Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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1 307h28
LEAF LOADING i~AC~INE~ WIT~ COUNTERROTATING BE:ATE:R AND BROO~
BACRGROU~D OF T~E INVE~TIO~ - -
Field of ~he Invention
The presen~ invention relate~ generally to loading
machine~ and, more particularly, i3 concerned with an improved
leaf loading machine capable of swe~ping and picking up le~ve~
under di~erse and adverse condi~ion~.
Descrip~ion of the Prior ~rt
Variou~ machine~ for sweeping and removing leave
tra~h and debri~ from municipal street~, road~, parks and.
other surfaces are in wide u e at ~he pr~sent time.
Representative of the pr ior ar t are the sweep~rs and
collectors disclosed in U.S. Patent~ to Cromwell (3,183,553),
Doering (3,922,744), Saiia (3,990,125), Donohue (3,993,141),
and Olson et al (4,624,026) and embodied in machines
commercially available under the trademarks, Sweepster and
Tarco, and tLadename, Vanguard. Other prior art barve~ing
maahine~ for picking up crop materials are disclosed in U.S.
Patents to Re~etich (3,797,216) and Ramacher et al
(3l872,657).
Many prior art sweepers and collectorq operate
satisfactorily when the prevailing condition~ are close to
ideal, such as where the leaves and other debris are dry and
lie in loose and scattered arrangements on a surface.
However, when adver-se weather produces less than ideal
conditions, such as where leaves and other debris becomes wet,
compacted, frozen or hard-packed/ many prior art machines fail
~o do an adequate job of sweeping and removing the materialsO
One major shortcoming of many prior art machines
lies in ~he inability o their sweeping rotors vacuums and
broom~ to perfor~ the multiplici~y of function~ required to
~handle the diver ity of adv~rse condition~ typically
encountered, such as men ioned above. While the broo~s may be
1 307~8
1 adequat~ to swe~p the loose materials, they are frequen~ly
incapabl~ of loo~ening packed material. Also, while a ~t of
~andemly-arranged broom~~~ay b~- able to l$ft dry and fluffy
materials, they are commonly incapable of lifting heavier and
mor~ den~e clumps and piles of wet debri3~
Consequently, a need exi3t~ or a leaf collecting or
harvestirlg machine o~ improved versatility rendering it
capable of satisfactory perform~nce under a variety of adverse
conditions, such as handling removal of densely-pa~ked piles
o leave~ and debris.
SUMMARY OF T~ VBN~ION
The present invention provide~ a leaf loading
machine designed to satisfy the aforementioned need~. The
term ~leaf~ is meant to cover not only leave~, but also other
materials and debris commonly encountered on streets, road~
and park ~urfaces.
The present invention provides an improved machine
incorporatlng severaI different features which function to
effectively ~weep and pick up or lift leaves lying in a
variety of condi~ion3 on a variety of surface~. The machlne
- functions satisfactorily under a wide range of advers~
conditions, for instances where the leave~ are matted and
and where stones, bottles and cans are intermixed with the
leaves. Thus, the machine i~ capable of handling everything
from wet, hard packed, or dry and fluffy, leaves to junk~
The features of the improved leaf loading machine of
the pre~ent invention are advantageously incorporated together
in the same machine to realize all potential bene~its deriving
30 therefrom. ~owever, the advantages associated with individual
ones of the features can be enjoyed separately in different
machines.
: The improved leaf loading machin~ of the present
invention which incorporates the various features basi~ally
includes ~ mobile frame adapted to move across the ground,
rotary beater including a plurality of lifting elements
.
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3 6~077-787
extending transversely of frame, and a rotary broom including a
plurality of bristles extending transversely of the frame and
disposed rearwardly of and in tandem relation to the beater. The
beater and broom are disposed ad~acent to the ground and operable
to counter-rotate relative to one another so as to deliver leaves
from the ground upwardly hetween the beater and broom. Also, the
machine includes means on the frame Por receiving the delivered
leaves. The receiving means can take the form of mechanisms such
as an auger and thrower for transferring ~he delivered leaves to a
storage location, such as a truck which tows the machine.
