US20060005435A1

US20060005435A1 - Snow plow having reversible wings

Info

Publication number: US20060005435A1
Application number: US10/886,482
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert Gamble; Lynn Schultz; Terry Wendorff
Original assignee: Sno-Way International Inc
Current assignee: Sno-Way International Inc
Priority date: 2004-07-07
Filing date: 2004-07-07
Publication date: 2006-01-12

Abstract

An improved apex snow plow having reversible wings is disclosed in which each wing frame is constructed to be used on either side of the snow plow to eliminate the need for two separately designed and constructed snow plow wings. The reversible wings are easily secured to the center portion of the snow plow and are removable to facilitate replacement. The reversible wings of the snow plow of the present invention can be arranged into any desired configuration via a hydraulic system positioned near the bottom of each wing, thereby allowing each wing to be lighter than and more effective than conventional apex snow plow blade designs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to snow plows typically used with light and medium duty trucks, and particularly to an improved V-shaped snow plow having reversible wings.
Once the exclusive domain of municipality-operated heavy trucks, snow plows have been used with light and medium duty trucks for decades. As would be expected in any area of technology which has been developed for that period of time, snow plows for light and medium duty trucks have undergone tremendous improvement in a wide variety of ways over time, evolving to increase both the usefulness of the snow plows as well as to enhance the ease of using them. The business of manufacturing snow plows for light and medium duty trucks has been highly competitive, with manufacturers of competing snow plows differentiating themselves based on the features and enhanced technology that they design into their products.
One of the most important design features of a snow plow is the type of blade or moldboard used to plow the snow. The first type of snow plow design includes a straight, single snow plow blade that is not hinged or V-shaped. These types of blades can be operated in a straight position or can be pivoted left or right about a central axis to push snow to either side of the vehicle. The second type of snow plow design includes a hinged or pivotable snow plow blade. A hinged snow plow blade contains two wings or arms that are hinged about a central axis in order to permit several different blade configurations.
A hinged plow blade or moldboard (sometimes referred to as an “apex type” plow blade, “articulated plow blade” or a “V-plow” because the hinge is at the apex of the V formed when the arms or wings of the plow are in a swept back position) allows the operator of the vehicle a greater mechanical advantage since the plow moldboard, with its wings in the swept back V-shaped position, will act like a wedge into the snow. Each wing of the snow plow blade acts like an inclined plane depositing the snow to either side of the vehicle. In addition, the wings of a V-plow can be individually positioned into any configuration—allowing the snow to be pushed to either side of the snow plow.
A plow with a straight blade or moldboard also has difficulty in pushing a mound of snow to an out of the way location. For example, with a straight moldboard, snow spills out the sides of the plow while a hinged plow that can be articulated about a central axis can have its wings or arms swept forward to form a V-shaped scoop between the moveable wings/arms of the moldboard. This swept forward position allows for better containment of the snow so that the snow may be moved out of the way without significant spillage.
However, there are several disadvantages to conventional hinged snow plow designs. First, hinged snow plow designs include two distinct moldboard wing sections with each section specifically designed to be located on a particular side of the snow plow (i.e. there is a right side wing section and a left side wing section). Thus, each wing section of the snow plow must be separately designed and manufactured, increasing the overall cost of the wing sections and decreasing efficiency of production of the wing sections. Further, wing replacement and on-hand part storage is more difficult with conventional hinge snow plow designs because the plow owner must retain both a right and a left side wing replacement—resulting in increased cost and storage requirements for the plow owner.
Further, many hinged snow plow blades contain wings that are hinged together at a single center hinge, causing the plow vehicle and the plow blade to undergo significant stress if the plow blade encounters rocks, manhole covers, curbs or other objects. A single hinge construction can easily damage the snow plow wings/moldboard if the plow hits such objects—rendering replacement of the wings and center section of the plow expensive and time consuming.
Even where alternative constructions are utilized, hinged plows are generally not able to trip effectively when a curb or another object is encountered by the plow blade—especially when the plow's wings are in the V-shaped (swept back) or inverted V-shaped (swept forward) positions. Thus, when objects are hit, the snow plow blade is unable to effectively move, causing damage to the blade as well significant strain on the snow plow vehicle. In conventional constructions, even where the blade is designed to move when an object is encountered, the blade trips with a jerking or forceful effect and returns to plowing position in a similar manner causing significant strain on the snow plow vehicle.
In addition, snow plow blade designs typically include hydraulic systems for moving the blade/wings into position. In conventional snow plow designs, these systems are located near the middle or upper portions of the wing section, away from the ground to provide maximum leverage and force for movement and retention of the plow blade into position. However, such a location for the hydraulic system, requires extra force to move the wings, lending to the use of larger and heavier hydraulic cylinders/systems. In addition, this type of configuration requires a heavier snow plow blade in order to keep the blade/scrapers of the snow plow in contact with the road surface in order to effectively remove snow. Clearly, additional weight or mass of the snow plow adversely affects fuel economy, handling of the snow plow and the useful life of the snow plow vehicle.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide a snow plow having reversible wings that are hinged about a center section, wherein the reversible snow plow wing of the present invention may be easily positioned on either side of the snow plow's center section, eliminating the need for two separately designed and manufactured wing sections. It is a related object of the present invention to provide a reversible snow plow wing that is easily positioned on to and removed from the center section of the snow plow blade, wherein the reversible snow plow wing can be removed from one side and rotated 180 degrees for use on the other side of the snow plow's center section. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a snow plow having wings positionable in a variety of configurations for the effective removal of snow.
It is a further objective to provide a snow plow having reversible wings including a trip spring and dampening cushion design in which the snow plow wings and center section are permitted to tip forward when the plow encounters an object and return back into position in a controlled manner without significant stress on the mechanical structure of the snow plow or the snow plow vehicle.
In addition, it can be another objective of the present invention to provide a lighter weight snow plow system in which the hydraulic system utilized in positioning the reversible wings of the present invention is configured in a manner that increases the force and stability of the snow plow blade when in contact with heavy snow, and which requires a lighter hydraulic system. It is a related objective of the present invention to provide snow plow wings, and hence, a lighter snow plow blade that can effectively remove snow and that is less expensive to produce, easier to transport and that causes less mechanical stress on the snow plow vehicle than other conventional snow plow blade configurations.
The snow plow of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the snow plow of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, a snow plow having reversible wings is presented. It will be at once appreciated by those skilled in the art that the reversible wing design and configuration of the snow plow of the present invention not only provides a lighter, more effective snow plow than conventional hinged snow plow designs, but also provides a snow plow blade having reduced manufacturing costs compared to other, conventional snow plow blade designs.
The snow plow of the present invention includes a snow plow blade assembly, an intermediate frame section, a main frame section, and additionally includes hitch pieces for mounting the snow plow onto the snow plow vehicle. The hinged snow plow blade assembly includes two reversible wings or arms and a center section. The reversible wing of the present invention has opposing vertical sides, with one side hinged to the center section and the opposite side extending away from the center section of the snow plow blade. Like typical plow blade constructions, the reversible wing is slightly curved or arcuate-shaped when viewed from either side, similar to that of a snow shovel.
The reversible wing of the present invention includes a generally rectangular-shaped frame having a top horizontal member, a bottom horizontal member, a first vertical side portion that is pivotally connected to the center section of the snow plow blade and a second vertical side portion that extends away from the center section of the snow plow blade. The reversible wing is symmetrical about an axis extending from the first vertical side portion to the second vertical side portion, such that top and bottom halves of the reversible wing of the present invention are mirror images of each other.
The top horizontal member of the frame of the reversible wing is a three sided U-shaped channel member having a wide channel bottom and side edges/legs of the “U” extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. When configured as part of the frame, the top horizontal member will be upright i.e., U-shaped with the side edges/legs of the “U” pointing up). The side edge of the U-shaped channel member that will be orientated towards the front of the snow plow when assembled in the wing frame is the front side edge of the channel member, and the side edge of the channel member that will be orientated towards the snow plow vehicle/rear of the snow plow blade when assembled in the wing frame is the rear side edge of the channel member.
The top horizontal member contains four sets of apertures for adding additional components to the wing frame. The first and second sets of apertures are located in a spaced-apart fashion along both side edges of the U-shaped channel member. The apertures are located at substantially parallel locations, across from each other, and are spaced-apart along the length of each side edge of the channel member. The first and second sets of apertures can be used to secure the plow blade moldboard, a plow wearstrip, and/or a rear scraper on to the wing frame.
The third set of apertures is formed within the channel bottom of the top horizontal member near the middle of the horizontal member. The third set of apertures is used to secure the mounting hardware for a hydraulic, pneumatic or other movement system to the wing frame for moving the wing into different positions. The fourth set of apertures is provided near the outer end of the top horizontal member and can be used to secure mounting hardware for a shoe or support device that will ultimately bear the weight of the snow plow blade during use of the snow plow.
The bottom horizontal member of the wing frame of the present invention is also a U-shaped channel member and is the mirror image of the top horizontal member. Accordingly, when configured as part of the frame, the bottom horizontal member will be inverted “U” i.e., with the side edges/legs of the “U” extending downwardly. In addition, the bottom horizontal member contains four set of apertures having substantially symmetrical or mirror image placement on the U-shaped channel member as the top horizontal member. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the symmetry of the apertures on the top and bottom horizontal members permit the wing of the present invention to be reversible, i.e. to be rotated 180 degrees, with the top horizontal member being located in the position of the bottom horizontal member and vice versa, while permitting the wing components (such as the moldboard, wearstrip, support shoe, and cylinder hardware) to be mounted in the proper location on the wing frame.
The top horizontal member and the bottom horizontal member are joined at their respective outer ends by a vertical end rib, located at the second vertical side portion of the frame. The end rib is mounted to and overlies each of the ends of top horizontal member and the bottom horizontal member and has an arcuate shape when viewed from the side, providing the reversible wing with its overall shape. A curved face plate is located adjacent to the end rib and is mounted to the top and bottom horizontal members near the front side edges, respectively, to add additional support to the wing frame.
The top horizontal member and the bottom horizontal member are joined at their respective inner ends by a rectangular-shaped wing support member that extends from the front side edges of the top to the bottom horizontal members, respectively, to the rear side edges of the top to the bottom horizontal members—adding substantial strength to the wing frame. A vertical rib is mounted adjacent to the wing support member and extends from the top to the bottom horizontal member. A curved face plate is located adjacent to the vertical rib and is mounted to the top and bottom horizontal members near the front side edges, respectively, to add additional support to the inner vertical side of the wing frame.
A plurality of hollow tubular hinge pieces are welded to the wing support member along a side thereof to permit the first vertical portion of the reversible wing to be hinged to the center section of the snow plow blade. An L-shaped blade stop that extends from the top horizontal member to the bottom horizontal member is also joined to the wing support member along the side thereof, to provide a limit to the pivot movement of the wing.
Completing the wing frame is an additional vertical rib that is positioned between the outer and inner vertical ends of the wing frame. The vertical rib is joined at its top and bottom to the top and bottom horizontal members, respectively, to add support to the mid-section of the wing frame.
As previously described, complete assembly of the reversible wing of the present invention includes securing several additional components to the wing frame. For example, a skin or moldboard is mounted to the wing frame using retainer members and the apertures formed on the front side of the top and bottom horizontal members. In addition, the snow plow wearstrip, having approximately the same length as the top and bottom horizontal members, is removably bolted on to the bottom horizontal member at the front side edge thereof using the apertures provided therein. Optionally, a rear scraper blade having approximately the same length as the top and bottom horizontal members can be removably bolted on to the bottom horizontal member at the rear side edge thereof using the apertures provided therein.
The assembled wing also includes mounting hardware for retaining a hydraulic cylinder or other mechanism used for moving the snow plow wing into the desired position. The mounting hardware is removably attached to the bottom horizontal member of the wing frame using the third set of apertures formed therein.
Finally, the assembled reversible wing of the present invention also includes a support shoe for supporting the weight of the wing during use of the snow plow. The support shoe is removably mounted to the bottom horizontal member of the wing frame using the fourth set of apertures formed therein.
As described above, the frame of the reversible wing of the present invention is symmetrical about a horizontal axis at approximately the midpoint of the first vertical side portion and the second vertical side portion of the assembled wing frame. In this way, regardless of the components or accessories removably mounted to the wing frame, the wing may be removed from one side of the center section, rotated 180 degrees and remounted to the opposite side of the center section.
