Abstract:
A rock windrower has a pair of side blade members that are elongated at fore and aft directions and are positioned to be widely spaced at one end and tapering to a narrow spacing at an opposite end. Movement along the ground with the side blade members engaging or adjacent to the ground surface causes rocks that are engaged to be moved along the tapered V-shaped frame to form a windrow. The side members include cutting blades along the lower edges. A plurality of gauge wheels on the side blade members engage the ground and support the cutting blades at a desired orientation and level relative to the ground surface.

Description:
This application refers to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/490,708, filed Jul. 29, 2003, the content of which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a non-rotating scraper or blade type rock windrower with scraper blades on a frame attachable to a tractor or other prime mover and shaped in a V configuration when viewed from the top. The scraper blades are elongated and have cutting edge blades spaced apart substantially at a leading end, which will move travel at the level of, or just below the surface of the ground, and will gather rocks and form them into windrows, preferably a narrower windrow at an outlet than the inlet end of the rock windrower. 
     In the past, various rotating roller rock windrowers have been advanced. They require a power input and drives for the rollers, and while the rotating roll rock windrowers work satisfactorily, including those shown in patents by the present inventor, the need for power transmission raises the cost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a rock windrower that utilizes stationary blades, preferably elongated frame blades with bolt on cutting edge members that can be hardened. The blades are slightly curved in cross-section, and held with supports that form the blades into a V with an inlet end and an outlet end. Preferably, and most commonly, the inlet end is wider than the outlet end. Windrowing can be done in an opposite direction, so that the rocks are moved outwardly along the outer surfaces of the blades if the narrow end is the leading end when moving. 
     The rock windrower elongated blades are held on support members and shaped into a V that has a selected angle for moving rocks from the inlet or leading end to the outlet or trailing end as the blades are moved with a work vehicle or prime mover, such as a tractor. The rocks are moved laterally as the blades are moved forward to form a windrow. In particular, a frame mounts the blades and is provided with a plurality of gauge wheels to regulate the depth of cut of the lower edge of the blades. As shown, four gauge wheels are used, but three gauge wheels would also work. The gauge wheels are important because they will maintain the lower blade edge at a desired level relative to the ground surface. 
     The lower blade edge member is a type of a cutting edge from road grader blades, which is a hardened steel, and generally is a curved cross-sectional configuration. The blade lower edge runs along or just under the surface of the ground and will engage and scrape rocks that are on the ground surface or slightly below the surface and loosen them, and then move them laterally. As shown, the rocks are moved to a narrow outlet at the rear of the blades in the form of a rock windrow. The blades are adjustable in height or depth of cut by utilizing adjustments on the gauge wheels that are provided to support the frame. The lower or cutting edge is kept relatively level with the surface of the ground by using front and rear gauge wheels on each side of the windrower. 
     The frame for the rock windrower can be mounted on a tractor, and as shown can be below the tractor frame. Also, separate transport or support wheels can be provided for a main frame of a prime mover or self-propelled work vehicle on which the windrower frame is mounted. Three point hitch adapters also can be used for holding the V-shaped blades, and supporting them as they are moved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic side-view of a rock windrower made according to the present invention, supported underneath the frame of a tractor, which is also shown schematically; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the rock windrow in  FIG. 1 , with the frame of a tractor shown schematically for illustrative purposes; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary side view taken generally along line  3 — 3  in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken generally along line  4 — 4  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  in  FIG. 2  showing a flexing pivot connection that attaches to support arms to a tractor frame mounting; and 
         FIG. 6  is an illustrative top front perspective view of a V-shaped rock windrower with the portions of the gauge wheels illustrated. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in particular, the rock windrower indicated generally at  10  is shown supported on a tractor schematically illustrated at  12 . The tractor has front wheels  14  and rear drive wheels  16 , in the form shown, and a tractor frame  18  on which the front and rear wheels  14  and  16  are mounted in a normal manner. An engine  20  is used for providing power, including hydraulic power. The rear wheels  16  are driven by the engine through a transmission. An operator seat is provided along with a steering wheel, which are standard and are not shown. The front wheels  14  are the steering wheels. 