In the preferred embodiment of the machine of the pres-
ent invention, the tips of the beater lifting elemen~s are movable
along a first path of travel at a first speed while the tips of
the broom bristles are movable along a second path of travel at a
second speed. The first and second paths of travel overlap and
the second speed is substantlally faster than the first speed,
thereby resultlny ln effectlve stripping of the beater lifting
elements.
In accordance with the present inventlon there is pro-
vlded a leaf loadlng machine, comprising~ a mobile frame adaptedto move across the yround; a rotary beater including a plurality
of lifting elements extending transversely of the frame; a rotary
broom includlng a plurall~y of bristles extending transversely of
the frame and disposed rearwardly of and in tandem rela~ion to
sald beater; sald beater and said broom being disposed adjacent
the ground and operable to counterrotate relative to one another
so as to deliver leaves from the ground upwardly between said
beater and said broom; and drive means on said frame for counter-
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3a 64077-7~7
rotating said heater and said broom so that the tips of said
liftiny elements are movable along a first path of travel at a
first speed while the tips of said bristles are movable along a
second path of travel at a second speed, said second speed being
substantially faster than said first speed.
These and other advantages and attainments of the
present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art
upon a reading of the foliowing detailed description when taken in
conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described
an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the course of the following detailed description,
reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a top plan view, with portions broken away, of
a leaf loading machlne embodying the princlples of the present
inventlon;
Fig. 2 is a right side elevational view of the machine
of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a left side elevatlonal view of the machine of
Fig. l;
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1 Fig. 4 i~ an enlarged sectional view taken along
line 4- 4 of Fig. l;
Fi~. 5 i~ a l~f~ side elevational view of the leaf
loading machine with the ~achin~ being shown in a ~ran~port
po~itlon in solid line form and an operating po~ition in
da~hed line form;
Fig~ 6 is a left side elevational view of the leaf
loading machine with its rotary pickup beater b~ing 3hown at
it~ ~inimum di placement above the ground in solid line for~
and at it3 maximum displacement above th~ ground in dashed
line form;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of one
of the ~weeping elements in a rotary pickup broom o~ the lea~
loading ~achine;
Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of
Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 i5 an ~nlarged side elevational view of one
o~ the liftin~A element~ in the pickup broom of the leaf
loading machine;
Fig. 10 is an end elevational view as seen along
line 10--10 of Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 is an enlarged side elevational view of a
central spider support structure in the pickup broom of the
leaf loading machine;
FigO 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12--12
of Fig. 11;
Fig. 13 is an exploded view of one of ten groupings .
of sweeping and lifting elements in the pickup broom of the
leaf harvesting machine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIO~
In the following descrip~ion, right hand and left
hand reference~ are deter~ined by standing a~ ~he rear of the
machine and facing in the direction of forward travel. Also
in the following description, it is to be understood tha~ ~uch
~erm~ as ~forward", "l~f~ upwardly~, etc., are words of
convenience and are not to be construed a~ limiting term~.
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1 In Gen~ral
Referring now to the drawings, and pa~ticularly to
Figs. 1-3, there i~ shown an improved leaf loading machine,
being indicated generally by numeral 10 and comprising he
preferred embodiment of the present inventioQ ~the right siae
of the ~achine being shown in Fig~ 2 and ~he le~t ~ide in Flg.
3 when one i~ standin9 to the rear of ~he ma¢hine and facing
in ~he direction of forward travel~.
The machine 10 is provided wi~h a mobila frame,
generally indicated at 12, which include~ a left longitudinal
ram~ member 14 and a pair of laterally-~paced inner and outer
right longitudinal frame members 16,18 which ~e~ber~ 14,16,18
all extend ore-and-aft and are interconnected by forward and
rearward transverse frame member~ 20,22. ~he longitudin~l
frame members 14,16,18 are re~pectively supported by l~t and
right ground wheels 24,26 being rotatably mounted by an
elongated axle 28 extend~ng between and mounted at its
opposite ends to left and right bracket plates 30,32 fixed in
upright orientation~ to the rear po~tions of th~ left and
20 outer right longitudinal members 14,18.
