Abstract:
A ditch cleaning apparatus is formed by a prime mover driving a chassis having endless metal belts for moving along the bottom of a vertical wall ditch and supporting an upright frame having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined elevator depositing debris on a first horizontal conveyor discharging debris laterally of a ditch position. A second horizontal conveyor, supported by the frame above the chassis, receives loose soil from the elevating conveyor for deposit on the ditch bottom rearwardly of the chassis. Sweep wings extend forwardly in diverging relation from the depending forward end of the elevating conveyor to guide debris toward the entrance end of the elevating conveyor. An operator position in the frame, above the upper limit of a ditch to be cleaned, is provided with controls for moving the machine and its several operating components in a ditch cleaning action.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to ditch cleaning machines, and more particularly to a ditch cleaning apparatus for cleaning debris from the bottom of a deep utility ditch. 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     Municipal lines are buried in relatively deep vertical wall ditches. In many locations the soil in these ditches is unstable as a result of sand or other formations tending to allow the walls of the ditch to cave-in. Since these ditch walls are some several feet above the height of workmen it creates a dangerous endeavor since utility contractors heretofore must rely on workmen entering such ditches to clean debris therefrom before installing a line. 
     This invention overcomes this problem by providing a ditch cleaning apparatus which maybe lowered by a boom into ditch and moved there along by an operator seated in the apparatus near or above the upper limit of the soil in which the ditch is formed and out of harms way in the event of a cave in. The apparatus is self propelled and moves longitudinally in a ditch to pick up debris from the bottom thereof and move it laterally of the ditch walls by deposit on the surface of the earth or in a suitable receptacle traveling with the debris removing apparatus. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     U.S.Pat. No. 4,872,275 issued Oct. 10, 1989 to Beckett for Ditch Cleaning Machine discloses a machine which comprises a frame supported by a pair of inline forward and rearward wheels moving longitudinally in a ditch. The frame is supported against lateral tilting by outrigger wheels. The machine includes a pair of downward converging rotors cleaning the sides of upwardly diverging walls of an irrigation ditch, or the like, by elevating debris to a transversely disposed conveyor depositing the debris at a selected side of the ditch. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 1,241,880 issued Oct. 2, 1917 to Penington for Stone Gatherer and U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,306 issued Jun. 2, 1953 to Dietl for Stone Gathering Machine are believed to represent the further state-of-the-art. Both of these patents disclose a mobile frame having apparatus driving an elevator conveyor depositing gathered debris on a laterally projecting horizontal conveyor for depositing the debris in a receptacle moving with the frame or stone gathering machine. 
     This invention is believed distinctive over the above and other patents by providing a prime mover driving endless metal belts which are laterally moveable to compliment the width of the bottom surface of a vertical wall ditch and move longitudinally of the ditch throughout its length while supporting an upright frame having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined elevator depositing debris on an elevated horizontal laterally extending conveyor. An operator&#39;s position in the frame above the upper limit of a ditch is provided with controls for moving the apparatus and operating its several components. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A self propelled ditch bottom cleaning apparatus is formed by a chassis supporting an upright frame and having pairs of sprocket wheels driving pairs of endless metal belts. The wheel and belt assemblies are pivotally connected with a central frame support panel for lateral spaced-apart adjustment in accordance with the width of the ditch bottom and are driven by an engine mounted in the frame. An elevating conveyor extends rearwardly and upwardly into the frame for depositing screened soil as pipe supporting berms on the ditch bottom and depositing debris on a laterally projecting horizontal conveyor discharging debris above the surface of the earth laterally of the position of the apparatus as it moves forwardly. Wing members at the forward end of the elevating conveyor converge rearwardly toward the entrance of the elevating conveyor and are controlled by the operator for diverting debris into the elevating conveyor. 
     The principal object of this invention is to provide a debris gathering and removing apparatus for cleaning utility ditches. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the apparatus; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view; and, 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the chassis illustrating width adjustment by broken lines. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur. 
     In the drawings: 
     The reference numeral  10  indicates the apparatus as a whole comprising a chassis  12 , including track means  20  connected with opposite sides of a chassis support panel  36  supporting an upstanding open framework means  14 , conveyor means  16 ,  68  and  86  supported by the frame, and prime mover means  18  for driving the chassis and other components. 
