Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~)4~)909
MIRROR AND GUIDE DEVICE FOR A TRACTOR
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a mirror and ~uide attach-
ment device for a tractor having a trailing cultivator imple-
; ment towed thereby.
When row crops are cultivated with a cultivatorimplement towed by a tractor, the tractor operator is required
to constantly turn rearwardly during the cultivating operation
to determine if the cultivating shovels and shields are prop-
erly disposed with respect to the row crops being cultivated.on hillsides, the tractor tends to drift slightly in a lateral
direction which sometimes results in the row crops being cov-
.
ered with the soil. Therefore, unless the cultivator tools
are properly aligned with respect to the crop rows, not only -~
will certain crop rows be covered with soil during the cultivat-
ing operation, but in some instances, the cultivating shovels ;
will be spaced too far from the rows to effectively remove
the weed~. It is also tiring for the tractor operator to con-
stantly turn rearwardly from his normally forward facing posi-
tion in order to view the cultivator tools during the cultivat-
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ing operation.
It is therefore a general object of this invention
to provide a mirror device which may be readily attached to a -
tr~ctor having a cultivating implement connected thereto, to
permit the tractor operator to readily and easily observe the
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row crops being cultivated while the operator faces in a gen-
erally forward direction. It is also an o~ect of this invention
to provide the mirror device with a guide assembly which per-
mit~ the operator to accurately giide the tractor in a forward
direction.
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" 1~4~)909
More particularly in accordence with the invention there is
provided, a mirror and guide attachment device for a tractor having a trailing
cultivator implement towed thereby, said device comprising
a mounting bracket adapted to be attachably mounted on the tractor
adjacent one of the front wheels thereof,
a rigid generally rectangular mirror frame, means connecting the
mirror frame with said bracket for spacing the frame laterally of the tractor
body and rearwardly and adjacent one of the front tractor wheels,
a rearwardly facing generally rectangularly shaped mirror mounted
10 on said frame, yieldable means interposed between said mirror and the frame to
dampen and absorb vibrations thereto, said mirror being disposed in angulated
relation and extending downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the surface
of the ground, said mirror being disposed at approximately the same height as
the upper portion of the adjacent front tractor wheel,
a peripheral shield structure secured to said frame and including a
pair of substantially flat rearwardly projecting side plates positioned on
opposite sides of the mirror and a top plate secured to said side plates and
projecting rearwardly from adjacent the top portion of said mirror to reduce
glare and protect the mirror from flying objects,
a substantially flat cover plate shiftably connected with said
mirror frame and being swingable between open and closed positions, said cover
plate when in the closed position, overlying and covering said mirror, and when
in the open position, being disposed in unobstructing relation with respect to
the mirror. An adjustable guide assembly may be connected with the bracket
including an elongate straight guide element allowing a tractor operator to
align the guide element with a crop row being cultivated. The yieldable means
may include a plurality of slotted dampening elements each having an inner slot
receiving a peripheral edge of the mirror frame A vertical mounting element ~ -
on the bracket may carry a horizontal mounting element adjust~bly secured to it - .
30 with means mounting the elongate guide element on the horizontal mounting
element, ~:~
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1t)4U909
These and other objects and advantages of thi~ invention
will more fully appear from the following description made in
connection with the acoompanying drawings wherein like reference
characters refer to the ~ame or similar parts throughout the
several views.
FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 i~ a perspective view of a tractor having
a trailing cultivating implement attached thereto and also
having the novel mirror and guide device mounted thereon;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the tractor and
trailing implement and illustrating by dotted line configura- -
tion, the line of vision of the operator and the reflected image
of the mirror during the cultivating operation;
Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through -:
the mirror and guide device illustrating details of construction
thereof;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately
along 11nes 4-4 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the
arro~rs t
Figure S is a rear per~pective view of the mirror
and guide device: and
Figure 6 is a front per~pective view of the mirror
and guide device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
0~ THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings and more speciically
to Figure 1, it will be ~een that one embodiment of the novel
mirror and guide devlce, designated generally by the reference ~:
nuJeral 10, is shown ~ounted in cooperative relat$on on a con- :-
30 ventional tractor 11 to which is connected a trailing cultivator ~ -
i~plement 12. The tractor 11 is provided with ground engaging -;
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wheels including a pair of front wheels 13. The cultivator im-
plement 12 is of conventional construction and includes a frame
including a tool bar which has a plurality of cultivator shovels
14 and rolling shields 15 secured thereto. The cultivator
shovels 14 are adapted to c~ultivate the soil between the rows of
a conventional row crop such as beans, corn or the like, while
the rolling shields 15 are arranged in pairs and the shields of
eAch pair are disposed on opposite sides of a crop row to pre-
vent the crop row from being covered during the cultivating
operation.
