Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02307797 2000-OS-04
SIDE PLOW ASSEMBLY
The present invention relates generally to side plow assemblies for mounting
on motor
operated vehicles and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is common practice to remove snow from streets through the use of an angled
snow
plow blade. Removing the snow slows down the plowing process, which is
generally a
slow process to begin with. A slow snow removal process is particularly
undesirable
when there is a high volume of traffic.
1o
The angled snow plow blade channels snow away from a street side of the blade
towards
a curb edge of the blade. The snow is deposited as a ridge running along the
curb. The
snow ridge formed at the curb is generally unobjectionable and remains there
until it is
hauled away at a later, more convenient time, or until it melts. However, the
snow ridge
causes problems where it blocks laneways, driveways, adjoining streets, and
the like
(referred to collectively as pathways).
U.S. patent number 5,903,986 discloses a snow plow with a side gate. The side
gate is
employed when the snow plow passes the pathways. The gate extends from the
curb
2o edge of the plow blade and momentarily stops the flow of snow from the plow
blade.
The gate therefore prohibits the snow ridge from forming when it is extended.
However,
since the snow is being channeled towards the gate, the force of the snow
makes it
difficult to extend and retract the gate. Furthermore, the snow plow as
described is not
the only snow plow currently in use. Thus there are still situations that
require the
removal of the snow ridge.
U.S. patent number 5,903,987 discloses a snow plow assembly for mounting on
trucks or
the like. The assembly is mounted on a side of the truck with a blade in a
stored position.
The blade is extended outwardly from side of the truck to an operative
position. When in
3o the operative position, the blade can clear the snow ridge from the
pathways. However,
since the blade is stored along the side of the truck, it is possible that the
blade can come
CA 02307797 2000-OS-04
into contact with obstacles causing damage to both the blade and the obstacle.
Such
obstacles include parked cars, moving cars, street signs, fire hydrants, and
the like. This
may be further exacerbated by the fact that when the snow plow is in use,
streets are
typically narrower due to the accumulation of fallen snow. Further, deploying
the blade
from its stored position to its operative position requires significant space
for the blade to
swing out. Force will also required to deploy the blade since it will have to
move snow
out of its way while being deployed.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least some
of the
1o aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a side plow
assembly for
attaching to a vehicle. The side plow assembly comprises a blade for plowing,
a front
plate connectable to the vehicle and a turntable for coupling the blade to the
front plate.
The turntable is rotatable about a pivot point. A displacement mechanism
rotates the
turntable. The displacement mechanism is couplable to the front plate by a
first coupling
and couplable to the turntable by a second coupling. A rod is couplable at a
first end to
the distal end of the blade and at a second end to the plow. The rod maintains
the blade
in a predetermined position, that is, extending laterally from the vehicle.
The turntable
rotates said blade between a horizontal position and a vertical position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only,
with
reference to the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of a snow plow with a blade in a stored position;
Figure Z is a front view of the snow plow similar to figure I with a blade in
an
operative position;
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the blade of the snow plow;
3o Figure 4 is perspective view of the rear of the blade of the snow plow;
Figure 5 is a front view of a turntable and front plate assembly of the snow
plow;
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and
Figure 6 is a section 6.6 plan view of the turntable and front plate assembly
of
figure 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Refernng to Figure 1, a snow plow is illustrated generally by the numeral 10.
The snow
plow includes a front plate 12 connected to a front of a vehicle 11. A
turntable 18 is
located at one end of the front plate 12, preferably at an end of the front
plate 12 that is
closer to a curb 13. The turntable 18 is pivotable about a pivot point 19,
which is
preferably at a center of the turntable 18. A raised central plate 30 is
secured to the
turntable 18 and supports a connected crank arm 16. The crank arm 16 lies in a
plane
that is parallel and off set to the turntable 18. The turntable 18 is rotated
by a hydraulic
cylinder 14, which is connected between the crank arm 16 and the front plate
12. A first
pin joint 22 is used to connect the crank arm 16 to one end of the hydraulic
cylinder 14
and a second pin joint 24 is used to connect another end of the hydraulic
cylinder to a
plate 31, which is secured to the front plate 12. The turntable 18, connected
central plate
30, and the plate 31 are proportioned so that the hydraulic cylinder 14 lies
in the same
plane as the crank arm 16. Attached to the turntable is a blade 20. The
hydraulic
cylinder 14 cooperates with the crank arm 16 to pivot the turntable 18 about
the pivot
2o point 19. In this manner, the attached blade 20 is displaced between a
stored position
shown in Figure 1 and an operative position shown in Figure 2.
Referring to figure 3, an exploded view of the blade 20 is shown. The bottom
of the
blade 20 is coupled to a boom 32 using several nut and bolt assemblies 34. A
hinge 35 is
formed by a pair of bores 46 attached to a proximate end of the boom 32 and a
pair of
bores 46 attached to the turntable 18 via a pair of plates 47, which are
welded to the
central plate 30. A pin 48 is inserted through the bores 46 for hingedly
attaching the
boom 32 to the turntable 18 and serves as an axis of rotation for the hinge
35, as the blade
20 swings between the operative and stored positions. An elongate, spring-
loaded push
3o rod 36 extends along the side of the snow plow and is coupled between a
snow plow
stabilizer (not shown) and a distal end of the boom 32. The stabilizer is
typically located
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at the rear of the snow plow 10. The push rod 36 has a ball and socket joint
38 at each
end so that the blade 20 can be swung between the operative and stored
positions, without
disconnecting the push rod 36. The push rod 36 includes two telescoping rods
40, 42.