At the right front portion of the mobile frame 12, a
pair of inner and outer beam~ 34,3& are fixed upstanding on
the front end3 o respective inner and outer longitudinal
frame members 16,18. A ~ongue assembly 38 is pivotally
mount~d at its rear portion by an elongated pivot pin 40
connected to and extending between the upper ends of the beams
34,36. The tongue a~sembly 38 extends forward from the beams
34,36 and has a hitching means 42 on its forward end adapting
the machine 10 to be secured to a drawbar 44 (Fig. 5~ of a
towing vehicle (not shown), 3uch as a truck located at the
front of the machine 10, for towing the machine 10 along
surfaces of streets, roadways, parks or other area~ to be
cleaned.
In addition to the mobile frame 12, the leaf loading
machine 10 basically includes a rotary beater 46 on ~he frame
12 extending transversely of ~,he direction o travel and a
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1 main rotary pickup broom 48 on the fra~e 12 also extending
transversely of the dir~ect~on of ~ra~l and disposed
rearwardly o~ and in tandem relatio~ to the beater 460
Covering the upper side of the beater 46 i~ a ~hroud 50 open
at it~ front a~d rear end~ and co~po~d of a pair of spaced
left and right s~de walls 52,S4 in~erconnected by a top wall
56. Over lying and enclosing the upper side of the main
pickup broo~ 48 i8 a housing 58 open at i~ fron end and
compo~ed of a pair of spaced left and right side wall~ 60,62
interconnected by a top wall 64 and clos~d at ~he r~ar end of
the hou~ing 58 by a rear wall 66. The housi~g 58 i5 fixed on-
and extend~ between and above the l~t and inner right
longitudinal frame members 14,1~ of the ~obile frame 12.
Thu~, the beater 46 and main pickup broom 48 are
disposed with their lower sides adjacent to the ground and
their upper sides spaced below respective top walls 56,64 of
the shroud and housing 46,48. The auxiliary beater 46 and
main broo~ 48 have respec~ive elongated central tubular
member~ 68 and 70 rotatably moun~ed at th~ir respective
opposlte end~ to and extending between respective ~ide walls
52,54 and 60,62 of the shroud 50 and housing 58 by which the
beater 46 and broom 48 can counterrotate relative to one
another 50 as to deliver leave~ from the ground upwardly
therebetween. The leaves are then deflected rearwardly over
the main broom 48 by the respective top walls 56 and 64 of the
shroud 50 and housing 58.
Also, the leaf loading machine 10 includes means on
the mobile frame 12 ~or receiving the leaves delivered from
the ground by the beater 46 and main pickup broom 48 and
deflected rearwardly over the broom 48 toward the rear wall 66
of the housing 58. The receiving means preferably takes the
form of a tran~fer auger 72 dispo~ed transversly on ~he mobile
frame 12 r~arwardly of and in tandem with the broom 48 and a
di~harge blow~r 74 coaxially align~d wi h and disposed at a
discharge end of a cen~ral ~haft 76 of ~he aug~r 72. The
aug~r 72 at the left ~nd of its shaft 76 i~ rotatably ~ounted
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1 to th~ le~t ~ide wall 60 of the housing 58. The thrower 74 i3
~ounted on the inner a~d outer right longitudinal fram~
me~ber~ 16,18 adjacent the rlght ~ide``wall 62 of the hou~ing
58.
An opening 78 in the housing right side wall 62
provides communication of the aug~r 72 with an impeller 80
rotatably mounted between ~he housing right side wall 62 and
an outer side wall 82 of a ca~iD~ ~4 o th~ blower 74. The
auger 72 rotate~ a~d coacts with a ~tationary a~cuate-shaped
~rough 86, which underlies the auger 72 and i~ fi~ed between
the hou~ing cide and rear wall~ 60,62~54, to trans~er the
leaves la~erally from l~ft to righ in ~ig. 1 to the thrower
impeller 80. The impeller 80 rotating at high speed in the
blowex ca~ing 84 propels the leave~ through the ca~ing R4 and
out a discharge spout 88 extending upwardly from the casing 84
to a storage location, such as the truck which towq the
machine 10.
