A SUPPORTING LEG ARRANGEMENT ON THE TOW-BAR OF TOWED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS AND THE LIKE

Abstract: Arrangement for a supporting leg (1) for a tow-bar (2) with a towing eye (3) on towed agricultural implements, for folding up and folding down the supporting leg (1) and for holding it locked in the foldeddown position. A plate (21) projects at right-angles from one end of a two-armed lever (6, 7) which is pivotally mounted at the free end of the towbar (2), in such a way that the plate (21) can be brought to rest against the towing eye (3). The other end of the lever (6, 7) is hinged onto one end of a rod (11). The other end of the rod (11) is hinged onto a locking piston (13) which can be displaced in a sleeve (14) which is fixed at right-angles to the supporting leg (1) on the free end of a projection (16) which projects backwards from the upper end of the supporting leg (1). Above the sleeve (14) the projection (16) is equipped with a backwards-pointing abutment stop (17) which is designed so that, when the supporting leg (1) is folded down into the vertical position, it is restricted by the stop (17) striking against an abutment stop (18) located on a downwards-extending lug (19) on the tow-bar (2). A tensioning spring (20) is fitted between the tow-bar (2) and the arm (6) so that, when the plate (21) is ineffective, it pulls the arm (6) backwards, so that the rod (11) presses the locking piston (13) and the projection (16) backwards so that the supporting leg (1) is folded down. When the abutment stop (17) strikes against the abutment stop (18) and stops the folding-down movement, the rod (11) pushes the now horizontal locking piston (13) out backwards, so that its free end engages under the abutment stop (18) and locks the supporting leg (1) in the vertical position.

Description: / A Supporting Leg Arrangement on the Tow-bar of towed Agricultural Implements and the like. The present invention relates to an arrangement for folding up and folding down a supporting leg on the tow-bar of towed agricultural implements. One embodiment of such an arrangement is already known from Swedish Patent 353-687 ? which shows and describes an arrangement wherein the shaft on a half-trailer cart or the like for attachment to the traction vehicle is equipped with a supporting prop which is mounted on the shaft and can be pivoted from a position in which it supports the shaft into an ineffective position under the effect of a lever rod, one end of which is designed to be acted on by the tractor and the other end of which pivots the supporting prop. The arrangement also comprises a device for locking the supporting prop in the folded-down position. The arrangement according *o "the Patent has obviously been beset with problems, since it has not become generally used. The arrangement according to the present invention has the design and is endowed with the characteristics which can be found in the accompanying Patent Claims. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, on which: Figure 1 shows schematically a side view of an embodiment of a tow-bar with the supporting leg folded down, and OMPI Figure 2 shows the same tow-bar with the supporting leg folded up. At its free end a tow-bar 2 is equipped with a towing eye 3, and on its lower face it has a lu with a guide 5 pin 15 on which the upper end of a supporting leg 1 is mounted pivotably. The supporting leg 1 is equipped at its upper end with a projection 6 which points backwards and along the tow-bar 2 when the supporting leg is folded down, this projection- being equipped at the rear end of 0 its upper edge with an abutment stop 17 pointing towards the rear. A sleeve for a locking piston 13 is attached to the projection 16 adjacent to its free edge, in such a way that the locking piston 13 extends at right-angles to the supporting leg 1. The locking piston 13 is designed 5 so that it may be moved between a terminal position wherein oneof its ends projects out of the sleeve 14 and beyond the rear edge of the projection 16. At its other end, which is permanently located outside the sleeve 14, it is connected via a pivot 12 to one end of a rod 11, the other o en & of which is connected via a pivot 10 to the free end of one arm 6 appertaining to a two-armed lever 6, 7 and which points upwards when the supporting leg 1 is folded up. The two-armed lever can be pivoted around " a hinge 8 at the . free end of the tow-bar 2. Its other arm 7 is equipped with a perpendicularly projecting plate 21 which is des¬ igned to rest against the towing eye when the supporting OMPI leg 1 is folded up, and which is equipped with a thrσugh- bore 9 which in this position corresponds with and is co-axial to the towing eye 3. A tensioning spring 20 is attached between the tow-bar 2 and the arm 6 so that it tries to pull the arm 6 backwards. The arrangement functions in the following way: When the supporting leg 1 is folded down (Figure 1) the arm 6 is pulled backwards so that the plate 21 ,points obliquely upwards relative to the towing eye 3. The rod 11 is thereby caused to push out the locking piston 13. Tb.e abutment stop 17 on the projection 16 rests on top of another abutment stop 18 which projects from a lug 19 on the lower face of the tow-bar 2, and the end of the locking piston 13 which is projecting out of the sleeve 1 is located on the lower face of the abutment stop 18 so that the supporting leg 1 is locked against pivoting both for¬ wards and backwards. When the towing eye 3 is to be connected to a towing hook 4 which can be raised and lowered, on a tractor or some other traction vehicle, the latter is reversed until the towing hook 4 comes centrally under the towing eye 3 » after which the towing hook 4 is raised so that it engages in the towing eye 3 and lifts it, together with the tow-bar 2, so that the supporting leg 1 is lifted from the ground. . In so doing, the point of the plate 21 comes immediately into contact with a contact surface 5 rigidly connected to the tractor centrally above the towing hook 4. As lifting continues the plate 21 begins to be pressed downwards against the contact surface 5 and generally engages in a cut-out in it. When the plate 21 is pressed downwards it pulls the arm 6 forwards. In so doing, it pulls the rod 11 with it. The first effect produced by this is that the locking piston 13 is pulled into the sleeve 14 until it reaches its inner terminal position. As lifting continues the rod 11, which must be connected to the arm 6 in such a way that in all positions it is located above the -pin 5 > pivots the supporting leg 1 up and back via the locking piston 13, the sleeve 14 and the projection 16 until it strikes against the abutment stop 18, at the same time as the plate comes to rest against the towing eye 3. OMPI