The mirror and guide device 10 includes means for
mounting the device on the tractor 11 and this means includes
an elongate substantially straight channel bracket 16 including
a web 17 having flanges 18 secured thereto and projecting there-
from. The web of the channel bracket 16 i8 provided with open-
ings detachably mount the channel bracket on the body of the
tractor.
The channel bracket 16 provides a mounting for a
mirror assembly 20 which is comprised of a generally rectangular
frame 21, including elongate straight side frame element~ 22
rigidly secured to transverse frame elements 23. It will be
noted that these frame elements are of angle construction.
Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, it will be seen
that a pair of elongate substantially straight angle brackets - ~ -
24 are each rigidly secured to the front s~rface of one of the --
side frame elements 22 and project forwardly therefrom. In this
respect, one flange of each angle bracket 24 is spaced forwardly
from the associated side frame elements 22. A substantially $1at, ~ ~-
generally rectangular shaped rear plate 25 is dispo~ed between
30 the angle brackets 24 and the frame elements of the rectangular -
frame 21, the rear plate being rigidly secured to the angle
bracket~ 24.
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A generally rectangular shaped flat mirror 26 is
mounted on the rectangular frame 21 by a pair of vertical dam-
pening elements 27 and a pair of transverse dampening elements
28. These dampening elements are formed of a yieldable resilient
material preferably rubber and each has an elongate inner slot 29
therein and an elongate outer slot 30 therein. It will be ~een
that the inner slot 29 of each dampening elements receives a mar-
ginal portion of the mirror therein while the outer slot of each
dampening element receives a flange of an adjacent frame element
thereon.
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The mirror assembly also includes a shield structure
31 which is comprised of a pair of substantially identical
triangular side shield plates 32, each including an upper an-
gular edge, 33, a lower angular edge 34 and a vertical edge 35.
The shield structure is also comprised of a top shield plate 36 ~,;
which is of generally rectangular configuration, as best seen in
Figure 5, and which has a curled or rolled upper edge 37. The side
edges 38 of the top plate are rigidly secured to the upper an-
gular edges 33 of the side shield plates 32 and the rear edge
portion 39 is r~gidly secured to the uppermost trans~erse frame
element 23 and projects forwardly therefrom. It will also be noted
that the lower angular edges 34 of the side shield plates are
rigidly secured to the side frame elements 22 of the rectangular
frame 21. The shield structure 31 iot only protects the mirror
from flying objects such as stones or the like, but the shield
structure also ~erves to minimize glare with respect to the -;
reflective surface of the mirror. In this respect, the inner
~urfaces of the top and side plates of the shield structure may
be painted with a flat or non-reflective material to further
minimize glare.
~ he mirror asse~bly 20 is connected to the channel
bracket 16 by means of an elongate upper brace 40 and a pair of
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elongate lower braces 41. Referring now to Figure 5, it will be
noted that the respective forward ends of the braces are rigidly
secured to the lower flange of the channel bracket 16 and the
braces project outwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The rear-
ward end of the upper brace 40 is connected to the upper end por-
tion of the outermost side frame element 22. The rearward ends
of the lower braces 41 are each connected to the lower end portion
of one of the side frame elements 22. It will be noted as best
seen in Figures 2 and 3 that when the channel bracket 16 is mounted
on the tractor, the rectangular frame and a mirror 26 will be s
disposed in angulated relation and will extend downwardly and
rearwardly to facilitate observation of the cultivator tools by
the tractor operator.
Means are also provided for protecting the mirror
against damage when the tractor is being driven from one location
to another and it is not being used in a cultivating operation.