     CHASSIS 
     The chassis means  12  includes pairs of laterally spaced front and rearward sprocket wheels  22  and  24 , respectively having a stub axle  29 , for driving the track means  20  in tractor fashion. The track means  20  comprises a pair of endless metal belts extending around the respective inline front and rearward sprocket wheels  22  and  24 . An elongated wheel beam  26 , only one being shown, extends longitudinally between the lateral outward side of respective inline forward and rearward wheels  22  and  24 , on each side of the machi?ne, and is connected, at its respective ends, with the axle  29  of each pair of wheels  22  and  24  by pillow block bearings  28  journaling the lateral end portion the axles  29  of the respective pair of wheels  22  and  24 . A series of rollers  30 , only one example shown, depend from the beam  26  to further support the mass of the apparatus on the inward surface of the respective track  20 . Similarly a roller  32  on a support  33  underlies the upper section of the respective track  20  in the fore-to-aft spacing between the pairs of wheels  22  and  24 . 
     A hydraulic motor  34  (FIG. 4) mounted on the inward end of the respective wheel axle  29  drives the chasis  12  as presently explained. The chassis means  12  includes the vertical panel  36 , of selected width and thickness, which centrally extends longitudinally edgewise substantially equidistant with the spacing between the forward and rearward limits of the track means  20 . Forward and rearward pairs of struts  40  (FIG. 4) extend laterally between and are pivotly connected, respectively, with the chassis panel  36  and the beams  26 . Two pairs of hydraulic cylinders  42  are respectively pivotly connected at one end on opposite sides of the panel  36  and are pivotly connected by rod end portions with the pairs of struts  40  for positioning the endless track means  20  adjacent opposite sides of the panel  36  as illustrated by dashed lines (FIG. 4) or in an expanded lateral position as illustrated by solid lines. The endless tracks may be expanded from a minimum spacing position between opposite outer limits of 7.9 cm (20 in.) to 4.4 M (4 ft.). 
     FRAME MEANS 
     The frame means  14  includes a horizontal rectangular base frame  44  having right and left side members  46  and  47 , interconnected by end members  48  and  49  and an intermediate member  50  which longitudinally centrally overlies the chassis support panel  36 . A plurality of pairs of frame stabilizers  51  and  52  (FIG. 3) are rigidly connected with the respective frame side members  46  and  47  and respective opposite sides of the panel  36  to maintain the frame means  14  vertically upright. 
     Forward and rearward pairs of frame standards  54 - 55  and  56 - 57  respectively extend upright a selected distance from the lateral limits of the forward and rearward ends of the base frame  44 . Similarly an intermediate pair of frame standards  58  and  59  project upwardly from an intermediate position of the base frame  44 . Right and left horizontal rails  60  and  61  are connected at rearward end portions to the respective one of the pair of intermediate standards  58  and  59  and project forwardly beyond the forward pair of frame standards  54 - 55  a selected distance and form the base portion of an operator&#39;s cage  62  overhanging the forward end portion of the chassis. Forward cage frame standards  64  and  65  project upwardly from the forward end portion of the rails  60  and  61 , respectively, equidistant with respect to the upper limit of the frame forward standards  54 - 55  and intermediate standards  58 - 59 . The upper end portions of the frame standards  54 - 55  and  58 - 59  and cage standards  64 - 65  are interconnected by cross members and a pair of top rails  66 - 67  to substantially complete the frame means  14 . 
     CONVEYOR MEANS 
     The conveyor means  16  includes an upwardly and rearwardly inclined trough  70  having upstanding sidewalls  72  and  73 . The trough  70  extends from adjacent the ditch bottom  74  between the pairs of frame standards  54 - 55  and terminates at a position, between the pair of frame standards  58  and  59 , above the horizontal plane of the cage rails  60  and  61 . The conveyor trough sidewalls  72  and  73  support a pair of forward sprocket wheels  76  on a transverse axle  77  and a pair of sprocket wheels  78  at the rearward upper end on an axle  79 . A pair of endless chains  80  extend between and are supported by a portion of the periphery of the respective cooperating sprockets  76  and  78  and are driven by a hydraulic motor  82  connected with the axle  79 . A pair of pressure cylinders  83  (FIGS. 1 and 4) on the forward end portion of the panel  36  are connected with the depending end portion of the trough  70  to support the latter adjacent the ditch bottom surface. 
