Abstract:
An attachment mounting structure is provided for cargo bed and sprayer assembly attachments usable on a utility vehicle adapted for use in turf related applications. The structure includes pivotable supports between each attachment and the vehicle frame that permit them to be interchangeably mounted on the vehicle. The structure further includes a connection on each attachment that permits it to be secured to a hydraulic cylinder carried by the vehicle, thereby allowing the attachment to be tilted upward and rearwardly so as to provide access to the engine and/or related drive components carried beneath the attachment. The mounting structure also permits the two attachments to be quickly and easily interchanged so that the vehicle could be better utilized.

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/014,853 filed Jan. 29, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,275, that application incorporated by reference in its entirety in this present application. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to small utility vehicles having an operator station at the front and a cargo bed extending therebehind. More specifically, it relates to a mounting structure usable with a sprayer attachment that allows it or the cargo bed of such a vehicle to be interchangeably utilized with the vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Small vehicles such as the John Deere heavy duty utility vehicle are commonly being used for turf maintenance activities since they are highly maneuverable, are equipped to operate over a low speed range, cause minimum turf damage due to their low tire pressures, and are readily adaptable to the use of a variety of special attachments utilized in turf maintenance applications. 
     These utility vehicles place the operator station in the forward end, the cargo bed behind the operator and the engine and/or related drive components beneath the bed. When an attachment such as a sprayer assembly is utilized with the utility vehicle to apply fertilizer, insecticides, herbicides and related treatments, it has either been secured to the cargo bed or the bed has been removed and the assembly has been rigidly secured to the vehicle frame. 
     Because sprayer assemblies are bulky, including a large fluid tank and an elaborate boom apparatus, it is preferable that the bed be removed and they be mounted close to the vehicle frame to provide a low center of gravity and better stability. Since the engine and/or related drive components are commonly housed beneath the cargo bed or sprayer assembly, access to them for service, maintenance and repairs can be difficult. 
     One sprayer assembly has been rigidly mounted to a utility vehicle slightly above its frame, once the cargo bed has been removed. This opening, provided between the frames of the vehicle and assembly, allows the operator to reach between the vehicle frame and the assembly to service the engine and/or related components. While this permits minor service tasks such as the checking of fluid levels to be carried out, major repairs and/or maintenance can be very difficult or may require that the sprayer assembly be removed. Since this assembly has been fixed to the vehicle, it is not quickly and easily removed to allow for service or use of other attachments with the vehicle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It would therefore be desirable to provide a sprayer assembly for use on a utility vehicle which has been adapted to be used in turf maintenance and related applications. 
     It would additionally be desirable to provide a sprayer assembly that can be mounted to the vehicle frame instead of to the cargo bed to provide for a stable vehicle-attachment combination. It would further be desirable to provide a mounting structure for such an assembly that allows it to be easily and quickly mounted on the vehicle when needed or removed so that other attachments such as the cargo bed, a granular spreader or top dresser can be used with the vehicle when desired. 
     Further it would be desirable to provide a mounting structure that allows the assembly or a similar attachment to be easily and quickly raised above the vehicle engine and/or related drive components to permit maintenance, repair and servicing activities. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide a locking means to secure the sprayer assembly to the vehicle frame during operation to improve stability as well as a locking means that secures the assembly in its raised position to provide for safe servicing activities. 
     Towards these ends, there is provided a means for and method of mounting a sprayer assembly, cargo bed and/or other attachments to the frame of a vehicle such as a utility vehicle so that they can be easily and quickly installed or removed to allow the use of multiple attachments with the vehicle. There is further provided means for tilting the sprayer assembly and/or other attachments upwardly and rearwardly to permit access to the vehicle engine and/or related drive components for service, maintenance and repairs as well as locking means to secure the attachment in either its raised or operational position. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front left elevated perspective view of utility vehicle with a sprayer assembly attachment mounted in its raised configuration. An alternate cargo bed attachment is illustrated in phantom. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of one pivot structure provided between the frame of the utility vehicle and the sprayer assembly. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the connection between the hydraulic cylinder and the vehicle and tank frames. Also illustrated is the locking means used to secure the hydraulic cylinder in its extended position. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Looking first to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a utility vehicle  10  with a sprayer assembly attachment  12  mounted thereon. In phantom lines there is illustrated a cargo bed  14  which could be mounted on the vehicle  10  in place of the sprayer attachment  12 . While only the tank  16  and its support frame  18  of the assembly  12  are illustrated, the sprayer assembly  12  would commonly include sprayer booms and related distribution apparatus. 
     The vehicle  10  includes a frame  20  carried on front and rear support wheels  22  and  24 , the frame  20  having a pair of fore-and-aft extending and laterally spacedapart first and second frame members  26  and  28 . At the forward end of the vehicle  10  is carried an operator station  30  positioned generally above the front wheels  22 . Rearwardly of the operator station  30  and extending therebehind is the sprayer assembly  12  which includes the tank  16  carried on its support frame  18 . The tank support frame  18  is also provided with fore-and-aft extending and laterally spaced apart third and fourth frame members  32  and  34 . These frame members  32  and  34  are spaced apart sufficiently to be positioned generally over the respective first and second fore-and-aft extending vehicle frame members  26  and  28  when the assembly  12  is lowered to an operator position. Between the rear portions of the first and second frame members  26  and  28  of the vehicle  10  and the third and fourth frame members  32  and  34  of the assembly  12  are provided pivot structures  36  which permit the assembly  12  to be moved between the raised position illustrated in FIG. 1 and a lowered operational position. 