To this end, a substantially flat, generally rectangular shaped
cover plate 42 is provided, having a rolled inner edge 43 through
which projects a pivotal or hinged pin 44. The hinge pin is connec- ~
20 ted to the frame 21, adjacent the inner side thereof to swingably ~:
mount the cover plate thereon for swinging movement between open
~nd closed positions. When the cover plate 42 is in the closed
position, the cover plate covers the rear surface of ~he mirror
and will prevent damage thereto. However, when the cover p~ate . -~
42 i8 in the open position, it will be positioned adjacent the
innermost side plate of the shield structure, and will in no way . ;.
ob~truct the vi~ion of the tractor operator with respect to the : :;
mirror. ~ -
It will be noted that because of the angulated re- :-.
lation of the mirror and supporting frame 21,.the cover plate
42 will normally be. ur~ed to the clo~ed position by the action ~ ~ -
of gravity. Means are therefore provided for retaining the cover
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104~)9~)9
plate in an open condition. This means includes an elongate
flexible member of rope 46 which has one end thereof extending
through an opening 45 in the cover plate and has its other end
extending upwardly to,a point adjacent the tractor operator.
With this arrangement, the tractor operator may retain the
uover plate in an open position and by merely releasing the taut ' '
rope, the cover plate may be allowed to swing to the closed
position.
Means are also provided for facilitating guiding of
the tractor during the cultivating operation and this means
includes a guide assembly~47. The guide assembly 47 is comprised
of a mounting sleeve 48 which is regidly secured to the channel
bracket 16 and which is provided with a set screw 49. An L-
shaped mounting arm 50 includes an elongate vertical portion 51,
a horizontal portion 52 and a terminal portion 53 which projects
angularly from the vertical portion 51. The terminal portion
53 projects into the mounting sleeve 48 and is secured in a pre- - :
selected angulated relation by the set screw 49. The horizontal ,
portion 52 of the L-shaped mounting arm 50 has a mounting sleeve ' ',
20 54 mounted thereon and provided with a set screw 55. Thus the l-,
mounting sleeve 54 may be adjusted longitudinally as well as ,~
angularly with respect to the horizontal portion 52~ The
mounting sleeve 54 also has a stud 66 rigidly affixed thereto
and projecting outwardly therefrom.
The guide assembly includes an elongate substantially ,,
straight guide rod or element 57 which is provided with a sleeve
58 rigidly affixed thereto, adjacent one end thereof. The sleeve ''
58 is also provided with a set screw 49 and is mounted on the '~
stud 56. With this arrangement, the sleeve may be rotated on the ';
~tud 56 to adjust the angular position of the guide rod 57.
It will al~o ba noted that the guide ascembly is capable of a
wide range of ad~ustnent to properly position the guide rod in
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~04~)909
a predetermined position to facilitate guiding of the tractor
during the cultivating o~eration. In this respect, the guide rod
will be positioned so that the sight line of the tractor operator
centers the guide rod with respect to a crop row to be cultivated.
This permits the tractor to be properly guided between the rows
during the cultivating operation.
During the cultivating operation, the tractor will be
driven in a forward direction so that the cultivator shovels
of the cultivator implement will cultivate the soil between the
rows. The 5hields of a pair of rolling shields will be dis-
posed on opposite sides of the rcw being cultivated. The
mirror assembly 20 permits the operator to clearly view at
least one pair of the rolling shield assembliessas~well~as
the adjacent cultivator shovels located on opposite sides thereof.
Thus the tractor operator, by properly positioning the pair of rol-
ling shields being observed and adjacent pair of cultivator
shovels with respect to a single row will be assurea that effec-
tive cultivation is accomplished without danger of covering the -
plants with soil or damage of plant roots by the cultivator
shovels. Since the mirror assembly is positioned just rearwardly
of and at approximately the same level as the right front
wheel of the tractor, the op~rator may face forwardly at all
times, but will have an excellent, unobstructed view of a pair
of rolling shields and cultivator shovels during the cultivating -
ope~ation.
By mounting the guide assemblies adjacent but just
forwardly of the mirror assembly, the mirror and the guide as-
sembly are in an optimum position for observation by the tractor
operator. Thus the forward travel of the tractor as well as the
precise positioning of the cultivator shields and cultivator
shovels are ¢onstantly in the vision of the tractor operator
while permitting the operator to comfortably face forwardly
16~4~9~9
at all times.
Thus it will be seen that I have provided a novel
mirror and guide device which may be readily mounted on any
conventional tractor and which allows the tractor operator to
effectively cultivate while facing forwardly at all times.
It will further be noted that I have provided a
novel mirror guide device which is not only of simple and inexpen-
sive construction, but one which functions in a more effic~ont
manner than any ~retofore known comparable device.
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