Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SNOW BLOWER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a snow blower that is provided with
a sled supporting a main body of the snow blower, and that slides the sled
on a snow surface so as to remove snow.
Description of the Related Art:
Conventionally, a snow blower has been used to remove snow on a
snow surface so as to expose a road surface. The snow blower described
above includes a snow blower main body that accommodates various
devices including an engine for driving the snow blower, wherein a snow
removing unit provided with an auger that rotates to scrape snow is mounted
at the front part of the snow blower main body. An operation unit provided
with a handle for driving and operating the snow blower is mounted at the
rear part of the snow blower main body. A sled that supports the snow
blower main body and slides on the snow surface in order to facilitate the
movement of the snow blower is mounted at the lower part of the snow
blower main body.
In some of the conventional snow blowers described above, the sled
is fixed to the snow blower main body. With this structure, it is difficult to
properly move the auger along the snow surface, when the snow blower is
moved by the operation of the handle. Therefore, a snow blower in which
the angle of the sled can be adjusted has been developed as described in
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2006-193953. In this snow
blower, a sled is mounted below a frame, which supports an axle of a wheel,
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of a snow blower main body, wherein the front end of the sled is mounted to
the lower part at the rear part of a blower housing, which is provided to a
snow removing part, in order that the angle thereof can be adjusted.
Accordingly, a snow removing operation can be carried out, even if the
wheel is buried in snow because of a lot of snow accumulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the above-mentioned snow blower, the angle of the sled can be
adjusted, but the sled, which has once angularly been adjusted, is held at
the same position until the angle is again adjusted. Therefore, it is
difficult
to operate the handle according to the snow surface to move the auger
along the snow surface, when the snow surface is rough, i.e., the snow
surface has irregularities or tilted surface.
The present invention is accomplished in order to solve the
foregoing problem, and aims to provide a snow blower that can perform an
appropriate snow removing operation by easily moving a sled along a snow
surface.
In order to attain the foregoing object, a snow blower according to
the present invention has a structural feature of including a snow blower
main body, a snow removing unit mounted at the front part of the snow
blower main body, an operation unit mounted at the rear part of the snow
blower main body, and a sled that supports the snow blower main body,
wherein an intermediate part of the sled in the longitudinal direction is
mounted to a rocking shaft, which is mounted to the snow blower main body
as extending in the widthwise direction of the snow blower, so as to freely
swing, and a projecting member extending in the longitudinal direction is
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provided on a snow contact surface of the sled.
In the snow blower thus configured, the sled is mounted to the
rocking shaft mounted to the snow blower main body so as to freely swing.
Therefore, the snow blower main body can rotate in the vertical direction
with respect to the sled, which is in contact with the snow surface, without
applying great force to the operation unit, whereby the relative position
between the snow removing unit and the snow surface can easily be
changed. Accordingly, the snow removing operation on the rough snow
surface, i.e., on the snow surface having irregularities, can be facilitated.
Since the projecting member extending in the longitudinal direction is
provided on the snow contact surface of the sled, the friction resistance
caused when the snow blower is moved on the snow surface or on asphalt
road surface is reduced. This configuration is particularly effective when
the snow blower is moved up an uphill of the snow surface from the asphalt
road surface. Since the projecting member is provided, the linear property
of the snow blower is enhanced, whereby the snow removing operation or a
moving operation of the snow blower is facilitated.
Another structural feature of the snow blower according to the
present invention is such that the projecting member is provided in pairs,
which are mounted respectively at the left side and the right side of the
snow contact surface of the sled with a space maintained therebetween.
According to this invention, the linear property of the snow blower
and the reduction in the friction resistance between the sled and the snow
surface or the road surface is further enhanced.
Another structural feature of the snow blower according to the
present invention is a snow blower including a snow blower main body, a
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snow removing unit provided at the front part of the snow blower main body,
an operation unit provided at the rear part of the snow blower main body,
and a sled supporting the snow blower main body, wherein an intermediate
part of the sled in the longitudinal direction is mounted to a rocking shaft,
which is mounted to the snow blower main body as extending in the
widthwise direction of the snow blower, so as to freely swing, a plane
portion is formed at the front part from the rocking shaft on the snow contact
surface of the sled, two or more tilted surfaces or tilted curved surfaces
that
tilt upward and that are gently continuous are formed at the rear part from
the rocking shaft on the snow contact surface of the sled, and the two or
more tilted surfaces or the tilted curved surfaces are formed such that the
slope thereof becomes steeper toward the rear side.
In the snow blower thus configured, the sled is mounted to the
rocking shaft mounted to the snow blower main body so as to freely swing.
