Sod laying apparatus

A sod laying self propelled apparatus having a mobile frame mounted on front and rear wheels. The frame has front and rear sections that are articulated to allow the wheels to follow rough terrain. The frame front section has a U-shaped opening to allow receipt of a roll of sod therein without lifting the roll. The frame includes sod lifting arms with a two way hydraulic cylinder to raise the roll once in the roll is in the opening and in such a manner as to generally evenly distribute weight of the roll to each of the wheels. The front wheels are swingable between outside and inside positions relative to front frame arms to change the configuration thereof and include a locking mechanism to lock the configuration. The sod lifting arms are also engageable with a cross bar on a transport truck to allow the apparatus to be rotated relative to the sod raising arms and lifted from the ground for transport. A removable forklift is mountable on the frame for removing sod from a transport truck. Each of the wheels includes a hydraulic motor and the front wheel motors may be reversed depending on their configuration to allow all the wheels to drive in the same rotational direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention is directed to a mechanized apparatus to assist a
 crew in laying cut sod in residential yards, commercial establishments,
 athletic fields and the like.
 In new construction, grass surrounding the construction is normally
 destroyed by the construction or ground shaping associated with the
 construction. Even without construction, grass sometimes dies or is absent
 from an area for some reason. Because grass often takes a long time and a
 great amount of work to grow from seed and, further, because the area
 where seed is growing is often muddy and is subject to severe washing, it
 is often desirable to place sod grown elsewhere on such areas to provide
 immediate grass coverage, erosion and mud control and to substantially
 improve the appearance of the area.
 Consequently, transfer of sod from a growing site or sod farm to a region
 needing sod, especially residential housing, has become commonplace. With
 ever increasing demand for such sod, it has become practical for sodding
 crews to try to improve the efficiency of sod laying. This is accomplished
 by mechanizing the procedure and by substantially increasing the size of
 the rolls of sod to reduce the number of individual rolls that must be
 handled. Therefore, the present invention is designed to assist in the
 laying of rolls of sod, especially large, heavy rolls that weigh 2000
 pounds or more.
 Sod is often laid on uncovered dirt, which easily turns to mud when it has
 rained recently. Such mud makes sod laying difficult or halts it
 completely because the laying apparatus sinks into the mud. Also in the
 past, such sod laying has often been accomplished by a forklift or tractor
 which lifts the roll either to the front or rear of the device. This
 produces a very uneven distributing of the weight such that the wheels of
 the associated end tend to be driven deeply into mud or soft dirt.
 Therefore, a mechanized apparatus is desirable that is mechanically
 driven, unrolls the sod at the location where the sod is needed and
 spreads the weight of the sod and apparatus somewhat evenly over the
 apparatus and over a large area to prevent miring in mud.
 Furthermore, sod laying machines must be able to traverse uneven ground and
 yet maintain ground contact with the wheels to provide traction and reduce
 the likelihood of miring or producing deep tracks. The present invention
 provides for articulation of the frame to help insure that all of the
 wheels remain in contact with uneven ground.
 It is also desirable that the sod laying apparatus be able to be driven to
 the sod and that the sod be quickly loaded and easily raised by the
 apparatus. In order to accomplish this, the front wheels must be spaceable
 at least enough for sod rolls to pass through, since the rolls are too
 heavy to easily lift to the center of the apparatus. Unfortunately, when
 the wheels are so spaced, the apparatus will not pass through many gates
 and certain other obstructions. Consequently, it is desirable that the
 wheels be swingable between loading and gate traversing positions.
 Further, it is desirable that a driver be able to control such swinging
 from the driver's seat.
 Another problem associated with a sod laying apparatus of this type is
 getting the apparatus to the worksite. The present invention is designed
 to provide for simple and quick securement of the apparatus to the rear of
 a transport truck using hydraulic sod roll lift arms without need for
 additional equipment or parts. Further, it is desirable that the sod layer
 have the ability to also unload sod from the truck to reduce the need for
 a separate forklift. The ability to unload is provided by a forklift
 attachment for the apparatus that can be easily attached and disconnected
 and which can be operated by a driver by simple swinging of the driver's
 chair. To reduce the weight of the apparatus during sod laying, it is
 desirable for the forklift attachment to be easily detached.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 A sod laying apparatus is provided for raising, transporting and laying sod
 rolls of different sizes, especially large rolls weighing a ton or more.
