Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention relates to a mechanism
for removably securing a snowplow system to a land
vehicle.
When a road vehicle is used for snow removal
and wherein a front plow and a side wlng plow combina-
tion is to be secured to the vehicle, it is necessary to
modify the vehicle by, for instance, permanently instal-
ling a column to the side of the vehicle chassis behind
the passenger cabin. The side wing plow, for instance,
is connected to this column by various types of link-
ages, either cable or hydraulic linkages, and it may be
used to support the outer end of the wing plow in a
position of use over the ground or in a storage posltion
against the vehicle. Reference is made to U. S. Patent
4,357,766, issued November 9, 1982, Croteau et al,
showing a hydraulic linkage. The same is true for the
front plow system wherein a usually heavy frame is
mounted to the chassis which either must be removed by
hand or is left on the vehicle.
A disadvantage of permanently securing such
frames or posts to such road vehicles is that they add
considerable weight to the vehicle and, therefore, when
the vehicle is not used for snowplowing, the payload
which it can carry is reduced due to the extra load that
it must permanently carry. Also, this added weight
reduces the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Usually,
one of these vertical columns and its attachment linkage
can weigh in the vicinity of 600 pounds. Also, if a
front column is also permanently secured to the vehicle,
it can result in an extra total weight of approxi~ately
half a ton that the vehicle must carry. A further
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disadvantage of permanently securing such columns to a
vehicle is that it often obstructs the view of the
conductor and is a safety hazard. Also, the column can
be damaged when the vehicle is used for other work, such
as carrying loads of earth or stones, etc.
U. S. Patent 4,236,329 illustrates a front end
plow mounting device using a hydraulically operated
device for mounting the front plow. A folding articu-
lated bracket is adapted to engage a frame on which the
front plow is mounted. Tube members on the bracket
engage opposed pairs of open slots in the frame. This
patent is an improvement over existing systems in that
it reduces considerably the weight carried by the
vehicle when the plow assembly is disengaged from the
vehicle.
An aim of the present invention is to provide
a mounting mechanism for detachably mounting a front end
plow to a vehicle which requires the minimum manual
handling in attaching the front plow and reduces to a
minimum the structural components remaining on the
vehicle after the front plow has been removed.
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide a mechanism for detachably securing a rear
support of a side wing plow to the side of a vehicle
chassis to substantially overcome all of the above-
mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide a mechanism for detachably securing a rear
support of a wing plow to a land vehicle by securing to
the vehicle a retaining frame capable of grasping and
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positioning the support and securing same in position on
a vehicle chassis and fixedly attaching the support to
the chassis.
A construction in accordance with the present
invention comprises, in combination, a mechanism mounted
to the chassis of a land vehicle for detachably mounting
a plow assembly to the vehicle, wherein the mechanism
comprises a first upstanding frame mounted to the
chassis and including a lower and upper portion and
elongated guide means provided thereon. A first sub-
frame is pivotally mounted to the lower portion of the
first frame, and hydraulic means are provided for moving
the first sub-frame in an arc about a pivot axis at the
lower portion of the first frame between an extended
position and a retracted position. The elongated guide
means engages the first sub-frame when the first sub-
frame is in a retracted position. The first sub-frame
has a free end mounting an engagement member remote from
the pivot axis, and there are flared aligning members
extending away from the free end of the first sub-frame.
The plow assembly includes a second frame means mounting
a plow blade, and the second frame means includes a
second sub-frame including an upper portion and a lower
portion, with the upper portion in the form of a down-
wardly open hook member adapted to receive the engage-
ment member of the free end of the first frame. Locking
means are associated with the lower portions of the
first and second sub-frames for locking the first and
second sub-frames together when the engagement member on
the first sub-frame is engaged within the hook member
and the first sub-frame is in a retracted position.