     The tractor has relatively high clearance to the bottom edge  26  of the frame  18 . The rock windrower  10 , as shown, has a windrower frame assembly (see  FIG. 2 ) that comprises a pair of longitudinally extending blade members or frames  30  and  32 , respectively, forming opposite sides of the windrower. The blade members  30  and  32  are secured together with a front cross member  34 , and a rear cross member  36 . It can be seen that the longitudinal blade members  30  and  32  form a V with a wider inlet or leading end opening indicated by the bracket  38 , and a narrow trailing or exit opening indicated by the bracket  40 . The blade members  30  and  32  have hardened cutting or grader blades  70  attached at lower edges for engaging the ground. 
     The blade members  30  and  32  are essentially frame members for carrying the cutting edge blades  70 . The blade members  30  and  32  can be used with other braces to tie them together as a unit. The cross members  34  and  36  are of suitable strength for the loads encountered. The cross members can be made of angle iron, channel iron or square, rectangular or round tubes, as desired, and bolted to brackets welded to the blade members. 
     The frame  18  of the tractor is also illustrated schematically in outline in  FIG. 2 , and it can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2  that there are forward attachment brackets  42  securely attached to opposite sides of the frame  18  of the tractor. The brackets  40  depend or extend downwardly from the frame  18 . The forward brackets  42  are also shown in  FIG. 5  schematically. 
     The frame  18  of the tractor also has a torque tube or cross tube  44  pivotally mounted thereon, on suitable bearings or bushings indicated generally at  46  in  FIG. 2 . The bearings or bushings  46  are attached to the frame  18 . 
     The cross tube or torque tube  44  is a rotating or pivoting tube that has arms  50  fixed at the opposite ends thereof, on the outside of the tractor frame  18 . A suitable hydraulic actuator  52  has its base end attached to the tractor frame  18  as shown at  54 , on a suitable bracket, and has a rod end  56  that operates a lever arm  58  that is fixed to the torque tube or cross tube  44 . The lever arm  58  is of sufficient length so that it will permit raising and lowering the outer ends of the arms  50  on the tube  44  sufficiently for raising and lowering the rock windrower blade members  30  and  32  at a selected location. 
     The blades  30  and  32  are raised by also having front pivoting support links  60  on opposite sides of the tractor, mounted on brackets  42 , as at pivot point  62 . The rear ends of the links  60  are pivotally mounted as at  64  to the cross member  34  using suitable brackets  66  that are upright and secured to the front side of cross member  34 . 
     The lift arms  50 , which are operated with cylinder  52  so that the outer ends of the arms  50  are raised and lowered by pivoting the torque tube, have their outer ends connected with suitable flexible links, as shown, chain links  67  to the respective one of the blade members  30  and  32 . 
     The pivot  62  is a spring loaded or flexible connection, as shown in  FIG. 5  that will permit some sideways movement of the blade members  30  and  32 . The pivot  62  is formed with a bolt  62 A that extends through both the arm  60  and frame member  42 . A heavy compression spring  62 B is mounted on the bolt  62 A and a washer is used to compress the spring  62 B. The spring  62 B holds the pivot bolt and link  60  in place, but will permit some side to side movement of the links  60 . This permits some side to side movement of the rock windrower blades  30  and  32  as the windrower is moved across the ground. 
     When the arms  50  are raised by operating the hydraulic cylinder or actuator  52 , the outer end of lever arm  50  will pull on the chains or links  67  and will also create a moment that causes the link  66  to pivot up and raise the ends of frame members  30  and  32 . Because of the orientation of the links  67 , which extend forwardly, the lifting action will swing the links  60  upwardly about pivots  62  and this will in turn raise the forward ends of the frame members  30  and  32 . Thus, the full length of the rock windrower blades will be lifted off the ground. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4  in particular, it can be seen for example that the blade member  30 , that is shown and it is as typical of blade member  32  as well, is a “Z” shape that has a bottom flange  30 A and a top flange  30 B. The lower end of the vertical web  30 C of each of the Z-shaped blade member has a ground cutting blade  70  attached thereto with suitable bolts indicated at  72 . The ground cutting blade  70  has a lower edge  74  below the lower flange  30 A of the blade member  30 . It can be seen that the cutting blade  70  is generally curved in cross-sectional shape so that it is concave with the cutting edge  74  extending inwardly (toward the center with the V-shape used as shown) from the plane of the vertical web  30 C a selected distance. The blade member  32  also has a grader cutting blade  70  attached thereto. 
     There is a blade member on each side of the rock windrower, with a cutting blade attached to the respective blade members  30  and  32 , and the cutting blades will run at or slightly below the ground surface  78 , so that the blades will scrape rocks shown schematically in  FIG. 2  at  80  inwardly toward the center line or center plane of the rock windrower. The rocks will be discharged in a windrow through the outlet opening shown at bracket  40 . 
