Earth scraper attachment for a tractor or the like

• US 4,898,247 A
• Filed: 03/13/1987
• Issued: 02/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hendrix W. Springfield
• Original Assignee: Hendrix W. Springfield
• Inventors: Springfield, Hendrix W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/025,730
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 172/799.5, 172/780, 172/439, 172/413, 172/327, 172/787, 172/200, 172/684.5, 172/784, 172/785, 172/780, 172/477
• US Class Current: 172/799.5
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/7668 with the scraper blade being pivotable about a vertical axis

Abstract

An earth scraper attachment adapted to be drawn by a farm tractor or other vehicle having a vertically adjustable three point hitch has an elongated frame with a front tongue portion connectable to the hitch with a specially designed hitch connection member. A rear end portion of the frame is supported on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the frame by a pair of wheels whose heights relative to the frame may be selectively and independently adjusted. Depending from a longitudinally central portion of the frame is an earth scraping blade which is supported on the frame for pivotal motion about a generally vertically extending axis, and may be locked in a selected pivotally adjusted position. A laterally spaced series of downwardly extending earth ripping teeth are supported beneath the frame forwardly of the scraping blade and are used to rip and loosen the earth prior to operation thereon by the scraping blade. The independent height adjustment of the rear support wheels, together with the tongue height adjustment provided by the three point hitch, allows various positional adjustments to be made to the frame including uniformly raising or lowering the overall frame, altering its front-to-rear tilt angle and altering its side-to-side tilt angle about the longitudinal frame axis. These frame positional adjustments, coupled with the pivotal adjustment capability of the scraping blade, permit the blade and its associated ripping teeth to be variously positioned to perform most of the sophisticated earth-scraping and grading functions of heavy duty commercial apparatus, such as motor graders, at a fraction of the cost thereof.

Claims

1. Earth scraping apparatus comprising:

a frame extending along an axis and having a forwardly disposed tongue portion connectable to a vertically adjustable section of a vehicle adapted to pull said frame, and a rearwardly disposed portion spaced apart along said axis from said forwardly disposed tongue portion;

first and second frame support wheels;

connecting means for operatively connecting said frame support wheels to said rearwardly disposed portion of said frame on opposite sides of said axis;

wheel height adjustment means for selectively and independently adjusting the height of each of said frame support wheels relative to said frame;

earth scraping means, extending below said frame, for scraping the earth as said frame is moved by said vehicle;

pivotal adjustment means for adjustably pivoting said earth scraping means relative to said frame about a generally vertically extending axis; and

means for securing said tongue portion to said vertically adjustable section of the vehicle, whereby;

the cutting depth of said earth scraping means may be selectively varied, without appreciably altering their vertical earth attack angle, by appropriately raising or lowering both of said vertically adjustable vehicle section and said first and second frame support wheels without appreciably varying the vertical inclination angle of said frame axis relative to the earth,

the vertical earth attack angle of said earth scraping means may be selectively varied by vertically tilting said frame axis using either of said vertically adjustable vehicle section and said wheel height adjustment means,

the horizontal earth attack angle of said earth scraping means may be selectively varied utilizing said pivotal adjustment means, and

the earth scraping means may be selectively tilted about an axis generally parallel to said frame axis by utilizing said wheel height adjustment means to differentially adjust the height of said first and second frame support wheels relative to said frame,

said earth scraping means including an elongated earth scraping blade disposed beneath said frame between said forwardly and rearwardly disposed portions thereof, and a blade support structure pivotally connected to said frame for rotation relative thereto about a generally vertically extending axis, said blade support structure being secured to said earth scraping blade,

said blade support structure being manually pivotable relative to said frame,

said pivotal adjustment means including locking means for manually locking said blade support structure in a selected manually pivoted position, and

said locking means including a chain secured to said frame, and a locking member carried by said blade support structure and insertable into a selected one of the links of said claim.

