Soil-working implement having quick-change sweep design

• US 6,315,058 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.), CNH America Llc (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Case Corporation (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Birkenbach, Eugen J., Sanderson, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BATSON, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US09/636,430
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 172/762, 172/772, 172/753, 172/769, 172/749, 172/751, 374/57, 374/56, 374/55, 374/60, 403/379, 403/374
• US Class Current: 172/762
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 35/225 the tools being adapted to allow the chisel point to be easily fitted or removed from the shank

Abstract

An improved soil-working implement. The implement comprises a shank having a free-end portion; a one-piece adapter defining a recess, wherein the adapter is removably affixed to the shank free-end portion; a one-piece shovel; and an elastomeric element frictionally removably retained within the recess of the adapter.

Claims

1. An improved soil-working implement comprising:

a shank having a free-end portion that is disposed downwardly toward the soil;

a one-piece adapter defining an edge margin, a tapered surface, and a recess disposed along the edge margin, wherein the adapter is removably affixed to the free-end portion of the shank;

a one-piece shovel defining an integral soil-engaging end and an integral bracket in distal relation to the soil-engaging end, wherein the bracket defines a walled channel, wherein the channel wall defines a tapered surface, wherein the adapter is dimensioned to fit snugly within the channel when the tapered surfaces of the adapter and channel are in contact, wherein the adapter is dimensioned to provide a frictional surface for retaining the shovel onto the adapter when the tapered surfaces of the adapter and bracket channel are in contact; and

an elastomeric element frictionally removably retained within the recess of the adapter, wherein the elastomeric element defines a plurality of integral fingers disposed outwardly of the adapter edge margin when the elastomeric element is disposed within the adapter recess, wherein the plural fingers of the elastomeric element provide an additional frictional surface for retaining the shovel onto the adapter when the plural fingers contact the tapered surface of the bracket channel and the tapered surfaces of the adapter and bracket channel are in contact, wherein the adapter is removably frictionally retained within the channeled bracket of the shovel, whereby the adapter and the fingers cooperate to frictionally retain the shovel onto the free-end portion of the shank.

2. An improved soil-working implement comprising:

an elongated, arcuate shank having a free-end portion that is disposed downwardly toward the soil;

an elongated one-piece adapter defining a pair of integral longitudinally-disposed opposite edge margins, wherein the edge margins together define a pair of spaced-apart surfaces that are tapered inwardly along the length of the adapter, wherein each of the edge margins further defines an elongated recess therein, wherein each recess is disposed substantially along the length of its corresponding adapter edge margin, wherein the adapter is removably affixed to the free-end portion of the shank;

a one-piece shovel defining an integral soil-engaging end and an integral bracket end in distal relation to the soil-engaging end, wherein the bracket end is elongated and defines a correspondingly elongated integral channel having spaced-apart side walls, wherein the channel side walls define a pair of facing surfaces that are tapered along the length of the channel, wherein the adapter is dimensioned to be disposed longitudinally and fit snugly within the channel when the tapered surfaces of the adapter are in contact with the tapered surfaces of the channel, wherein the adapter provides a frictional surface for retaining the shovel onto the adapter when the tapered surfaces of the adapter are in contact with the tapered surfaces of the channel; and

a pair of elongated resilient elastomeric elements, wherein each elastomeric element is longitudinally-disposed and frictionally removably retained within a corresponding one of the adapter recesses, wherein each of the elastomeric elements defines a plurality of integral fingers disposed outwardly of a corresponding one of the adapter edge margins when the elastomeric elements are longitudinallydisposed and retained within their respective adapter recesses, wherein the plural fingers of both of the elastomeric elements together provide an additional frictional surface for retaining the shovel onto the adapter when the plural fingers of both of the recess-retained elastomeric elements are in contact with the tapered surfaces of the channel of the bracket end of the shovel and the tapered surfaces of the shovel channel are in contact with the tapered surfaces of the adapter, wherein the adapter is longitudinally disposed and removably frictionally retained within the channel of the shovel, whereby the channel tapered walls, the adapter edge margins, and the fingers of both of the elastomeric elements collectively cooperate to frictionally retain the shovel onto the free-end portion of the shank.

3. In combination with an installation tool comprising an elongated handle and a U-shaped bracket pivotally connected to an end portion of the handle, an improved soil-working implement comprising:

a shank having a free-end portion that is disposed downwardly toward the soil;

a one-piece adapter defining an edge margin, a tapered surface, and a recess disposed along the edge margin, wherein the adapter is removably affixed to the free-end portion of the shank;

a one-piece shovel defining an integral soil-engaging end and an integral bracket in distal relation to the soil-engaging end, wherein the shovel bracket defines a walled channel and an aperture spaced in distal relation to the soil-engaging end, wherein the channel wall defines a tapered surface, wherein the U-shaped bracket defines an integral post dimensioned to be disposable and fit snugly within the shovel aperture, wherein the adapter is dimensioned to fit snugly within the channel when the tapered surfaces of the adapter and channel are in contact, wherein the adapter is dimensioned to provide a frictional surface for retaining the shovel onto the adapter when the tapered surfaces of the adapter and shovel bracket channel are in contact; and

an elastomeric element frictionally removably retained within the recess of the adapter, wherein the elastomeric element defines a plurality of integral fingers disposed outwardly of the adapter edge margin when the elastomeric element is disposed within the adapter recess, wherein the plural fingers of the elastomeric element provide an additional frictional surface for retaining the shovel onto the adapter when the plural fingers contact the tapered surface of the shovel channel and the tapered surfaces of the adapter and shovel channel are in contact, wherein the adapter is removably frictionally retained within the shovel channel, whereby, when the post is disposed within the shovel aperture such that the U-bracketed end portion of the handle is in contact with the adapter, the opposite end of the elongated handle can be used to urge the adapter into snug engagement within the shovel channel, whereby the adapter and the fingers cooperate to frictionally retain the shovel onto the free-end portion of the shank.