Likewise, the symmetry of the wing frame permits production of a single wing frame for use in the hinged snow plow of the present invention, rather than requiring two distinct wings to be manufactured—thus, reducing the manufacturing time and cost associated with production of a snow plow and reducing the maintenance time and cost in operating the snow plow.
The center section of the snow plow blade of the present invention is a substantially triangular-shaped tower and is oriented within the snow plow blade such that two slanted sides and one edge of the triangle tower formed at the intersection thereof project towards the rear of the snow plow blade and the snow plow vehicle, and with the flat side of the triangle and the other two edges of the triangle tower facing the front of the snow plow blade.
The top rear portion of the center section includes a flat plate that extends outwardly from the rear edge and sides of the triangle tower. The flat plate includes two spring retainer bolts for mounting a trip spring thereto—permitting the center section and wings to tip forward if the snow plow blade encounters an object.
The bottom portion of the front side of the center section includes apertures formed therein for mounting a center blade onto the center section. The two forward edges of the front side of the center section contain a plurality of hollow tubular hinge pieces for pivotally attaching two snow plow wings to the center section of the snow plow. The tubular hinge pieces are arranged along each of the forward edges of the center section in a manner that permits the tubular hinge pieces to coaxially interfit with the tubular hinge pieces located on each snow plow wing.
The hinged snow plow blade assembly of the present invention is assembled by removably attaching each reversible wing to the center. A first wing is pivotally attached at its first vertical side portion to the center section by interfitting the hollow tubular hinge pieces of the wing with the hollow tubular hinge pieces located on one side of the center section. The tubular hinge pieces form one elongated tube in which a pin may be fit, joining the wing to the center section. Likewise, a second wing is pivotally attached at its first vertical side portion to the center section by interfitting the hollow tubular hinge pieces of the wing with the hollow tubular hinge pieces located on the opposite side of the center section. The tubular hinge pieces form one elongated tube in which a pin may be fit, joining the wing to the center section.
The bottom rear portion of the center section includes two mounting brackets for retaining the end of the hydraulic cylinders which will be secured at the other end to each bottom horizontal member of the wings of the snow plow. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that because the location of the cylinder is located at the bottom of the center section and each of the snow plow wings and substantially parallel to each of the snow plow wings, the cylinders will be able to deliver a larger, more effective amount of force to the wings provide the wings with greater stability and resistance to heavy load conditions over other more traditional cylinder positions.
The bottom rear portion of the center section also includes two apertures that will receive the intermediate frame section of the snow plow. Importantly, the bottom rear portion of the center section further includes a stop plate which will act as a limit to prevent the snow plow blade from tipping beyond a certain point when the snow plow blade encounters an object.
The intermediate frame section of the present invention is provided with apertures that will receive the opposite ends of the trip springs and a cushion which will engage the stop plate of the center section. When the snow plow blade hits an object, the trip springs permit the top blade to tip forward, preventing potential damage to the snow plow. When the object is no longer an impediment or when the snow plow vehicle backs away, the cushion and the stop plate prevent the snow plow blade from forcefully snapping back into position—elevating stress on both the snow plow blade and the snow plow vehicle.
Finally, assembly of the snow plow is completed by mounting the main frame section onto the intermediate frame section, and using hitch pieces to mount the snow plow onto a snow plow vehicle.
It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches a snow plow having reversible wings wherein the snow plow blade may be more efficiently and more economically manufactured than other snow plow blade designs. The hinged snow plow blade of the present invention eliminates the need for wing designs that are specifically intended for the “right” side or the “left” side of the snow plow.
It may also be seen that the hinged snow plow blade of the present invention is provided with a hydraulic system that is located at the very bottom of each wing of the present invention, in order to more effectively transfer force to the snow plow blade, utilizing minimal hydraulic power. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this configuration provides the hinged snow plow of the present invention a mechanical advantage over hydraulic mechanisms located further up on the snow plow blade, such that the reversible wing of the present invention may be lighter in weight while still retaining the structural strength and effectiveness of heavier snow plow wings.
The snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wing frame for use in a reversible wing of a snow plow blade assembly present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the wing frame of the reversible wing illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the wing frame of the reversible wing illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 a is an exploded view of the wing frame of the reversible wing illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, showing the assembly of a moldboard and a wearstrip onto the wing frame as well as various other snow plow blade components;
FIG. 4 b is a partial cross-sectional view of the top of the reversible wing illustrated in FIG. 4 a, showing how the top of the moldboard is retained by the plow frame;
FIG. 4 c is a partial cross-sectional view of the bottom of the reversible wing illustrated in FIG. 4 a, showing how the bottom of the moldboard is retained by the plow frame;
FIG. 5 is perspective view of the rear side of the reversible wing illustrated in FIGS. 4 a through 4 c;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a center section for use in the snow plow blade assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the center section illustrated in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a side view of the center section illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7;
FIG. 9 is a front view of the center section illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8;
FIG. 10 is a rear view of the center section illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 9;
FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the center section illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 11;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an intermediate section for use in a snow plow frame assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the intermediate section illustrated in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of the intermediate section illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 taken along the line 14-14;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a front portion of the intermediate section illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 14;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a main frame for use in the snow plow frame assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the main frame illustrated in FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a right side view of the main frame illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17;
FIG. 19 is a front view of the main frame illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17;
FIG. 20 is a rear view of the main frame illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 19;
FIG. 21 is a cross-section view of the main frame illustrated in FIG. 16, taken along the line 21-21 of FIG. 17, with the intermediate section shown in shadow;
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a pivoting lift bar which will be pivotally mounted at the rear end of the main frame illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 21;
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a hitch frame nose piece which will be mounted on a truck under the front bumper thereof;
FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a bellcrank which is used to operate the pivoting lift bar illustrated in FIG. 22;
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a lift link which connects the bellcrank illustrated in FIG. 24 to the pivoting lift bar illustrated in FIG. 22;
FIG. 26 is a cutaway view of the various components of the snow plow frame assembled together, showing the hydraulic cylinder used to pivot the lift bar;
FIG. 27 is a partial view from the top showing the hitch mounting mechanism on one side of the snow plow illustrated in FIG. 26 prior to installation;
FIG. 28 is a partial view from the top showing the components illustrated in FIG. 27 in a mounted position;
FIG. 29 is a front perspective view of the snow plow of the present invention, showing the snow plow blade assembly exploded;
FIG. 30 is a rear perspective view of the snow plow of the present invention, showing the snow plow blade assembly exploded;
FIG. 31 is a rear perspective view of the assembled snow plow of the present invention;
FIG. 32 is a side view of the center section illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 11 and the intermediate section illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 15, showing the connection thereof;
FIG. 33 is a partial rear view of the assembled center section and the intermediate section illustrated in FIG. 32;
FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional partial side view of the assembled center section and the intermediate section illustrated in FIGS. 32 and 33, taken along the line 34-34 of FIG. 33, showing the center section in its normal position;
FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional partial side view of the assembled center section and the intermediate section illustrated in FIGS. 32 through 34, taken along the line 34-34, showing the center section in its tripped position;
FIG. 36 is a top plan view of the intermediate section illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 15 and the main frame illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 21, showing the connection thereof;
FIG. 37 is a side view of the assembled intermediate section and the main frame illustrated in FIG. 35;
FIG. 38 is a partial cross-sectional view from the front showing the components illustrated in FIGS. 29 through 31 in a mounted position with the retaining pin inserted;
FIG. 39 is a side view of the snow plow illustrated in FIGS. 29 through 31 as the hitch frame nose piece is brought into engagement with a mounting pin on the pivoting lift bar;
FIG. 40 is a schematic depiction of the engagement of the mounting pin with a slot in the hitch frame nose piece;
FIG. 41 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 39, with the pivoting lift bar beginning to pivot to bring the mounting pin into engagement with the slot in the hitch frame nose piece;
FIG. 42 is a side view similar to that of FIGS. 39 and 41, with the pivoting lift bar pivoted to bring the mounting holes in the pivoting lift bar into alignment with the mounting holes in the hitch frame nose piece;
FIG. 43 a is a top plan view of the snow plow of the present invention illustrated with each of the reversible wings in a swept back position; and
FIG. 43 b is a top plan view of the snow plow of the present invention illustrated with each of the reversible wings in a swept forward position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention comprises, in its simplest form, a snow plow blade assembly 46 including a center section 48 and reversible wings 50 and 51 removably attached at opposite sides thereto, as best shown in FIG. 29. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in a series of figures, of which FIGS. 1 through 5 are components of the reversible wing 50. FIGS. 6 through 25 include components of the snow plow of the present invention and FIGS. 26 through 43 illustrate the manner in which the snow plow having reversible wings is assembled and attached to a snow plow vehicle.
Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a frame 52 for the reversible wing 50 of the present invention is illustrated. The frame 52 has a top portion indicated generally at 54, a bottom portion indicated generally at 56, and substantially parallel vertical side portions indicated generally at 58 and 60. The frame 52 also has a front side indicated generally at 62 that will face away from the snow plow vehicle when the reversible wing 50 is positioned on to a snow plow blade, and a rear side indicated generally at 64 that will face towards the snow plow vehicle when the reversible wing 50 is positioned on to a snow plow blade.
The top portion 54 of the frame 52 includes a top horizontal member 66 that is constructed of a three sided channel member resembling a wide “U”, having a channel bottom 68, front and rear legs 70 and 72 which angle upward and outward from the channel bottom 68 and having first and second ends 74 and 76. A notch 78 is cut out of the front leg 70 on the second end 76 of the top horizontal member 66 for accommodating a hinge mechanism, as will be described below. The top horizontal member 66 is preferably constructed of steel.
Referring to FIG. 3 in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2, the top horizontal member 66 of the frame includes several sets of apertures for securing several snow plow components to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50. A first set of apertures 80 is located on the front leg 70 of the top horizontal member 66. The apertures 80 are substantially equally spaced in the longitudinal direction along the front leg 70 of the top horizontal member 66 and are linearly arranged with respect to each other. Preferably the first set of apertures 80 includes five equally spaced apertures. Apertures 80 are provided for securing a moldboard (or skin) to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50, as will be described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 4 a-4 c and 5.
A second set of apertures 82 is located on the rear leg 72 of the top horizontal member 66. The apertures 82 are substantially equally spaced in the longitudinal direction along the rear leg 72 of the top horizontal member 66 are linearly arranged with respect to each other. Preferably the second set of apertures 82 includes five equally spaced apertures. Apertures 82 are provided for securing a rear scraper to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50 when the is in an inverted position, as will be described in more detail herein.
A third set of apertures 84 is located within the channel bottom 68 of the top horizontal member 66. The apertures 84 are located along the channel bottom 68 at approximately the midpoint of the top horizontal member 66, slight towards the second end 76 of the top horizontal member 66. Preferably, the third set of apertures 84 includes four apertures arranges substantially in a rectangular arrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Apertures 84 are provided for securing the hardware and/or support mechanism for a hydraulic system to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50 when the snow plow blade is completely assembled, as will be described in more detail with respect to FIG. 5.
A fourth set of apertures 86 is provided for securing additional components, such as a shoe support to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50, as will be described in more detail with regard to FIG. 5. The fourth set of apertures is located both within the channel bottom 68 and on the rear leg 72 of the top horizontal member 66.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures 80-86 may contain any number and any size of apertures required to secure the required snow plow components to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50.
The bottom portion 56 of the frame 52 includes a bottom horizontal member 88 that is substantially the mirror image of the top horizontal member 66. Accordingly, the bottom horizontal member 88 is constructed of a three sided channel member resembling a wide inverted “U”, having a channel bottom 90, front and rear legs 92 and 94 which angle upward and outward from the channel bottom 90 and first and second ends 96 and 98. A notch 100 is cut out of the front leg 92 on the second end 98 of the bottom horizontal member 88 for accommodating a hinge mechanism, as will be described more fully herein. The bottom horizontal member 88 is preferably constructed of steel.