Therefore, the snow blower main body can rotate in the vertical direction
with respect to the sled, which is in contact with the snow surface, without
applying great force to the operation unit, whereby the relative position
between the snow removing unit and the snow surface can easily be
changed. Accordingly, the snow removing operation on the rough snow
surface, i.e., on the snow surface having irregularities, can be facilitated.
Further, the plane portion is formed at the front part from the rocking shaft
on the snow contact surface of the sled. Therefore, when an operator
moves the snow blower on a flat snow surface, he/she operates the
operation unit as applying the weight of the snow blower to the plane portion,
thereby being capable of smoothly moving the snow blower.
Since the two or more tilted surface portions or the tilted curved
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surfaces that are tilted upward are formed on the rear part from the rocking
shaft on the snow contact surface of the sled, the surface pressure of the
sled to the snow surface or the asphalt road surface during the contact
when the snow blower is moved on the snow surface or the asphalt road
surface is reduced, whereby the friction resistance is reduced. When the
snow blower is moved up the uphill of the snow surface from the asphalt
road surface, the operator operates the operation unit as moving the center
of gravity of the snow blower from the front part to the rear part of the
sled,
thereby being capable of smoothly moving the snow blower.
With this configuration, the movement when the rear part of the sled
passes through the boundary portion between the asphalt road surface and
the uphill of the snow surface becomes smooth, which means the movement
of the snow blower is effectively made. Specifically, the rear part of the
sled is formed into two or more gently continuous tilted surfaces or tilted
curved surfaces, and the slope thereof becomes steeper at the rear side,
Whereby the movement of the center of gravity of the snow blower is
facilitated, with the result that the snow blower can smoothly pass through
the boundary portion between the asphalt road surface and the uphill of the
snow surface.
Another structural feature of the snow blower according to the
present invention is such that the sled can be mounted to the rocking shaft
through an attaching/detaching mechanism that does not need a tool for the
attaching/detaching operation of an engaging portion and an engaged
portion.
According to this invention, the attaching/detaching operation of the
sled can be facilitated. Examples of the attaching/detaching mechanism
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include an attaching/detaching mechanism in which a hinge mechanism is
utilized to engage a hook with one of engaged portions, like an
attaching/detaching mechanism mounted to a side wall of a truck bed, and
an attaching/detaching mechanism including a screw member provided with
a plane portion that is operated by fingers.
Another structural feature of the snow blower according to the
present invention is such that a pair of moving wheels is provided at the
snow blower main body, wherein the axle of each wheel agrees with the
center of the rocking shaft.
According to this invention, the structure for mounting the axle for
supporting the pair of moving wheels and the rocking shaft for supporting
the sled to the snow blower main body is simplified, whereby the whole
snow blower can be made compact. Since the moving wheels are provided,
the operation of moving the snow blower on the road surface other than the
snow surface is facilitated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a snow blower according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the snow blower;
FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating the snow blower;
FIG. 4 illustrates a sled, wherein (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view,
and (c) is a sectional view taken along a line 4 - 4 in (a);
FIG. 5 is a partially cutout sectional view illustrating the mounting
state of the sled and the state in which a lock mechanism is locked;
FIG. 6 is a partially cutout sectional view illustrating the state in
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which the lock mechanism is unlocked;
FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the state in which a handle of the
snow blower is adjusted, and the state in which the sled swings;
FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the state in which the snow blower is
folded;
FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating the state in which an operator
operates the snow blower;
FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the state in which the snow blower
moves on a tilted surface;
FIG. 11 is a partially cutout plan view illustrating a sled according to
another embodiment; and
FIG. 12 is a front view illustrating the state in which the sled in FIG.
11 is mounted, wherein (a) illustrates the state in which the sled is placed
below a support shaft, (b) illustrates the state in which the sled is lifted
up,
and (c) illustrates the state in which an engaged portion and an engaging
portion are engaged with each other to mount the sled.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A snow blower according to one embodiment of the present
invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3
illustrate a snow blower A according to the present invention. The snow
blower A includes a snow blower main body 10, a snow removing unit 20
mounted at the front part of the snow blower main body 10, a support unit
that supports the snow blower main body 10, and an operation unit 40
25 mounted at the rear part of the snow blower main body 10.
The snow blower main body 10 includes an outer frame portion 11
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that is formed into a box-like shape, which is rectangular as viewed in a
plane and has a side face formed into a generally fan-like shape, and a pair
of bent support frames 12 that supports the portion on both side faces (only
one of them is illustrated) of the outer frame portion 11 from the lower end
part to the rear end part. Various devices, including an engine, necessary
for driving the snow blower A are arranged at the inside (not illustrated) in
the outer frame portion 11, wherein a fuel tank 13 is arranged on the upper
surface of the outer frame portion 11 at the rear side. A fuel supply port is
formed at the center of the upper surface of the fuel tank 13, and a tank cap
13a is attached to the fuel supply port so as to be detachable. A recoil
handle 14 projects outward from the right side face (the right side face in
FIGS. 2 and 3, and in the description below, the side-to-side direction is
defined as the direction when the snow blower A is viewed from the front) of
the outer frame portion 11 at the rear and side part.
