MANUAL TRENCH TOOL

OUTIL A TRANCHEE MANUEL

English Abstract

Apparatus for providing a six-inch deep trench in a lawn surface, for the primary purpose of installing irrigation pipe for sprinkler systems. A trenching tool which includes a lower portion having two heavy steel blades and a hinge mechanism. The steel impact blades are sharpened at the bottom to accommodate a V configuration to enhance the downward penetrating action by the operator as he drives the blades into the ground until the desired 6" is reached. The operator then forces the handles together which separates or widens the bottom portion of the channel. The channel/trench is elongated for any distance the operator desires by repeatedly thrusting the tool into the lawn right next to the elongated section of the original opened trench.

French Abstract

Outil permettant de creuser une tranchée de 15 cm (6 po) dans un terrain gazonné dans le but d'installer les tuyaux d'irrigation de systèmes d'arrosage. Cet outil d'excavation de tranchées comporte une partie inférieure pourvue de deux lames d'acier épais et d'un mécanisme à charnière. Les lames à percussion en acier sont aiguisées au bas de manière à présenter une configuration en V, ce qui permet à l'opérateur d'enfoncer plus facilement les lames dans le sol jusqu'à la profondeur souhaitée de 15 cm (6 po). L'opérateur rapproche alors les poignées afin d'élargir la partie inférieure de la tranchée. Il peut allonger la tranchée sur la distance voulue en enfonçant l'outil à répétition dans le sol à partir de la partie de la tranchée déjà pratiquée.

Claims

Claims:
I claim,
- a manual trenching tool comprising two steel plates each plate
having a length, a height and a sharpened edge along with a length of said
plate; said plates are hinged together by hinge means for rotation about a
horizontal axis parallel to said sharpened edge, approximately midway the
plates height; and two handles, each handle fixed to a corresponding plate
away from said sharpened edge, each handle is further bent in a direction
away from the plates such that after the plates are made to penetrate the
ground, the handles are forced towards each other, causing the plates to
widen in an area close to the sharpened edges and thereby creating a trench.

Description

CA 02481846 2004-10-15
Manual Trench Tool
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a trenching tool which is manoeuvred
by hand into soft soils, for the purpose of installing sprinkler systems, with
minimum damage to present lawn surfaces.
BACKGROUND
The lawn sprinkler systems in North Americav are expected to be one
of the growing desires of the aging baby boomers. 'This growing segment of
the populace has a very restricted budget. They also have in most cases,
matured homes with established lawns. For these reasons it is predicted that
the time is right for the introduction of a light duty manual trenching tool
for
the trenching part of shallow sprinkler system pipes.
There are very few previous tools offered for this simple trenching
operation.
S~~Y
It is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an
improved lightweight tool to open the ground temporarily, approximately 6
inches deep for lengths of a normal urban property plot.
In the principle aspect of their invention there is provided a manual
trench tool comprising of the following:
(I)

CA 02481846 2004-10-15
- (1) two handles (1) and (2) comprising an elongated length
of wall pipe material
two plates (3) at the bottom of the assembly which are angle
sharpened for maximum penetration
- hinges fabricated from strong standard pipe (4) with a
bolt (5) supplementing the hinge pin
One embodiment of the invention will now bE; described in
conjLmction with the drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure #1 is a side view of the present Invention showing the
thrust position
Figure #2 is a side view showing the tool in the trench
widening position
Figure #3 is the angle view of the Manual Trench Tool
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a manual
trench tool, generally indicated by preference numeral (8). The tool (8) is
particularly useful for providing a temporary trench (9) for inserting shallow
lawn sprinkler lines for lawn sprinklers.
(2)

CA 02481846 2006-08-18
The tool (8) is fabricated from various grades of standard steel. The
handles (1) and (2) are cut from standard 1" and 1/8" wall pipe. The two
plates (3) at the bottom of the tool are cut to size from '/4" standard steel
plate. The hinges (4) and (5) are cut and fabricated from 3/4" pipe (4) and
5/8" bolt (5). This tool has to be durable enough only to penetrate the lawn
surface (6) and (7) to a depth of 6". This process is simplified significantly
by the softening of the lawn surface (6) by water before the trench (9) is
started.
The handles (1) and (2) are bent to a desired angle 30 degrees
approximately 30% of the distance from the top. The left handle must be
bent 30 degrees to the left, whereas, the right handle (2) must be bent 30
degrees to the right. These handles are welded to the 1/4" steel plates (3a)
and
(3b) are sharpened on the outside of the bottom of the plates to allow the two
plates to form a perfect V at the bottom of the tool, as shown in Figure # 1.
This allows for ease of penetration in the lawn surface. The hinges,
mentioned above, are positioned at approximately the centre of the elongated
portion of the steel plates, being of transmission snap-ring plier type are
such
that the centre portions of the hinge are on the same side of the centre
longitudinal axis, as their particular strike plates. They are fastened by a
welded process. The handles are offset so the manual operator may force the
handles together causing a widening of the plates at the bottom. See Figure
# 2.
3

CA 02481846 2004-10-15
The widening action of the lower portion of the plates forces the lawn
materials to open therefore create a six-inch long trench (9) six inches
deep. The operator then withdraws the apparatus from the lawn (6) and (7),
and therefore returns the handles to the original V configuration. He then
thrusts the tool into the lawn again, obviously right ~;lext to the original
six
inches of trench. Through repeated simultaneous actions the operator can
create several six-inch deep trenches wherever he wants, in his lawn.
Obviously the irrigation pipe gets laid in these trenches to the desired
locations far sprinkler heads to be installed later. The trench is filled in
by
simply pushing down on each side of the lawn edge. by the operator's foot.
The apparatus eliminates the need for costly equipment usually
required to do this procedure. This apparatus also eliminates the damage
done to a lawn's surface by the heavy equipment required.
Since various modifications could be made irz my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of
same made within the spirit and scope of the claim; without department
from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the
accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrated only and not in
a lilnitillg sense.
(4)

Representative Drawing