Abstract:
An agricultural implement includes a frame and at least one wing boom pivotably coupled to the frame. The wing boom is designed to extend generally perpendicularly from the frame when in a working position and generally adjacent the frame when in a transport or stowed position. The outer end of the wing boom rests in a cradle coupled to the frame. The frame further includes a handrail that may be pivoted toward the frame to provide clearance for the cradle when the wing boom is moved to the stowed position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements and, more particularly, to an agricultural sprayer having a pivoting handrail. 
     Many types of agricultural implements, such as sprayers and planters, have a frame to which a pair of wing booms is pivotably mounted. Depending on the type of agricultural implement, spraying units, seeding units, etc. are mounted to and carried by the wing booms. Generally, the wing booms are mounted at or near a rear end of the frame and pivot between a folded position and an extended position. When the wing booms are in the extended position, the wing booms are generally perpendicular to the implement&#39;s path of travel. When the wing booms are in the folded position, the wing booms are folded forward about the rear pivot and generally adjacent the frame. When in the folded position, the wing booms are generally parallel to the path of travel. The wing booms are typically placed in the folded position when the agricultural implement is being stored or transported to and from a work site. 
     To increase efficiency, agricultural implements are increasingly being equipped with wing booms having greater length thereby increasing the number of spraying units, seed units, and the like that can be mounted to and carried by the wing booms. To place the wing booms in the stowed or transport position, it is necessary for the wing boom itself to fold. For example, the Patriot Sprayer 4420 commercially available from Case New Holland of Benson, Minn. may be mounted with a tri-folding 120 foot wing boom. To lessen the load placed on the rear pivot when the wing booms are folded, a cradle or similar structure is mounted near the front of the implement frame and the outer end of the folded wing boom rests in the cradle. 
     Many agricultural implements, such as a sprayer, include a platform mounted to the frame that serves as a walkway between the operator cab and the rear components of the implement. When the wing booms are pivoted or folded forward, the cradle is positioned generally over the platform. As such, when the agricultural implement is equipped with a handrail for the platform, the handrail must be removed before the wing booms are folded forward to the stowed position. As this can be time consuming and difficult when in the field, it is not uncommon for the handrail to be removed and left off entirely. 
     Thus, there remains a need for an agricultural implement in which its wing booms can be folded to a stowed position while maintaining connection of a walkway handrail. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a pivoting handrail for an agricultural implement and, in one embodiment, is directed to an agricultural sprayer having a tank and pivoting handrail that is brought inwardly toward the tank when the sprayer is placed in a transport or stowed position. In this representative embodiment, the sprayer has a walkway generally adjacent the tank and a wing boom that is folded forward when the sprayer is in the stowed position. The outer end of the wing boom, which may be a folding wing boom, rests in a cradle that is moved over the walkway when the wing boom is stowed for storage and/or transport. To provide clearance for the cradle, the handrail is pivoted toward the tank. 
     It is therefore one object of the invention to provide an agricultural sprayer having a handrail that can be pivoted to make room for a support cradle when the sprayer is in the transport position. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide an agricultural sprayer having a swinging handrail that moves in concert with a support cradle for a folded wing boom. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide an agricultural sprayer equipped with a folding wing boom and having a handrail that is not removed when the wing boom is moved to a stowed position. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an agricultural sprayer; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the agricultural sprayer shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial top view of the agricultural sprayer of  FIG. 1  with a handrail in a field operable position; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial top view of the agricultural sprayer of  FIG. 2  with the handrail in a transport position; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the agricultural sprayer illustrating connection of the handrail to a platform generally adjacent a tank of the agricultural sprayer and connection of the handrail to the cradle of the agricultural sprayer of  FIG. 1  according to one aspect of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the handrail and its connections to a pair of parts according to one aspect of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an agricultural sprayer  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention. While an agricultural sprayer is shown and described, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to an agricultural sprayer and thus may be applicable with other types of machines including, but not limited to agricultural and construction machines. 
     The agricultural sprayer  10  includes a frame  12  to which a pair of wing booms  14 ,  16  are connected. For sake of description, wing boom  14  is considered a left wing boom and wing boom  16  is considered a right wing boom. The wing booms  14 ,  16  are connected at or near the rear of the frame  12  about respective pivot connections  18 ,  20 . The wing booms  14 ,  16  are designed to fold forward toward the leading end of the frame  12  when the wing booms are moved from an extended position, shown in  FIG. 1 , to a stowed or transport position, shown in  FIG. 2  for the left wing boom  14  only. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the right wing boom  16  is stored in a similar manner on an opposite side of the frame. 
     Each wing boom  14 ,  16  supports a series of spraying units (not shown) designed to deliver fluid from tank  24 , centrally supported on frame  12 , onto a farming or planting surface. As noted above, the tank  24  is positioned generally in the center of the frame  12  between the wing booms  14 ,  16  and an operator cab  26 . The tank  24  is designed to contain fluid, such as herbicide, insecticide, and fertilizer, which is fed to the spraying units through a series of fluid lines (not shown) as known in the art. As also known in the art, the operator cab  26  contains a control panel (not shown) that has various operator controls for controlling operation of the sprayer and its components. 
