade; and

a breakaway cutting edge, comprised of a plurality of rigid sections, attached to the central blade along the longitudinal edge, wherein at least one of the sections is dislodged from its normal operating position upon sufficient contact with an immovable object to prevent damage to the object.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the longitudinal edge of the central blade is reinforced, where said cutting edge sections are formed of steel, and where said sections are attached to the longitudinal edge using fasteners having a low yield strength and hardness such that at least one fastener fails prior to damaging the object or the pushing apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the fasteners comprise bolts having a yield strength of less than about 36,000 pounds per square inch and a tensile strength of less than about 74,000 pounds per square inch.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a safety attachment mechanism connected between the rigid sections and the central blade, such that when a rigid section is dislodged, the dislodged section remains connected to the central blade for later reattachment.

22. A material moving apparatus, comprising:

an upstanding moldboard including a bottom longitudinal edge, and left and right ends;

a vertical side plate attached to and extending forward at a generally perpendicular angle from each of said left and right ends of the moldboard; and

a scraping edge attached to the moldboard along said bottom longitudinal edge, said scraping edge including a rigid component and means for assuring that said rigid component yields upon coming in contact with an immovable object.

23. The material pushing apparatus of claim 22 wherein said means for assuring that said rigid component yields upon coming in contact with an immovable object, comprises:

a flexible base, removably attached to said moldboard along a top portion of the flexible base using at least one hold-down member;

a rigid cutting edge extending along and removably attached to said flexible base along a bottom portion of the base, wherein said flexible base flexes to allow the cutting edge to bypass the immovable object to prevent damage to both the object and the moldboard;

a tensioner to bias said flexible base into a partially flexed position.

24. The material pushing apparatus of claim 22 wherein said means for assuring that said rigid component yields upon coming in contact with an immovable object, comprises a breakaway cutting edge, including a plurality of rigid sections, attached to the moldboard along the longitudinal edge, wherein at least one of the sections is dislodged from its normal operating position upon sufficient contact with the immovable object to prevent damage to both the object and the moldboard.