The recoil handle 14 is connected to a recoil starter through a recoil
rope, wherein the recoil starter rotates a crankshaft to start the engine by
pulling the recoil handle 14. Examples of the devices arranged at the
inside of the outer frame portion 11 include a device for feeding fuel and air
to the engine, an ignition device, an exhaust device, a mechanism for
transmitting driving force of the engine, and a clutch for engaging or
disengaging the transmission mechanism for the driving force.
The snow removing unit 20 includes an impeller 21 that is coupled to
an impeller shaft to which the driving force of the engine is transmitted
through the crankshaft, an auger 23 provided in an auger case 22, and a
chute 24. The auger case 22 has a shape in which a substantially half
section of a circumferential surface of a cylindrical body, which is closed at
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both end faces, along a circumferential direction is removed, and it is
arranged with the opening directing to the front. The central portion of an
outer peripheral surface portion 22a of the auger case 22 is coupled to the
front end of the outer frame portion 11 of the snow blower main body 10. A
shaft 25 is bridged at the center of both side faces 22b and 22c of the auger
case 22 so as to be rotatable in the axial direction. The auger 23 is
attached to the shaft 25.
The auger 23 is configured such that plural helical rotary blades 23a
and plural disk-like support plates 23b supporting the rotary blades 23a are
assembled. The auger 23 rotates with the rotation of the shaft 25, and
when it catches snow on the snow surface, it scrapes the snow into the
auger case 22. The leading end portion of the impeller shaft extends
toward the front of the impeller 21, and a worm gear 25a is coupled to the
leading end thereof. The impeller shaft is coupled to the central portion of
the shaft 25 through the worm gear 25a. Specifically, the worm gear 25a
changes the direction of the rotation force of the impeller shaft, which
extends in the longitudinal direction, and transmits the resultant to the
shaft
extending in the side-to-side direction.
The impeller 21 includes plural rotary blades rotating about the
20 impeller shaft, and it is arranged at the center of the auger case 22 at
the
rear part. A storage portion is formed at the joint portion between the outer
peripheral surface portion 22a of the auger case 22 and the outer frame
portion 11 of the snow blower main body 10, wherein the impeller 21 is
arranged in this storage portion. The chute 24, which extends upward, is
25 mounted on the top surface of the auger case 22 at the left side of the
portion where the impeller 21 is arranged.
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A chute main body 24a constituting the main body portion of the
chute 24 is made of a curved cylindrical body, wherein an ejection port 24b
having a shape of a rectangular frame is mounted at the upper end of the
chute main body 24a. The chute main body 24a is coupled to an upper
part of a cylindrical base portion 22d, which projects from the top surface of
the auger case 22, so as to be rotatable in the axial direction and
detachable from the base portion 22d. The ejection port 24b is coupled to
the chute main body 24a so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction about
a support shaft 24c mounted at the upper end of the side face at the
convexly-curved side of the chute main body 24a.
A bar-like L-shaped lever 26, which can rotate in the vertical
direction about a support shaft 26a, is mounted at the substantially central
part in the vertical direction of the side face of the chute main body 24a at
the convex-curved side. A bar-like coupling lever 27, which can rotate
about a support shaft 26b, is coupled to the side of the support shaft 26a of
the L-shaped lever 26. An engagement member 28 having a reversed
U-shape is provided toward the outside in the vicinity of a support shaft 24c
on the top surface of the ejection port 24b, wherein the upper end of the
coupling lever 27 is coupled to the upper portion of the engagement member
28 through a supporting shaft 28a so as to be rotatable.
Therefore, when the L-shaped lever 26 is rotated laterally, the
ejection port 24b is rotated in the lateral direction with the chute main body
24a, so that the direction of the opening of the ejection port 24b can be
changed in the side-to-side direction. When the L-shaped lever 26 is
rotated in the vertical direction, the direction of the opening of the
ejection
port 24b can be changed in the vertical direction with a predetermined angle.
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When the chute 24 is lifted up, it can be removed from the base portion 22d.
The support unit 30 has a sled 31, and a pair of moving wheels 32a
and 32b (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The sled 31 is made of a plate member that
is substantially rectangle as viewed in a plane, and generally curved like an
arc as viewed in a side face as illustrated in Fig. 4. It includes a plane
portion 31 a, which is located at the portion from the center to the front
portion and is formed to have a plane shape, a tilted surface portion 31 b
formed at the front of the plane portion 31 a, and a tilted surface portion 31
c
formed at the rear of the plane portion 31 a. The tilted surface portion 31 b
extends substantially straight in the obliquely forward direction from the
front
end of the plane portion 31 a as being curved at a predetermined angle,
while the tilted surface portion 31 c extends in the obliquely rearward
direction from the rear end of the plane portion 31 a as gently curved. The
slope of the tilt of the tilted surface portion 31 c is increased toward the
rear
side. The length of the longitudinal direction of the tilted surface portion
31 c is greater than the length of the tilted surface portion 31 b in the
longitudinal direction.
Wide projecting members projecting upward and extending in the
longitudinal direction is formed at the portion of the sled 31, which are
apart
from the side edges of both side portions in the side-to-side direction with a
predetermined distance, wherein guide grooves 31d and 31e, each being
made of a concave portion, are formed on the lower surface. A cutout 31f
that is wide in the side-to-side direction is formed at the portion
corresponding to the portion between the guide grooves 31 d and 31 e at the
front end of the sled 31. Guide projecting members 33a and 33b, which
are made of a bar-like member and serve as a projecting member in the
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present invention, are mounted along the side edges of both side portions in
the side-to-side direction on the lower surface of the sled 31. The guide
projecting members 33a and 33b are formed to have a length smaller than
the length of the sled 31 in the longitudinal direction, and they are fixed,
with
welding, to the portion of the sled other than the substantially half of the
front part of the tilted surface portion 31 b and the rear end part of the
tilted
surface portion 31 c.
A coupling portion 34 including a pipe-like rocking shaft bearing 34a
and a fixing member 34b, and a coupling portion 35 including a pipe-like
rocking shaft bearing 35a and a fixing member 35b are fixed at both sides
on the top surface of the sled 31 at the central part in the longitudinal
direction. The fixing members 34b and 35b are made of an plate that is
curved in an L shape, wherein a vertical part is located at the outside of the
sled 31 while the horizontal part is fixed on the top surface of the sled 31.
The rocking shaft bearing 34a, whose axial direction is the side-to-side
direction, is fixed so as to penetrate the center of the vertical part of the
fixing member 34b, while the rocking shaft bearing 35b, whose axial
direction is the side-to-side direction, is fixed so as to penetrate the
center
of the vertical part of the fixing member 35b. The coupling portions 34 and
35 are located in the vicinity of the front end of the tilted surface portion
31 c.
A pair of support members 36a and 36b provided with a support hole
respectively extend downward from the central portion of the pair of support
frames 12 of the snow blower main body 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6,
and the support shaft 36, serving as a rocking shaft according to the present
invention, is bridged to the support holes on the support members 36a and
36b. The sled 31 is supported to the snow blower main body 10 so as to
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be capable of swinging by inserting the support shaft 36 into the rocking
shaft bearings 34a and 35a. Each of moving wheels 32a and 32b includes
an annular wheel main body, a bearing portion provided with a bearing hole
at its center, and plural spokes extending radially from the bearing portion
toward the wheel main body, and they are arranged at both sides of the sled
31 with the support shaft 36 being inserted into the respective bearing
holes.
A lock mechanism mounting member 36c extending in the obliquely
downward direction toward the vicinity of the support shaft 36 is mounted at
the inner surface of the support member 36a, and a lock mechanism 37 is
mounted to the lock mechanism mounting member 36c. The lock
mechanism 37 includes a shaft portion 37a attached to the lock mechanism
mounting member 36c with the axial direction thereof directing toward the
longitudinal direction, a locking member 37b that is mounted at the leading
end of the shaft portion 37a so as to be rotatable, and is engageable
between the spokes of the moving wheel 32a, a spring member 37c that
biases the locking member 37b toward the moving wheel 32a, and a brake
lever 37d mounted to the shaft portion 37a so as to be capable of rotating
together with the locking member 37b.
By virtue of this structure, the locking member 37b is biased toward
the moving wheel 32a by the elastic force of the spring member 37c, thereby
being engaged with the moving wheel 32a to stop the rotation of the moving
wheel 32a as illustrated in FIG. 5. The lower end of the brake lever 37d is
coupled to the leading end of a wheel brake wire 38 extending from the
operation unit 40. When the wheel brake wire 38 is pulled toward the
operation unit 40 against the elastic force of the spring member 37c, the
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locking member 37b is separated from the moving wheel 32a together with
the brake lever 37d, which allows the moving wheel 32a to be capable of
rotating, as illustrated in FIG. 6.