The bottom horizontal member 88 of the frame 52 includes several sets of apertures for securing snow plow components to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50. A first set of apertures 102 is located on the front leg 92 of the bottom horizontal member 88. The apertures 102 are substantially equally spaced in the longitudinal direction along the front leg 92 of the bottom horizontal member 88 and are linearly arranged with respect to each other. Preferably the first set of apertures 102 includes five equally spaced apertures. Apertures 102 are provided for securing a wearstrip and/or the moldboard to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50, as will be described in more detail with respect to FIG. 5.
A second set of apertures 104 is located on the rear leg 94 of the bottom horizontal member 88. The apertures 104 are substantially equally spaced in the longitudinal direction along the rear leg 94 of the bottom horizontal member 88 are linearly arranged with respect to each other. Preferably the second set of apertures 104 includes five equally spaced apertures. Apertures 104 are provided for securing a rear scraper to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50, as will be described in more detail with respect to FIG. 5.
A third set of apertures 106 is located within the channel bottom 90 of the bottom horizontal member 88. The apertures 106 are located along the channel bottom 90 at approximately the midpoint of the bottom horizontal member 88, slightly towards the second end 98 of the bottom horizontal member 88. Preferably, the third set of apertures 106 includes four apertures arranges substantially in a rectangular arrangement (not all apertures 106 are visible in FIG. 1). Apertures 106 are provided for securing the hardware and/or support mechanism for a hydraulic system to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50, as will be described elsewhere herein.
A fourth set of apertures 108 is provided for securing additional components, such as a shoe support to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50, as will be described in more detail with regard to FIG. 5. The fourth set of apertures 108 is located both within the channel bottom 90 and on the rear leg 94 of the bottom horizontal member 88. The first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures 102-108 may contain any number and any size of apertures required to secure the required snow plow components to the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50.
It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88 may be provided pre-drilled with each of the sets of apertures 80-86 and 102-108, respectively, before complete assembly of the frame 50, or that the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88 may be provided without such sets of apertures and drilled after assembly of the frame 52. Consistent with the broader aspects of the present invention, however, the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88 may be completely absent the sets of apertures 80-86 and 102-108, respectively, with additional snow plow components of the reversible wing 50 being mounted to the frame 52 by welding or securing such components by other methods known to those skilled in the art.
Importantly, however, when arranged within the frame 52, the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88 are substantially the mirror image of each other. In particular, in highly preferred embodiments of the present invention, the configuration and placement of the first through fourth sets of apertures 102-104 in the bottom horizontal member 88 will be the mirror image of the first through fourth sets of apertures 80-86 in the top horizontal member 66 in order to permit the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50 to be utilized on either side of the center section 48 of the hinged snow plow blade assembly 46.
The vertical side portion 58 of the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50 of the present invention includes an end rib 110. The end rib 110 is mounted to the first end 74 of the top horizontal member 66 and the first end 96 of the bottom horizontal member 88, thereby overlying them as best shown in FIG. 1. The end rib 110 is preferably made of steel and preferably welded to each of the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88, although any other method of attachment known to those skilled in the art is contemplated by the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the end rib 110 has an arcuate shape when viewed from the side.
A middle rib 112 is located between each of the vertical side portions 58 and 60 of the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50. The middle rib 112 extends between the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88 and is mounted at each end thereto. To mount the middle rib 112 in place on the frame 52, the middle rib 112 may be provided with a length that permits each end of the middle rib 112 to extend through apertures in the channel bottom 68 and 90 of the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88, respectively. The middle rib 112 is preferably made of steel and preferably welded to each of the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88, although any other method of attachment known to those skilled in the art is contemplated by the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the middle rib 112 has an arcuate shape when viewed from the side.
The vertical side portion 60 of the frame 52 of the reversible wing 50 of the present invention is the side of the frame 52 that will be hinged in place to the center section 48 of the snow plow blade assembly 46. Accordingly, the vertical side portion 60 includes a generally rectangular wing support member 114. As best viewed from FIG. 3, the wing support member 114 has a front face 116, a rear face 118 and sides 120 and 122. The wing support member 114 is mounted at its top end to the channel bottom 68 of the top horizontal member 66 whereby the front face 116 of the wing support member 114 is mounted in substantial alignment with the channel bottom 68 near the front leg 70 thereof and the rear face 118 of the wing support member 114 is mounted in substantial alignment with the channel bottom 68 near the rear leg 72 thereof. Likewise, the wing support member 114 is mounted at its bottom end to the channel bottom 90 of the bottom horizontal member 98 whereby the front face 116 of the wing support member 114 is mounted in substantial alignment with the channel bottom 90 near the front leg 92 thereof and the rear face 118 of the wing support member 114 is mounted in substantial alignment with the channel bottom 90 near the rear leg 94 thereof. Preferably, the wing support member 114 is constructed of steel and welded to the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88.
A support rib 124 is located adjacent to the wing support member 114 near the side 122 thereof. The support rib 124 extends between the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88, is mounted at each end thereto and is mounted at one side to the side 122 of the wing support member 114. Like the middle rib 112, the support rib 124 may be provided with a length that permits each end of the support rib 124 to extend through apertures in the channel bottom 68 and 90 of the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88, respectively. The support rib 124 is preferably made of steel and preferably welded to each of the top horizontal member 66 and the bottom horizontal member 88, although any other method of attachment known to those skilled in the art is contemplated by the present invention. The support rib 124 has an arcuate shape when viewed from the side.
As best shown in FIGS. 2, 4 b and 4 c, the frame 52 includes two retainer plates 126 and 128 for supporting the skin/moldboard on the reversible wing 50. The retainer plate 126 extends from the vertical side portion 58 to the vertical side portion 60 of the frame 52 and is mounted to the top horizontal member 66 on the channel bottom 68 near the front leg 70 thereof. The retainer plate 126 is preferably constructed of steel and welded to the top horizontal member 66, the end rib 110, the middle rib, the support rib 124 and any other portion of the frame 52 required to secure the retainer plate 126 in place.
Likewise, the retainer plate 128 extends from the vertical side portion 58 to the vertical side portion 60 of the frame 52 and is mounted to the bottom horizontal member 88 on the channel bottom 90 near the front leg 92 thereof. The retainer plate 126 is preferably constructed of steel and welded to the bottom horizontal member 88, the end rib 110, the middle rib, the support rib 124 and any other portion of the frame 52 required to secure the retainer plate 126 in place.
A curved support plate 130 is located adjacent to the end rib 110 and is mounted at one side thereto. The curved support plate 130 extends from the retainer plate 126 on the top horizontal member 66 to the retainer plate 128 on the bottom horizontal member 88 and is mounted at one end to the retainer plate 126 and is mounted at the other end the retainer plate 128. The curved support plate 130 is preferably constructed of steel and preferably mounted in place on to the frame 52 by welding.
A curved support plate 132 is located adjacent to the support rib 124 and is mounted at one side thereto. The curved support plate 132 extends from the retainer plate 126 on the top horizontal member 66 to the retainer plate 128 on the bottom horizontal member 88 and is mounted at one end to the retainer plate 126 and is mounted at the other end the retainer plate 128. The curved support plate 132 is preferably constructed of steel and preferably mounted in place on to the frame 52 by welding.
A plurality of hollow, tubular hinge pieces 134 are mounted onto the vertical side portion 60 of the frame 52 in order to permit the reversible wing 50 to hingedly attach to the center section 48 of the snow plow blade assembly 46. Preferably, four tubular hinge pieces 134 are used in the present invention. However, any number of tubular hinge pieces 134 may be used to secure the reversible wing 50 to the center section 48. Further, any other pivotable connection mechanism know to those skilled in the art may also be used to attach the reversible wing 50 to the center section 48.
As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the tubular hinge pieces 134 are mounted to the wing support member 114 along a corner 136 thereof at substantially the intersection of the front face 116 and the side 120 of the wing support member 114. The tubular hinge pieces 134 are mounted spaced-apart in axial alignment on the corner 136 of the wing support member 112 from a position on the wing support member 114 just below the notch 78 on the second end 76 of the top horizontal member 66 to a position on the wing support member 114 just above the notch 100 on the second end 98 of the bottom horizontal member 88. The tubular hinge pieces 134 are preferably constructed of steel and are mounted to the wing support member 114 by welding.
A blade stop 138 is mounted to the side 120 of the wing support member 114 to provide a limit to the hinged movement of the reversible wing 50. The blade stop 138 is substantially L-shaped and is mounted to the wing support member 114 extending from the top to the bottom of the wing support member 114 at a position just adjacent to the tubular hinge pieces 134. The blade stop 138 is preferably constructed of steel and is mounted to the wing support member 114 by welding.
Before additional snow plow components are attached to the frame 52 of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the frame 52 is substantially symmetrical about a horizontal axis extending from approximately the midpoint of the vertical side portion 58 to approximately the midpoint of the vertical side portion 60. Accordingly, the frame 52 may be hingedly attached to either side of the center section of the snow plow of the present invention by simply inverting the frame 52 (i.e. rotating the frame 180 degrees about that horizontal axis). Thus, the frame 52 can be used to construct the reversible wing 50 of the present invention, as described below, for use on one side, i.e. the left side, of the center section 48 of the snow plow blade assembly 46, as shown in FIG. 29. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the frame 52 may be used to construct the reversible wing 51 to be pivotally attached to the opposite side, i.e. the right side, of the center section 46, depending on the position of the additional components mounted to the frame 52, as shown in FIG. 29.
Referring to FIGS. 4 a through 4 c and 5, in addition to FIGS. 1 through 3, the frontmost portions of the top horizontal member 66, the retainer plate 126, the curved support plate 130, the end rib 110, the bottom horizontal member 88, the retainer plate 128, the curved support plate 132 and the support rib 124 together define a curved support surface which will support a moldboard 140 thereupon. The moldboard 140 may be made of steel, or alternatively may be constructed of a man-made material such as polycarbonate, which may be clear, or other man-made materials such as ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene.
Extending across the front side 62 of the frame 52 is a moldboard retainer strip 142 into which the top edge of the moldboard 140 fits and is retained. The moldboard retainer strip 142 contains a plurality of apertures 144 formed therein matching the pattern of the first set of apertures 80 formed in the top horizontal member 66. (It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apertures 144 formed in the moldboard retainer strip 142 also substantially match the pattern of the first set of apertures 102 formed in the front leg 92 of the bottom horizontal member 88 as the bottom horizontal member 88 is the mirror image of the top horizontal member 66). The moldboard retainer strip 142 is removably attached to the top horizontal member 66 using bolts 146 that secure the moldboard retainer strip 142 to the top horizontal member 66. The moldboard retainer strip 142 is preferably constructed of steel, however, any rigid material known to those skilled in the art may be used.
Alternately, if the apertures 144 and 80 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to mount the moldboard retainer strip 142 onto the top horizontal member 66. Optionally, the apertures 144 in the moldboard retainer strip 142 may be countersunk to recess the heads of the bolts 146 to the level of the surface of the wearstrip moldboard retainer strip 142.
The bottom edge of the moldboard 140 comes just to the top of the bottom horizontal member 88, as shown in FIG. 4 c. A wearstrip 148 which is approximately the same width as the bottom horizontal member 88 has a plurality of apertures 150 formed therein that substantially match the pattern of the first set of apertures 102 formed in the front leg 92 of the bottom horizontal member 88. (It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apertures 150 formed in the wearstrip 148 also substantially match the pattern of the first set of apertures 80 formed in the front leg 70 of the top horizontal member 66, as the top horizontal member 66 is the mirror image of the bottom horizontal member 88).
The wearstrip 148 is bolted on to the bottom horizontal member 88 with a plurality of bolts 152. Alternately, if the apertures 150 and 102 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to mount the wearstrip 148 onto the bottom horizontal member 88. Optionally, the apertures 150 in the wearstrip 148 may be countersunk to recess the heads of the bolts 152 to the level of the surface of the wearstrip 148. The front leg 92 of the bottom horizontal member 88 is arranged and configured such that the wearstrip 148 will be mounted with its bottom edge angled forwardly with respect to the ground at angle of between approximately zero and forty-five degrees, with between approximately fifteen and thirty degrees being preferred, and an angle of approximately twenty-five degrees being most preferred.
When the wearstrip 148 is bolted to the bottom horizontal member 88, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it extends well below the bottom horizontal member 88, so that as it is worn down, the bottom horizontal member 88 will not be damaged by contact with the ground. The wearstrip 148 is preferably constructed of a high carbon steel such as AISI 1080 high carbon steel. However, the wearstrip may be constructed of any strong, rigid material known to those skilled in the art able to withstand the force necessary for moving a substantial amount of snow.
The wearstrip 148 retains the bottom of the moldboard 140 in place, and it will at once be appreciated that the moldboard 140 may be replaced by merely removing the wearstrip 148, making the replacement substantially easier than in earlier snow plow blade designs.
