DIRT ROAD SMOOTHING APPARATUS

Abstract: An apparatus to be towed by an over-the-road transportation vehicle for smoothing of roadways or leveling and grading ground in other land areas. The apparatus is comprised of a frame (20) with integral blades (24) and side members (30). Running gear in the form of a pair of wheels (48) connected with an axle (50) are rotatably engaged to the frame and pivot radially over-center with a manually operated spring loaded fulcrum pivot lever (54). The wheels are, thereby raised above the blades for leveling and rotated below for ease of transportation. A yoke hitched coupler (66) provides attachment to the towing vehicle. This coupler (66) is rotatably connected to the frame (20) and swivels freely when being towed as a leveler providing proper draft and innerface between the frame (20) and the vehicle. For transportation, the coupler (66) is securely connected to the frame (20) making the entire apparatus rigid allowing towing over-the-road in trailer fashion.

Description: DIRT ROAD SMOOTHING APPARATUS TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to excavating devices for leveling or forming roads. More specifically, the invention encompasses an apparatus utilizing adjustably fixed blades engaged to a structural frame with a movable yoke for towing and a pair of wheels, pivotally arranged, manually positioned beneath the frame for towing or rotated above for leveling. BACKGROUND ART Previously there have been numerous apparatus developed for removing, rearranging and leveling soil in areas of land and more particularly roadbeds. A level using a plurality of angulated blades mounted in longitudinal spaced relationship with the individual blades relocating the soil in a lateral direction during passage over ground surface is well known in the art. There have been observed two basic mthods utilized to level ground. The first contains the fore entioned plurality of blades and is characterized by U. S. Patent 3,047,969 issued to Purdy in which a hydraulic system raises and lowers a plurality of wheels necessitating a prime mover having that capability. The blades are rigidly fixed within the confines of the frame. Similarly, Patent 3,063,178 Purdy improves the blade by providing a trip mechanism but still requires hydraulics to elevate the wheels. Patent 3,052,998 of Childers teaches a geometrically arranged blade relationship with a fixed open gate on the longitudinal axis for the final soil movement into a window or ber , also hydraulically operated wheels. The second method deals with a single scoop or bucket device that is adjusted by various arrangements to individually remove the soil and relocate it by tilting or tripping the scoop at the desired time and place. Representive of this art are U. S. Patent 2,503,638 Shuey, 2,732,640 Kirchner and 2,787,066 issued to Johnson. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a leveling apparatus for use on dirt roads that have become worn and rutted as a result of adverse weather conditions. Many leveling devices have been developed for construct- -ing roadbeds and leveling areas of farm land for planting and irriga¬ tion. The inherent problem with these devices is that they were developed for use with large prime movers such as tracked vehicles or in case of agricultural equipment farm tractors. In most cases these vehicles are equipped with hydraulic systems allowing the wheels to be elevated or adjusted by hydraulic pressue. Even further, the levelers are large and bulky and move large quantities of soil in one pass over a given area. The need has long existed for a leveler that may be towed behind an over-the-road vehicle, such as a light duty pick-up truck or passenger car for existing roadbeds that need only surface leveling. The instant invention fills this need, therefore, the primary object is to provide a two wheeled towable leveler that may be used in the operating position while leveling and alsp towed in trailer fashion to and from the workplace with a state of the art over-the- road vehicle. An important object lies in the geometrical orientation of the blades in relation to-the side runners. As they are all on the same plane, the side runners act as a float to not only contain the. material inside the apparatus but create the leveling effect allowing the blades to cut into high points and drop material into the low profile of the roadbed. Another object provides retractable running gear in the form of wheels connected by a rigid axle with a manual spring loaded lever that may be easily rotated by the operator by pivoting the lever 180 degrees. The lever arm and fulcrum arrangement provide sufficient mechanical advantage to overcome the weight of the frame. Still another object lies in the use of a