The motive ~ower for the beater 46, main pickup
broom 48, transfer auger 72 and discharge thrower 74 of the
leaf loading machine 10 is derived from an engine 90 mounted
on a rear super~tructure 92 Pixed ~o the longitudinal frame
members 14,16,18 of the mobile frame 12 and overlying the
ground wheelc 24,26 ~hereo~. A power train lea~ing from a
rotating drive shaft 94 of the engine which mounts a flywheel
96 provide~ rotary driving power to the above-describ~d
operating components of the machine 10.
More particularly, the power train includes driYe
and driven sheaves 98,100 respectively mounted on the engine
drive shaft 94 and the thrower impeller 80 and a continuous
belt 102 extending between an drivingly entrained about the
~heaves ~8,100. A beIt ~ightener mechanism 104 is disposed
adjacen~ the belt 102 and actuatable by a handle 106 pivotally
mounted on the superstructure 92. The power train also
includes a jack shaft 108 rotatably mounted a bracket 110
fi~ed uprlgh~ on the outer right longitudinal fram~ member 18
and having a large diam~ter sproc~et 112 and a pair of small
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diameter ~procket3 114 attached re3pectively on outer and
inner end~ of the jack shaft 108~ Another sloall diameter
sprocket 116 is attachë~ on the outer~ end of the impeller 80
adjacent the sheave 110 thereo~l with a drive chain 118
extending between and drivingly ~n rained about the sprockets
112, 116 .
For power ing the main pickup broo~, the dual
sprocket~ 114 on the inner end of the jack ~haf~ 108 are
drivingly coupled to dual sprocket~ 120 on the riqht end of
the broom central tubular memb~r 70 by a pair of continuou~
drive chains 1220 For powering the beater 46 and the ~ransfer
auger 72, a pair of inner and outer sprocke~q 124,126 are
attached side-by-~ide to the left end of the broom central
tubular member 7G. Respective drive chain3 128,130 extend
between and drivingly couple ~he outer and inner sprocket3
126,124 with sprockets 132,134 respectively attached on the
left ends of the beater central tubular member 68 and the
aug~r ~ha~t 76. A pair of drive chain take-up idler sprockets
6 are rotatabl~ mounted on the le~t side wall 60 of the
housing 5~ adjacent the outer ~prock~t 126 on th~ broom
central tubular member 70. The idler sprockets 136 allow
adjustable movement of the beater 46 toward and away from the
broom 48 while still providing drive coupling ~herebetween by
the chain 128 and also provide for counterrotation of the
beat~r 46 and broo~ 48 such that they move toward one another,
as depicted by the arrows in Fig. 4, at their respec~ive lower
sides.
The machine 10 also has a brush str ipper 138 with an
elongated shaft 140 and diametrically-opposed radially
projecting combs 142. The shaft-140 is rotatably mounted
between the left and right housin~ side walls 60,62 so as to
locate its combs 142 rearwardly and tangentially to ~he main
pickup broom 48. The power train also include a large
diameter ~procket 144 a~ached on the left end of the auger
haft 76 and a s~all di~meter sprocket 146 attached to tAe
left end of the brush stripper shaft 140. A drive chain 148
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extend~ between and drivingly couple~ the spEocket~ 144,146.
The rela~ive ~peed~ of ~h~ op~rating omponent~ of the machine
10 can readily ~e determined by co~paring the relative si~es
of the respective sheave~ and sprocket~ of th~3 power train
associated therewith.