As best illustrated in FIG. 5, mounting hardware 154 for mounting a hydraulic system or other system for moving the reversible wing 50 is removably attached to the frame 52 on the bottom horizontal member 88. The mounting hardware 154 has a plurality of apertures 156 formed therein that substantially match the pattern of the third set of apertures 106 formed in the channel bottom 90 of the bottom horizontal member 88. (It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apertures 156 formed in the mounting hardware 154 also substantially match the pattern of the third set of apertures 84 formed in the channel bottom 68 of the top horizontal member 66, as the top horizontal member 66 is the mirror image of the bottom horizontal member 88).
The mounting hardware 154 is removably bolted on to the bottom horizontal member 88 with a plurality of bolts (not shown in FIG. 5). Alternately, if the apertures 156 and 106 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to secure the mounting hardware 154 onto the bottom horizontal member 88.
Support shoe mounting hardware 160 for mounting a support shoe assembly 162 onto the frame 52 is secured to the bottom horizontal member 88. The support shoe mounting hardware 160 has a plurality of apertures 164 formed therein that substantially match the pattern of the fourth set of apertures 108 formed in the bottom horizontal member 88. (It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apertures 164 formed in the support shoe mounting hardware 160 also substantially match the pattern of the fourth set of apertures 86 formed in the top horizontal member 66, as the top horizontal member 66 is the mirror image of the bottom horizontal member 88).
The support shoe mounting hardware 160 is removably bolted on to the bottom horizontal member 88 with a plurality of bolts (not shown in FIG. 5). Alternately, if the apertures 164 and 108 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to mount the support shoe mounting hardware 160 on to the bottom horizontal member 88.
Optionally, the reversible wing 50 of the present invention includes a rear scraper blade 168, which is approximately the same length as the bottom horizontal member 88. The rear scraper blade 168 has a plurality of apertures 170 formed therein that substantially match the pattern of the second set of apertures 104 formed in the rear leg 94 of the bottom horizontal member 88. (It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apertures 170 formed in the rear scraper blade 168 also substantially match the pattern of the second set of apertures 82 formed in the rear leg 74 of the top horizontal member 66, as the top horizontal member 66 is the mirror image of the bottom horizontal member 88).
The rear scraper blade 168 is removably bolted on to the bottom horizontal member 88 with a plurality of bolts 172. Alternately, if the apertures 170 and 104 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to mount the rear scraper blade 168 onto the bottom horizontal member 88. Optionally, the apertures 170 in the rear scraper blade 168 may be countersunk to recess the heads of the bolts 172 to the level of the surface of the rear scraper blade 168. The rear leg 94 of the bottom horizontal member 88 is arranged and configured such that the rear scraper blade 168 will be mounted with its bottom edge angled forwardly with respect to the ground at angle of between approximately zero and forty-five degrees, with between approximately fifteen and thirty degrees being preferred, and an angle of approximately twenty-five degrees being most preferred.
Consistent with the broader aspects of the present invention, the reversible wing 51 of the present invention, which is hingedly attached to the center section 48 of the snow plow blade assembly 46 opposite of the reversible wing 50, is easily constructed using the frame 52 and removable snow plow components as described above. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in order to provide the reversible wing 51, the frame 52 is provided and is rotated 180 degrees so that the bottom horizontal member 88 and the top horizontal member 66 are inverted with respect to the reversible wing 50. The moldboard retainer strip 142, the wearstrip 148, the mounting hardware 154, the support shoe mounting hardware 160 and the rear scraper 168 are then removably secured to the frame 52 in the manner described above, using the apertures provided therein.
Turning next to FIGS. 6 and 7, the center section 48 of the snow plow blade assembly 46 of the present invention is described. The center section 48 includes a tower indicated generally at 174 that is a hollow, substantially triangular elongated member formed from a front plate indicated generally at 176 which is the front side of the tower 174 and two angled side plates indicated generally at 178 and 180 which angle away from the front plate 176, towards the rear of the snow plow. Together the front plate 176 and the side plates 178 and 180 form three corner edges 182, 184 and 186 of the tower 174. The tower 174 has a top indicated generally at 188 and a bottom indicated generally at 190.
The tower 174 is preferably constructed of steel, and is constructed by welding the front plate 176 and the side plates 178 and 180 together at the corner edges 182, 184 and 186. However, any rigid metal material known to those skilled in the art may be used to construct the tower 174. Further, the tower 174 may be constructed of a triangular member that requires no assembly.
The internal perimeter of the tower 174 is reinforced with four reinforcing plates 192 that are spaced apart along the length of the tower 174 from the top 188 to the bottom 190. Reinforcing plates 192 are provided to supplement the structural strength of the tower 174. The reinforcing plates 192 are preferably constructed of steel and welded to the tower 174.
Referring next to FIGS. 8 through 10, in addition to FIGS. 6 and 7, the top of the front plate 176 includes a forwardly projecting angled portion 194 that extends upwardly toward the front side of the snow plow. The angled portion 194 includes apertures 196. The front plate 176 also includes two tabs 198 located on either side of the front plate 176 near each of the corner edges 182 and 184. The tabs 198 project slightly above the top of the side plates 178 and 180 and each include an aperture 200 that will be used to secure the reversible wings 50 and 51 to the center section 48, as will be described further below.
The edges of the front plate 174 angle slightly rearwardly to the corner edges 182 and 184, forming mounting surfaces 202 and 204 located near each of the corner edges 182 and 184 of the tower 174, respectively (as best illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9). Each mounting surface 202 and 204 extend from the top 188 to the bottom 190 of the tower 174.
Mounting surface 202 contains a plurality of hollow, tubular hinge pieces 206 secured thereto. Preferably, four tubular hinge pieces 206 are used in the present invention. However, any number of tubular hinge pieces 206 may be used. The tubular hinge pieces 206 are mounted spaced-apart in axial alignment on the mounting surface 202 of the tower 174 from a position just below the tab 198 near the top 188 of the tower 174 to the bottom 190 of the tower 174. The tubular hinge pieces 206 are arranged in a manner that will permit the tubular hinge pieces to interfit with the tubular hinge pieces 134 on the reversible wing 50. The tubular hinge pieces 206 are preferably constructed of steel and are secured to the mounting surface 202 by welding.
Likewise, mounting surface 204 contains a plurality of hollow, tubular hinge pieces 208 secured thereto. Preferably, four tubular hinge pieces 208 are used in the present invention. However, any number of tubular hinge pieces 208 may be used. The tubular hinge pieces 208 are mounted spaced-apart in axial alignment on the mounting surface 204 of the tower 174 from a position just below the tab 198 near the top 188 of the tower 174 to the bottom 190 of the tower 174. The tubular hinge pieces 208 are arranged in a manner that will permit the tubular hinge pieces to interfit with the tubular hinge pieces 134 on the reversible wing 51. The tubular hinge pieces 208 are preferably constructed of steel and are secured to the mounting surface 204 by welding.
A trip spring retainer plate 210 is mounted near the top 188 of the tower 174 and extends outwardly from the sides 178 and 180. Preferably, the trip spring retainer plate 210 is constructed of steel and is secured to the tower 174 by welding. Two apertures 212 are formed within the trip spring retainer plate 210 towards the rear portion of the trip spring retainer plate 210. As best illustrated in FIG. 10, two spring retainer eye bolts 214 are secured to the trip spring retainer plate 210. Each eye bolt passes through one of the apertures 212 and is retained in place by a nut 216.
Referring next to FIG. 11, in addition to FIGS. 6 through 10, a blade mounting plate 218 is attached to the front plate 176 at the bottom 190 of the tower 174. The blade mounting plate 218 extends from the corner edge 182 to the corner edge 184 and angles forwardly towards the front of the snow plow. The blade mounting plate 218 is preferably constructed from steel and welded into place on the tower 174. The blade mounting plate 218 includes two sets of apertures 220 and 222, a first set of three apertures 220 for securing a center blade 224 thereto. The second set of two apertures 222 are provided for securing a cushion block 226 thereto.
The center blade 224 is substantially trapezoidal in shape, having a top portion that is narrower than the bottom portion, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. The center blade 224 is wider than the tower 174 is its bottom portion in order to prevent snow from getting past the snow plow in any configuration of the reversible wings 50, 51. The center blade 224 contains a plurality of apertures matching the pattern of the apertures 220 formed in blade mounting plate 218.
A securing section 228 containing apertures 230 matching the pattern of the apertures 220 formed in blade mounting plate 218 removably secures the center blade 224 to the front side of the blade mounting plate 218. Bolts 231 passing through the apertures 230 in the securing section 228, the apertures in the center blade and the apertures 220 in the blade mounting plate 218 are used to retain the center blade 224 onto the tower 174, as illustrated in FIG. 8. The center blade 224 is preferably constructed of rubber, urethane, or a rubberized material. However, the center blade 224 can alternatively be a steel material, a polycarbonate material, thermoplastic material or any other suitable material known to those skilled in the art.
The center blade 224 will be mounted with its bottom edge angled forwardly with respect to the ground at angle of between approximately zero and forty-five degrees, with between approximately fifteen and thirty degrees being preferred, and an angle of approximately twenty-five degrees being most preferred.
The cushion block 226 is provided to absorb the impact of the plow blade as it moves between its limits, i.e. when the blade trips during an encounter with an object as will be described in more detail herein. The cushion block 226 is generally rectangular in shape and has apertures matching the pattern of the apertures 222 formed in blade mounting plate 218 (apertures not visible in the figures). The cushion block 226 is secured to the rear side of the blade mounting plate 218 using a smaller reinforcing plate 234 also having apertures 236 matching the pattern of the apertures 222 formed in blade mounting plate 218. Bolts 238 passing through the apertures 222 in the blade mounting plate 218, the apertures in the cushion block 226 and the apertures 236 in the reinforcing plate 234 and nuts 240 are used to removably secure the cushion block 226 in place on the tower 174. In addition, washers may be used to ensure that the cushion block 226 and reinforcing plate 234 are tightly secured to the blade mounting plate 218.
As best illustrated in FIG. 10, an opening 242 is formed within in the tower 174 wherein portion of each of the side plates 178 and 180 is removed therefrom, providing access to the rear side of the front plate 176. A substantially square stop plate 280 is located just underneath the corner edge 186 where the side plates 178 and 180 meet, at the top of the opening 242. The stop plate 280 is preferably constructed of steel and welded to the tower 174.
Trip plates 252 and 254 are vertically located on the rear side of the tower 174. Trip plates are identical to each other and each includes a triangular top portion 256, a middle portion 260 and a bottom portion 264 (as shown in FIG. 8 for the trip plate 252. Trip plate 254, not shown, has a corresponding top portion 256, a middle portion 260 and a bottom portion 264). The trip plate 252 is preferably made of steel and is welded at its triangular top portion 256 and middle portion 260 to the side plate 178 and is welded at its bottom portion 264 to the blade mounting plate 218. Likewise, the trip plate 254 is preferably made of steel and is welded at its triangular top portion 256 and middle portion 260 to the side plate 180 and is welded at its bottom portion 264 to the blade mounting plate 218.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, the trip plates 252 and 254 each contain an aperture 267 and 269, respectively. The apertures 267 and 269 are located in horizontal coaxial alignment with each other on the trip plates 252 and 254 such that a pin or another elongated member may be passed through both apertures 267 and 269.
A U-shaped cylinder mount bracket 268 is mounted on trip plate 252 for securing the end of a hydraulic cylinder (or other mechanism for moving the reversible wings 50, 51 into position). Each leg of the U-shaped cylinder mount bracket 268 includes an aperture 270. The apertures 270 are in vertical coaxial alignment with each other so as to permit a pin 272 to pass therethrough. Likewise, a U-shaped cylinder mount bracket 274 is mounted on trip plate 254 for securing the end of a hydraulic cylinder (or other mechanism for moving the reversible wings 50, 51 into position). Each leg of the U-shaped cylinder mount bracket 274 includes an aperture 276. The apertures 276 are in vertical coaxial alignment with each other so as to permit a pin 278 to pass therethrough.
Turning next to FIGS. 12 through 15, an intermediate section 282 is illustrated. The intermediate section 282 has a top side indicated generally at 284, a bottom side indicated generally at 286, a front side indicated generally at 288, which will face towards the tower 174, and a rear side indicated generally at 290, which will face the snow plow vehicle.
The intermediate section 282 includes a top plate 292 and a bottom plate 294. The top plate 292 includes a substantially square aperture 296 and three securing apertures 298 for securing a cushion thereto, which will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 34 and 35 herein. The top plate 292 also contains a larger, round aperture 300 for securing a support shoe or another support mechanism to the intermediate section 282, which will be described with reference to FIGS. 32 through 35 also herein.
The bottom plate 294 is identical in configuration as the top plate 292 and, accordingly, contains a substantially square aperture 302 and three securing apertures 304 for securing a cushion thereto, which will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 32 through 35 herein. The bottom plate 294 also contains a larger, round aperture 306 for securing a support shoe or another support mechanism to the intermediate section 282, which will also be described with reference to FIGS. 32 through 35 herein.
The intermediate section 282 is arranged and configured such that the top and bottom plates 292 and 294 are positioned horizontally parallel to each other with the square apertures 296 and 302, securing apertures 298 and 304, and round apertures 300 and 306 substantially aligned. Both the top and bottom plates 292 and 294 are preferably constructed of steel.
Referring next to FIGS. 13 through 15, the top and bottom plates 292 and 294 are secured together by first and second sides 308 and 310, respectively. The first side 308 includes a first circular aperture 312 located near the rear side 290 of the intermediate section 282 and a second circular aperture 314 located near the front side 288 of the intermediate section 282. The first side 308 also includes an upwardly projecting tab 316 including an aperture 318 for securing the end of a trip spring thereto. The first side 308 also contains a downwardly projecting fin 320 located near the front side 288 of the intermediate section 282.
The second side 310 of the intermediate section 282 is substantially the mirror image of the first side 308 and thus includes a first circular aperture 322 located near the rear side 290 of the intermediate section 282 and a second circular aperture 324 located near the front side 288 of the intermediate section 282. The second side 310 also includes an upwardly projecting tab 326 including an aperture 328 for securing the end of the trip spring thereto. The second side 310 also contains a downwardly projecting fin 330 located near the front side 288 of the intermediate section 282.
