Snow-removing machine

• US 6,327,799 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masayuki, Ito, Tomoki, Yamamoto, Takahiro, Sakai, Seishu, Hanafusa, Jitsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): BATSON, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US09/612,295
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 372/42, 372/44, 372/45, 372/48, 372/49, 372/54, 372/57, 372/58, 372/22, 372/23, 372/32, 188/313, 188/314, 188/315, 188/316, 188/317, 267/64.26
• US Class Current: 37/257
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/04 Apparatus propelled by animal or engine power; Apparatus propelled by hand with driven dislodging or conveying levelling elements, conveying pneumatically for the dislodged materialE01H5/10, E01H5/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/0272 with control rod extending through the piston rod into the piston

Abstract

In a snow-removing machine, an expandable and contractible regulating mechanism is coupled between a steering handlebar of a machine body including a snow-removing section and a drive section capable of being turned relative to the machine body about a wheel driving shaft, and is capable of regulating the level of the snow-removing section relative to the drive section. The expandable and contractible regulating mechanism is comprised of a cylinder connected to the machine body, a piston which divides the inside of the cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber, a piston rod coupled to the piston and connected to the drive section, a communication passage permitting communication between the first and second chambers, and an on-off valve for opening and closing the communication passage. A high-pressure gas is filled in the first and second chambers, so that the expansion and compression of the high-pressure gas is permitted upon closing of the on-off valve. Thus, during a snow-removing operation of the snow-removing machine, vibration applied to the drive section can be absorbed utilizing the expandable and contractible regulating mechanism for regulating the level of the snow-removing section.

Claims

1. A snow-removing machine comprising a machine body having a snow-removing section mounted at a front portion thereof, a steering handlebar mounted at a rear portion thereof and a power unit mounted at an intermediate portion thereof;

said power unit including a wheel driving shaft, a drive section having driven wheels driven by said wheel driving shaft of said power unit, said drive section being turnable relative to said machine body about said wheel driving shaft, and an expandable and contractible regulating mechanism coupled between said machine body and said drive section for regulating the level of said snow-removing section relative to said drive section, said expandable and contractible regulating mechanism comprising a cylinder connected to one of said machine body and said drive section, a piston slidably received in said cylinder for dividing the inside of said cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber, a piston rod coupled to said piston, passing through said second chamber and connected to the other of said machine body and said drive section, a communication passage for permitting the communication between said first and second chambers, and an on-off valve for opening and closing said communication passage, wherein a first end face of said piston facing said first chamber is wider than a second end face of said piston facing said second chamber, and wherein a high-pressure gas is filled in said first and second chambers, such that the high-pressure gas flows through said communication passage upon opening of said on-off valve to enable the expansion and contraction of said cylinder and said piston rod relative to each other, and the flowing of the high-pressure gas through said communication passage is inhibited upon closing of said on-off valve, whereby the expansion and compression of the high-pressure gas in said first and second chambers is permitted.

2. A snow-removing machine according to claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of said machine body is located to the rear of said wheel driving shaft, and said expandable and contractible regulating mechanism is coupled between said machine body and said drive section at a position rearwardly of said wheel driving shaft, such that the moment around said wheel driving shaft due to the weight of said machine body is substantially balanced with a moment around said wheel driving shaft of said machine body due to the difference between thrusts exerted to said first and second end faces by said high-pressure gas.

3. A snow-removing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said expandable and contractible regulating mechanism is positioned such that said second chamber is located below said first chamber, and wherein said cylinder includes a slide bearing and an oil seal at a lower end thereof, said piston rod slidably passing therethrough, and wherein oil stored in a bottom of said second chamber with the surface thereof being in contact with said high-pressure gas.

4. A snow-removing machine comprising a machine body having a snow-removing section mounted at a front portion thereof, a steering handlebar mounted at a rear portion thereof and a power unit mounted at an intermediate portion thereof;

said power unit including a wheel driving shaft, a drive section having a pair of left and right driven wheels connected to opposite ends of said wheel driving shaft of said power unit, a pair of left and right drive frames relatively turnably connected to opposite ends of said wheel driving shaft and extending rearwards, a rear axle supported at the rear ends of said left and right drive frames, a pair of left and right follower wheels supported at opposite ends of said rear axle, and crawlers each reeved around said driven and follower wheels on the same side; and

an expandable and contractible regulating mechanism coupled between said machine body and said drive section for regulating the level of said snow-removing section, a cross member, the rear ends of said pair of left and right drive frames being connected to each other by said cross member, such that the independent swinging movement of each of said drive frames is permitted about said wheel driving shaft, wherein the expandable and contractible regulating mechanism is coupled between said cross member and said machine body, and wherein said expandable and contractible regulating mechanism includes a cylinder filled with a high-pressure gas to provide a damper function to said expandable and contractible regulating mechanism.

5. A snow-removing machine according to claim 4, wherein said expandable and contractible regulating mechanism is oscillatably connected at the upper and lower opposite ends thereof to said machine body and said cross member, respectively.