In the preferred eMbodim~nt of the leaf loading
machine 10, the central me~er 68 o the b~ater 46 rota~es at
77 rpra, the central me~hber 70 of tha broom ~8 rota~es at 169
rp~ the auger shaiEt 76 rotate~ at 276 rpEa~ and ~he stripper
~haft 140 rotates at ssa rpm, While the machine 10 opera e~
mo t efficiently with the various component~ ro~a~lng at the
aforementioned speed~, it $hould be understood that the
components may also be operated at other ~peed~.
Rotary ~eat~r and Pickup Broom
One important ~eature of the improved leaf
harvesting machine 10 relates to the composition of, and
cooperation which occur~ between, the beater 46 and main
pickup broom 48. As best seen in Fig. 4, in addition to itq
central tubular member 68, the pickup beater 46 includes a
number of elongated angle members 150 being L-~haped in cro~8
section and a plurality of elongated lifting elements 152
attached in spaced relation along each of the angle members
150. The angle members 150 are circumferentially spaced about
and rigidly fixed to the central tubular membe~ 68 so as
to extend tangentially therefrom. The liting elements 152
are angularly-spaced about and generally extend in swept-back
radial ashion from a central mounting structure 154 formed by
the angle members 150 and central tubular member 68 of the
beater.
Also, the beater 46 includes a stripper assembly 156
composed of a plurality of spaced apar~ U-shaped stripper
segments 158 which extend parallel ~o one another and
downwardly around the lower ~ide of ~hç central mounting
structure 154 and are attached a~ ~heir upper end~ by bolts
160 to flange~ 162 fixed on ~:he und~r~ide of the top wall 56
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of the beater shroud 50. Th~ lifting eleme~ts 152 are aligned
wi'ch the space~ between ~he -~tripper ~egments 15~ ~o as to
extend through the spacé~ and beyond- ~the ~tr ipper segm~nt~ 158
du~ ing tra~el l:hrough the lower portion of an endleq~ path of
travel P(1) as the beat~r central mountin~ ~ttucture 154 i~
rotated counterclockwise as v~ewed in Pig. 4. ~uring travel
through the upper portion of the endle~ path P ~1 ), the
lifting elements 152 withdraw in~ide of the 3t~ipper ~egmen~s
158 whereby the segments 158 caus~ stripplng of asly material
clinging ~o ~he lifting element~ 152. Preferably, the lifting
element~ 152 take the form of resilien~ly yieldable, semi-
rigid sprlng-type fingers or tine~ which move in the endless
path P(l) and are capabl~ of engaging and loo ening up
densely-packed piles of leave~ and of lifting the leaves
upwardly from the ground.
As be3t seen in Figs. 1, 4, and 7-13, in addition to
it~ central tubular member 70, the pickup broom 48 include~ a
spider 164, and plur,alities of brushing or sweeping elements
166 and lifting elemèn~ 168 axiall~ slidably mounted on the
spider 164. The spid~r 164 is composed of three.bar3 170
spaced radially rom and ex~ending generally parallel to the
central tubular member 70 by a plurality of triangular-3haped
plate~ 172. The plates 172 are axially spaced from one
another along the central tubular member 70 and at~ached
thereto and to the bars 170 50 as to define with the central
tubular member 70 and bars 170 a central spider support
structure 174 having an overall equilateral triangular
~configuration.
