Abstract:
A detachable roller attachment for use on standard truck mounted plow blades that afford the positioning and use of a portable compaction roller assembly thereon. The roller attachment fittings are adjustable to correspond with the mounting fittings on a variety of plow blade size configurations. Hydraulic piston and cylinder plow blade activation and movement controls the roller attachment deployment and surface engagement for compaction rolling on any chosen surface.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Field 
     This invention relates to roller attachment for trucks allowing the addition of a portable compaction roller to be used thereon. 
     Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art devices of this type have provided a variety of truck-mounted rollers secured to trailing arms and mounting brackets mounted to the truck&#39;s frame and/or axle. See for examples U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,962,950, 3,895,880, 3,932,052, 4,193,710, 4,702,644, 6,354,761 and 8,668,405. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,950 discloses a combination truck and roller unit having an axle mounted roller with hydraulic piston and cylinder attached for deployment, lifting the axle of the truck. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,880 claims a roller attachment for trucks having a roller on a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies, secured to the frame of a truck. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,052 illustrates a roller attachment for trucks having a roller assembly with a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies that are secured to the truck. The roller is therefore raised and lowered to the contact surface thereby. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,710 discloses a truck-mounted roller on a pivot bracket secured to the truck frame. A hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly lifts and lowers the attached roller for surface engagement and use. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,644 claims an attachable truck-mounted roller with independent attached roller control pistons that engage and disengage the roller through the compaction surface. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,761 illustrates and claims a truck-mounted roller attachment used with a standard truck-mounted snow plow lift, once the snow plow is removed. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 8,668,405 describes a road maintenance truck with selectively deployable road engagement roller and piston assemblies. The roller is mounted on a levered bracket attached to the frame, and a piston and cylinder raises and lowers the roller into contact use with the road surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to vehicles, specifically truck-mounted roller attachments that provide for the mounting of roller assemblies to trucks. A roller attachment of the invention provides for the use of a portable roller assembly on a snow plow equipped truck, without removing the snow plow, thus providing a simple, quick and easy attachment of the roller for use. Adjustable mounting fittings on the roller adapt to different blade configurations and sizes, adaptably securing the roller directly to the blades surface. Control of the roller is achieved by existing blade hydraulics for lifting and lowering the blade and the roller which is positioned below the blade edge, allowing for direct surface engagement by the roller. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the roller attachment with portions broken away. 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view thereof with repositioning shown in broken lines. 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view thereof. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded side elevational view of the roller attachment. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged composite side and top plan view of a roller mounting pin sleeve enlarger. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial front elevational view of the roller attachment positioned on a plow blade, shown in broken lines. 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevational view thereof. 
         FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of the roller attachment shown in solid lines, mounted on a plow blade shown in broken lines. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3  of the drawings, a compaction roller attachment  10  of the invention can be seen, having a pair of bearing block mounting assemblies  11 , secured on the respective oppositely disposed free ends of a surface compaction roller  12 . Each of the bearing block assemblies  11  has a bearing axle mount  11 A, with a mounting block  13  secured thereto by fastener bolts  14 , as best seen in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
     The bearing axle mounts  11 A are well-known in the art, having a cast metal support housing  15  with oppositely disposed aperture mounting tabs  16 A and  16 B, extending in space parallel orientation therefrom. A roller bearing assembly  17  is fitted within a central bore CB in the respective support housings  15 , providing rotatable attachment to a roller axle assembly  18  that extends from oppositely disposed ends of the compaction roller  12 . bearing axle mount  11 A each have a rectangular block  19  with opposing upper and lower surfaces  20  and  21 . The block  19  has a pair of longitudinally aligned threaded bores  22 A and  22 B, center transversely within the lower surface  21 . The threaded bores  22 A and  22 B threadably receive the fastener bolts  14  through the perspective aperture mounting tabs  16 A and  16 B of the hereinbefore described bearing axle mounts  11 A securing same thereto. 
     An attachment pin  24  extends from the upper surface  20  of the block  19  in vertical alignment with the attached bearing axle mount  11 A, as best seen in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. 
     The attachment pin  24  has a pair of transverse apertures A there through, adjacent to free end  24 A. 
     A coil spring configuration  25  is positioned on the pin  24  to provide spring resistance to the roller attachment  10  when mounted on a plow blade  26 , shown graphically in broken lines in  FIGS. 6, 7 and 8  of the drawings, as will be described hereinafter. 
     The universal roller attachment  10  has a the compaction roller  12  secured on the roller axle  18  extending there through and outwardly at  28 A and  28 B on the compaction roller  12  respective ends  27 A and  27 B as seen in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. 
     The respective axle end extensions  28 A and  28 B provide for adjustable mounting positioning there along for the respective bearing axle mounts  11 A to accommodate different mounting points on a variety of truck blade configurations that are commercially available, shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the drawings. It will be seen therefore that the bearing block mounting assemblies  11  can be positioned and secured anywhere on the respective axle end extensions  28 A and  28 B to accommodate as noted the different spacings required for securing to the blades. 
     Such plow blades  26  are designed for typically being attached to the front end of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck for snow removal and/or grading purposes, as well as commercial dump trucks (not shown) used by city, county and state road departments. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 7, 8  of the drawings, the plow blade  26  can be seen in broken lines having a main blade portion  26 A, blade edge  26 B and a pair of skid shoe mounts  29  to space the blades from direct contact with the road surface RS. 
     It will be seen, therefore, that the roller attachment  10  of the invention, attachment pins  24  are adapted to fit directly into the skid shoe mounts  29 , receiving sockets  29 A, as illustrated best in  FIG. 7  of the drawings. A retainment pin  30  is inserted through the selected pins aperture A moveably securing the roller attachment  10  directly to the plow blade  26  in spaced parallel orientation below the bottom planar edge  31  of the blade edge  26 B. 
     The bearing block mounting assemblies  11  and attached compaction cylinder roller  12  are therefore resiliently engageable against a surface to be rolled, depending on the user application and venue of use so determined. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  of the drawings, the attachment pin sleeve  32  can be seen having a cylinder body member  33  with a central bore at  34  there through. The attachment pin sleeve bore  34  is of a dimension greater than then that of the known dimension of the attachment pin  24 , allowing it to be selectively positioned there over, as seen in broken lines in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, and secured thereto by a pair of longitudinally positioned set screws S. It will be from the above description that by utilization of the attachment pin sleeves  32  that the effective diameter of the attachment pin  24  can be increased to accommodate larger diameter skid shoe mounts, which may be present on different blade configurations (not shown). 
     It will thus be seen that a new and useful compaction roller attachment of the invention has been illustrated and described, allowing for simple attachment to existing plow blades without the removal from the vehicle. The roller attachment  10  is adjustable to accommodate a variety of different blade sizes in corresponding positional variations of their fixed skid shoe mounts. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.