The first rod 40 has a pair of pinholes 44 and the second rod 42 has several
pairs of
pinholes 44. The length of the push rod 36 is adjusted by aligning the pair of
pinholes 44
on the first rod 40 with one of the pairs of pinholes 44 on the second rod 42.
A pin is
inserted through the pinholes 44 for maintaining the length of the push rod
36.
Since the blade 20 is hingedly attached to the turntable 18, it is possible
for the blade 20
to rotate about the axis defined by the hinge 35. Therefore, the push rod 36
is employed
to maintain the blade 20 at a fixed angle relative to the plates 47, once the
blade 20 is
placed in either the operative or stored position. The push rod 36 is spring-
loaded for
providing shock absorption for the blade 20, when placed in the operative
position.
Thusly, there is some variation allowed in the angle maintained by the push
rod 36,
although this angle typically does not change by more than a few degrees
during plowing.
The length of the push rod 36 can be easily modified as described above for
adjusting the
angle between the blade 20 and the plates 47. The longer the push rod 36, the
further
forward the distal end of the blade will lie. Therefore, adjusting the length
of the push
rod 36 changes the direction the snow is plowed. Furthermore, the push rod 36
is of
sufficient length in combination with the flexible hinge 35, so that warping
of the push
rod 36 is negligible as the blade 20 moves between the operative and stored
positions.
Referring to figure 4, the rear of the blade 20 is shown in its operative
position. The top
of the blade 20 is attached to the boom 32 via several springs 50. The springs
50 are in a
typically in a relaxed state, and the blade 20 is in a generally upright
position. 'Che
bottom of the blade 20 is attached to the boom 32 via the nut and bolt
assemblies 34, as
shown in figure 3. The blade 20 is capable of rotating about the nut and bolt
assemblies
34, but is held in place by the springs 50. If the blade 20 hits a raised
obstruction while it
3o is plowing, the blade 20 pivots slightly forward, extending the springs 50.
Once the
obstruction is passed, the springs 50 force the blade 20 to return to the
upright position.
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This feature further enhances the shock absorbing quality provided by the
spring-loaded
push rod 36. Allowing the blade 20 to pivot reduces the possibility of
damaging the
blade 20 by imparting some of the momentum of impacting obstructions from the
blade
20 to the springs 50.
The front plate 12 and turntable 18 are preferably made of steel and are
further illustrated
in figures 5 and 6. A rear surface 50 of the turntable 18 is in general
contact with the
front plate 12. A set of brackets 52 are fastened to the front plate 12, and
are slidably
connected to the front surface 53 of the turntable 18. A sacrificial wear
plate 54 can be
1o interposed between the brackets 52 and the surface 53, which permit
slidable
displacement between the turntable 18 and the brackets 52. The material of the
wear
plate 54, such as brass, can be chosen so that wear damage to the surface 53
is minimized
during rotation of the turntable 18 about the pivot point 19.
The nut and bolt assembly 51 of the pivot point 19 further includes a shaft
58, a bolt 60,
and bearings 64. The bearings 64 allow rotation of turntable 18 about the
shaft 58.
Therefore, the nut and bolt assembly 51 operatively couples the turntable 18
to the front
plate 12. Once coupled, clearance between the rear surface 50 of this
turntable and the
front plate 12 is minimized, so that bending stresses on the shaft 58 is
inhibited.
If the vehicle maintains the blade 20 in the stored position for extended
periods, the
actuator 14 is the only device preventing the blade 20 from falling and may
fail.
Therefore, a chain 56 can be temporarily connected between the vehicle frame
58 and the
blade 20, for locking the blade 20 while it is in the stored position. The
chain 56 can be
used to reduce stress on the actuator 14, if desired.
Refernng once again to figure 1, the hydraulic cylinder 14 is not extended and
the blade
20 is in a generally vertical stored position. The width of the blade 20 is
preferably
stored within the track of the snow plow 10, although this is not necessarily
true.
3o Further, the blade 20 is preferably stored such that it is not directly in
front of a driver.
Therefore, the driver has a sufficient view for driving safely.
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When the hydraulic cylinder 14 is extended, the crank arm 16 and the turntable
18 are
rotated. The blade 20 is lowered into a generally horizontal operative
position as shown
in figure 2. The pivot axis for the blade is the pivot point 19 on the
turntable 18. When
in the operative position, the blade 20 extends laterally from the snow plow
10. Since the
hydraulic cylinder 14 and the crank arm 16 lie in a plane offset to that of
the raised plate
30, the hydraulic cylinder 14 will not inhibit rotation of the turntable 18 or
the plate 30 as
the cylinder 14 extends.
Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment, a second snow plow blade (not
to shown) can be attached to the front plate 12 for removing snow from a
street. The second
blade can be an angled blade, if desired.
Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific
embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled
in the art
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in
the claims
appended hereto.
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