The first and second sides 308 and 310 are positioned such that the first circular apertures 312 and 322, the second circular apertures 314 and 324, the tabs 316 and 326, and the fins 320 and 330 are vertically aligned, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 15. The first and second sides 308 and 310 are preferably constructed of steel and welded into position.
The intermediate section 282 also includes a hollow, pivot tube 332 having ends 334 and 336. The pivot tube 332 extends through the second circular aperture 314 in the first side 308 of the intermediate section 282 and through the second circular aperture 324 in the second side 310 of the intermediate section 282, with ends 334 and 336 extending out from the first and second sides 308 and 310, respectively. The pivot tube 332 may optionally include a grease fitting 338 that will permit lubrication of the pivoting element when the snow plow blade is completely assembled, as will be described in more detail herein. The pivot tube 332 is preferably steel and is secured in place on the intermediate section 282 by welding.
Turning next to FIGS. 16 through 21, a main frame 344 of the snow plow of the present invention is illustrated. The main frame 344 will be mounted to the intermediate section 282, as will be described in detail with respect to FIGS. 21, 36 and 37. The main frame 344 has a front end 346 and a rear end 348 and contains right and left sides 350 and 352, respectively, that are symmetric around an axis running from the front end 346 to the rear end 348 thereof. The main frame 344 tapers from a narrower width at the front end 346 to a wider width at the rear end 348 thereof.
The basic shape of the main frame 344 is formed by a top plate 354 and a bottom plate 356, which are essentially parallel and are spaced apart from each other. There is a large aperture extending through each of the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 which resembles an isosceles trapezoid. The top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 are preferably made of steel.
Portions of all four sides of the top plate 354, substantially around the perimeter of the main frame 344, are bent downwardly at a ninety degree angle to extend to the top of the bottom plate 356 (as illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 18 through 21). For example, as best illustrated in FIG. 16, the top plate 354 is bent downwardly and welded to the top of the bottom plate 356 forming the left side 352 of the main frame 344. The front end 346, the rear end 348 and the right side 350 are similarly formed from the top plate 354 and are welded to the top side of the bottom plate 356, respectively.
Mounted between the sides of the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 and extending rearwardly from the rear end 348 of the main frame 344 are lugs 358 and 360. The lugs 358 and 360 are preferably made of steel and are welded onto the sides of the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356. The portion of the lug 358 which extends upwardly and rearwardly from the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 has an aperture 362 extending therethrough, and the portion of the lug 360 which extends rearwardly from the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 has an aperture 364 extending therethrough.
Mounted adjacent to each of the lugs 358 and 360 are lug gusset plates 366 and 368 for adding additional support to lugs 358 and 360. The lug gusset plates 366 and 368 are preferably made of steel and each are welded to the top plate 354 and to the lugs 358 and 360, respectively.
Mounted at substantially the center of the rear end 348 of the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 are two lift cylinder mounts 370 and 372. The lift cylinder mounts 370 and 372 are parallel both to each other and to the plane which divides the main frame 344 into left and right sides thereof. The lift cylinder mounts 370 and 372 each extend from slots 374 and 376, respectively, in the bottom plate 356 to the slots 378 and 380, respectively, in the top plate 354. The lift cylinder mounts 370 and 372 are also preferably made of steel and their ends are welded into the slots 374 and 376, respectively, in the bottom plate 356 and the slots 378 and 380, respectively, in the top plate 354. The lift cylinder mounts 370 and 372 each have an aperture 382 and 384, respectively, located therein which are coaxial to each other.
An inner support plate 386 is mounted between the top plate 354 and the bottom plate 356 near the top of the aperture in the main frame 344, near the front end 346. Located at the top of the trapezoidal aperture in the main frame 344, are two spaced-apart pivot mount plates 388 and 390. The pivot mount plates 388 and 390 are also preferably made of steel and are welded onto the inner support plate 386, the portion of the top plate 354 adjacent thereto, and the portion of the bottom plate 356 adjacent thereto. The pivot mount plates 388 and 390 are mounted on opposite sides of the centerline of the main frame 344, and extend rearwardly and upwardly from the inner support plate 386, and extend downward from the bottom plate 356. Located near the rearmost and uppermost ends of the pivot mount plates 388 and 390 are apertures 392 and 394, respectively, which are coaxial to each other.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 18 through 21, a platform 396 is mounted on to the topmost edges of the pivot mount plates 388 and 390 for securing hydraulic and/or electrical equipment to the main frame 344. The platform 396 is preferably constructed of steel. To secure the platform 396 to the main frame 344, a portion of each of the pivot mount plates 388 and 390 extends through slots in the platform 396 and the pivot mount plates 388 and 390 are welded therein.
Hinge brackets 402 and 404 are mounted near the front end 346 on each of the left and right sides 352 and 350 of the main frame 344. Hinge brackets 402 and 404 are secured to the ends of the left and right sides 352 and 350, respectively, and extend beyond the front end 346 of the top and bottom plates 354 and 356. The hinge brackets 402 and 404 are also preferably made of steel and are preferably secured in place onto the main frame 344 by welding.
The hinge brackets 402 and 404 are substantially L-shaped having a rear portion that extends outwardly from left and sides 352 and 350, respectively, of the main frame 344 and that curves inwardly near a front portion thereof, as best illustrated in FIG. 17. The rear portion of each hinge bracket 402 and 404 extends above the top plate 354 and contains an aperture 406 and 408, respectively. The rear portion of each hinge bracket 402 and 404 also extends below the bottom plate 356 and contains an aperture 410 and 412, respectively. Nuts 414, 416, 418 and 420 are welded onto the apertures 406, 408, 410, and 412, respectively, so that the opening in each nut is coaxial with each respective aperture. The front portion of each hinge bracket 402 and 404 contain apertures 422 and 424, respectively, that are coaxial with each other.
A hollow tube 426 extends from the hinge bracket 402 to the hinge bracket 404 having an end 428 that extends through the aperture 422 in the hinge bracket 402 and an end 430 that extends through the aperture 424 in the hinge bracket 404.
Referring next to FIG. 22, a lift bar 432 is illustrated which forms part of the hitch mechanism of the snow plow. The lift bar 432 has two lift bar support members 434 and 436, which are located on the left and right sides, respectively, of the lift bar 432. Each of the lift bar support members 434 and 436 has a configuration consisting of three segments: rear mounting supports 438 and 440, respectively, which extend upward vertically; central support arms 442 and 444, respectively, which extend forwardly and upwardly from the top of the rear mounting supports 438 and 440, respectively; and front light bar supports 446 and 448, respectively, which extend upwardly from the forwardmost and upwardmost ends of the central support arms 442 and 444, respectively. The lift bar support members 434 and 436 are preferably made of steel plate.
Extending inwardly from the rear sides of rear mounting supports 438 and 440 are segments of angled stock 450 and 452, respectively. It should be noted that the angle defined by each of the segments of angled stock 450 and 452 is less than ninety degrees, as, for example, approximately seventy degrees. The reason for this angle will become apparent below in conjunction with the discussion of FIGS. 27 and 28. The angled stock segments 450 and 452 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto rear mounting supports 438 and 440, respectively, so that the rear mounting supports 438 and 440 and the angled stock segments 450 and 452 together form vertically-oriented channels which are essentially U-shaped. Referring for the moment to FIG. 16 in addition to FIG. 22, the space between the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450 of the lift bar 432 is designed to admit the lug 358 of the main frame 344 with space between the lug 358 and the inside of the angled stock segment 450, and similarly the space between the angled stock segment 452, and the rear mounting support 440 of the lift bar 432 is designed to admit the lug 360 of the main frame 344 with space between the lug 360 and the inside of the angled stock segment 452.
Referring again solely to FIG. 22, a rectangular reinforcing segment 454 (preferably also made of steel) is located at the bottom of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450, and is welded to the bottoms of the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450. Similarly, a rectangular reinforcing segment 456 (preferably also made of steel) is located at the bottom of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 440 and the angled stock segment 452, and is welded to the bottoms of the rear mounting support 440 and the angled stock segment 452.
Not illustrated in the figures but used to reinforce the construction of the lift bar 432 are two additional rectangular reinforcing segments which are respectively located above the reinforcing segments 454 and 456. On the left side of the lift bar 432, the first of these additional reinforcing segments (preferably also made of steel) is located near the top of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450, and is welded to the tops of the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450. Similarly, the other of these reinforcing segments (preferably also made of steel) is located at near the top of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 440 and the angled stock segment 452, and is welded to the tops of the rear mounting support 440 and the angled stock segment 452.
Extending between the lift bar support members 434 and 436 are a larger diameter hollow round upper pin support tube 458 and a smaller diameter round light bar brace 460. The upper pin support tube 458 and the light bar brace 460 are both also preferably made of steel. One end of the upper pin support tube 458 extends through an aperture 462 located in an intermediate position in the central support arm 442 of the lift bar support member 434, and the other end of the upper pin support tube 458 extends through an aperture 464 located in an intermediate position in the central support arm 444 of the lift bar support member 436. The ends of the upper pin support tube 458 are welded onto the central support arms 442 and 444. One end of the light bar brace 460 is welded onto the lift bar support member 434 at the intersection of the central support arm 442 and the light bar support 446, and the other end of the light bar brace 460 is welded onto the lift bar support member 436 at the intersection of the central support arm 444 and the light bar support 448.
Two upper pin hanger plates 466 and 468 are mounted on the upper pin support tube 458 in spaced-apart fashion near the middle of the upper pin support tube 458. The upper pin hanger plates 466 and 468 have apertures 470 and 472, respectively, extending therethrough near one end thereof, and the upper pin support tube 458 extends through these apertures 470 and 472. The upper pin hanger plates 466 and 468 are both also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the upper pin support tube 458 in a manner whereby they are projecting forwardly. A tubular upper pin 474 extends through apertures 476 and 478 in the upper pin hanger plates 466 and 468, respectively, near the other end thereof. The upper pin 474 is also preferably made of steel, and is welded onto the upper pin hanger plates 466 and 468.
Located in the rear mounting support 438, the angled stock segment 450, the angled stock segment 452, and the rear mounting support 440 near the bottoms thereof are apertures 480, 482, 484, and 486, respectively, which are aligned with each other and which together define a pivot axis about which the lift bar 432 will pivot when it is mounted onto the main frame 344 (illustrated in FIG. 26). Located in the rear mounting support 438, the angled stock segment 450, the angled stock segment 452, and the rear mounting support 440 nearer the tops thereof than the bottoms thereof are apertures 488, 490 (not shown in FIG. 22), 492, and 494, which are also aligned with each other.
The apertures 488 and 490 define a first location into which a retaining pin (not shown in FIG. 22) will be placed to mount the snow plow of the present invention onto a truck, and the apertures 492 and 494 define a second location into which another retaining pin (not shown in FIG. 22) will be placed to mount the snow plow of the present invention onto the truck. Located in the light bar support 446 are three apertures 496, and located in the light bar support 448 are three apertures 498. The apertures 496 and 498 will be used to mount a light bar (not illustrated in FIG. 22) onto the lift bar 432.
Referring now to FIG. 23, a hitch frame nose piece 500 which will be mounted onto a truck under the front bumper (not illustrated in FIG. 23) thereof is illustrated. The hitch frame nose piece 500 has a square hitch frame tube 502 which is horizontally oriented. Four hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510 are mounted on the square hitch frame tube 502 in spaced-apart pairs located nearer the ends of the square hitch frame tube 502 than the center thereof. The hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510 have square apertures 512, 514, 516, and 518, respectively, extending therethrough to receive therein the square hitch frame tube 502. Both the square hitch frame tube 502 and the hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510 are preferably made of steel, and the hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510 are welded onto the square hitch frame tube 502.
Referring for the moment to FIG. 22 in addition to FIG. 23, the space between the hitch bracket 504 and the hitch bracket 506 of the hitch frame nose piece 500 is designed to admit the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450 of the lift bar 432, and similarly the space between the hitch bracket 508 and the hitch bracket 510 of the hitch frame nose piece 500 is designed to admit the angled stock segment 452 and the rear mounting support 440 of the lift bar 434. The hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510 have rectangular notches 520, 522, 524, 526, respectively, cut into the front sides thereof.
Located in the hitch brackets 504, 306, 508, and 510 in the bottoms of the rectangular notches 520, 522, 524, and 526, respectively, are slots 528, 530, 532, and 534, respectively. The slots 528, 530, 532, and 534 have rounded bottoms, and are axially aligned. Also located in the hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510 above the tops of the rectangular notches 520, 522, 524, and 526, respectively, are apertures 536, 538, 540, and 542, respectively. The apertures 536, 538, 540, and 542 are also axially aligned.
Unlike the hitch brackets 506 and 508 which are flat, the hitch brackets 504 and 510 have their forward-most portions flanged outwardly to act as guides to direct the lift bar 432 (illustrated in FIG. 22) into engagement with the hitch frame nose piece 500. Thus, the portions of the hitch brackets 504 and 510 at the front of the rectangular notches 520 and 526, respectively, extend outwardly, both on the top of the rectangular notches 520 and 526 and on the bottom of the rectangular notches 520 and 526. It should be noted that, if desired, the hitch brackets 504 and 510 may also be flat. The ramifications of having them flat instead of flanged will eliminate the utility of the left and right sides of the lift bar 432.
The respective ends of the square hitch frame tube 502 are mounted onto mounting plates 544 and 546. The mounting plates 544 and 546 are also preferably made of steel, and the ends of the square hitch frame tube 502 are welded onto the mounting plates 544 and 546. Located in the mounting plates 544 and 546 are a plurality of apertures 548 and 550, respectively, which will be used to mount the hitch frame nose piece 500 onto the frame of a truck (not shown in FIG. 23) using mounting brackets (not shown in FIG. 23) in a manner which is conventional.