ball hitch coupler on a pivotal yoke allowing the leveler to be towed by any vehicle provided with a conventional hitch ball not limiting the prime mover to a special attaching device or- other power assist mechanisms. Yet another object includes an improvement on the length of the final blade, which is rotated upward locating the ber of soil or other road material leaving the leveler to be in line for the next pass or to be extended and leave the berm at the edge of the road. This rotata.ble blade also provides retraction for reducing the overall width of the leveler to the legal limits for over-the- road transportation while providing the maximum width during opera¬ tion. Another object provides removable and individually adjust¬ able cutting blades for the surfaces in contact with the roadbed. The vertical surfaces may be adjusted to compensate for wear on the exposed edge and the horizontal surfaces provide a flat wear plate. Both blades are interchangeable and, therefore, the vertical blade may be interchanged with the horizontal and also be reversed providing a number of fresh edges and all blades need not be replaced simul- taneously, A further object allows the leveler to be simply and easily constructed providing a device that is within the economic reach of private road owners and land developers. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 i.s a partial isometric view of the preferred embodi- ment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of the invention with the running gear and yoke hitch coupler in the leveling position. FIG. 4 is a side view of the invention with the running gear and yoke hitch coupler in the towing position. FIG. 5 is a partial view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 2 depicting the pivot lever in the leveling position. FIG. 6 is a partial view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2 depicting the shoe on the blade. FIG. 7 is a partial isometric view of the yoke hitch coupler -isolated from the leveler. FIG. 8 is a partial isometric view of the running gear assembly less wheels and structural frame isolated from the leveler. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 2 depicting the hinged trailing blade window locking device. FIG. 10 is a partial view of another embodiment taken -along lines 10-10 of FIG. 2 depicting the pivot lever in the towing position. FIG. 11 is a partial view of another embodiment taken along lines 11-11 of FIG. 2 depicting the pivot lever in the leveling position. FIG. 12 is a partial isometric view of another embodiment of the running gear assembly less wheels and structural frame isolated from the leveler. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring now in detail to the drawings and describing the best mode or preferred embodiment, the invention consists of a structural frame assembly 20 consisting of a pair of longitudinal members 22 preferably angles or channels of ferrous material. In the preferred embodiment one leg of each angle 22 is disposed on the lower hori¬ zontal surface. Attached to the frame 20 on this surface are a plural ty of angulated blades.24 (a through d), preferably four. -These blades are attached below the frame 20 in longitudinal spaced relationship with an angle of perhaps 60 degrees from the longitudinal members 22 in all but the second blade from the front which is perhaps 50 degrees from these members 22. The blades 24 are in angle shape having the leg horizontal at the top providing a surface to attach to the frame 20, also the sharp edge at the bottom of the vertical leg acts as a cutting surface. The outermost ends may be slightly tapered down¬ ward on the horizontal flange reducing the overall height of the O PI Y/1PO blade at the terminating point. The exposed downwardly depending surfaces of the blades 24 are covered with adjustable blade face shoes 26, best shown in FIG. 6, that prevent mechanical damage due to the physical abuse of striking hard surfaces such as rocks and 5 concrete on the roadbed. These shoes 26 are of a heat-treated ferrous alloy with slots 28 in the blade for adjustment vertically when wear on the cutting edge is encountered. They are attached with threaded fasteners in the form of plow bolts 29 and may be reversed, removed or replaced as necessary. As wear occurs on the 10 sharp edge of the blade face shoe 26 interchanging or reversing allows a new and fresh surface to be exposed providing flexability and extended life of the wearing surfaces. A pair of side runners 30 are attached on the curbside and roadside of the apparatus to the alternate blades 24. These runners 15 30 have an angular shape with a vertical leg up and horizontal leg down, opposite the blades 24. The position and surfaces allow a floating effect and