 The sod laying apparatus includes an open ended frame that allows the
 apparatus to drive to and surround a roll of sod, such that the roll is
 generally between the wheels of the apparatus.
 The apparatus includes a frame that has front and rear sections which pivot
 relative to each other. In particular, the front section includes front
 wheels and the rear section includes rear wheels with the two sections
 being pivotal about a front to rear axis to allow all four of the wheels
 to remain in engagement with the ground when traversing rough terrain.
 The frame front section includes a pair of elongate arms which are
 positioned on opposite sides, and each of the arms has one of the front
 wheels near a distal end thereof. The front wheels are mounted on a
 vertical pivot that allows them to pivot relative to arms from a sod
 loading position wherein the wheels are outside the arms to a gate
 clearing position wherein the wheels are located between the arms. A
 hydraulic locking system allows an operator to secure the wheels in either
 configuration from a drivers seat.
 The apparatus also includes sod lifting arms pivotally mounted at one end
 to the frame and being controlled by a hydraulic cylinder. The sod lifting
 arms raise and elevate the rolls of sod during laying and also are sized
 and shaped to join with a bar on a transport truck to raise the apparatus
 off the ground during transport.
 An easily attached and detached forklift is selectively used to remove sod
 rolls from a transport truck.
 The apparatus includes a gasoline motor that operates a hydraulic system.
 The hydraulic system includes units to drive the front and rear wheels,
 and cylinder to operate the front wheel locks, the position of the
 forklift, steering, the tilt of the forklift, and telescoping of the frame
 arms which can all be controlled from the drivers seat. The hydraulic
 system also allows for reverse rotation of the front wheels when moving
 between the two configurations thereof.
 OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
 Therefore, the objects of the present invention are to provide a sod laying
 apparatus that easily loads sod into the apparatus and traverse ground
 while laying such sod; to provide such an apparatus that allows an
 operator to control most of the operation of the apparatus from a driver's
 seat; to provide such an apparatus having an articulated frame that allows
 the apparatus to effectively traverse uneven ground; to provide such an
 apparatus wherein weight of both sod and apparatus are distributed over a
 large area and that has wide tires to improve traction in mud and reduces
 rutting; to provide such an apparatus having front wheels that can be
 manipulated between a wide body configuration to load sod and a
 comparatively narrow gate traversing configuration to allow the apparatus
 to pass through narrow gates and the like; to provide such an apparatus
 that is adapted to be mounted on a transport truck by operation of sod
 lifting arms; to provide such an apparatus that may be cooperatively
 joined to a forklift mechanism to allow offloading of sod from a transport
 truck; to provide such an apparatus including a telescoping frame to
 operably allow the frame to be shortened for transport; and to provide
 such an apparatus that is comparatively easy to operate and especially
 well adapted for the intended usage thereof.
 Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from
 the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
 drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example,
 certain embodiments of this invention.
 The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary
 embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and
 features thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
 As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed
 herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are
 merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.
 Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are
 not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims
 and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to
 variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately
 detailed structure.
 The reference numeral 1 generally represents a sod laying apparatus in
 accordance with the present invention.
 The apparatus 1 includes a frame 10, front wheels 11 and 12, rear wheels 13
 (FIG. 3) and 14, a motor and hydraulic system 15, a driver's seat 16 and a
 pair of hydraulic operated sod lifting arms 17 and 18. A forklift
 apparatus 20 (FIG. 10) is removably securable to the rear of the apparatus
 1. The apparatus 1 is conveyed by a truck 21 (FIGS. 8 and 9) to a site of
 operation.
 The frame 10 is articulated and includes a rectangular rear portion 25
 pivotally joined to a rectangular front portion 26. A pair of left and
 right (as seen from the drivers seat position in FIG. 1) elongate arms 27
 and 28 are attached to and extend forward from front portion 26 to form a
 generally forwardly open U-shaped structure in a generally horizontal
 frame.