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. An arrangement for a supporting leg (1) on a tow-bar (2) on a towed agricultural implement, to fold up the supporting leg (1) when a towing eye (3) on the tow-bar (2) is attached round a towing hook (4) which can be raised and lowered, appertaining to a towing vehicle, and the towing hook (4) is raised relative to a fixed abutment surface (5) on the towing vehicle, and to fold down the supporting leg (1) when the towing hook (4) is lowered relative to the abutment surface (5) » comprising a two-armed lever (6, 7) which can be pivoted around an axle pin (8) at the free end of the tow-bar (2) and one arm (7) of which bears a plate (21) which, in one terminal position corresponding to the folded-up supporting leg (1), rests against the towing eye (3) and,in another terminal position corresponding to the folded-down supporting leg (1), points obliquely up from the towing eye (3) and is designed to strike the abutment surface (5) when the towing hook (4) raises the towing eye (3), and to be brought thereby to rest against the towing eye (3), thus pivoting the lever (6, 7), characterised in that the lever arm (6) is hinged at its free end onto one end of a rod (11), the other end of which is hinged onto a locking piston ( 3) fitted in a sleeve (14) which is rigidly connected perpendicular to the supporting leg (1) on the free end of a backwards-pointing projection (16) ' projecting from that end of the supporting leg (1) which is connected by a hinge(15) to the tow-bar (2), this locking piston (13 being designed so that it may be displaced between one terminal position where the free end of the locking piston (13) projects from the sleeve (14) and another terminal position where the free end of the locking piston (13) is located flush with the edge of the sleeve (14), and that the tow-bar (2) is equipped on its lower face with a lug (19) with an abutment stop (18) projecting beyond the side of the tow-bar (2), the lower face of the abutment stop being designed to limit the folding-up movement of the supporting leg (1) and, when the supporting leg (1) is folded down, to rest against the end of the locking piston (13) which is projecting out of the sleeve (14) so that the supporting leg (1) is locked in its folded-dow _/position, and that the projection (16) is equipped at its free end with an abutment stop (17) which is attached in such a way that when the supporting leg (1) is pivoted downwards and reaches its vertical position, the abutment stop (17) rests against the abutment stop (18) and limits the pivoting movement of the support¬ ing leg (1) and, together with the locking piston (13), locks the supporting leg in a vertical position. 2. An arrangement according to Patent Claim 1, characterised in that the plate (21) is attached substantially at right-angles to the lever arm (6), and that its length is adapted so that the rod (11) 5 is located above the pin (15) of the supporting leg (1) when the supporting leg is located in its vertical position. 3. An arrangement according to Patent Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a tensioning spring (20) is fitted Q between the tow-bar (2) and the lever arm (6) in such a way that when the towing hook (4) is lowered, and with it also the towing eye (3), it causes the arm (6) to be pivoted backwards and to pivot the supporting leg (1) via the rod (11) towards the vertical position and, 5 when this position has been reached, to push the locking piston out underneath the abutment stop (18).

Inventors: EINARSSON ULF
Applicants: EINARSSON ULF, KATRINEHOLMS VERKSTADS AB
Application year: 1981
Main classification: B60S9
IPC codes: B60D1, B60S9, B62D49