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In one embodiment, the upstandlng frame is a
front plow mounting mechanism having a lower portion to
which a pair of spaced-apart parallel side members of
the first sub-frame are pivotally mounted. Each side
member of the first sub-frame includes a pair of
spaced-apart parallel plate members, and the upstanding
frame includes elongated guide means in the form of
plate members adapted to be intercalated between the
plate members of the side members of the first sub-
frame. The sub-frame is pivoted to the upstanding frame
by means of pivot pins passing through the plates
forming the side member of the sub-frame and through the
intercalated plate forming a guide member of the upstan-
ding frame. An engagement member is provided at the
free end of each side member of the sub-frame, and
outwardly diverging flange members extend from the
outermost plate of the side members from the free ends
thereof. The second sub-frame on the plow assembly
includes a pair of spaced-apart elongated members,
including downwardly open hook members corresponding to
the engagement members on the first sub-frame. The
lower portion of the spaced-apart members on the second
sub-frame includes apertures through which lockinq pins
can be passed and engaging the second sub-frame to the
first sub-frame and the guide members on the upstanding
frame in respective apertures therein when the first
sub-frame is in a retracted position.
In another embodiment, there is, in combina-
tion, a side wing plow detachable rear second sub-frame
and an upstanding frame for detachably securing the rear
second sub-frame and the side wing plow to the land
vehicle. The support upstanding frame is secured at a
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predetermined location to the side of the chassis of the
land vehicle. A coupling mechanism is provided for
connecting and disconnecting the rear support with the
retaining frame. The mechanism has a pivotally dis-
placeable first sub-frame provided with a free end with
an engagement member for detachable engagement with a
hooking member secured to the second sub-frame to engage
and displace it to a retracted position with the upstan-
ding frame and a locking pin and aperture arrangement
for locking the first and second sub-frames.
The present invention is especially suitable
to be used with a hydraulic linkage of the type des-
cribed in U. S. Patent 4,357,766. For instance, the
support could be in the form of a column, post or tower,
on which a bracket or carriage is adapted to slide in a
vertical plane. This is sometimes called a shelving
tower, and a carriage carrying the side plow linkages
can be raised to a predetermined level above the ground
such that the side plow can be extended in order to
displace the top of a snow bank. The support can also
be in the form of a bracket to which the links are
directly connected.
A preferred embodiment of the present inven-
tion will now be described with reference to the example
thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a land
vehicle equipped with a front and side wing plow;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of
the detachable rear support tower and the tower retain-
ing frame showing its attachment to a land vehicle;
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Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view showing
the rear support tower in its storage position;
Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation,
similar to Figure 3, showing the rear support tower in a
vehicle mounted position;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of another
em~odiment of a mechanism for detachably mounting the
side wing plow;
Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation,
partly in cross-section, showing in solid lines the
mechanism in its retracted position, and in dotted
lines, the mechanism in its extended position;
Figure 7 is a fragmentary top plan view,
partly in cross-section, taken along line 7-7 of Figure
6;
Figure 8 is a vertical cross-section, taken
along line 8-8 of Figure 6;
Figure 9 is a perspective view showing an
embodiment of a front plow assembly and the mounting
mechanism therefor in a disengaged position;
Figure 10 is a rear elevation of a detail of
the mounting frame of the mechanism; and
Figure 11 is a vertical cross-section, taken
a].ong line 11-11 of Figure 10.
Referring now to the drawings and briefly to
Figure 1, there is shown a truck 10 having secured
adjacent its front end a front plow 11 and a side wing
plow 12. The side wing plow 12 is supported between a
front support tower 13 which is secured to the front
plow support frame assembly 9, and a rear support tower
14 which is secured to the side of the chassis 15 of the
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truck 10 behind the passenger cabin 16. In order to
attach the front plow and side wing plow to the truck
10, it is necessary to position the truck 10 in substan-
tially the exact position as when the plow assembly was
disconnected and to reconnect them with the front frame
9 being connected firstly to accurately position the
side wing plow 12 for re-engagement. The present
invention is concerned with a detachable mechanism
whereby the front plow frame assembly 9 and rear support
tower 14 can be detached from the truck 10 together with
the side wing plow 12.
Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, it can be
seen that the detachable mechanism of the embodiment
illustrated therein is comprised by the combination of a
side wing plow detachable rear support tower 14 and a
tower retaining frame 17. The upstanding frame or tower
retaining frame 17 is permanently secured to the chassis
15 of the vehicle 10 behind the passenger cabin 16 and
at a predetermined location depending on the distance
between the front support tower 13 and the rear support
tower 14. A coupling mechanism is provided for connec-
ting and disconnecting the rear support tower 14 with
the tower retaining frame 17, and it comprises a pivot-
ally displaceable gripping arm 18 provided with an
engagement member 19 for detachable engagement with a
hook member 20 which is secured to the tower 14 to
engage the tower from its detached storage or non-use
position, as shown in Figure 3, and displace it to a
secured position, as shown in Figure 4, with the tower
retaining frame 17. When in the position shown in
Figure 4, the tower 14 is then locked with the tower
retaining frame 17.
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The tower retaining frame 17 is provided with
a vertical channel member 26 secured to a frame member
21 and defines a flat rear wall 22 and opposed parallel
side walls 23. A cylinder 24 is secured to the frame
member 21 and has a piston rod 25 which extends through
a vertical slot 22a provided in the flat rear wall 22 of
the channel member 26. A piston rod end 27 is pivotally
secured between two straight flat bars 28 which are
secured in parallel spaced-apart relationship and
constitutes the pivoting sub-frame in the form of arm
18. The lower end 28a of the arm 18 is pivotally
mounted to a stationary pivot connection provided by a
pair of wing flanges 29 and a pivot pin 30 extending
therethrough and secured in the lower end of the verti-
cal channel member 26.
The two straight flat bars 28 extend beyond
the end 19 of the arm 18 in the form of a diverging
outer end portion 31 defining a guide throat positioned
above an engaging member in the form of a transverse pin
32 which is secured across the flat bars 28 and is
adapted to engage into the hooking member 20 of the rear
support tower 14.
The hooking member 20 is constituted by a
hook-shaped plate welded or otherwise secured in the
rear face of the rear support tower 14.
The rear flat wall 22 of the vertical channel
member 26 is also provided with a through-hole 33 to
receive therethrough a guide member lock bolt 34 also
permanently secured to the rear face of the rear support
tower 14. The lock bolt 34 has a transverse bore 35,
and when the rear support tower 14 is engaged in its
position of use (Figure 4) with the retaining frame 17,
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a lock pin 36 is removably engaged in the bore 35 behind
the flat wall 22 and abuts this wall across the through
hole 33 thereby locking the rear support tower 14 and
the gripping arm 18 to the vertical channel member 26.
In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, an upper
locking member is also provided and is comprised by a
pair of projecting side arms 37 which are welded to the
side walls 14' of the rear support tower 14 and bent
inwardly to define a forward securing slot 38 in a free
end portion thereof. A through bore 39 is provided in
each of the arms 37 across the slot 38 and has a guide
sleeve 50 welded thereabout. A link arm 41 is pivotally
connected to an end 42 between a pair of wing flanges 43
secured to the top wall of a frame member 44 which is
welded to the chassis 15. A retaining clamp 45 is also
secured to the frame member 44 to frictionally retain
the arm 41 therein when the arm 41 is not connected to
the upper locking member. The free end 46 of the arm 41
is provided with a through bore 47 therein, and the
length of the projecting side arms 37 is calculated
whereby the through bore 47 will align itself with the
through bores 39 in the arms 37 when the rear support
tower lock bolt 34 is attached to the channel member 20.
A lock pin 48 is then inserted through the bores 39 and
the bore 47 and retained in place by an attachment pin
49 which extends through a pin hole in one of the guide
sleeves 50 and the pin hole 51 in the lock pin 48.