The operation unit 40 includes a handle 41 connected to both upper
ends of the pair of support frames 12, an operation lever 42, and various
interlocking mechanisms described later. The handle 41 is composed of a
pipe that has a substantially reversed C shape as viewed in a plane and an
L shape as viewed in a side. The front part thereof is composed of side
portions 41 a and 41 b, which extend from both upper ends of the pair of
support frames 12 toward the rear side in the obliquely upward direction so
as to be parallel to each other, while the rear part is composed of a grip
portion 41c that extends in the upward direction from the rear ends of the
side portions 41 a and 41 b as curved, and that has a substantially reversed
C shape. The handle 41 is connected to the pair of support frames 12 so
as to be rotatable in the vertical direction through a pair of connection
mechanisms 43 (only one of them is illustrated).
The connection mechanism 43 is a mechanism for connecting a
support plane portion 43a, which is formed on the top end of the support
frame 12 and has a wide side face, and a supported plane portion 43b,
which is formed by crushing the front ends of the side portions 41 a and 41 b
to widen the side face. A shaft hole is formed at the boundary portion of
the support plane portion 43a with the support frame 12, and an arc-like
guide hole 43c is formed at the rear part of the support plane portion 43a.
The guide hole 43c is formed on the arc about the shaft hole formed at the
boundary portion. Shaft holes are respectively formed on the leading end
and trailing end of the supported plane portion 43b. When a shaft member
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43d is inserted into the shaft hole at the leading end of the supported plane
portion 43b and the shaft hole at the support plane portion 43a, the handle
41 is connected to the pair of support frames 12 so as to be rotatable in the
vertical direction.
A fastening member 43e including a bolt and a nut is mounted to the
shaft hole at the trailing end of the supported plane portion 43b and the
guide hole 43c of the support plane portion 43a. When the fastening
member 43e is released, the handle 41 can rotate in the vertical direction
about the shaft member 43d as illustrated in FIG. 7. On the other hand,
when the fastening member 43e is fastened, the handle 41 can be fixed to
an optional position. The degree in which the handle 41 can rotate is
determined by the length of the guide hole 43c in the direction of the arc
about the shaft member 43d.
FIG. 7 also illustrates the state in which the sled 31 swings. When
the snow blower A is accommodated in an accommodating garage, the shaft
hole at the trailing end of the supported plane portion 43b is removed from
the fastening member 43e, whereby the handle 41 is rotated in the frontward
direction about the shaft member 43d so as to be folded at the upper portion
of the snow blower main body 10 as illustrated in Fig. 8. In this case, the
chute 24 is removed from the base portion 22d and bent down, Whereby the
snow blower A can be folded more compact.
The operation lever 42 is made of a small bar member having
substantially the same shape as the shape of the rear part of the handle 41
and slightly smaller than the rear part of the handle 41. It is composed of
side portions 42a and 42b at both sides and a grip portion 42c. The
operation lever 42 is mounted to the handle 41 by a pair of connection
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members 44 and 45 in such a manner that it is overlapped with the rear part
of the handle 41 by the depressing operation in the downward direction.
The connection member 44 includes a fixing member 44a fixed at the
central part of the side portion 41 a, a swing member 44b mounted at the
rear part of the side portion 41a so as to be rotatable in the vertical
direction
about one end portion, and a coil spring 44c that is bridged between the
fixing member 44a and a free end of the swing member 44b so as to bias
the free end of the swing member 44b toward the fixing member 44a.
An auger brake wire 46 is inserted in the portion of the fiXing
member 44a projecting to the inside (right side in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the side
portion 41 a, and the end portion of the auger brake wire 46 is locked to the
vicinity of the free end of the swing member 44b. The end portion of the
side portion 42a of the operation lever 42 is fixed to the back surface of the
swing member 44b. The connection member 45 includes a fixing member
45a fixed to the central part of the side portion 41 b, a pair of swing
members
45b and 45c mounted to the rear part of the side portion 41 b as spaced from
the fixing member 45a, and a coil spring 45d bridged between the fixing
member 45a and the swing member 45c.
The fixing member 45a is made of a wide plate having substantially
a rectangular shape provided with a cutout hole into which a throttle wire 47
is inserted and a cutout hole into which a wheel brake wire 38 is inserted.
The fixing member 45a is fixed to the upper part of the side portion 41 b so
as to project to both sides from the upper part of the side portion 41 b, and
the portion where both cutout holes are formed project at both sides of the
side portion 41 b.
The swing members 45b and 45c are made of plate members having
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substantially an L shape arranged respectively at the inner side and the
outer side of the side portion 41 b across the side portion 41 b. The swing
member 45c arranged at the outside of the side portion 41 b is provided with
three holes (see FIG. 1) that are spaced in the longitudinal direction, while
the swing member 45b arranged at the inside of the side portion 41 b is
provided with two holes that are spaced in the longitudinal direction. A
support shaft is inserted into one of the holes of each swing members 45b
and 45c, whereby the pair of swing members 45b and 45c are mounted to
both sides of the side portion 41 b so as to be rotatable in the vertical
direction. An end portion of a wire portion of the throttle wire 47 is locked
to another hole of the swing member 45b.