     In order to make this fixed blade (non-rotating) rock windrower operate satisfactorily, gauge wheels indicated generally at  82 A and  82 B are mounted at the front of the rock windrower  10 , and gauge wheels  84 A and  84 B are mounted at the rear or near the outlet narrow end of the rock windrower. 
     The gauge wheels  82 A and  82 B have suitable pneumatic tires and wheels mounted on axles  82 C, and axles  84 C are provided for the gauge wheels  84 A and  84 B. 
     The gauge wheel axles are mounted on suitable movable supports for raising and lowering, such as pivoting arms shown typically for the gauge wheels. Direct acting jacks and hydraulic cylinders can be used, as well as various sliding connections that can be bolted together. 
     A typical mounting which is provided for the gauge wheels is shown in  FIG. 3 . In  FIG. 3 , the axle  84 C (or  82 C) is mounted onto a support arm  90  that is pivoted about a horizontal axis on a vertical frame member  92  with a suitable strength pivot  94  at one end of the arm  90 . A threaded extendable and retractable jack  96  has an outer housing  98  that is pivoted as at  100  on the upper end of a lever  102  fixed to the outer end of arm  90 . A threaded crank  104  is threaded into the housing  98  and is rotatably supported at a reacting swivel connection  106  pivoted on a bracket  108  secured to the member  92 . The crank  104  and swivel  106  will support the load from the gauge wheel. The crank  104  can be turned so the jack is adjusted in length so that it provides a changeable length threaded connection to the arm  90  for raising and lowering the gauge wheel about pivot  94 . The threaded jack  96  can be replaced with a hydraulic jack, if desired, for power operation. 
     The use of gauge wheels is relatively well-known in other applications and any suitable adjustment for vertically adjusting the gauge wheels relative to the blade members  30  and  32  can be used. 
     Again, it should be noted that the present showing has a wide inlet end and a narrow outlet end for the rock windrower, but a windrow can be formed by reversing the direction of movement, so that the narrow end was leading and there would be a windrow of rocks formed on each outer side of the V-shape at the wide end and on the outside of the grader blades. The cutting blades  70  would be changed in orientation from that shown, so they would be on the outside of the blade members  30  and  32 , and would engage the ground and move the rocks outwardly from the center line of the windrower as the blades were moved forwardly. A second pass of a rock windrower suitably laterally offset would move the rocks from two sides of the rock windrower into one windrow. 
     The frame for the rock windrower can be mounted onto a three point hitch of a tractor in a known manner so it can be raised or lowered with the hitch. It also can be supported independently on wheels on a frame that would replace the tractor frame, so the windrower frame could be lifted and lowered. The frame could be towed like a trailer. The gauge wheels would still maintain the depth of the cutting blades when the rock windrower is being used. 
     The cutting blades  70  are generally high strength hardened steel, and will stand a substantial amount of wear. They are also standard part members for road graders, so they are readily available. 
     The cross members for the rock windrower can be strengthened, and can be lengthened, to adequately support the blade members  30  and  32  in their tapered or V-shaped configuration. 
     The length of the blades  30  and  32  can be adjusted by splicing in additional lengths of grader blades and the side frame members, as desired. A schematic showing in  FIGS. 1 and 6  illustrates an additional length grader blade  112  bolted to grader blades  70  and to blade members  30  and  32  to increases the width inlet end  38 . A second section  114  of a grader blade is also shown in  FIG. 4 . In a typical application, the width at the wide end of the blade members of the rock windrower frame would be spaced approximately 8–10 feet apart, and at the narrow end, the frame members would be less than two feet apart, for example, about 20 inches. 
     The blade members can be from 8 feet to 10 feet long. The blade member can be 10 inches or so high. The forward speed ranges from just a crawl to 10 mph or more. Rocks up to 12 inches in diameter can be moved. 
     The upper and lower flanges on the blade members  30  and  32  provide rigidity and also the lower flanges  30 A and  32 A can slide along the ground and aid in guiding the grader blade. The grader blades can be attached in any desired manner, and can be directly supported on the support frame  18 , if desired. 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view to show the V-shape from the front and also to show the position of the gauge wheels. Many different types of frames and lifts can be used. Vertical adjustments of the gauge which also can be various types. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.