The rear support tower 14 illustrated in the
drawings is provided with a sliding carriage 52 which is
displaceable in a vertical track 53 moving the wing plow
between a "shelving" position in the upper position and
a lower position for plowing close to the ground. A
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foot 54 is provided with a bottom skate plate 55 sup-
porting the rear support tower 14 and its side plow 12
at a desired position on a ground surface 56. The skate
plate 55 prevents damage to the ground surface when
displaced thereover. The sliding carriage 52 is moved
along the track 53 by a lifting hydraulic cylinder and
piston 57. This piston and the slide carriage 52 do not
form part of the present invention but are briefly
described for clarity of the drawings.
The locking bolt 34 is also held secured
between a pair of guide plates 58. Plates 58 have
downward extensions 59 between which the piston rod end
27 is connected, as shown in Figure 3.
The guide plates 58 and 59 act to stabilize
the tower 14 within the channel 26 of the retaining
frame 17. The flat bars 28 extend vertically within the
space between the spaced-apart guide members 58 and 59
such that these guide members 58 and 59 are intercalated
between the flanges 23 forming the channel 26 and the
flat bars 28 of the pivoting arm 18. Thus, when the
pivoting arm 18 is retracted within the channel 26 with
the tower 14 engaged thereon, and the locking pins 36
lock the bolt 34 within the structure, the assembled
structure is rigid and stable.
Another embodiment of a mounting mechanism for
the side wing plow is illustrated in Figure 5. In this
case, there is no tower 14, but the carriage 52 is fixed
to a sub-frame 62 which includes flanges 64 and 66 as
well as an upstanding hook member 68 having a downwardly
open portion. The retaining frame 70 is of similar
structure to that described in relation to Figures 1 and
2 with the exception that it also includes elongated
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guide plates 72 and 74 parallel to but spaced from the
flanges 76 and 78 of the channel formed by the retaining
frame 70. The upright frame or retaining frame 70 is
mounted on frame members 80 and 82 which are directly
fixed to the chassis of the vehicle. A piston and
cylinder arrangement 84 extends between the frame member
82 and the pivoting sub-frame or arm 86. The arm 86 is
pivoted at the lower end of the upstanding frame 70 by
means of pivot pin 88 extending between the flanges 78
and 76. The arm 86, which includes a pair of spaced-
apart flat bars 90 and 92, is constructed such that it
is just barely received within the pair of guide members
72 and 74 when it is retracted within the upstanding
frame 70 so as to stabilize the arm 86 during use. The
flanges 64 and 66 of the sub-frame 62 are adapted to be
intercalated between the flanges 76, 78 and 72, 74
respectively when the assembly is retracted. As can be
seen in Figure 7, the flanges 64 and 66 may be bent in
order to resiliently engage the guide plates 72 and 74
and flanges 76 and 78 when the flanges 64 and 66 are
intercalated therebetween.
Referring now to Figures 9 through 11, there
is shown an upstanding frame fixed to the front of the
chassis and including a horizontal frame member 102
connected to guide plate members 104 and 106. A sub-
frame 108, including side frame members 110 and 112, is
pivoted to the bottom of the upstanding frame 101. Each
side frame member is made up of two parallel elongated
plates spaced apart and saddling the respective guide
plate members 104 and 106 and being pivoted thereto by
means of pins 113 and 114 respectively passing through
apertures in the bottoms of the guide plates 104 and
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106. A pair of intermediate frame members 116 and 118
extend between the side frame members 110 and 112.
These frame members 116 and 118 mount a pair of cylin-
ders 120 and 122 which in turn have pistons 124 and 126
extending from each end thereof in the form of locking
pins. These locking pins slide in bearing members 128,
mounted at each end of the respective intermediate frame
members 116 and 118, and are adapted to guide the piston
members 124 and 126 to extend through apertures 130,
132, 134, and 136, respectively. Corresponding aper-
tures are provided on the guide plates 104 and 106 and
are identified, for instance, by the numerals 138 and
140. Engagement bolts 142 and 144 are provided at the
free end of the side members 110 and 112. Diverging end
members 146 and 148 are located on either side of the
side frame members beyond the free ends thereof.