The end portion of the wire portion of the wheel brake wire 38 is
locked to the central hole of the swing member 45c. The coil spring 45d is
mounted such that both ends thereof are engaged with the other hole of the
swing member 45c and the fixing member 45a. The end of the side portion
42b of the operation lever 42 is fixed to the back surface of the swing
member 45b. An L-shaped parking lever 48 is mounted at the back
surface of the swing member 45c, wherein the rear part of the parking lever
48 is engaged with the lower part of the side portion 42b.
Therefore, the operation lever 42 is biased in the upward direction
by the elastic force of the coil spring 44c, and biased in the upward
direction
by the elastic force of the coil spring 45d through the parking lever 48,
thereby being separated from the handle 41. When the grip portion 42c of
the operation lever 42 is pressed against the grip portion 41 c, the parking
lever 48 also moves toward the grip portion 41 c together with the operation
lever 42, whereby the auger brake wire 46, the throttle wire 47, and the
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wheel brake wire 38 are pulled in the rearward direction. The leading end
of the auger brake wire 46 extends to the vicinity of a clutch that engages
and disengages a driving force transmission mechanism between the
crankshaft of the engine and the impeller shaft.
A brake mechanism provided with a brake pad, which is in contact
with a rotary member at the clutch at the side of the impeller shaft so as to
stop the rotation of the auger 23, is connected to the leading end of the
auger brake wire 46. The leading end of the throttle wire 47 extends to the
vicinity of the engine to be connected to an accelerator mechanism that
adjusts the revolution of the engine. The wheel brake wire 38 is connected
to the lock mechanism 37 as described above. Therefore, since the auger
brake wire 46, the throttle wire 47, and the wheel brake wire 38 are pulled in
the rearward direction, the auger 23 and the moving wheel 32a are brought
into the state in which they can rotate, and the revolution of the engine
increases.
When the parking lever 48 is independently operated, separate from
the operation lever 42, the moving wheel 32a can be brought into the
rotatable state. Accordingly, only the parking lever 48 is pressed toward
the grip portion 41 c without driving the engine, whereby the snow blower A
can be moved. When the engine is driven, and with this state, only the
parking lever 48 is pressed toward the grip portion 41 c, the snow blower A
can be moved without stopping the engine, i.e., with the idling state. A
start switch SW for changing the snow blower A between the state in which
the snow blower A can be started and the state in which the snow blower A
cannot be started is mounted at the rear surface of the outer frame portion
11.
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In order to start the snow blower A in this configuration, an operator
firstly grips the grip portion 41 c on the handle 41, and then, presses the
grip
portion 42c of the operation lever 42 toward the grip portion 41 c of the
handle 41 to bring the moving wheel 32a into the rotatable state as
illustrated in FIG. 9. Then, he/she moves the handle 41 in the lateral
direction as pushing the same so as to rotate the moving wheels 32a and
32b on the road surface a, thereby moving the snow blower A to the snow
surface. In this case, when the operator pushes the snow blower A toward
the snow surface b in case where the path on which the snow blower A
moves is changed to the tilted snow surface b from the road surface a, the
tilted surface portion 31 b of the sled 31 slides on the snow surface b, and
the tilted surface portion 31 c remaining on the road surface a advances with
the curved rear part of the guide projecting members 33a and 33b being
brought into contact with the road surface a as illustrated in Fig. 10.
Therefore, the friction resistance applied to the bottom surface of the
sled 31 from the road surface a and the snow surface b is reduced, whereby
the snow blower A can easily be moved. In this case, the sled 31 can
swing with respect to the snow blower main body 10, so that, even when the
sled 31 tilts in the vertical direction since it is in contact with the road
surface a and the snow surface b, the operator can hold the snow blower
main body 10 with the easy-to-operate posture, and with this state, he/she
can move the snow blower A. Then, after moving the snow blower A to the
place where the snow removing operation is performed, he/she operates to
turn on the start switch SW and pulls the recoil handle 14, thereby starting
the engine. Further, he/she directs the ejection port 24b of the chute 24 in
a predetermined direction, i.e., toward the side of the snow blower A, and
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then, pushes again the grip portion 42c of the operation lever 42 toward the
grip portion 41c of the handle 41.