     Adjacent the left side of the tank  24  is a platform  28  that provides a walkway from the operator cab  26  to the rear of the frame  12 . A staircase  30  leads up to the platform  28  and provides a point of entry/exit for the platform  28 . As will explained in greater detail below, the sprayer  10  includes a handrail  32  that is designed to pivot inward to the tank  24  when the wing boom  14  is moved to the stowed position. 
     In one embodiment, the wing booms  14 ,  16  are each tri-folding booms that fold upon themselves before or while being moved from the working position to the transport position. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the folded wing boom  14  is pivoted forward by rear pivot connection  18  and is seated in a cradle  34 . The cradle  34  therefore provides support for the wing boom  14  thereby reducing the load placed on the pivot connection  18 . Although not shown in the drawings, it is understood that the right side wing boom  16  is similarly folded and seated on a cradle (not shown) when moved to the stowed position. 
     As known in the art, the cradle  34  is connected to the frame  12  via mechanically actuated slide  36 . The slide  36  is designed to push and pull the cradle  34  in response to an operator input. It is contemplated that a separate control may be used to control the slide  36  or the slide may be moved in response to a control input to move the wing boom  14  between the stowed and operating positions. 
     As referenced above, the handrail  32  is designed to swing or pivot inwardly toward the tank  24  when the wing boom  14  is in the stowed position. More particularly, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the handrail  32  is generally spaced and parallel with the tank  24  thereby allowing operator access to the platform  28  and the components of the sprayer  10  accessible from the platform  28 . On the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 4 , when the cradle  34  is pulled toward the operator cab  26 , the handrail  32  pivots generally about a rear pivot connection  38  such that the handrail  32  angles inwardly from a rear end of the platform  28  toward the tank  24 . This pivoting of the handrail  32  clears the handrail out of the way for the cradle  34  thereby allowing the wing boom  14  to be brought closer to the tank  24 . 
     Although numerous types of connections are contemplated, in one representative embodiment, a post  40  is mounted to the platform  28  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The handrail  32  has a frame  42  that includes a rear tubular member  44  that fits over the post  40 . The tubular member  44  is connected to the post  40  in a known manner that allows the handrail  32  to rotate or pivot about the rear post  40 . In one representative embodiment, and with further reference to  FIG. 6 , the top end of the rear post  40  includes a weld nut  46  with a centrally positioned threaded bore  48 . The bore  48  aligns with a corresponding hole  50  in the tubular frame member  44 . When the tubular member  44  is fit over the post, a locking bolt  52  is inserted into the opening  50  and threaded into engagement with post  40  via threaded bore  48 . A washer  54  may be used between the tubular member  44  and the bolt  52 . In a preferred embodiment, the locking bolt  52  is hand tightened into engagement with the post  40  so that the handrail  32  may pivot about the post  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the front end of the handrail  32  is connected to a front post  56  via a front pivot connection  58 . The front pivot connection  58  is similar to rear pivot connection  38  in that the handrail  32  includes a front tubular member  60  that fits over a front post  62 . The front post  62  is connected to the cradle  34  by a pair of brackets  64 . With additional reference to  FIG. 6 , the top end of the front post  56  includes a weld nut  66  with a centrally positioned threaded bore  68 . The bore  68  aligns with a corresponding hole  70  in the tubular frame member  60 . When the tubular member  60  is fit over the post  62 , a locking bolt  72  is inserted into the opening  70  and threaded into engagement with post  62  via threaded bore  68 . A washer  74  may be used between the tubular member  60  and the bolt  72 . In a preferred embodiment, the locking bolt  72  is hand tightened into engagement with the post  62  so that the handrail  32  may pivot about the post  62 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 6 , a pair of locking bolts  76  connects the rear post  40  to the platform  28 . Although, it is contemplated that the rear post  40  could be integrally formed with the platform  28 . Similarly, the front post  62  may be integrally formed with the cradle  34 . 
     The handrail  32  is thus connected at one end to the platform  28  and is connected at an opposite end to the cradle  34 . As the cradle  34  is moved toward and away from the operator cab  26  or tank  24 , the handrail  32  will pivot generally about the rear post  40 . As such, the handrail  32  can be drawn inwardly toward the tank  24  to allow the cradle  34  to be drawn over the platform  28  when the wing boom  14  is placed in the stowed position. As apparent from a comparison of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , drawing the cradle to be a position generally adjacent the tank  24  narrows the width of the sprayer  10  when the wing boom  14  is in the stowed position. This is particularly advantageous when transporting the sprayer  10  along width-restricted roadways. 
     It is contemplated that the present invention may be embodied in a kit for retrofitting an existing machine to have a pivoting handrail. Such a kit may include a pair of posts that may be suitably connected to the platform and cradle as described herein and further include a replacement handrail designed to interface with the posts as similarly described herein. Preferably, the kit would also include any bolts, washers, brackets, and the like to make the necessary connections of the posts and the handrail. 
     Various alternatives and embodiments are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.