 The frame rear portion 25 and front portion 26 are abutting and joined by a
 pivot 30 (as seen in FIG. 4). The pivot 30 includes an inner pivot shaft
 31 slideably mounted in a sleeve 32. The shaft 31 is held in the sleeve 32
 by an end cap 33. The shaft 31 is welded to the frame rear portion 25, and
 the sleeve 32 is welded to the frame front portion 26. The pivot 30 allows
 the frame portions 25 and 26 to articulate about a roll axis A that
 extends from front to rear of the apparatus 1 along the center thereof,
 such that the frame portion 25 and 26 can pivot relative to each other, as
 seen in FIG. 3, to allow all four wheels 11, 12, 13 and 14 to remain in
 engagement with the ground when on uneven terrain.
 Each front wheel 11 and 12 is mounted on a vertically aligned spindle 39
 pivotally received in a respective sleeve 40. Each of the sleeves 40 are
 welded to a front end of respective frame arms 27 and 28.
 Each front wheel 11 and 12 also includes a locking assembly 44 (FIGS. 5-7)
 to secure the wheels 11 and 12 in a selected configuration. Each locking
 assembly 44 includes a bidirectional acting hydraulic cylinder 46 secured
 to a respective arm 27 or 28 and having a shaft 47, and a pin 48 pivotally
 connected to the shaft 47 and a guide 49 secured to a respective arm 27 or
 28. The pins 48 are aligned with bores 51 in the sleeves 40 and are
 selectively alignable from opposite sides with bores 52 in the spindles
 39. In particular, each pin 48 is positioned in respective bores 51 and 52
 to lock the wheels 11 and 12 in either of the configurations thereof, as
 seen in solid lines in FIGS. 5 and 7. FIG. 5 shows the pin 48 in the bores
 51 and 52. FIG. 6 shows the pin 48 withdrawn from the bores 51 and 52, so
 as to allow the wheel 11 to rotate. The locked and unlocked configurations
 of each pin 48 are positioned by the cylinder 46. A stop 53 limits and
 positions the wheels 11 and 12 as the wheels 11 and 12 swing inwardly,
 such as is shown in FIG. 7.
 The left and right elongate arms 27 and 28 telescope in order to decrease
 length for transport, as described below, or to increase length for sod
 laying. The arms 27 and 28 each include a forward section 35 (FIG. 2) that
 is slideably received in the remainder of each arm 27 and 28. The relative
 position of the sections 35 and, consequently, the length of the arms 27
 and 28 is controlled by hydraulic cylinders 36.
 The front wheels 11 and 12 are position adjustable, see FIG. 5, 6 and 7
 relative to the arms 27 and 28. In particular, each of the front wheels 11
 and 12 is pivotal between a narrowed or gate traversing configuration
 (solid lines in FIG. 7) and a widened or sod roll engaging configuration
 (FIGS. 1 and 6) that allows for the distribution of weight of the
 apparatus 1 over the greatest ground area. In the narrowed configuration
 the wheels 11 and 12 are located between the arms 27 and 28, whereas in
 the sod roll engaging position, the wheels 11 and 12 are laterally
 positioned outside the arms 27 and 28.
 Each of the wheels 11 and 12 is attached to a respective arm 27 and 28 by
 the vertically aligned pivot shaft or spindle 39 received in a respective
 sleeve 40 welded to a respective arm 27 and 28. Associated with each wheel
 11 and 12 is a hydraulic drive motor 42 that pivots with a respective
 wheel 11 or 12 and operably rotates or drives the wheels 11 and 12 under
 control of an operator. Such hydraulic drives are commonly used on zero
 turning radius mowers and similar devices familiar to those who have skill
 in the art.
 The rear wheels 13 and 14 are pivotally mounted on the frame rear portion
 26 for steering purposes, whereas the front wheels 11 and 12 are normally
 locked in position except when the changing configuration. The rear wheels
 13 and 14 are pivotal under control of a steering wheel 55. In particular,
 each of the rear wheels 13 and 14 has a vertical axle, shaft or spindle 57
 received in a bearing sleeve 58 with the sleeve 58 being welded to the
 frame rear portion 26 (see FIG. 12). The position and controllability of
 the rear wheels 13 and 14 allow the apparatus 1 to turn upon a relatively
 small radius to allow good overall control of direction of movement of the
 apparatus 1 by an operator.