~s best see~ in Figs. 4, 7, 8 and 13, each of the
brushing or sweeping elements 166 o~ th~ broom 48 is composed
of a central ring 176 having a multiplicity of resiliently-
flexible elongated fiber bristles 178 arranged in a row,
anchored thereto and extending radially th~refrom. The
central ring 176 has a wavy, undula~ing or ~onvoluted shape
defining three pair~ of alternating, axially-spaced lobes A
and B which, depending upon the angular orien~ation of one
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ring 176 relative to a~ adjacently-po~itioned ring 176, allow
placement of ~he ring~ 176- Qlther. ~in sync or out o~ sync wit~
one another. In other words, when th~ rings are ~in syncU
with one another, the three pair~ (o~ six) lobes A,B of each
ring are nested together in close pack~d contacting relation
wi~h ~heir rows of bristles 178 disposed ad~acen~ onc
an~ther. After rotation of one ring 176 sixty degrees
rela~ive to the adjacent ring 176, ~he ring~ are ~out of ~ync~ '
such that only three lobes ~ displaced one hundred ~enty
degree~ apart are contacting and their rows of bristle~ 178
are axially spaced at the locations of the other ~hree spaced
apart l~bes. Both the ~in sync" and ~out o~ ~ync~
relationship~ of the ~w0eping elements 166 can be ~een in Figr
1. Two pairs of radially-inwardly extending spaced drive pins
180, 182 fixed on the ring 17~ of each sweeping element 166
and circumferentially spaced from one another by approximately
one inch interfit with any of the bars 170 of the spider
support qtructure 174 to prevent the sweeping element 166 fro~
rotating relative thereto once the ring~l76 has been ~lidably-
installed over the ~pider support structure 174~ Rotation of
the spider support structure 174 thus causes rotation of the
plurality of sweeplng element~ 166 therewith in an endless
path P~2) in which the outer tips of the fiber bristles 178
engage and sweep the loosened leaves across the ground.
As best seen in Figs~ 4, 9, 10 and 13, each of the
lifting element~ 168 of the broom 48 is composed of a
triangular-shaped plate 184 and a plurality of resiliently- -
yieldable, semi-rigid spring-~ype fingers or tines 186
angularly-spaced thereabout one hundred twenty degrees from
one another. The tines 186 are mounted by bolts 188 ~o each
of three angular brackets 190 fixed on the respective three
segment~ 192 of the plate 184. Installation of the lifting
element 168 over the spider support structure 174 of
the broom 48, as best seen in Fig. 4, involves aligning the
bar~ 170 o~ the spider support structure 174 with the in~erior
corner~ ormed by the plate segment~ 192 and then sliding the
pla~e 184 on ~he bars 170.
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1 As shown in Fig. 13~ one lifting element 168 i~
grouped with six sweep~n~-e}ement~ 166 with a ~ubgroup of
three sweeping element3 16~ on each opposlte ~ide of the
lifting elemen~ 158. Ten of such group~ are positioned ~long
the spider support structure 174 of the broom 48. Th~
sweeping and lifting element~ 166,168 are installed ~rom the
right end of the structure 174 a3 viewed in Fig. 11. A stop
plate 194 is provided on the left e~d of th~ structure 174.
The ~hree sweeping element~ 166 of each subgroup on
each ~ide of the lifting element 168 are orien~ed ~o as~u~e ~n
~in sync~ or nesting relation to one another. aowever~ the
inner ones of the sweep~ng element~ 166 of the two sub~roups
are oriented "out of sync~ with each other, allowing the
lifting element 168 to be po~itioned therebetween with it~
corner~ 196 formed by the plate segments 192 being disposed
between the three spaced lobe~ ~ of the sweeping element rings
176. In such manner, the lifting element tines 186 are
interspersed with the fiber bristles 178 of the sweeping
elements 166 and, upon rotation of the spider support
structure 174, move in an endless path P(3) to engage and lift
upwardly fro~ the ground the lea~es being swept by tha
sweeping elements 166. It will be observed in Fig. 4 that the
tines 186 of the li~ting elements 168 are slightly shorter in
length than the bristle~ 178 of the sweeping elements 166.
Thus, the diameter of endless path P(3) is less than that of
endless path P(2).
Ther~fore, upon counter-rotation of the beater 46
and main pickup broom 48 such that the beatér and broom rotate
toward one another at their respective lower sides which are
locat~d adjacent the ground, the respective sweeping el ments
166 and lifting element3 152,}68 thereof cooperate to
positively and consistently deliver leaves from the ground
upwardly between the beater and broom 46,48 to the ~ransfer
auger 72~. secause of the interspersed rela~ionship o~ the
tines 186 within the ~a~s of btistle~ 178, when the load
become~ heavy the more riyid tine~ lR6 take over the load
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1 carrying function from th~ fiber bristles 178~ If the tine3
186 were not pre~ent, the bri~tle~ 178 would msrely deflect
and not lift the loadO ~The~tine~ 18~ by being ~pring-type are
for~iving and so wlll re~ilient yield wh~n pa~ing over rocks
and o~her i~ovable objects.