Referring next to FIG. 24, a bellcrank 560 is illustrated. The bellcrank 560 has parallel, spaced apart triangular pivot plates 562 and 564. One of the sides of the triangle is shorter than the other two in each of the pivot plates 562 and 564. A gusset plate 566 is mounted between the pivot plates 562 and 564 with one side thereof near the shortest side of the triangle to support the pivot plates 562 and 564 in their spaced-apart configuration. In the preferred embodiment, both the pivot plates 562 and 564 and the gusset plate 566 are made of steel, and are welded together.
The pivot plates 562 and 564 have apertures 570 and 572, respectively, located therein near a first corner of the triangle which will be used to mount the bellcrank 560 for pivotal movement from the apertures 392 and 394 of the pivot mount plates 388 and 390, respectively (illustrated in FIG. 16). The pivot plates 562 and 564 have apertures 574 and 576, respectively, located therein near a second corner of the triangle which will be connected via the element to be discussed in FIG. 25 below to drive the upper pin 474 of the lift bar 432 (illustrated in FIG. 22). The pivot plates 562 and 564 have apertures 578 and 580 (not shown in FIG. 24), respectively, located therein near the third corner of the triangle will be connected to a hydraulic cylinder (not shown in FIG. 24). The short side of the triangle is between the first and third corners of the triangle. The side of the gusset plate 566 adjacent this short side will act as a lift stop to limit pivotal movement of the gusset plate 566 when this side of the gusset plate 566 contacts the pivot mount plates 388 and 390 (illustrated in FIG. 16).
Referring now to FIG. 25, a lift link 590 is illustrated. The lift link 590 has parallel, spaced apart arms 592 and 594. A gusset plate 596 is mounted between the arms 592 and 594 in their spaced-apart configuration. The side of the gusset plate 596 which is oriented toward one end of the arms 592 and 594 has a notch 598 cut therein. In the preferred embodiment, both the arms 592 and 594 and the gusset plate 596 are made of steel, and are welded together. The one end of the arms 592 and 594 have apertures 600 and 602, respectively, located therein, and the other ends of arms 592 and 594 have apertures 604 and 606, respectively, located therein.
Referring next to FIG. 26, the linkage used to attach the snow plow of the present invention to the hitch frame nose piece 500 is illustrated. The components which are linked together are the main frame 344, the lift bar 432, the bellcrank 560, and the lift link 590. Accordingly, reference may also be had to FIGS. 16 and 22 through 26 as well as to FIGS. 27 and 28 in the following description of the interconnection of these components. The lift bar 432 is pivotally mounted on the main frame 344 using two pins 608 and 610 (the pin 610 is not shown in FIGS. 16, 27 and 28) which are each of a length longer than distance between the opposite-facing sides of the pairs of the hitch brackets 504 and 506, or 508 and 510 (illustrated in FIG. 28). The pins 608 and 610 are preferably made of steel.
In the preferred embodiment, a hollow cylindrical collar 612 (shown in FIGS. 27 and 28) having a setscrew 614 (also shown in FIGS. 27 and 28) is used with the pin 608 as a spacer. A similar collar which a setscrew (not shown in the drawings) is used with the pin 610 as a spacer. The collar 612 will be located intermediate the lug 358 on the plow main frame 344 and the angled stock segment 450 on the lift bar 432. The setscrew 614 on the collar 612 may be used to lock the collar 612 in place on the pin 608. The other collar will be located intermediate the lug 360 on the main frame 344 and the angled stock segment 452 on the lift bar 432, with a setscrew in that collar being used to lock that collar in place on the pin 610.
The pin 608 will thus extend sequentially through the aperture 480 in the rear mounting support 438 of the lift bar 432, the aperture 362 in the lug 358 of the main frame 344, the collar 612, and the aperture 482 in the angled stock segment 450 of the lift bar 432. The pin 608 will be retained in place by the setscrew 614 on the collar 612, which will contact the pin 608 when it is screwed into the collar. Approximately equal lengths of the pin 408 extend outwardly beyond the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450 at each end of the pin 608. Alternately, the pin 608 may be welded in place on the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450 of the lift bar 432, or C-clips (not shown herein) could be installed in annular groves (not shown herein) in the pin 608 at locations which correspond to the ends of the collar.
Likewise, the pin 610 will thus extend sequentially through the aperture 484 in the angled stock segment 452 of the lift bar 432, the other collar, the aperture 364 in the lug 360 of the main frame 344, and the aperture 486 in the rear mounting support 440 of the lift bar 432. The pin 610 will be retained in place by the setscrew on the collar, which will contact the pin 610 when it is screwed into the collar. Equal lengths of the pin 610 extend outwardly beyond the angled stock segment 452 and the rear mounting support 440 at each end of the pin 610. Alternately, the pin 610 may be welded in place on the angled stock segment 452 and the rear mounting support 440 of the lift bar 432, or C-clips (not shown herein) could be installed in annular groves (not shown herein) in the pin 610 at locations which correspond to the ends of the collar.
It will thus be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the lift bar 432 is pivotally mounted onto the main frame 344 using the pins 608 and 610. When the snow plow of the present invention is mounted onto a vehicle using the hitch frame nose piece 500, the ends of the pins 608 and 610 will be received in the pairs of slots 528 and 530, and 532 and 534 in the hitch frame nose piece 300 (illustrated in FIG. 23). Thus, the pins 608 and 610 function both to pivotally mount the lift bar 432 onto the main frame 344, and to help to mount the snow plow onto the hitch frame nose piece 500.
The bellcrank 560 is pivotally mounted on the main frame 344 using two bolts 620 and two nuts 622. The pivot plates 562 and 564 of the bellcrank 560 will fit outside of the pivot mount plates 388 and 390 of the main frame 344, respectively. One of the bolts 620 will extend through the aperture 392 in the pivot mount plate 388 of the main frame 344 and the aperture 570 in the pivot plate 562 of the bellcrank 560, and one of the nuts 622 will be mounted on that bolt 620 to retain it in place. The other one of the bolts 620 will extend through the aperture 394 in the pivot mount plate 390 of the main frame 344 and the aperture 572 in the pivot plate 564 of the bellcrank 560, and the other one of the nuts 622 will be mounted on that bolt 620 to retain it in place.
The bolts 620 allow the bellcrank 560 to pivot on the main frame 344. In the preferred embodiment, a spacer and two washers (not shown) may be used with each of the bolts 620, the spacer going through the apertures in the parts being pivotally joined and being longer than the combined thickness of the apertures in the parts, and a washer being located on either end of the spacer to facilitate free rotation of parts, here movement of the bellcrank 560 with reference to the main frame 344. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a spacer and two washers will preferably be used at other points of relative movement between two elements of linkage of the snow plow described herein, although the spacer and two washers will not be specifically mentioned in conjunction with each of these pivoting connections made between two elements using a bolt. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a pin retained by a cotter pin (not shown herein) could be used instead of a bolt and nut in many of the applications for a fastener used in the linkage discussed herein.
A hydraulic lift cylinder 624 is mounted at one end to the cylinder mounts 370 and 372 of the main frame 344 using a bolt 626 which extends through the aperture 382 in the cylinder mount 370 and the aperture 384 in the cylinder mount 372, with a nut 628 being used to retain the bolt 626 in place. The other end of the hydraulic cylinder 624 drives the third corner of the triangular pivot plates 562 and 564 of the bellcrank 560, with a bolt 630 extending between the aperture 578 in the pivot plate 562 of the bellcrank 560 and the aperture 580 in the pivot plate 564 of the bellcrank 560. A nut 632 is used to retain the bolt 630 in place. The bolts 626 and 630 allow the hydraulic cylinder 624 to move as it drives the bellcrank 560. Spacers (not shown herein) may be used on each side of the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 624 on the insides of the pivot plates 562 and 564 to center the hydraulic cylinder 624.
The lift link 590 is used to connect the bellcrank 560 to pivot the lift bar 432. A bolt 634 is used to connect the lift link 590 to the lift bar 344, with the bolt 634 extending sequentially through the aperture 604 in the arm 592 of the lift link 590, the upper pin 474 from the end extending through the upper pin hanger plate 466 to the end extending through the upper pin hanger plate 468 of the lift bar 432, and the aperture 606 in the arm 594 of the lift link 590. A nut 636 is used to retain the bolt 634 in place. The bolt 634 allows the lift link 590 to pivot on the lift bar 432, and a spacer and two washers may also be used as mentioned hereinabove.
The second corner of the triangle formed by the pivot plates 562 and 564 of the bellcrank 560 drives the ends of the arms 592 and 594 of the lift link 590 which are not connected to the lift bar 432. Two bolts 638 are used to connect the bellcrank 560 to the lift link 590, with one of the bolts 638 also being used to mount a stand 640. The stand 640 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,688, to Struck et al., which patent is assigned to the assignee of the inventions described herein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,688 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
One bolt 638 extends through the aperture 600 in the arm 692 of the lift link 590 and the aperture 574 of the pivot plate 562 of the bellcrank 560, with a nut 642 being used to retain the first bolt 638 in place, and a spacer and two washers may also be used as mentioned hereinabove. The other bolt 638 (not shown) extends sequentially through an aperture (not shown) in the upper portion of the stand 640, the aperture 576 of the pivot plate 564 of the bellcrank 560, and the aperture 602 in the arm 594 of the lift link 590, with a nut 642 being used to retain the second bolt 638 in place. The second bolt 638 allows the lift link 590 to pivot on the bellcrank 560, and a spacer and two washers may again be used as mentioned hereinabove. A removable pin (not shown) extending through an aperture near the top of the stand 640 and apertures located in the lift link 590 is used to link the stand 640 with the lift link 590.
The hydraulic cylinder 624 is shown in FIG. 26 nearly in its fully retracted position. When the hydraulic cylinder 624 is fully extended, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the lift bar 432 will rotate counterclockwise from the position in which it is shown in FIG. 26, and the stand 640 will be lowered to engage the ground (not shown) and thereby tend to lift the rear end of the main frame 344 upwardly. It will also be appreciated that once the pins 608 and 610 are in engagement with the slots 528, 530, 532, and 534 in the hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510, respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 500, the hydraulic cylinder 624 may be used to align the apertures 488, 490, 492, and 494 on the lift bar 432 with the apertures 536, 538, 540, and 542, respectively, in the hitch brackets 504, 506, 508, and 510, respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 500.
Turning next to FIGS. 29 and 30, in addition to FIGS. 1 through 6, installation of the reversible wings 50 and 51 onto the center section 48 of snow plow of the present invention is illustrated. The reversible wing 50 is arranged on the tower 174 so that the tubular hinge pieces 134 on the reversible wing 50 coaxially interfit with the tubular hinge pieces 206 on the tower 174, as best illustrated in FIG. 29. An elongated pin 650 passes through both the tubular hinge pieces 134 on the reversible wing 50 and the tubular hinge pieces 206 on the tower 174, forming a pivotable hinge. To secure the pin 650 in place, a bolt 652 passes through the aperture 200 in one of the tabs 198 of the tower 174 and through apertures 654 in the top of the pin 650 and is secured in place by a nut 656.
Likewise, the reversible wing 51 is arranged on the tower 174 so that the tubular hinge pieces 134 on the reversible wing 51 coaxially interfit with the tubular hinge pieces 208 on the tower 174, as best illustrated in FIG. 29. An elongated pin 658 passes through both the tubular hinge pieces 134 on the reversible wing 51 and the tubular hinge pieces 208 on the tower 174, forming a pivotable hinge. To secure the pin 658 in place, a bolt 660 passes through the aperture 200 in the other tab 198 of the tower 174 and through apertures (not shown in FIGS. 29 and 30) in the top of the pin 658 and is secured in place by a nut (not shown).
Thus, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the reversible wing 50 is hingedly attached to the tower 174 and can move forward and back accordingly. In addition, in case of damage to either reversible wing 50 or 51, the reversible wings 50 and 51 are easily removed from the center section 48 by simply removing the nuts and bolts and removing the elongated pins 650 and 658, respectively. Accordingly, replacement wings are easily mounted to the center section 48 as described above.
Turning next to FIG. 31, in addition to FIGS. 1-6 and 29 and 30, installation of hydraulic swing cylinders 670 and 672 is shown. The swing cylinder 670 is secured at one end to the cylinder mount bracket 268 on the trip plate 252 of the center section 48 using the pin 272 (shown in FIG. 16) which passes consecutively through the top aperture 270 in the cylinder mount bracket 268, through the end of swing cylinder 670, and through the bottom aperture 270 of the cylinder mount bracket 268. The swing cylinder 670 is secured at its other end to the mounting hardware 154 on the reversible wing 50 with a pin 674.
Likewise, the swing cylinder 672 is secured at one end to the cylinder mount bracket 274 on the trip plate 254 of the center section 48 using the pin 278 which passes consecutively through the top aperture 276 in the cylinder mount bracket 274, through the end of swing cylinder 672, and through the bottom aperture 276 of the cylinder mount bracket 274 (not shown in FIG. 31). The swing cylinder 672 is secured at its other end to the mounting hardware 154 on the reversible wing 51 with a pin 676. It will be understood that the pins 272, 276, 674 and 676 are all retained in place with cotter pins (not shown) as is well known to those skilled in the art. However, any securing mechanism known to those skilled in the art may be used to retain the swing cylinders 670 and 672 in place on the snow plow blade assembly 46.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 31, in addition to FIGS. 1 through 5, installation of support shoes 162 onto the support shoe mounting hardware 160 on each reversible wing 50 and 51, respectively, is shown. The shoes 162 are designed to ride in sliding contact with the surface to be plowed and are particularly useful on gravel or during spring when the ground may not be fully frozen. The shoes are mounted to each reversible wing 50 and 51 using the support shoe mounting hardware 160 thereupon.
Each of the shoes 162 includes a post 680 which are received by the support shoe mounting hardware 160. The shoes 162 are adjusted using a combination of washers and tubular spacers, which are placed on the posts 680 either above or below the support shoe mounting hardware 160 to adjust the height of the shoes 162. The position of the shoes 162 relative to the reversible wings 50 and 51 (and the plow blade assembly 46) may be adjusted to adjust the height of the reversible wings 50 and 51 relative to the surface to be plowed. This allows the degree to which the wearstrip 148 scrapes the surface to be plowed to be controlled. Retaining pins 682 are used on the posts 680 to retain them in the support shoe mounting hardware 160. The support shoes 162, however, may be removably attached to the support shoe mounting hardware 160 using any means known to those skilled in the art that will permit easy replacement of the support shoe if it becomes worn or damaged.
The shoes 162 are typically made of cast iron. It should be noted that although the rear scraper 168 is not shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, it can optionally be used with the shoes 162 in place, so long as the support shoe mounting hardware 160 extends sufficiently back on the reversible wings 50 and 51 to clear the rear scraper 168.
