Snow removing machine

• US 20060123667A1
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mizoroke, Tsutomu, Kawakami, Toshiaki, Ono, Naotoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,581,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

Abstract

In a snow removing machine, left and right running devices and auger housing are mounted on a running-device frame, and the auger housing is rollable by a rolling drive mechanism. In response to operation of a turning operator, a control section performs control to drive the left and right running devices to thereby turn the machine, and the control section also issues a drive instruction to the rolling drive mechanism to roll the auger housing in an inward direction, as viewed in the turning direction of the machine, such that a portion of one of the opposite side edges of the auger housing, located inwardly of the other side edge as viewed in the turning direction, is brought into contact with the ground surface.

Claims

1. A snow removing machine comprising:

left and right running devices mounted on a running-device frame;

an auger housing having an auger housed therein and rollably mounted on the running-device frame;

a rolling drive mechanism for rolling said auger housing;

a turning operator operable to turn said snow removing machine; and

a control section for, in response to operation of said turning operator, performing control to drive said left and right running devices to thereby turn said snow removing machine in a desired turning direction,

wherein, in response to the operation of said turning operator, said control section also issues a drive instruction to said rolling drive mechanism to roll said auger housing in an inward direction, as viewed in the turning direction of the snow removing machine, such that a portion of one of side edges of said auger housing, located inwardly of other of the side edges as viewed in the turning direction, is brought into contact with a ground surface.

2. A snow removing machine according to claim 1 which further comprises left and right operating handles extending from a rear portion of the running-device frame, and

wherein said turning operator comprises left and right operation levers operable by respective hands of a human operator holding said left and right operating handles, or left and right push-button switches provided between said left and right operating handles at positions within ranges operable by the hands of the human operator holding said left and right operating handles.

3. A snow removing machine according to claim 1 which further comprises an auger-housing-posture manipulating lever operable to operate said rolling drive mechanism in order to roll said auger housing in accordance with a snow surface during snow removal work using the auger, and wherein said auger-housing-posture manipulating lever is arranged to also function as said turning operator.