Patent ID: 6516545
Filing Date: 2003-02-11
Classification: E02F

Abstract:
A trenching apparatus comprising, in combination,a. a mobile vehicle having a plurality of wheels and an internal combustion engine operatively coupled to at least one said wheel; b. a first coupler portion mounted to one end of said vehicle, said first coupler portion being operatively coupled to said internal combustion engine and having a rotating first coupling member; c. a carriage releasably coupled to said vehicle; d. a second coupler portion coupled to said carriage, said second coupler portion having a rotating second coupling member configured to mate releasably with said first coupling member of said first coupler portion; e. a hydraulic pump operatively coupled to said second coupling member; f. a hydraulic motor hydraulically coupled to said hydraulic pump; g. digging means including an endless loop digging chain coupled to said carriage and drivably coupled to said hydraulic motor; and h. control means hydraulically coupled to said hydraulic pump and said hydraulic motor for controlling the operation of said hydraulic motor, whereby the carriage may be disconnected from the vehicle and the second coupling means disconnected from the first coupling means to remove the digging means quickly and easily from the vehicle.