2. Earth scraping apparatus comprising:

a frame extending along an axis and having a forwardly disposed portion connectable to a vertically adjustable section of vehicle adapted to pull said frame, and a rearwardly disposed portion spaced apart along said axis from said forwardly disposed portion;

first and second frame support wheels;

connecting means for operatively connecting said frame support wheels to said rearwardly disposed portion of said frame on opposite sides of said axis;

wheel height adjustment means for selectively and independently adjusting the height of each of said frame support wheels relative to said frame;

earth scraping means, extending below said frame, for scraping the earth as said frame is moved by said vehicle; and

pivotal adjustment means for adjustably pivoting said earth scraping means relative to said frame about a generally vertically extending axis,

said earth scraping means including an elongated earth scraping blade disposed beneath said frame between said forwardly and rearwardly disposed portions thereof, and a blade support structure pivotally connected to said frame for rotation relative thereto about a generally vertically extending axis, said blade support structure being secured to said earth scraping blade,

said blade support structure being manually pivotable relative to said frame,

said pivotal adjustment means including locking means for manually locking said blade support structure in a selected manually pivoted position, and

said locking means including a chain secured to said frame, and a locking member carried by said blade support structure and insertable into a selected one of the links of said claim.

3. A towable earth scraper attachment comprising:

a generally horizontally positionable elongated frame having;

an elongated central member extending generally along the longitudinal axis of said frame, said central member having a front end portion connectable to a towing vehicle to be pulled thereby, and a rear end portion,

first and second longitudinally extending side members positioned on opposite sides of said central member and spaced laterally outwardly therefrom, each of said first and second side members having front end portions secured to said front end portion of said central member, and rear end portions secured to said rear end portion of said central member at a rear end portion of said frame;

wheel means for rollingly supporting said rear end portion of said frame in an elevated position relative to the ground;

an earth scraper blade support structure including;

an elongated lower support member having a longitudinally central portion positioned beneath a longitudinally intermediate portion of said central member, and outer end portions positioned beneath said first and second side members,

means for pivotally connecting said longitudinally central portion of said lower support member to said longitudinally intermediate portion of said central member, and

upper support means, slidably resting atop said first and second side members and secured to said outer end portions of said lower support member, for movably supporting said outer end portions of said lower support member on said first and second side members;

scraper blade means, secured to and depending from said lower support member, for scraping the earth as said frame is pulled therealong by the towing vehicle; and

means for pivotally adjusting said earth scraper blade support structure, and thus said scraper blade means, relative to said frame.

4. The towable earth scraper attachment of claim 3 wherein:

said means for pivotally adjusting said earth scraper blade support structure include hydraulic cylinder means operatively interconnected between said frame and said earth scraper blade support structure.

5. The towable earth scraper attachment of claim 3 wherein:

said towing vehicle has a vertically adjustable section,

said wheel means include first and second wheel structures each pivotally mounted to said rear end portion of said frame, and

said attachment further comprises hydraulic cylinder means for pivotally adjusting said first and second wheel structures to selectively and independently vary the effective heights thereof relative to said frame, and means for connecting said front end portion of said central member to said vertically adjustable section of said towing vehicle.

6. The towable earth scraper attachment of claim 3 wherein:

said towing vehicle has a vertically adjustable section,

said wheel means include vertically adjustable first and second wheel structures mounted on said rear end portion of said frame on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, and

said attachment further comprises means for vertically adjusting said first and second wheel structures to selectively and independently vary the effective heights thereof relative to said frame, and means for connecting said front end portion of said central member to said vertically adjustable section of said towing vehicle, whereby;

the cutting depth of said scraper blade means may be selectively varied, without appreciably altering their vertical earth attack angle, by appropriately raising or lowering both of said vertically adjustable vehicle section and said first and second wheel structures without appreciably varying the vertical inclination angle of said frame axis relative to the earth,

the vertical earth attack angle of said scraper blade means may be selectively varied by vertically tilting said frame axis using either of said vertically adjustable vehicle section and said means for vertically adjusting said first and second wheel structures,

the horizontal earth attack angle of said scraper blade means may be selectively varied utilizing said means for pivotally adjusting said earth scraper blade support structure, and

the scraper blade means may be selectively tilted about an axis generally parallel to said frame axis by utilizing said means for vertically adjusting said first and second wheel structures to differentially adjust the height of said first and second wheel structures relative to said frame.