Referring next to FIGS. 32 through 33, in addition to FIGS. 6, 13, 15 and 29 through 31, assembly of the tower 174 and intermediate section 282 is illustrated. The pivot tube 332 of the intermediate section 282 is inserted between the trip plates 252 and 254 of the tower 174, with the pivot tube 332 being brought into alignment with the apertures 262 and 269 of the trip plates 252 and 254 of the tower 174. An elongated pivot member 686 is inserted sequentially through the aperture 267 in the trip plate 252, the pivot tube 332 of the intermediate section 282 and the aperture 269 in the trip plate 254, as best shown in FIG. 13. Each end of the elongated pivot member 686 can be secured in position using a locking pin 688, or other similar locking device. Optionally, washers may also be used. Accordingly, the pivot member 686 permits the tower 174 to pivot with respect to the intermediate section 282, as will be discussed in more detail in regard to FIG. 35.
Referring next to FIGS. 34 and 35, in addition to FIGS. 32 and 33, the intermediate section 282 includes a cushion 690 that is positioned within and projects upwardly from the square aperture 296 on the top plate 292. The cushion 690 is provided to absorb the impact of the plow blade and tower 174 as it moves between its limits, i.e. when the snow plow blade trips during an encounter with an object. The cushion 690 may be secured into place using the apertures 296 formed in the top plate 292 and bolts (not shown). However, the cushion 690 may be removably secured to the intermediate section 282 using silicone adhesive (or any suitable type of adhesive) or by any mechanical means known to those skilled in the art. For example, an alternative retaining mechanism would be to have the cushion 690 held in place with an interference fit.
The intermediate section 282 also includes a support shoe 692. The shoe 692 will bear at least a portion of the overall weight of the snow plow frame and is designed to ride in sliding contact with the surface to be plowed. The shoe 692 is preferably constructed of cast iron. The shoe 692 is mounted on a post 694 to secure the shoe 692 to the intermediate section 282. The post 694 of the shoe 692 is inserted consecutively through both the aperture 306 in the bottom plate 294 and through the coaxial aperture 300 in the top plate 292 of the intermediate section 282.
Like the shoes 162 on each reversible wing 50 and 51, the shoe 692 is adjusted using a combination of washers and tubular spacers, which are placed on the post 694 either below or above the bottom plate 294 and/or top plate 292 to adjust the height of the shoe 301. The position of the shoe 692 relative to the snow plow blade may be adjusted relative to the surface to be plowed. The shoe 692 is secured in place using a retaining pin 696. Optionally, washers may also be inserted onto the post 694 to ensure the shoe 692 is tightly secured in place. It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that more than one shoe may be located on the intermediate section 282 and such shoes may be located in any position in which it would be convenient to secure a support shoe for support of the snow plow blade. For example, support shoes may be secured to one or both of the first and second sides 308 and 310 of the intermediate section 282 for adding additional support to the snow plow blade assembly 46.
Trip springs 700 and 702 are connected at one end to the eyebolts 214 on the tower 174 and to the tabs 316 and 326 on the intermediate section 282, respectively. The trip springs 700 and 702 will be used to bias the tower 174 and the reversible wings 50 and 51 into a trip return position and to resist movement of the tower 174 and the reversible wings 50 and 51 into the tripped position. Thus, the intermediate section 282 is pivotally mounted onto the tower 174 such that the trip springs 700 and 702 permit the tower 174 to move between a tipped forward position (as shown in FIG. 35) when an obstruction is encountered and a release position (as shown in FIG. 34) when the obstruction is removed.
Accordingly, when the plow blade encounters and object, the trip springs 700 and 702 permit the top 188 (see FIG. 6) of the tower 174, and thus the reversible wings 50 and 51 of the snow plow blade assembly 46, to tip forward to a maximum (or tripped) position where the fins 320 and 330 on the intermediate section 282 contact the cushion block 226 on the tower 174, as illustrated in FIG. 35. Thus, the cushion block 226 not only provides a limit for movement of the snow plow blade, the cushion also absorbs the impact of the obstruction and abrupt movement of the snow plow blade, shielding the snow plow and snow plow vehicle from significant force.
As illustrated in FIG. 34, when the object no longer interferes with the snow plow blade, the tower 174 tips back into the release position and movement of the tower 174 is limited by the stop plate 280. The force of the retraction of the trip springs 700 and 702 on the snow plow and the snow plow vehicle is dampened by the cushion 690 which absorbs the impact of the movement of the tower 174 when the stop plate 280 makes contact with the cushion 690.
In the preferred embodiment, the cushions 226 and 690 are made of polyurethane, such as, for example, Quazi formulated methylenebisdiphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) polyester-based 93 durometer (Shore A scale) polyurethane, available commercially from Kryptonics, Inc. under the trademark Kaptane 93 black.
Referring next to FIGS. 36 and 37, in addition to FIGS. 12, 16 and 29 through 31, assembly intermediate section 282 onto the main frame 344 is illustrated. The hollow tube 426 of the main frame 344 is inserted between the top and bottom plates 292 and 294 of the intermediate section 282, with the hollow tube 426 being brought into alignment with the apertures 312 and 322 in each of the first and second sides 308 and 310, respectively, of the intermediate section 282. An elongated pivot member 706 is inserted sequentially through the aperture 312 in the intermediate section 282, the hollow tube 426 of the main frame 344 and the aperture 322 in the intermediate section 282. Each end of the elongated pivot member 706 can be secured in position using a locking pin 708, or other similar locking device. Optionally, washers may also be used. Accordingly, the pivot member 706 permits intermediate section 282 to pivot with respect to the main frame 344 to account for variation in height in the surface of the road and to permit some blade flow during operation of the snow plow.
In addition, bolts 710 are provided in each of the apertures 406, 408, 410, and 412 of the hinge brackets 402 and 404, respectively. The bolts 708 are secured into place by nuts 414, 416, 418 and 420 secured onto the apertures 406, 408, 410, and 412, respectively. The bolts 708 are adjustable to permit movement of the intermediate section 282 and act as limits to such movement.
Referring back to FIGS. 30 and 31 for the moment, support towers 712 and 714, respectively, are mounted on the light bar supports 446 and 448, respectively, of the lift bar 432, and a light support bar 716 is mounted on the top ends of the light support towers 712 and 714. Lights (not shown herein) would be mounted on the light support bar 716, in a manner well known to one skilled in the art.
Also not shown or discussed herein is the hydraulic system to operate the snow plow, the construction and operation of which is also well known to those skilled in the art. The swing cylinders 670 and 672 are used to pivot reversible wings 50 and 51, respectively. The hydraulic cylinder 624 (shown in FIG. 26) is used to operate the stand 640 (also shown in FIG. 26) prior to the snow plow being mounted onto a truck, to facilitate the mounting of the snow plow onto the truck (as will become apparent below in conjunction with the discussion of FIGS. 38 through 42), and to raise and lower the plow main frame 344, the intermediate section 282, the tower 174 and the reversible wings 50 and 51 after the snow plow has been mounted onto the truck. Preferably, the hydraulic system for the snow plow may be mounted on the platform 396 on the main frame 344, and if so mounted would have a hydraulic system cover mounted thereupon to protect it (not shown).
Turning next to FIGS. 38 through 42, and with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28, the operation of the mounting system used to mount the snow plow on the hitch frame nose piece 500 is shown. Referring first to FIGS. 27, 28 and 38, in conjunction with FIGS. 16, 22, 23, and 26, the mechanism used to connect the snow plow to the hitch frame nose piece 500 is shown. In the discussion herein, all references are to the left side of the snow plow and the hitch frame nose piece 500, but those skilled in the art will understand that the principles thereof are equally applicable to the right side of the snow plow and the hitch frame nose piece 500.
The snow plow is mounted onto the hitch frame nose piece 300 with the plow standing on the stand 640 (shown in FIG. 10). In this position, the pin 608 which extends laterally at the rear of the snow plow on the left side will be at a height such than when the truck having the hitch frame nose piece 500 mounted thereon moves forward, the pin 608 will fit into the rectangular notches 520 and 522 at the front of the hitch brackets 504 and 506, respectively. The pin 608 is brought fully into the rectangular notches 520 and 522 by moving the truck forward. It will be noted that the flange at the front of the hitch bracket 528 as well as the approximately seventy degree bend in the angled stock segment 450 will assist in guiding the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450 of the lift bar 432 into position intermediate the hitch bracket 504 and 506.
A this point, the hydraulic cylinder 624 (shown in FIG. 26) is actuated to begin to retract it to raise the stand 640 (also shown in FIG. 10), causing the pin 608 to drop into the slots 528 and 530 in the hitch brackets 504 and 506, respectively. By continuing to actuate the hydraulic cylinder 624 to retract it, the lift bar 432 is pivoted to bring the apertures 488 and 490 in the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450, respectively, of the lift bar 432 into alignment with the apertures 536 and 536 in the hitch brackets 504 and 506, respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 500. At this point, a retaining pin 730 having a handle 732 may be inserted sequentially through the aperture 536 in the hitch bracket 504, the aperture 488 in the rear mounting support 438, the aperture 490 in the angled stock segment 450, and the aperture 538 in the hitch bracket 506. The retaining pin 730 has an aperture 734 extending through near the distal end thereof, and a retaining spring pin 736 is used to retain the retaining pin 730 in place.
Turning next to FIGS. 39 through 42, and with reference to FIGS. 27, 28 and 38, the installation of the snow plow onto the hitch frame nose piece 500 mounted on a truck 800 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 42) is illustrated. In FIG. 39, the snow plow is shown in its stored position, supported on the stand 640. In this position, the hydraulic cylinder 624 is in its fully extended position, and the rear end of the snow plow is raised. In this position, the pin 610 (not shown in FIGS. 39 through 42) at the right rear of the snow plow will be received by the rectangular notches 524 and 526 (not shown in FIGS. 39 through 42) at the front of the hitch brackets 508 and 510 (not shown in FIGS. 39 through 42), respectively, at the right side of the hitch frame nose piece 500. Similarly, the pin 608 at the left rear of the snow plow will be received by the rectangular notches 520 and 522 (not shown in FIGS. 39 through 42) at the front of the hitch brackets 504 and 506 (not shown in FIGS. 39 through 42), respectively, at the left side of the hitch frame nose piece 500. The truck 800 may be driven forward to fully engage the pins 608 and 610 with the hitch frame nose piece 300 as shown in FIG. 39.
Next, as shown in FIG. 41, as the hydraulic cylinder 624 begins to retract, the main frame 344 will lower at the rear end thereof as the stand 640 begins to move upwardly relative to the main frame 344. This causes the pin 610 (not shown in FIGS. 39 through 42) to drop into the slots 532 and 534 (not shown in FIG. 41) in the hitch brackets 508 and 510 (not shown in FIG. 41), respectively, at the right side of the hitch frame nose piece 500. Similarly, the pin 608 drops into the slots 528 and 530 (not shown in FIG. 41) in the hitch brackets 504 and 506 (not shown in FIG. 41), respectively, at the left side of the hitch frame nose piece 500. This initial retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 624 also causes the lift bar 432 to begin to rotate counterclockwise as viewed from the left side of the snow plow, as is evident from the movement of the right light support towers 712 and 714 and the light support bar 716.
As shown in FIG. 42, as the hydraulic cylinder 624 continues to retract, the lift bar 432 rotates counterclockwise until the light support towers 712 and 714 are oriented nearly vertically. As this further rotation occurs, the pin 610 (not shown in FIG. 42) remains in the slots 532 and 534 in the hitch brackets 508 and 510, respectively (none of which are shown in FIG. 42). Similarly, the pin 608 remains in the slots 528 and 530 (not shown in FIG. 42) in the hitch brackets 504 and 506 (not shown in FIG. 42), respectively. On the right side of the lift bar 432 and the hitch frame nose piece 500 (best shown in FIGS. 22 and 23), the apertures 492 and 494 in the angled stock segment 452 and the rear mounting support 440, respectively, of the lift bar 432 move into engagement with the apertures 540 and 542 in the hitch brackets 508 and 510, respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 500. Likewise, on the left side of the lift bar 432 and the hitch frame nose piece 500 (portions of which are also best shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, respectively), the apertures 488 and 490 in the rear mounting support 438 and the angled stock segment 450, respectively, of the lift bar 432 move into alignment with the apertures 536 and 538 in the hitch brackets 504 and 506, respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 500.
At this point, one of the retaining pins 730 is inserted sequentially through the aperture 542 in the hitch bracket 510, the aperture 494 in the rear mounting support 440, the aperture 492 in the angled stock segment 452, and the aperture 540 in the hitch bracket 508 (all of which are best shown in FIGS. 22 and 23). The other one of the retaining pins 730 is inserted sequentially through the aperture 536 in the hitch bracket 504, the aperture 488 in the rear mounting support 438, the aperture 490 in the angled stock segment 450, and the aperture 538 in the hitch bracket 506 (many of which are also best shown in FIGS. 22 and 23). The retaining spring pins 736 are then inserted into the apertures 734 near the distal ends of the retaining pins 730 to retain the retaining pins 730 in place. At this point, the stand 640 may also be moved to a stowed position by disconnecting it from the lift link 590 (by removal of the pin (not shown) and rotating it to the stowed position as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,688, which was incorporated by reference above.
Turning next to FIGS. 43 a and 43 b, operation of the reversible wings 50 and 51 of the present invention is shown. Accordingly, the swing cylinders 670 and 672 may be used to pivot the reversible wings 50 and 51 into any position required by the snow plow operator.
It may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention that it teaches a snow plow having reversible wings wherein the snow plow wing frame may be used on either side of a hinged/articulated snow plow. Thus, the reversible wing of the present invention completely eliminates the need for manufacture, assembly and purchase snow plow blade wings specifically designed for either the “left” or the “right” side of the hinged snow plow blade assembly. Accordingly, the reversible wing of the present invention is less expensive to manufacture than conventional hinged snow plow wings.
The reversible wing of the present invention is of high strength, yet it is light of weight. Accordingly, the present invention provides a lighter weight snow plow system in which the hydraulic system utilized in positioning each reversible wing is configured in a manner that increases the force and stability of the snow plow blade when in contact with heavy snow, and which requires a lighter hydraulic system. Thus, the snow plow wings, and hence, the snow plow blade can be of a lighter weight construction and yet can effectively remove snow. Such a light snow plow blade construction is light/easier to transport and causes less mechanical stress on the snow plow vehicle than other conventional hinged snow plow blade configurations.
The snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
Although the foregoing description of the snow plow having reversible wings of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