     A pair of debris sweeping wings  84  are hingedly connected, for horizontal pivoting movement about vertical axes, with a respective forward limit of the trough sides  72  and  73 . A pair of pressure cylinders  85 , only one being shown, are connected between the respective trough sidewall  72  and  73  and the respective wing  84  for moving the later in a lateral direction in accordance with the width of the ditch being cleaned to guide soil, rocks and other debris, not shown, into the forward end of the trough  70 . Conveyor cross bars  81  engage loose soil, rocks and other debris and moves it upwardly along the bottom of the trough  70 . The upper substantionaly one third the length of the  70  trough bottom is formed from screen material  63 , of selected mesh, (FIG. 2) permitting loose soil (not shown) to fall by gravity to a central horizontal, forward-to-rearward, conveyer  68  driven by a hydraulic motor  69 , which deposits the loose soil in a rearward receptacle  71 , pivoted to empty by a reversible hydraulic motor  75 . The receptacle is periodically emptied on the ditch bottom rearwardly of the apparatus  10  to form spaced-apart pipe supporting berms, not shown. Other debris discharged from the conveyor trough  70  falls by gravity on a horizontally disposed conveyor means  86  transversely disposed in the rearward portion of the frame means  14  and projecting at its respective ends, beyond lateral limits of the frame means. 
     The horizontal conveyor means  86  comprises an endless belt  88  extending around cylinders  90  at respective ends of the conveyor  86  and driven by a hydraulic motor  89  connected with a cylinder  92 . The cylinders have axles  91  and  93  which are journaled by elongated conveyor side supports  94  and  95  in turn supported by the frame standards  56 - 57  and  58 - 59 . 
     A debris deflecting panel  96 , supported by the frame standards  56  and  57 , opposite the discharge end of the conveyor trough  70  deflects debris to the surface of the transverse conveyor belt  88 . Transverse rollers  97  interposed between the belt  88  and the upper surface of the support members  94 - 95  support the mass of the debris deposited on the transverse conveyor means  86 . 
     PRIME MOVER 
     The prime mover means  18  includes a motor  98  supported by the base frame  44  between the intermediate and rearward frame standards  58 - 59  and  56 - 57 , respectively, and supplied by fuel from a tank  100 . The motor  98  drives a hydraulic pump P supplying hydraulic fluid pressure to the respective hydraulic  34  motors driving the chassis wheels, conveyors and pressure cylinders, through control valves, not shown, on a control panel  102  mounted in the operator&#39;s cage  62 . An operator&#39;s chair  104  is mounted in the operator&#39;s cage and supported by the frame forward standards  54 - 55 . Expanded metal  106  forms a floor between the rails  60 - 61  and a wall between the frame standards  54 - 55  behind the seat  104 . 
     The frame means  14  is further provided with a lifting eye  108  on its upper limit, substantially above the center of gravity so that a crane or the like, not shown, may lift the apparatus  10  into and out of a ditch. 
     OPERATION 
     In operation, assuming the apparatus  10  is within a ditch to be cleaned, the operator seated in the operator&#39;s cage  62  starts the motor  98  which powers up the hydraulic system. By using the controls of the control panel  102  the track members  20  move the device  10  in a forward direction. The depending end of the conveyor  16  is disposed adjacent the ditch bottom surface  74 . The sweep wings  84  are adjusted to position the forward vertical edges in selected spaced relation with respect to the ditch sidewalls. As the device moves in a forward direction rocks and other debris, not shown, are moved by the wings  84  toward the entrance of the conveyor  16  to be picked up by the cross bars  81  and moved up the conveyor trough  70 . Loose soil falls on the conveyor  68  and other debris is deposited, by gravity, on the endless conveyor belt  88  and moved to a position laterally of the position of the ditch and apparatus, completing one cycle of operation. 
     It is believed obvious the apparatus may be employed to remove debris from other soil, such as beach sand. 
     Obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability. Therefore, we do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein.