Shovel coupling with angle of attack adjustment

• US 4,195,697 A
• Filed: 02/10/1978
• Issued: 04/01/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert M. Griffin
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Griffin
• Inventors: Griffin, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stouffer, Richard T.
• Application Number:
  US05/876,886
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 172/724, 172/730, 172/734, 172/739, 172/740, 172/744, 172/753, 172/762, 172/763, 403/373, 403/379
• US Class Current: 172/730
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 35/26 Rigid tools
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7062 Clamped members

Abstract

A coupling for attaching a sweep shovel to a cultivator shank including an adapter block rigidly affixed to the shank with the shovel and adapter block including transverse aperture arrangements fo receiving fastening devices with selective arrangement of the fastening devices and apertures enabling the angle of attack of the sweep shovel to be adjusted depending upon the soil conditions and the requirements of individual users.

Claims

1. In combination, a cultivator shovel having a mounting portion, a shank for supporting the shovel and a coupling connecting the mounting portion of the shovel to said shank, said coupling including an adapter block, means releasably and rigidly securing said block to said shank independently of the shovel and means adjustably and removably securing the mounting portion of the shovel to said adapter block for enabling replacement of the shovel and varying the angle of attack of the shovel in relation to the soil to be cultivated without changing the position of the block in relation to the shank, said shank including a forwardly and downwardly angled stem at a predetermined angle, said adapter block being disposed against the rear surface of the shank at the lower end thereof, said means securing the adapter block to the shank including fastener means extending through the shank and adapter block for securing the block to the shank independent of the means securing the shovel to the block, said means securing the mounting portion of the shovel to the adapter block including a plurality of transverse holes in the adapter block spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the shank, said mounting portion of the shovel including a pair of legs straddling the shank and adapter block with each of the legs including an aperture therein receiving a fastener therethrough with the fastener also extending through one of the holes in the adapter block, thereby removably securing the shovel to the shank in adjusted position for varying the angle of attack of the shovel, said shovel including a neck portion immediately adjacent and below the mounting portion and sweeps immediately adjacent and below the neck portion with the neck portion having less cross-sectional dimension than the mounting portion and sweeps, a front plate mounted on the shank along the forward surface thereof and being secured to the shank by the same fastening means which secures the adapter block thereto, the lower end of the front plate extending along the inner surface of the neck portion of the sweep shovel for reinforcing and strengthening the neck portion of the sweep shovel to reduce breakage, said shank being oriented at a predetermined stem angle with the plurality of transverse holes in the adapter block being oriented to enable a sweep shovel to be employed with any standard shank stem angle presently used on cultivators, said mounting block, shank and front plate being of the same width and having coinciding planar side surfaces, said mounting portion of the shovel including a web portion joining the legs with the inner surface of the mounting portion conforming with and in surface-to-surface contact with the front plate, shank and block, said front plate extending longitudinally beyond the lower end of the shank in cantilever fashion to support the neck portion of the shovel, said block including end extensions engaging the rear surface of the shank, said fastener means securing the block to the shank including a pair of bolts extending through the front plate, shank and extensions on the block, said bolts including heads countersunk into the front surface of the front plate, said plurality of holes in the block being disposed adjacent the rear edge thereof and said fastener extending through the legs and one of the holes in the block being a bolt to clampingly engage the legs with a major portion of the side surfaces of the block.

2. In combination, a cultivator shovel having a mounting portion, a shank for supporting the shovel and a coupling connecting the mounting portion of the shovel to said shank, said coupling including an adapter block, means releasably and rigidly securing said block to said shank independently of the shovel and means adjustably and removably securing the mounting portion of the shovel to said adapter block for enabling replacement of the shovel and varying the angle of attack of the shovel in relation to the soil to be cultivated without changing the position of the block in relation to the shank, said shank including a forwardly and downwardly angled stem at a predetermined angle, said adapter block being disposed against the rear surface of the shank at the lower end thereof, said means securing the adapter block to the shank including fastener means extending through the shank and adapter block for securing the block to the shank independent of the means securing the shovel to the block, said means securing the mounting portion of the shovel to the adapter block including a plurality of transverse holes in the adapter block spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the shank, said mounting portion of the shovel including a pair of legs straddling the shank and adapter block with each of the legs including an aperture therein receiving a fastener therethrough with the fastener also extending through one of the holes in the adapter block, thereby removably securing the shovel to the shank in adjusted position for varying the angle of attack of the shovel, said shank being oriented at a predetermined stem angle with the plurality of transverse holes in the adapter block being oriented to enable a sweep shovel to be employed with any standard shank stem angle presently used on cultivators, said mounting block and shank being of the same width and having coinciding planar side surfaces, said mounting portion of the shovel including a web portion joining the legs and oriented in transverse relation to the shank with the legs in surface-to-surface contact with the shank and block, said block including end extensions engaging the rear surface of the shank, said fastener means securing the block to the shank including a pair of bolts extending through the shank and extensions on the block, said plurality of holes in the block being disposed adjacent the rear edge thereof and said fastener extending through the legs and one of the holes in the blocks being a bolt to clampingly engage the legs with a major portion of the side surfaces of the block, and a front plate mounted on the shank along the forward surface thereof and having the same width as the shank and mounting block, said pair of bolts extending through the shank and extensions on the block also extending through the front plate with the bolts having countersunk heads received in the front plate thereby providing a smooth forward surface to the front plate with the mounting portion of the shovel being disposed in surface-to-surface engagement with the front surface of the front plate, said front plate extending longitudinally beyond the lower end of the shank in cantilever fashion to support a portion of the shovel which extends below the lower end of the shank.