Frozen topsoil plow

• US 6,328,114 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allan Mason Ritchie, Ronald George Ritchie
• Original Assignee: Allan Mason Ritchie, Ronald George Ritchie
• Inventors: Ritchie, Allan Mason, Ritchie, Ronald George
• Primary Examiner(s): BATSON, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US09/522,941
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 172/684.5, 172/445.1, 172/448, 172/449, 172/699, 172/700, 172/811, 172/445.2, 374/07, 374/08, 374/09, 374/10, 372/14, 372/19, 372/20, 372/21
• US Class Current: 172/445.1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 13/00 Ploughs or like machines for special purposes for drainage E02B11/02; Ditch diggers, trench ploughs, forestry ploughs, ploughs for land or marsh reclamation machines for aerating meadows A01B45/02; making furrows A01C5/00; dredging machines in general E02F
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 15/04 Shares making ploughshares by rolling B21H
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 17/00 Ploughs with special additional arrangements, e.g. means for putting manure under the soil, clod-crushers A01B49/00 takes precedence; Means for breaking the subsoil

Abstract

A plowing implement particularly adapted for breaking up frozen topsoil to a desired and controllable depth includes a backer plate and scraping blade which are both at a swept-back angle to the direction of travel. The scraping blade is preferably made up of a plurality of chisel plates which are spaced apart in a staggered fashion. The implement includes depth control means comprising a depth control shoe that is vertically adjustable.

Claims

1. A soil-plowing implement, for being mounted to and moved by a motorized vehicle including a bulldozer, said implement comprising:

(a) a scraping blade having a generally horizontal leading edge and comprising a plurality of chisel plates fastened to the front face of the backer plate and projecting forward and at a downward angle therefrom, each said chisel plate defining;

(i) a rear edge connected to the front face of the backer plate;

(ii) an inboard side edge and an outboard side edge, said side edges originating at opposite ends of the rear edges and each having a lower end; and

(iii) a leading edge, for engaging and penetrating soil, said leading edge extending between the lower ends of the inboard and outboard side edges;

(b) a backer plate associated with the scraping blade wherein both the scraping blade and the backer plate are at a swept-back angle to the direction of travel, wherein said backer plate is substantially vertical and planar, having a front face and a rear face, said backer plate defining a substantially vertical forward edge and a trailing edge;

(c) a vertical fin or fins attached to an upper side of the scraping blade, wherein the vertical fin or finds comprise plates which are attached between the outboard side edge of a chisel plate and the inboard side edge of the adjacent chisel plate and a generally vertical coulter plate connected to and extending above the inboard side edge of the most inboard chisel plate;

(d) means for controlling vertical depth of the leading edge of the scraping blade relative to the soil; and

(e) a support structure for rigidly attaching the implement to the motorized vehicle.

2. The implement of claim 1 wherein the leading edge of each chisel plate has a plurality of teeth for penetrating into soil.

3. The implement of claim 2 wherein the teeth are replaceable.

4. The implement of claim 1 wherein the support structure comprises a substantially vertical mast associated with the backer plate, said mast extending vertically above the backer plate and the coulter plate, and defining an upper opening for receiving a bolt or pin for connecting the mast to a box beam mounted on the vehicle.

5. The implement of claim 4 wherein the support structure further comprises a stabilizer arm bracket fastened to the backer plate in the vicinity of the trailing edge, and further comprising a stabilizer arm mounted at one end to the stabilizer arm bracket and at the other end to a box beam on a motive power unit.

6. The implement of claim 5 wherein the length of the stabilizer arm is adjustable as to length.

7. The implement of claim 5 wherein the outboardmost chisel plate has an extension plate, extending outboard from and in substantially the same plane as the outboardmost chisel plate.

8. The implement of claim 7 wherein the extension plate is configured so as to engage the stabilizer arm bracket.

9. The implement of claim 1 wherein the depth-control means comprises:

(a) a bracket rigidly attached to the support structure, said bracket having a substantially horizontal base plate with a plurality of bolt holes and a bottom surface;

(b) a depth-control shoe having an upper surface, a substantially flat bottom surface and one or more studs extending upwardly from the depth-control shoe, for engagement with the bolt holes in said base plate; and

(c) one or more shim plates having bolt holes to accommodate the studs of the depth-control shoe, a desired number of which shim plates may be positioned between the upper surface of the depth-control shoe and the bottom surface of the base plate of the mast bracket.

10. The implement of claim 1 wherein the depth-control means comprises a depth-control shoe and a hydraulic cylinder and piston which is operative to raise and lower the depth control shoe.

11. The implement of claim 1 further comprising a substantially horizontal base member connected to the chisel plates slightly above the leading edges thereof, and extending rearward from the chisel plates and connecting to the backer plate.