Tongue pulled spreader and grader system

• US 8,544,558 B1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DoMor Equipment, LLC
• Original Assignee: DoMor Equipment, LLC
• Inventors: Seal, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fbin-Kovcs, rpd
• Application Number:
  US12/948,963
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 172/799.5, 172/684.5, 172/787, 172/72, 172/197
• US Class Current: 172/799.5
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/7663 Graders with the scraper blade mounted under a frame supported by wheels, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/8157 Shock absorbers; Supports, e.g. skids, rollers; Devices for compensating wear-and-tear, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/024 with laterally or vertically adjustable wheels or tracks for vehicles in general B60B35/10; B62D55/084

Abstract

A tongue pulled spreader and grader system having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls and cross beams to define a frame portion, a plurality of moveable or fixed blades extending between the sidewalls, each blade positionable along the length of each sidewall and fixed in position at a predetermined angle; a tongue for mounting the frame to the rear of a vehicle; a pair of wheels positioned on an axle on either side of the sidewalls; means for manually or hydraulically extending the wheels to a down position to make contact with a surface in order to transport the spreader and grader and for retracting the wheels to an up position so that the spreader and grader can undertake the grading process. The spreader and grader can attach to and be operated by ATVs, SUVs, light trucks, lawn tractors, sub compact tractors, side by side ATVs and fork trucks.

Claims

1. A tongue-pulled spreader and grader system, comprising:

a. a frame, having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls;

b. at least one blade positioned between the sidewalls for making contact to a surface to be graded;

c. an axle spanning across and positioned above the sidewalls;

d. a brace mounted on each end of the axle at a first end and secured to a rotatable wheel at a second end of each brace;

e. a mounting member extending between the midpoint of the axle at a first end and a hydraulic cylinder at a second end;

f. said hydraulic cylinder mounted to the mounting member at a first end of the hydraulic cylinder and mounted to the frame at a second end, for receiving hydraulic fluid to expand and retract the cylinder for moving the mounting member back for imparting rotation to the axle and movement to the braces attached to the wheels to raise and lower the wheels from a first position resting on the surface to a second position off the surface and above the level of the blade to allow the blade to cut into the surface as the frame is pulled along the surface;

g. the hydraulic cylinder further imparting rotation of the axle in the opposite direction to move the wheels from the second position above the blade to return to the first position resting on the surface; and

h. a mountable container for containing said hydraulic fluid.

2. The spreader and grader system in claim 1, further comprising a tongue component in order to attach to and be operated by ATVs, SUVs, light trucks, lawn tractors, sub compact tractors, side by side ATVs.

3. The spreader and grader system in claim 1, wherein there are multiple cutting blades that may be fixed in place or moveable in various parallel or non-parallel positions to undertake the grading process.

4. The spreader and grader system in claim 1, wherein there are replaceable wear shoes attached the sidewalls.

5. The tongue-pulled spreader and grader system of claim 1 wherein the mountable container is mountable to any vehicle having a means to connect to the spreader and grader system or mountable to the grader itself.

6. A tongue-pulled spreader and grader system, comprising:

a. a frame, having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls;

b. at least a pair of blades positioned between the sidewalls for making contact to a surface, such as the ground, to be graded;

c. an axle spanning across and positioned above the sidewalls;

d. a brace mounted on each end of the axle at a first end and secured to a rotatable wheel at a second end of each brace;

e. a mounting member extending from the midpoint of the axle at a first end and a hydraulic cylinder at a second end;

f. said hydraulic cylinder connected to said mounting member at a first end of the hydraulic cylinder and mounted to the frame at a second end, for receiving hydraulic fluid to expand and retract the cylinder for moving the mounting member back, for imparting rotation to the axle and movement to the braces attached to the wheels, to raise and lower the wheels from a first position resting on the surface to a second position off the surface and above the level of the blades to allow the blades to cut into the surface as the frame is pulled along the surface;

g. the hydraulic cylinder further imparting rotation of the axle in the opposite direction to move the wheels from the second position above the blades to return to the first position resting on the surface;

h. a tongue component wherein a first end of the tongue component is attached to a back end of the frame and wherein a second end of the tongue component is configured to attach to a motorized vehicle; and

i. an adjustable means extending between the tongue component and frame, and wherein the adjustable means is configured to change the pitch of the grader and the depth of the blades; and

j. a mountable container for containing said hydraulic fluid wherein the mountable container is mountable to any vehicle having a means to connect to the spreader and grader system.

7. The spreader and grader system in claim 6, wherein the tongue component can be attached to ATVs, SUVs, light trucks, lawn tractors, sub compact tractors, and side by side ATVs.

8. The spreader and grader system in claim 6, wherein the adjustable means can be operated by hydraulic means.

9. The spreader and grader system in claim 6, wherein the adjustable means can be operated by manual means.

10. The spreader and grader system in claim 6, wherein the adjustable means can be operated by mechanical means.

11. The spreader and grader system in claim 6, wherein there are replaceable wear shoes attached to the sidewalls.

12. The spreader and grader system in claim 6, wherein the blades may be fixed in place or moveable in parallel or non-parallel positions to undertake the grading process.

13. A tongue-pulled spreader and grader system, comprising:

a. a frame, having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls;

b. at least a pair of blades positioned between the sidewalls for making contact to a surface to be graded, wherein said blades may be fixed in place or moveable in parallel or non-parallel positions to undertake the grading process;

c. an axle spanning across and positioned above the sidewalls;

d. a brace mounted on each end of the axle at a first end and secured to a rotatable wheel at a second end of each brace;

e. a mounting member extending from the midpoint of the axle at a first end and a hydraulic cylinder at a second end;

f. a hydraulic cylinder connected to the axle at a first end and mounted to the frame at a second end, for receiving hydraulic fluid to expand and retract the cylinder for imparting rotation to the axle to raise and lower the wheels from a first position resting on the surface to a second position above the level of the blades to allow the blades to cut into the surface as the frame is pulled along the surface;

g. the hydraulic cylinder further imparting rotation of the axle in the opposite direction to move the wheels from the second position above the blades to return to the first position resting on the surface;

h. a tongue component wherein a first end of the tongue component is attached to a back end of the frame and wherein a second end of the tongue component is configured to attach to any vehicle having a means to tow a spreader or grader;

i. an adjustable means extending between the tongue member and frame, and wherein the adjustable means is configured to change the pitch of the grader and the depth of the blades; and

j. a mountable tank for holding said hydraulic fluid wherein the mountable tank is mountable to any vehicle having a means to connect to the spreader and grader system.