The front plow assembly includes a plow blade
150 mounted to a frame 152. At one end of the frame 152
is a column 154 to mount the front end of the side plow
12. The frame includes horizontal frame members 156 and
158 on which a sub-frame 160 is fixedly mounted. The
sub-frame includes vertical plate members 162 and 164
each having a hook member 166 and 168 with a downwardly
facing jaw 170 and 172. The bottom of each of the
sub-frame plate members 162 and 164 are provided with
feet 170 and 172, including apertures 174 and 176
respectively.
When it is required to mount the plow
assembly on a vehicle 10, the vehicle is placed adjacent
the plow assembly, and the sub-frames 90 and 108 are
extended by means of the hydraulic arrangements 84 and
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180 to a position whereby the engaging members 96, 142,
and 144 can engage the hook members 68 and 166, 168
respectively.
In the case of the front plow, the hydraulic
arrangements 180 are then retracted to retract the
sub-assembly 108 thereby lifting the plow assembly by
means of the hooks 166 and 168 until the feet 170 and
172 are intercalated between the plate members forming
the side members 110 and 112 respectively. The cylinder
arrangements 120 and 122 are then operated to extend the
pistons 124 and 126 such that they simultaneously engage
the holes 130 and 132 on side frame member 110 and 134
and 136 on side frame member 112. The holes 174 and 176
are aligned with holes 130 and 132 when the sub-assembly
108 is retracted, and thus the lower part of the sub-
frame 160 is locked within the sub-frame 108 and the
upstanding frame 101 as the pistons 124 and 126 extend
through the apertures 130, 134, and 138 and 140 on the
upstanding frame 101.
On the side upstanding frame member, the
flanges 64 and 66 are intercalated between the flanges
78, plate 74, plate 72, and flange 76, as the sub-frame
arm 86 is retracted. Pins 98 and 100 are manually
placed through the aligned apertures, as shown in the
drawings.
The side plow and front plow are then in the
position to be operated.
The operation of the mechanism will now be
described briefly with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4.
The piston 24 is actuated to retract the piston rod,
causing the gripping arm 18 to retract to its vertical
position as shown in Figure 4 with the opposed arms 28
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located inside the side walls 23 of the vertical channel
member 26. The locking pin 34 is then in position
through the through bore 33 and is locked in that
position by the locking pin 36. The pivotal arm 41 is
then swung upwardly and connected in the slot 38 of the
upper locking member, as previously described. Thus, it
can be seen that the rear support tower 14 is solidly
immovably retained by three connections, namely, (1) the
locking bolt 34, (2) the hook plate 20 and bolt 32, and
(3) the upper locking member comprised by the arms 37
and the pivotal arm 41. Thus, there are three spaced-
apart connection polnts along the tower retaining frame
17, and a further connection point connected at end 42
of the pivotal arm 41. Further, the structural block 59
is tightly received between the opposed arms 28 of the
gripping arm 18 preventing any lateral motion of the
rear support tower.
A security feature has been provided by way of
the fact that the hydraulic hoses 60 and 62 normally
connected to the nipples 64 and 66 on cylinder 68 (part
of the linkage for the side plow 12) are those used
alternatively to operate the cylinder 24. Thus, the
hoses 60 and 62 must be physically removed from the
cylinder 68 and applied to the cylinder 24 before the
detachment of the plow can be effected by way of opera-
ting the cylinder 24 and the arm 18.
It is within the ambit of the present inven-
tion to cover any obvious modifications of the example
of the preferred embodiment described herein, provided
such modifications fall within the scope of the broad
claims appended hereto.
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