Claims

1. A snow plow wing for use in either the right or the left side wing position of an articulated snow plow assembly, said wing comprising:

a frame having front and rear sides, and top and bottom portions including:

(a) a first horizontal member having first and second ends and a plurality of apertures formed therein;

(b) a second horizontal member having first and second ends and a plurality of apertures formed therein, wherein said apertures in said second horizontal member are arranged in a mirror image configuration to said apertures in said first horizontal member;

(c) a first vertical member connecting said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member at said first ends thereof, respectively; and

(d) a second vertical member connecting said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member at said second ends thereof, respectively, said second vertical member including a connecting member used to pivotally connect said second vertical member to either right or the left side wing position of an articulated snow plow assembly;

wherein said top and bottom portions of said frame are structurally symmetrical about an axis extending from said first vertical member to said second vertical member such that said can be used on either the right or the left side wing position of an articulated snow plow assembly by inverting said top and bottom portions of said frame.

2. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 1, wherein said first horizontal member is a U-shaped channel configured with the U facing upwardly, and wherein said second horizontal member is a U-shaped channel configured with the U facing downwardly.

3. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 2, wherein said first horizontal member includes first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member includes first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein, wherein said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed in said second horizontal member are arranged in a mirror image configuration to said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures in said first horizontal member.

4. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 3, further comprising at least one shoe support removably attached to said frame at said bottom portion thereof using at least one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed in one of said first and second horizontal members.

5. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 3, further comprising mounting hardware removably attached to said rear side of said frame at said bottom portion thereof using at least one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed in one of said first and second horizontal members, said mounting hardware being used to attach a movement mechanism to said frame.

6. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 3, further comprising a rear scraper extending along one of said first and said second horizontal members and removably attached to said rear side of said frame at said bottom portion thereof using at least one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed in the one of said first and second horizontal members.

8. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 3, further comprising a wearstrip extending and removably attached to said front side of said frame at said bottom portion thereof using at least one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed in one of said first and second horizontal members.

9. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 1, wherein said first vertical member is an arcuate-shaped rib member extending from said first end of said first horizontal member to said first end of said second horizontal member.

10. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 1, wherein said second vertical member is a rectangular support member having front and rear faces and opposing side edges and wherein said connecting members including a plurality of tubular hinge pieces secured to one of said side edges.

11. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 1, further comprising a moldboard section secured to said front side of said frame extending from said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member and from said first vertical member to said second vertical member.

12. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second horizontal members and said first and second vertical members are all made of steel and are welded together to form said frame of said snow plow wing.

13. A reversible wing for use in a hinged snow plow system comprising:

a frame including a first U-shaped channel member having first and second ends and front and rear portions, a second U-shaped channel member having first and second ends and front and rear portions, an outside vertical support member extending from said first end of said first U-shaped channel member to said first end of said second U-shaped channel member and an inside vertical support member extending from said second end of said first U-shaped channel member to said second end of said second U-shaped channel member, said inside vertical support member including a connection mechanism;

wherein said frame is symmetrical about a horizontal axis extending from said inner vertical member to said outer vertical member, said frame having a first position wherein said first U-shaped channel member is configured U-shape facing upwards and a second, mirror-image position wherein said first U-shaped channel member is configured U-shape facing downwards.

14. A reversible wing as defined in claim 13, wherein said first U-shaped channel member includes first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein and said second U-shaped channel member includes first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein, wherein said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed in said second U-shaped channel member are arranged in a mirror image configuration to said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures in said first U-shaped channel member.

15. A reversible wing as defined in claim 14, further comprising at least one shoe support removably attached to one of said first and said second U-shaped channel members at said rear portion thereof using one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein.

16. A reversible wing as defined in claim 14, further comprising mounting hardware removably attached to one of said first and said second U-shaped channel members at said rear portion thereof using one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein, said mounting hardware being used to attach a movement mechanism to the reversible wing.

17. A reversible wing as defined in claim 14, further comprising a rear scraper extending along one of said first and second U-shaped channel members and removably attached to said rear portion of the one of said first and said second U-shaped channel members using at least one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein.

18. A reversible wing as defined in claim 16, further comprising a wearstrip extending along one of said first and second U-shaped channel members and removably attached to said rear portion of the one of said first and said second U-shaped channel members using at least one of said first, second, third and fourth sets of apertures formed therein.

19. A reversible wing as defined in claim 13, wherein said first and second U-shaped channel members and said outside and inside vertical members are all made of steel and are welded together to form said frame of said snow plow wing.

20. A reversible wing as defined in claim 1, further comprising a moldboard section secured to said frame extending from said front portion of said first U-shaped channel member to said front portion of said second U-shaped channel member and from said outside vertical member to said inside vertical member.

21. A snow plow wing for use in either the right or the left side wing position of an articulated snow plow assembly, said wing comprising:

a generally rectangular wing frame having top and bottom portions and left and right vertical sides, said wing frame having a first horizontal member located at one of said top and said bottom portions and a second horizontal member located at the other of said top and said bottom portions, said frame having a first position wherein said first horizontal member is located at said top portion thereof and a second position wherein said second horizontal member is located at said top portion thereof;

wherein said bottom portion of said frame is substantially a mirror image of said top portion of said frame taken across a horizontal plane extending from a midpoint of said left vertical side to a midpoint of said right vertical side.

22. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein one of said left and said right sides include a hinge connection for removably attaching said wing to the right or the left side wing position of the articulated snow plow assembly.

23. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said first horizontal member is a U-shaped channel configured with the U facing upwardly when said frame is in said first position, and wherein said second horizontal member is a U-shaped channel configured with the U facing downwardly upwardly when said frame is in said first position.

24. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said first horizontal member contains a first set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a first set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises a shoe support removably attached one of said first and second horizontal members using said first set of apertures formed therein.

25. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said first horizontal member contains a second set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a second set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises mounting hardware removably attached to one of said first and second horizontal members using said first set of apertures formed therein, said mounting hardware being used to attach a movement mechanism to said frame.

26. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said first horizontal member contains a third set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a third set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises a rear scraper extending removably attached to said frame at said bottom portion thereof using said third set of apertures in one of said first and second horizontal members.

27. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said first horizontal member contains a fourth set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a fourth set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises a wearstrip extending and removably attached to said frame at said bottom portion thereof using said fourth set of apertures formed in one of said first and second horizontal members.

28. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said left vertical member is an arcuate-shaped rib member extending from said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member.

29. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 28, wherein said right vertical member is a rectangular support member having front and rear faces and opposing side edges including a plurality of tubular hinge pieces secured to one of said side edges.

30. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, further comprising a moldboard section secured to said frame extending from said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member and from said right vertical member to said left vertical member.

31. A snow plow wing as defined in claim 21, wherein said first and second horizontal members and said left and right vertical members are all made of steel and are welded together to form said frame of said snow plow wing.

32. In a snow plow assembly having a snow plow frame for detachable installation at the front of a vehicle, a blade mounting structure which is mounted onto the snow plow frame which supports a snow plow blade therefrom, said snow plow blade comprising:

a blade center component having first and second mounting surfaces; and

a first wing component having first and second horizontal members and opposing first and second vertical sides, said first wing component being structurally symmetrical about an axis extending from substantially a midpoint of said first vertical side to substantially a midpoint of said second vertical side allowing said first wing component to be pivotally secured to either said first or said second mounting surfaces of said blade center component at one of said first and said second vertical sides thereof.

33. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, wherein said first wing component further comprises a moldboard section extending from said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member and from said first vertical side to said second vertical side.

34. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, wherein said first wing component further comprises mounting hardware for a shoe support removably mounted to one of said first and said second horizontal members.

35. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, wherein said first wing component further comprises mounting hardware for a hydraulic cylinder removably mounted to one of said first and said second horizontal members.

36. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, wherein said first wing component further comprises a wearstrip removably mounted to one of said first and said second horizontal members, said wearstrip used to remove snow from a ground level surface.

37. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, wherein said first wing component furthers comprises a rear scraper removably mounted to one of said first and said second horizontal members, said wearstrip used to remove snow from a ground level surface.

37. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, wherein one of said first and said vertical sides includes a plurality of hollow tubular members mounted thereto for pivotally securing said first wing component to said blade center component.

38. A snow plow blade according to claim 32, further comprising a second wing component substantially identical to said first wing component, said second wing component including first and second horizontal members and opposing first and second vertical sides, wherein said second wing component is structurally symmetrical about an axis extending from substantially a midpoint of said first vertical side to substantially a midpoint of said second vertical side allowing said second wing component to be pivotally secured to either said first or said second mounting surfaces of said blade center component at one of said first and said second vertical sides thereof.

39. A snow plow blade assembly comprising:

a blade center component having right and left mounting sides;

a first reversible wing pivotally secured to said blade center component at one of said right and said left sides thereof; and

a second reversible wing pivotally secured to said blade center component at the other of said right and said left sides thereof;

wherein each of said reversible wings includes a frame having a first horizontal member, a second horizontal member, a first vertical member connecting said first horizontal member to said second horizontal at respective ends thereof and a second vertical member connecting said first horizontal member to said second horizontal member at opposite ends thereof, wherein said frame is structurally symmetrical about an axis extending from substantially a midpoint of said first vertical member to substantially a midpoint of said second vertical member allowing each of said first and second reversible wings to be pivotally secured to either of said right and said left sides of said blade center component.

40. A snow plow blade assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein said first and said second horizontal members are U-shaped channels, said second horizontal member being a mirror image of said first horizontal member in said frame.

41. A snow plow blade assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein said first horizontal member contains a first set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a first set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises a shoe support removably attached one of said first and second horizontal members using said first set of apertures formed therein.

42. A snow plow blade assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein said first horizontal member contains a second set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a second set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises mounting hardware removably attached to one of said first and second horizontal members using said first set of apertures formed therein, said mounting hardware being used to attach a movement mechanism to said frame.

43. A snow plow blade assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein said first horizontal member contains a third set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a third set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises a rear scraper extending removably attached to said frame at said bottom portion thereof using said third set of apertures in one of said first and second horizontal members.

44. A snow plow blade assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein said first horizontal member contains a fourth set of apertures formed therein and said second horizontal member contains a fourth set of apertures formed therein and wherein said frame further comprises a wearstrip extending and removably attached to said frame at said bottom portion thereof using said fourth set of apertures formed in one of said first and second horizontal members.

45. A snow plow blade assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein said first and said second wing reversible wings further comprise a moldboard secured to each of said frames respectively.

46. A snow plow blade for use in a hinged snow plow system having right and left side snow plow blade components, said snow plow blade comprising:

a center section having first and second mounting surfaces; and

first and second blade wings, each of said wings including a frame having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein said top portion of said frame is structurally a mirror image of said bottom portion of said frame; said first blade wing pivotally attached to said center section at either of said first and second mounting surfaces and said second blade wing pivotally attached to said center section at the other of said first and second mounting surfaces.

47. A method for constructing a reversible wing assembly for use on either the left or the right side of a hinged snow plow blade assembly, said method comprising:

providing a first horizontal member having first and second ends and a plurality of apertures formed therein;

providing a second horizontal member having first and second ends and a plurality of apertures formed therein wherein said second horizontal member is a mirror image of said first horizontal member with each of said apertures on said second horizontal member being in mirror image symmetry with said apertures on said first horizontal member;

connecting said first end of said first horizontal member to first end of said second horizontal member using a first vertical member; and

connecting said second end of said first horizontal member to second end of said second horizontal member using a second vertical member, wherein said reversible wing is structurally symmetrical about an axis extending from substantially a midpoint of said first vertical member to a midpoint of said second vertical member.

48. A method for constructing a hinged snow plow blade assembly comprising:

providing a blade center section having first and second mounting surfaces;

providing first and second reversible wing components, each of said wing components having first and second horizontal members and first and second vertical sides, each of said wings being structurally symmetrical about an axis extending from substantially a midpoint of said first vertical side to a midpoint of said second vertical side;

providing each of said second vertical sides of said first and second wing components with a hinge connection mechanism;

pivotally attaching said first wing component at said second vertical side to said first mounting surface of said blade center component using said hinge connection mechanism; and

pivotally attaching said second wing component at said second vertical side to said second mounting surface of said blade center component using said hinge connection mechanism.