 A cuff 59 is fixed to and rotates with the spindle 57 associated with wheel
 14. The cuff 59 is attached to a perpendicularly extending crank arm 60.
 The crank 60 is in turn attached to a hydraulic cylinder 63, that is
 secured at one end to the frame rear portion 26. The cylinder 63 is
 hydraulically connected to and operated by the steering wheel 55 to allow
 an operator to turn and control the direction of the rear wheels 13 and
 14. A tie rod 66 (FIG. 3) joins the rear wheels 13 and 14 and assures that
 both are aligned. Each of the rear wheels 13 and 14 also include a
 hydraulic drive motor 65.
 The motor and hydraulic system 15 is shown schematically in FIG. 11. The
 system includes a fuel powered internal combustion motor 70 mounted on the
 frame 10. The motor 70 drives a hydraulic system 71 that discharges
 hydraulic fuel under pressure into a supply conduit 73 and hydraulic fluid
 is returned to the system 15 by return conduit 74. The hydraulic system 15
 is of a conventional type including a hydraulic fluid pump and a reservoir
 75 (FIG. 1).
 The hydraulic system 71 supplies hydraulic fluid to a number of different
 systems within the apparatus 1, including the front wheel locking
 cylinders 46, the arm telescoping cylinders 36, the rear wheel drives 65,
 the front wheel drives 42, sod roll arm cylinders 77 (FIG. 2), a fork lift
 control cylinder 78 (FIG. 10), the steering control cylinder 63 and a fork
 lift tilt cylinder 79.
 Forward and reverse acting valves 81 and 82 control flow to and rotational
 direction of the front wheel locking cylinder 46, and a similar set of
 valves 83 and 84 control flow to and direction of the telescoping
 cylinders 36. Valves 85 and 86 control rotational direction and speed of
 the rear wheel drives 65 and front wheel drives 42, while cross over
 valves 87 and 88 allow reversing control and speed of the front wheel
 drives 42. The valves 85 and 86 are part of a hand controller associated
 with the hydraulic pump and allow an operator to simultaneously and
 directly control direction and speed of all four wheels 11, 12, 13 and 14.
 Up and down valves 89 and 90 raise and lower the position of the distal
 ends of sod roll arms 17 and 18 through operation of the sod roll arm
 cylinder 77.
 Valves 91 and 92 raise and lower the position of the fork lift fork 111
 (FIG. 10) through the forklift control cylinder 78. Valves 93 and 94
 control the operation of the steering control cylinder which are in turn
 controlled by position of the steering wheel 55. And valves 95 and 96
 control the position of the fork lift tilt cylinder 79 which controls the
 tilt of the fork 111. All of the valves 81 through 96 are within the
 operator control and steering system 98 generally identified by the dashed
 box in FIG. 11 and generally positioned in and around the driver's seat 16
 to allow easy access thereto by an operator during operation of the
 apparatus 1.
 The sod roll lifting arms 17 and 18 are best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 and have
 two major functions. The first function of the arms 17 and 18 is to raise
 a roll of sod 100 for transport to the site of laying and then support the
 roll 100 as the roll 100 is unrolled and spread on the ground. The second
 function of the arms 17 and 18 is to lift the apparatus 1 off the ground
 so as to be supported by a transport truck 21, as seen in FIG. 9.
 The arms 17 and 18 are elongate and each is pivotally joined at one end to
 the frame 10. An opposite end of each arm supports a sod bar attachment
 102 with a shield. The arms 17 and 18 are joined near the frame 10 by a
 cross bar 103. The sod roll control cylinders 77 are secured at one end to
 the frame 10 and at an opposite end to the arms 17 and 18. The sod roll
 control cylinder 77 pivots the arms 17 and 18 through an arc and about the
 connection thereof to the frame 10 so as to selectively raise or lower the
 distal ends of the arms 17 and 18.