maintain the soil or material within the structure during operation and also act as the side structural members of the blade assembly being planar to the blades. The runners 30 also con- 20. tain skid plate shoes 32, best depicted in FIG. 9, contiguous with the bottom leg of identical construction and material as their blade face 26 counterparts. The forward end of the curbside runner 30 further contains a raised angulated portion 34 extending upward from the runner 30. The extension 34 protrudes slightly below the bottom 25 surface of the runner 30 protecting the leading edge of the skid plate shoes 32. This allows the entire apparatus to raise and go over obstructions Mke rocks or roots, rather than impacting directly upon the front surface of the runner 30. ' The trailing angulated blade 24d may have a hinged trailing blade 0 window positioning gate 36 that rotates hingedly upward away from the structure. This positioning gate 36 is an extension of the blade but does not necessarily contain a blade face 26 or is essential to the operation of the device. The hinge 38 is located on the upper surface of the blade 24d allowing the pivot point to rotate the gate 36 com- 5 pletely away from the blade. A locking device 40 such as a sliding bolt or over-center hasp holds the gate rigidly in place. A gate OMPI tensioning member 42 in the form of a rod or other metallic structural shape is rotatably connected on each end to the roadside side runner 30 and gate 36 providing the necessary structural integrity during operation. A swivel joint 44 on each end allows the axial movement with the hinge 38 angularly positioned to maintain the same -distal relationship while either horizontal or folded vertical. A fastener 46 for each swivel joint 44 is attached to the corresponding member, preferably by welding. During operation with the gate down the soil or material is deposited away from the working area in a berm at the side of the roadbed,With the gate 36 rotated upwardly over-center, the material is deposited within the dimensional outline of the apparatus allowing the device to smooth the surface up to the edge of an embankment such as a bridge or hard surfaced road. Further, it allows the overall envelope to be reduced for over-the-road trans- portation. Running gear is affixed rotatably to the top of the frame assembly 20 to provide over-the-road towing and consists of a pair of wheels 48, preferably pneumatic, attached together with a fixed offset axle 50, each end having spindles to receive hubs for the wheels 48. The wheels 48 consist of a hub, to which a tire is mounted, the assembly being secured to the axle 50 with a bearing on the spindle. FIGS. 5 and 8 ill-ustrate the rotating mechanism that manually lifts the wheels 48 for grading or lowers them for over-the-road towing. The axle 50 is attached to the frame 20 with a pair of housed bearings 52 that are rigidly affixed on top of the frame 22. A pivot lever 54 is in the form of an offset tubular handle and is rotatably coupled to the axle 50 with a link 53 to an offset strut 55 " . This allows the strut to be behind the pivot point in the rearward horizontal raised position and in front of the point in the forward lowered position . The pivot lever 54 is assisted in holding the wheels in the raised position stith a plurality of tension over- center springs 56 that are extended when the lever 54 is rotated, maintaining the raised position of the wheels. A plurality of spring brackets 58 are attached at right angles to the axle allowing the springs to be attached on one end through an extension 59 and the frame 20 on the other. The pivot lever 54 further contains a gripping surface 62 for convenience of the operator. A pair of latches 64 locks the handle in place in its over-the-road position maintaining the necessary safety provisions for this type of trans¬ portation, and on the opposite end locks the handle with the wheels 48 retracted. The latch 64 consists of a scissor plate 65 attached at the top to a retention plate having a notch the radial size of the handle 54a. The plate 55 is swiveled with a threaded fastener allowing it to swing from the top encompassing the handle 54a between the notch and the plate with a retaining pin 67 penetrating both members holding them together in scissor fashion retaining the latch in its over-the-road position or in the operational mode being towed by a vehicle. FIG. 7 best illustrates the yoke hitch coupler 66, which allows the leveler to be towed by an over-the-road vehicle, such as a light duty truck, pick-up or passenger automobile. This hitch coupler 6δ is in the shape of an "A" yoke and is preferably constructed with angle members, but may have other shapes such as square or round tubes, channel, I-beam, or any combination of the above. The hitch coupler 66 is rotatably attached to the frame 20 with threaded fasteners at a swivel point near the end of the coupler. The location of this swivel point is important in that the draft on the hitch coupler 66 provides the appropriate weight balance to the apparatus in how deep the forward blade 24a digs into the road surface. This hitch coupler 65 consists of a pivotal elevating extension frame 70 to which a ball coupler 72 is attached at the intersection of the converging frame members. The ball coupler 72 has a channel shaped body 74 that attaches over the extension frame 70 and a socket 76 that is internally radiused to- receive a hitch ball that is integral with the towing vehicle, well known in the art. The ball diameter may be 476 millimeters (1-7/8 inches), 508 millimeters (2 inches), or 575 millimeters (2-1/8 inches) and still fit the nominal inside diameter of the ball coupler. The ball coupler further contains a radiused jaw that is positioned by a threaded fastener or over-center device that locks into the socket from underneath completely captivating the bal . The yoke hitch coupler 66 is clamped to the frame 20 for over- the-road operation by a pair of coupler pins 78. This allows the hitch coupler to be part of the frame 20 structurally and be elevated to the towing position. In operation the invention is attached, in towing position, to the vehicle and transported to the workplace where the yoke hitch coupler 66 is released from the frame 20 with the pins 78 providing a swiveling action in all directions from the vehicle to the apparatus. The wheels 48 are theft raised by releasing the lever over-center latch 54 and pivoting axially the pivot lever 54 approximately 180 degrees. This tensions the over-center springs 56 holding the wheels in the upward position simultaneously dropping the blades 24 to the ground. The apparatus is towed over-the-roadbed where the blades 24 dig into the high points of soil or road material relocating the material in a lateral direction during passage over the surface from one successive blade to the other. The side runners 30 act to make the apparatus float over the surface ^ depositing the material cut from the high points into the low areas, thereby smoothing the surface of the roadbed. The berm of surplus material is deposited in line with the edge of the runners 30 when the positioning gate is down. The attaching location of the yoke hitch coupler 66 in relation to the frame 20 develops the towing speed for the given apparatus depending upon its size and weight. When returning from the workplace the positioning procedure is reversed for towing. Accessories may be added to the invention such as running and stop lights, license brackets, air or inertia! brakes, platforms for addition of weight, safety chains or other equipment as found in over-the-road trailers. In another embodiment, best depicted in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the apparatus is basically the same, except the configuration is on a smaller scale and the axle 50 is positioned underneath the frame 20 between the members 22 and the blades 24. The blades 24 do not have the outermost ends tapered, but are straight from end to end. The rotating mechanism for lifting the wheels is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11. The axle 50 is attached to the frame 20 with a pair of reinforcing brackets 80 that are rigidly affixed to the frame. A fulcrum pivot lever 81 in the form of a tubular handle 82 with an offset strut 83 is rotatably coupled to the axle 50 allowing the offset strut 83 to be above the pivot point in the rearward horizontal position and below the point in the forward position. The axle 50 is, therefore, attached at the extended end of the offset strut 83 and also a mating pivot member 84. The fulcrum pivot lever 81 holds the wheel in the raised position by a tension over-center spring 56 that is extended when the lever 81 is rotated and pulls against the pivot lever handle 82 maintaining the raised position of the wheels. A spring yoke 85 attaches the spring 56 to the lever 81 and is in a crescent shape to allow a linear force to be used around the axle 50. The opposite end of the spring is attached to the frame 20 with a spring end bracket, not shown. The fulcrum pivot lever 81 may further contain a resilient grip 86 for convenience but is not necessary. An over-center latch 87 locks the handle in place in its over-the-road . position maintaining the necessary safety provisions for this type of transportation. While the invention has been described in complete detail and pictorially shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not to be , limited to such detail. Since many changes and modifications may be in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the claims. OMPI _