In the preferred embodimen~ of the machine 10, ~he
speed of the tips of the beater el~ent~ 152 along the path
P(l) i~ 414 ft/min or 4.7 mph while the ~peed o~ the tip~ of
th~ broo~ bri~tle3 178 alon~ the pa~b P(2) i~ 1416 ~t/min or
16.1 mph. The aforementioned speed diff~rential between the
tips of the beater elements 152 and ~he tip~ of the broom
bri~tle3 178 in cooperation with the overlapping paths P~t)
and P~2) thereof re~ults in effec~ive 3tripping of the beater
elements 152. Although the present inven~ion i~ no~ ited
to having the beater elements 152 and the broom bristles 178
operating at the aforementioned speed~, it is important that
the broom bristleq 178 operate substantially faster (i.e. two
or three times faster) than the bea~er elements 152. W~en
encountering adverse condition~ such as large pile~ of leaves,
the machine 10 should be towed at a ground speed of about 1
to 2 mph so that the beater element~ 152 operate ~uch faster
(i.e. at 4~7, mph). Thi~ results in an even flow of leaves
between the beater 46 and the broom 48 wi~hout any clogging.
Adjustable Mounting of Rotary Beater
Another important feature of the improved leaf
harve3ting machine 10 relates to mean mountea on the mobile
frame 12 which, in turn, adjustably mounts the beater 46 for
move-ment along a linear path toward and away from the main
pickup broom 48 for presettiny ~he positional relationship of
the beater 46 relative to the broom 48. More specifically,
the adjus~ing means includes a releasable and slidably
adjustable attachment arrangement, generally designated 1~8,
for pr~setting the po~ition of ~h~ endless path P(13 of the
beater li~t~ng elements 152 relativ~ to ~he endles3 path~
~(2),P(3) of the pickup broom ~w~eping and li~ting el~ments
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166,168. As ~een in Fig. 4, tAe ~lightly overlapping relation
be~cween the peripheri~ of the reqpective endless paths P(13
and P(2) of the beater liftlng elemén~t~ 152 and pickup broo~
sweeping ele~ents 166 i~ preferrQd. Al30g a 3ubstantially
tangentlal relation between the peripheries of the respective
endle~s path~ P(l) and P(2) of the: pickup beater lifting
elements 152 and pickup broom lif'cinq el ment~ 168 is
preferred .
~s best seen in ~ig~ ~ 1 6; the ad justabl~ beater
a'c~achment arrangement 198 include3 a pair of left and righ
elongated arms 200,202 pivotally mounted at their rear end
por tion~ to ~he outer lef t and right ends of the broo~ central
tubular member 70 and slidably coupled via elongated slot~ 204
defined in their front end portions to outer left and righ~
ends of the beater central tubular member 68. Left and right
plate~ 20~,208 are fixed to the front portion3 of the
respective left and right arms 200, 202 and ext~nd above and
below the arms. A pair of spaced slot~ 210 are formed in each
of the plates 206,208 above and below the arm~ 200,~02. The . .
slots 210 recaive relea~able fasteners 212 which extend
through holes ln the left and right ~hroud eide walls 52, 54
being alignable with the respective ~lot~ 210. Thus~ the
position of the beater 46 relative to the broom 48 is adju~tPd
by first unloosening the Easteners 212. Next, the beater 46
and shroud 50 therewith are slid toward the broom 48 (with th~
outer ends of the beater central tubular member 68 sliding
along the ~lots 204 in arms 200,202) until the desired
position i~ reached. Then, the fa~teners ~12 are retightened.