With this operation, the moving wheel 32a and the auger 23 are
again brought into the rotatable state, and the revolution of the engine
gradually increases. Then, the clutch is engaged to start the rotation of the
impeller 21 and the auger 23. The snow on the snow surface b is scraped
into the auger case 22 by the rotation of the auger 23, and the snow
scraped into the auger case 22 is blown up to the upper part of the chute 24
by the rotation of the impeller 21. The snow blown up to the upper part of
the chute 24 is discharged from the opening of the ejection port 24b to the
side of the snow blower A.
The operator sequentially carries out the snow removing operation
by moving the snow blower A on the snow surface b, while changing the
operation amount of the operation lever 42 according to the state of the
snow surface. In this case, since the sled 31 slides on the snow surface b
as being in contact therewith, the snow blower A can easily be moved.
Specifically, the snow blower A advances with an appropriate state without
being moved sideways because of the guide action of the guide grooves
31 d and 31 a and the guide projecting members 33a and 33b formed on the
lower surface of the sled 31. When the snow surface b is changed from
the horizontal surface to the tilted surface, the snow blower A can smoothly
be advanced, as in the case illustrated in FIG. 10, since the tilted surface
portions 31 band 31 c are formed respectively on the front part and the rear
part of the sled 31. Since the tilted surface portion 31 c is gently curved,
in
particular, the snow blower A does not enter the corner portion of the snow
surface b, so that it can smoothly pass the corner portion.
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Even when the snow surface b has irregularities, and hence, the
sled 31 vibrates in the vertical direction, the snow blower main body 10 can
maintain the easy-to-operate posture. When the snow removing operation
is discontinued, the operator releases his/her hand from the operation lever
42 to cancel the pressing operation of the operation lever 42. With this
operation, the clutch is disengaged, whereby the transmission of the driving
force from the engine to the auger 23 is cut, and at the same time, the brake
pad of the brake mechanism is brought into contact with the outer peripheral
surface of the rotary member of the clutch so as to stop the rotation of the
rotary member. This operation stops the continuous rotation of the auger
23 that is caused by inertia. The locking member 37b of the lock
mechanism 37 is engaged between the spokes of the moving wheel 32a to
allow the moving wheel 32a not to be capable of rotating. The start switch
SW is turned off in order to stop the drive of the engine.
As described above, in the snow blower A according to the
embodiment of the present invention, the sled 31 is mounted to the support
shaft 36 of the snow blower main body 10 so as to be swingable, whereby
the operator can rotate the snow blower main body 10 in the vertical
direction with respect to the sled 31, which is in contact with the snow
surface b, without applying great force to the handle 41. Accordingly, the
relative position between the auger 23 and the snow surface b can easily be
changed, whereby the snow removing operation on the rough snow surface
b having irregularities can be facilitated. Since the guide projecting
members 33a and 33b extending in the longitudinal direction are provided
on the snow contact surface of the sled 31, the friction resistance upon
moving the snow blower A on the snow surface b is reduced, resulting in
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that the snow blower A smoothly moves. This configuration is particularly
effective when the snow blower A moves up from the road surface a such as
an asphalt surface to an uphill of the snow surface b.
Since the guide grooves 31d and 31e and the guide projecting
members 33a and 33b are provided, the linear property of the snow blower
A is enhanced, with the result that the snow removing operation and the
moving operation of the snow blower are facilitated. The plane portion 31 a
is formed at the front part from the support shaft 36 on the snow contact
surface of the sled 31. Therefore, when the operator moves the snow
blower A on a flat snow surface b, he/she operates the handle 41 as
applying the weight of the snow blower A to the plane portion 31 a, thereby
being capable of smoothly moving the snow blower A. Since the tilted
surface portion 31 c that is tilted upward is formed on the rear part from the
support shaft 36 on the snow contact surface of the sled 31, the snow
blower A can smoothly be moved on the portion of the snow surface band
the road surface a where the surface is changed from the plane surface to
the tilted surface.
When the snow blower A is climbed up the uphill of the snow surface
b from the road surface a, in particular, the operator operates the handle 41
as moving the weight of the snow blower from the front part to the rear part
of the sled 31, thereby being capable of smoothly moving the snow blower A.
Since the tilted surface portion 31 c of the sled 31 is formed to have a
continuous gently curved surface, and its rear side has a steep slope, the
center of gravity of the snow blower A is easily moved, whereby the snow
blower A can smoothly pass the boundary portion between the road surface
a and the uphill of the snow surface b.
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This configuration is particularly effective when the tilted surface
portion 31 c of the sled 31 passes through the boundary portion between the
road surface a and the uphill of the snow surface b. Since a pair of moving
wheels 32a and 32b are provided at the lower part of the snow blower main
body 10, there is no need to allow the lower surface of the sled 31 to be in
contact with the road surface a, when the snow blower A is moved on the
road surface a. Since the moving wheels 32a and 32b are mounted to the
support shaft 36 supporting the sled 31, the structure of mounting the sled
31 and the moving wheels 32a and 32b to the snow blower main body 10 is
simplified, so that the whole snow blower A can be made compact.
FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a sled 51 provided to a snow blower
according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the sled 51,
a pair of coupling portions 54 (only one of them is illustrated) including a
pipe-like rocking shaft bearing 54a and a fixing member 54b is provided
separate from the sled 51, and it is mounted beforehand to a support shaft
56. A pair of hook-type engaged portions 55a (only one of them is
illustrated) is mounted on the top surface of the horizontal part of the
coupling portion 54 with a space in the longitudinal direction, and an
engagement member 53 including a pair of rotary engaging portions 52
engageable with the engaged portion 55a is mounted at both sides of the
central part of the top surface of the sled 51 in the longitudinal direction.
Each of the engaging portion 52 includes a lever portion 52a that is mounted
to the top surface of the sled 51 so as to be rotatable, and an engaging
member 52b that has a reversed C shape, is coupled to both sides of the
lever portion 52a at the substantially central part and that can be engaged
with the engaged portion 55a. The engaging portion 52 and the engaged
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portion 55a constitute an attaching/detaching mechanism of the present
invention.
When the sled 51 is mounted to the snow blower, the sled 51 is
firstly placed below the snow blower main body, and then, the engaging
portion 52 of the sled 51 is located below the coupling portion 54 at the
support shaft 56 as illustrated in FIG. 12(a). Then, the sled 51 is lifted up
with the leading end of the engaging member 52b directing upward,
whereby the engaging member 52b is located above the engaged portion
55a as illustrated in FIG. 12(b). Next, the engaging member 52b is
engaged with the engaged portion 55a, and then, the leading end of the
lever portion 52a is pushed toward the top surface of the sled 51 to rotate.
Thus, the sled 51 can be mounted to the support shaft 56 through the
engaging member 53 and the coupling portion 54. When the sled 51 is
removed from the snow blower, the mounting operation described above is
carried out in the reverse order.
The lever portion 52a is configured as described below.
Specifically, when the lever 52a is rotated toward the top surface of the sled
51 with the engaging member 52b being engaged with the engaged portion
55a, and rotated toward the top surface of the sled 51 more than the peak
point formed during the rotation, it is biased to the top surface of the sled
51,
and biased in the direction of separating from the top surface of the sled 51
until it exceeds the peak point. Accordingly, when the lever portion 52a is
operated to rotate, force against the biasing force is applied before it
reaches the peak point, and after it exceeds the peak point, the lever portion
52a rotates toward the top surface of the sled 51 by the own biasing force
so as to fix the engaging member 52b to the engaged portion 55a. In order
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to cancel the engagement between the engaging member 52b and the
engaged portion 55a, the reverse operation is executed. With this
configuration, tools are unnecessary, and a simple operation by bare hands
is only necessary, whereby the sled 51 can easily be attached and detached.
The configurations of the sled 51 other than this configuration are the same
as those in the sled 31, and the configuration of the snow blower provided
with the sled 51 is the same as that of the snow blower A described above.
The snow blower according to the present invention is not limited to
the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible
without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. For
example, the moving wheels 32a and 32b are provided to the snow blower A
in the above-mentioned embodiment. However, the moving wheels 32a
and 32b can be eliminated. In this case, when the snow blower A is moved
on the road surface a, the guide projecting members 33a and 33b of the
sleds 31 and 51 are brought into contact with the road surface a. Even
with this configuration, the snow blower A can be moved with the reduced
friction resistance on the road surface a.
Only one moving wheel or three or more moving wheels may be
provided. Although a pair of guide projecting members 33a and 33b is
provided in the above-mentioned embodiments, only one guide projecting
member may be provided, or three or more members may be provided.
Although the tilted surface portion 31 c of the sleds 31 and 51 is formed to
have a gentle arc-like tilted surface, the tilted surface portion may be
formed
by joining plane-type tilted surfaces to have a gentle lilted surface as a
whole. Even with this structure, the operation and effect same as those of
the above-mentioned snow blower A can be obtained.
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The attaching/detaching mechanism is not limited to the one
including the engaging portion 52 and the engaged portion 55a. Another
attaching/detaching mechanism may be employed, so long as the
attachment and detachment can be performed with bare hands. Another
attaching/detaching mechanism may be configured such that, for example, a
screw bar is formed on the top surface of the sled, and an insertion hole
through which the screw bar is inserted is formed on the horizontal part of
the fixing member of the coupling portion, wherein a screw provided with a
plane grip portion is detachably screwed to the screw bar that is inserted
through the insertion hole, whereby the sled can be attached and detached.
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