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A dirt road leveling apparatus comprising: (a) a structural frame assembly; (b) a plurality of angulated blades deposited below said frame and attached thereto in longitudinal spaced relationship for scraping and relocating soil or material in a lateral direction continually shifting between said blades during passage over ground surface; - (c) a roadside and curbside runner contiguous with and attached to at least half of said angulated blades for floating and containing soil ;- (d) wheel means connected by an axle attached on top of said frame assembly having an offset strut therefrom attached to a link and a pivot lever having a gripping surface for rotating over- center, thereby elevating said wheel means above said angulated blades for leveling and oppositely rotated for towing; (e) a plurality of brackets having one end at right angles attached to said axle; (f) a plurality of over-center springs having one end attached to said brackets and the other end attached to said frame assembly for urgingly tensioning said fulcrum pivot members in the over-center wheel means elevated position and relaxed in the towing position; (g) a yoke hitch coupler having an extension frame juxta- positioned and pivotally attached to said frame on one end and the other end containing a ball coupler for attaching to towing means; and (h) an over-center latch engaging said frame and yoke hitch coupler for mating together in the towing position. 2. The apparatus, as specified in Claim 1, further comprising a plurality of replaceable and adjustable blade faces on exposed surfaces of said angulated blades to compensate for wear and physical degration during operation. OMPI 3. The invention, as indicated in Claim 1, wherein wheel means include a pair of wheels each having a hub, a wheel bearing and a tire for over-the-road transportation. 4. The apparatus, as defined in Claim 1, wherein said angulated blades are substantially planar to said side runners, where¬ by the runners will contain the soil or material being moved or shifted by the blades. 5. The apparatus, as in Claim 1, further comprising a trailing blade window positioning gate hingedly extending trailing angulated blade beyond the envelope created by said side runner rotatably connected to said curbside runner for positioning soil or material leaving said leveling apparatus into a berm. 6. A dirt road leveling apparatus comprising: (a) a structural frame assembly; (b) a plurality of angulated blades deposited below said frame and attached thereto in longitudinal spaced relationship for scraping and relocating soil or material in a lateral direction continually shifting between said blades during passage over ground surface; (c) a roadside and curbstde runner contiguous with and attached to at least half of said angulated blades for floating and containing soil ; (d) wheel means connected by an axle attached to a plurality of fulcrum pivot members one of which further contains a lever having one end mounted on said pivot member and the other end having a hand grip for rotating over-center, thereby elevating said wheel, means above said angulated blades for leveling and oppositely rotated for towing; (e) a spring yoke having one end attached to said fulcrum pivot member to extend above said axle; (f) an over-center spring having one end attached to said spring yoke and the other end attached to said frame assembly for urgingly tensioning said fulcrum pivot members in the over-center OMEPI wheel means elevated position and relaxed in the towing position; (g) a yoke hitch coupler having an extension frame juxta- positioned and pivotally attached to said frame on one end and the other end containing a ball coupler for attaching to towing means; and (h) an over-center latch engaging said frame and yoke hitch coupler for mating together in the towing position. 7. The apparatus, as specified in " Claim 6, further comprising a plurality of replaceable and adjustable blade faces on exposed surfaces of said angulated blades to compensate for wear and physical degration during operation. 8. The invention, as indicated in Claim 6, wherein wheel means include a pair of wheels each having a hub, a wheel bearing and a tire for over-the-road transportation. 9. The apparatus, as defined in Claim 6, wherein said angulated blades are substantially planar to said side runners, whereby the runners will contain the soil or material being moved or shifted by the blades.

Inventors: LADWIG LAWRENCE ORRIN, LADWIG, LAWRENCE, ORRIN
Applicants: LADWIG LAWRENCE ORRIN, LADWIG, LAWRENCE, ORRIN
Application year: 1983
Main classification: E02F3
IPC codes: B62D63, E01C23, E02F3, E02F9