Still another important feature of the improved leaf
loading machine 10 relates to means pivotally mounted on the
mobile frame 12 and moun~ing ~he beater 4~ for swingi~g
movement toward and away from the ground about the main pickup
broom center 48. In particular, the beater mounting means
takes ~he form of the above-described b~ater support and
attach~en~ arrangement 198 which pivotally mounts the beater
46 to the axis of the broo~ 4R and a heigh~ adiust~ent
1 307~2~
1 mechani~ 214 coupled between the beater ~hroud 50 and the
mobile frame 12. Particularly, the h~lght adjustment
mechanism 214 includ~ brack~t--216 ~ixed on the top wall 56
of the shroud sn having an elongated lo~t ~otion ~lot 218, a
cylinder 220 havin9 a central thr~aded bore 222 pivotally
~ounted by a bracket 224 fixed on the ~ront edge of the
hou~ing ~op wall 64, and an elongated ~hreaded rod 226
extending through the cylinder 220 with a handle 228 defined
on the upper end thereof. Th~ height ad~u~tma~t mechanism 214
i~ actuatable by rotating ~he handle 228 to pre~at a ~inimum
di~placement of ~he beater above the ground, as ~een in Fig.
6~ The presence of the slot 218 p~r~i~ a lost ~otion-type
pivotal movem~nt of the beater ~hroud 50 and the beater 46
therewith to a maximum displacement above the ground (a~ ~en
in da~hed line form in Fig. 6) to allow the beater 46 to ris~
up over immovable obstacle~ encountered on the ground.
Conversion aetween Transport and Op~rating Positions
Yet another feature of thQ improved ~achlne relate~
..,~ .... .
to a conver3ion arrangement 230 for raising and lowering the
beater 46 and main pickup broom 48 between operating and
transport po~itions shown re~pectively in dashed and solid
line forms in ~ig. 5. Specif ically, a~ best seen in Figs. 1~
6, the tongue as~embly 38 of the machine 10 which is pivotally
mounted by the pin 40 about a generally horizontal axis to the
upright beams 34,36 includes a lever member 232 of the
conversion arrangement 230 extending rearwardly from the
beams. The arrangement 230 also includes a conversion
mechanism 234 coupled between the rear end of the lever member
232 and a bracket 236 attached on the right longitudinal
membars 16,1B of the mobile frame 12.
The handle 238 on a threaded rod 240 of the
conver~io~ mechanism 230 being threaded through a coupler 242
pivotally attached at 244 to the rear end of the lever member
232 i~ turned to ro~ate the rod 240 and cau~ing pivoting of
the tongu~ as~embly 38 about the axi defined by pivot pin 4
1 :~07628
-- 16 --
1 and r~lative to the mobile frame 12 betwe~n first an~ second
. ar~iculated condltion9~een in Fig. 5. When the ton~ue
a~sembly clevi~ 42 ls attach~d to thè drawbar 44 of a towing
v~hicle, ~elec~ed actuation of the conver~ion ~echanis~ 230
will respectiv~ly lower and rai~e the ~obile fra~e 12 and th~
auxiliary pickup beater 46 and main pickup broom 48 mounted
thereon between the operatin~ and tran poEt position~O
Other Feature~-
In addition to the rotary brush cleaner 140
de~cr~bed earlier, the leaf harve3ting ~achine 10 alco
incorporate~ an arcuate- haped carryover recoYery plate o~
chute 146 fixed to and extending betw~n th~ hou3ing ~ide-
walls 60,62 rearwardly of the lower sid~ of the main pickup
broom 48. The function of the chute 146 is to facllitate
return of carried over mate.rial along the endles~ path P(2) of
the broom 48 so that another attemp~ can be made at removing
it from the street surface. Further, a~ an op~ion a rotary
curb brush 248 mounted to the beater left support a~m-200 by a
swing arm 250 and powered by a hydraulic motor 252 can be u~ed
on the machine 10.
It is thought that the present invention and many o~
it~ attendant advantages will b~ understood fro~ the foregoing
description and it will be apparent that various change~ may
be made in the form~ construction and arrangement of the parts
thereof without departing from the spir it and scope of the
invention or sacrificing all of it material advantages, the
form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred or
exemplary embodiment thereof.