     Looking now to FIG. 2, there is shown an enlarged view of one of the pivot structures  36  provided between the two frame members  26  and  28  of the utility vehicle  10  and the two support frame members  32  and  34  of the sprayer assembly  12 . Essentially identical pivot structures  36  are provided between each fore-and-aft extending pair  26  and  32 , and  28  and  34  of vehicle and assembly members. Since these pivot structures  36  are identical, only one of the pivot structures  36  will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the pivot structures  36  include two ears  38  which extend downwardly from the assembly frame member  34  to be adjacent each side of a sleeve  40  secured to the rear portion of the vehicle frame member  28 . This sleeve and ear arrangement could just as well be reversed between the vehicle and assembly frame members  28  and  34 . Each of the ears  38 , as well as the sleeve member  40  are provided with openings  42  through which a pin  44  can be inserted to secure the assembly  12  on the vehicle  10  and provide for it to swing upwardly and rearwardly. 
     The sprayer assembly  12  of FIG. 1 is illustrated in an upwardly and rearwardly tilted orientation. It is raised to this position through the use of the hydraulic cylinder  46  mounted on a cross member  48  carried between the first and second frame members  26  and  28  of the vehicle  10  (see FIG.  3 ). The third and fourth fore-and-aft extending and laterally spaced apart tank support frame members  32  and  34  also carry a cross member  50 , see FIG. 3, which in turn is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending ears  52  that are sized to receive the pivot sleeve  54  carried at the end of the hydraulic cylinder ram  56 . Insertion of a pin  58  into openings provided in the ears  52  and sleeve  54  permits the assembly  12  to be quickly coupled with or decoupled from the rod end  56  of the hydraulic cylinder  46 . 
     As can be seen in FIG. 1, the engine and/or related drive components  60  of the utility vehicle  10  are exposed when the assembly  12  has been raised. These power and drive components  60  are carried between the fore-and-aft extending first and second frame members  26  and  28  and rearwardly of the operator station  30 . They are mounted below the level of the first and second frame members  26  and  28  and therefore are below the tank  16  and its frame  18  when they are in a lowered and operational position. 
     Also shown in FIG. 1 is a locking means  62  provided between the assembly  12  and vehicle  10  to secure the assembly  12  in its lowered and operational position. This feature is provided since the fluid in the tank  16  will shift during operation, making it desirable to secure both ends of the assembly  12  to the vehicle frame  20 . The locking means  62  includes a J-bolt  64  carried on one assembly support frame  32 . This J-bolt  64  is swingably secured to the assembly frame member  32  and can quickly rotated beneath the vehicle frame member  26  to lock the assembly  12  in the operational position illustrated in FIG. 1. A nut  66  is provided on the J-bolt  64  to tighten it in place. 
     An additional locking means is provided to secure the hydraulic cylinder  46  in the extended and raised position shown in FIG. 1 to safely permit service activities to be carried out. This locking means could take the form of the removable brace  68  illustrated in FIG. 3 or similar means could be provided between the assembly and vehicle frame members  26  and  32 , and  28  and  34 . 
     The utility vehicle  10  is generally sold with the cargo bed  14  mounted on the vehicle  10  rearwardly of the operator station  30 . With the present invention, this bed  14 , as illustrated in FIG. 1, would also have a frame including third and fourth fore and aft extending and laterally spaced-apart frame members  132  and  134  that would have pivot structures  136  adapted to be coupled with the first and second frame members  26  and  28  of the vehicle  10  to allow it to be pivotally raised and lowered by the hydraulic cylinder  46  provided with the utility vehicle  10 . 
     Through providing similar pivot structures on the cargo bed attachment  14  and sprayer assembly attachment  12 , the vehicle  10  can be utilized with either attachment. Other attachments could also be provided with similar compatible pivot and mounting connections to allow multiple uses of the vehicle. 
     To utilize the sprayer assembly  12  with the utility vehicle  10  requires that the pivot structures  136  of the cargo bed  14  attachment first be decoupled by removing the pins  44  from the pivot ears  138  on the cargo bed vehicle frame members  132  and  134 , decoupling the hydraulic cylinder ram  46  from the cargo bed  14  and removing the bed  14  from the vehicle  10 . The sprayer assembly  12  attachment would then be lifted over the cargo bed area of the vehicle  10 , the ears  38  of the pivot structures  36  carried on the tank frame members  32  and  34  aligned to permit insertion of the pins  44  and the hydraulic cylinder  46  connected to the assembly support frame  18 . The assembly  12  is then operational. 
     When use of the sprayer assembly  12  has been concluded and the utility vehicle  10  is to be used in other applications, the sprayer assembly  12  attachment can be quickly and easily removed from the vehicle frame  20  through removal of the pivot pins  44  from the pivot structures  36  and disconnecting the rod end  56  of the hydraulic cylinder  46  from the tank support cross frame  50 . The assembly  12  can then be lifted from the vehicle  10  and the cargo bed  14  or other attachment installed. 
     With the present structure there is provided a quick and easy means for mounting a sprayer assembly to the cargo bed of a utility vehicle and for providing for that assembly to be mounted closely adjacent the framework to provide a low center of gravity and stability during operation. Further there is provided the ability to raise and lower the sprayer tank assembly to permit quick and easy access to the engine, transmission and/or related drive components carried by the vehicle beneath the sprayer assembly unit.