 Positioned in and extending between the bar attachment 102 is a sod roll
 support bar 104. The bar 104 is received through a larger tube (not shown)
 upon which the roll 100 is rolled.
 The fork lift apparatus 20 is shown in FIG. 10 and is easily removable. The
 purpose of the fork lift apparatus 20 is to remove sod rolls from the
 transport truck 21, and the forklift apparatus is removed thereafter to
 reduce the overall weight of the apparatus 1 during sod laying. The fork
 lift apparatus 20 is of conventional type having a generally vertically
 aligned frame 110 upon which is supported a fork 111 that is tracked to
 move up and down the frame 110. The vertical position of the fork 111 is
 controlled by the fork lift control cylinder 78. The fork lift frame 110
 includes an open channel rear mount 112 that is pivotally received over a
 rear bar 113 secured to the rear of the frame 10 to hold the forklift
 apparatus 20 and allow same to rotate relative to the frame 10. Also
 pivotally attached to the rear of the frame 10 is a fork lift brace 116.
 The brace 116 extends downwardly from the frame 10 and is connected to the
 fork lift tilt cylinder 79 that in turn controls the amount of tilt of the
 brace 116 which then controls the tilt of the fork lift apparatus 20 as
 the apparatus 20 pivots relative to the frame 10 about the rear bar 113.
 The frame 10 also includes a footrest 117 secured to the frame front
 portion 25 behind where a sod roll 100 is received. The driver seat 16 is
 mounted on a pivot 118 that allows the seat 16 and part of the associated
 control system 98 to swing 180.degree. so the operator can visually watch
 operation of the forklift apparatus 20. Also mounted on the frame 10 is a
 gas tank 119 and battery 115 to support the motor 70.
 In use, the apparatus 1 is normally operated by an operator from the seat
 16. The apparatus 1 is driven with the front wheels 11 and 12 in the sod
 roll engaging position up to a roll of sod 100 such that the roll 100
 passes between the frame arms 27 and 28. The sod bar 104 is placed through
 the roll 100 and the sod roll arms 17 and 18 are positioned to receive the
 bar 104 in the distally positioned bar attachments 102. The cylinder 77 is
 then activated to swing the arms 17 and 18 to raise the roll 100.
 The roll 100 is transported to the location where sod is to be laid and the
 operator leans forward to remove pins (not shown) from the sod roll 100 to
 allow it to unroll and to initially place the end of the roll 100.
 Therefore, the operator normally moves forward although sod can be laid in
 either direction until the sod roll 100 is completely unrolled.
 Thereafter, the process is repeated.
 If during use the apparatus 1 must traverse a tight passage, such as a
 gate, the front wheels 11 and 12 are swung inwardly, as seen in FIG. 7, by
 unlocking the locking assemblies 44, swinging the wheels 11 by simply
 moving forward and then relocking the locking assemblies 44. The procedure
 is reversed to swing the wheels 11 and 12 outwardly.
 To use the forklift apparatus 20, the operator places the forklift rear
 mount 112 over the bar 113 and connects the cylinder 78 to the hydraulic
 system 15. The fork raises and lowers under control of the cylinder 78 and
 tilts under control of the cylinder 79.
 To transport the apparatus 1, the arms 27 and 28 are normally shortened by
 operation of the cylinders 36, and the apparatus is positioned under the
 rear of the bed of the transport truck 21. The truck 21 includes a rear
 engagement bar 120 and a stop 121. The bar 120 depends from and extends
 across the rear of the truck 21. The bar 120 is sized, shaped and
 positioned to receive distal ends of the sod lifting arms 17 and 18 when
 in a raised position thereof. The distal ends of the arms 17 and 18 are
 then lowered by operation of the cylinder 77 to raise the apparatus 1 from
 the ground (see FIG. 9). The stop 121 engages the front of the apparatus
 arms 27 and 28 to position the apparatus 1 in a transport position
 thereof. To use the apparatus 1, this procedure is reversed.
 It is noted that the various hydraulic cylinders used in operation of the
 described apparatus are dual acting motors, that is the cylinders are
 drivable in both directions and could be equivalently replaced by other
 devices providing an equivalent function such as an electric motor.
 It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention
 have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the
 specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.