Abstract:
The landscaping attachment is an earthworking or cultivating implement configured for towing behind a relatively small vehicle, e.g., a small all terrain vehicle or garden tractor. The attachment includes adjustably positionable wheels which may be lowered to lift the implement above the surface, or lifted to place the implement on the surface. Wheel operation is by electric power. The wheels may be optionally positioned or relocated to the front or rear of the implement. The implement may comprise an I-beam scraper having a series of teeth cut into the front flange. Alternatively, the teeth may be individually replaceable units. The implement may include angularly adjustable wings extending from each end thereof.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/811,409, filed Jun. 7, 2006. 
     
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to earthworking and cultivation equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a landscaping attachment for pulling behind a small all-terrain vehicle (ATV), garden tractor, or the like. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    The need to level, cultivate, and otherwise shape and reconfigure the surface of various areas is a common occurrence in a number of different fields. Most such projects are relatively large scale, e.g., highway construction, site preparation for large building projects, etc., with large, self propelled machines such as graders, scrapers, levelers, etc. being used. 
         [0006]    However, there are many times when smaller scale earthworking or cultivation projects arise, e.g., preparing a driveway for surfacing, smoothing ruts in an unpaved driveway or other limited area, smoothing sand traps and similar areas on golf courses, etc. Generally, the cost to transport a large scale, specialized machine to the site for such work and to operate the machine for such a relatively small job is prohibitive. The only recourse is time-consuming hand labor for such relatively small areas in the absence of suitable smaller scale equipment. 
         [0007]    As a result, there has been some development of smaller scale earthworking equipment in the past. Most such equipment is configured for towing behind a full size tractor, rather than behind an ATV, garden or lawn tractor, or the like. Full size tractors and the like nearly universally include an engine driven hydraulic pump for providing hydraulic power to various accessories, e.g., front end or back end loaders and shovels, etc. Smaller all-terrain vehicles and garden tractors generally do not have such provision for hydraulic power. 
         [0008]    Thus a landscaping attachment solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The landscaping attachment is an earthworking or cultivating implement, e.g., a scraper or the like, having a forwardly disposed hitch bar for removable attachment to a small towing vehicle, e.g., a small all-terrain vehicle, garden tractor, etc. The implement may be supported clear of the underlying surface by a pair of wheels, which may be selectively lowered or raised as desired. The raising and lowering of the wheels is accomplished by an electrical mechanism. 
         [0010]    The wheel assembly may be relocated from the front to the rear of the earthworking implement, as desired. Positioning the wheels rearward of the implement may provide certain advantages, e.g., a longer wheelbase for the assembly and slightly greater weight transfer to the implement when the wheels are raised. However, it may be preferable to reposition the wheels to the front of the implement, as this permits the implement to erase all traces of the wheel tracks where the wheels are in contact with the surface and supporting some of the weight of the implement as the implement is dragged behind. The operator of the attachment may select the location of the wheels as desired, and reposition the wheel assembly accordingly. 
         [0011]    The earthworking or cultivating implement of the landscaping attachment has various configurations. In one embodiment, the implement may be formed from a length of I-beam structural steel, with a forwardly disposed flange reconfigured to provide a series of teeth therealong. In another embodiment, the teeth may be replaceable teeth. The implement may also include angularly adjustable wings, which may be positioned at some forward angle relative to the main body of the implement or as a straight lateral extension of the implement. 
         [0012]    These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a first embodiment of a landscaping attachment according to the present invention being pulled behind a small all-terrain vehicle. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a right side view of the rear portion of the landscaping attachment of the present invention, showing the general geometry and operation of the trailing wheel configuration for the device. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a right side view of the rear portion of the landscaping attachment of the present invention, showing the general geometry and operation of the leading wheel configuration for the device. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the landscaping attachment according to the present invention, showing further detail of the attachment of the wheel carriage assembly in the trailing configuration. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the landscaping attachment according to the present invention as seen from the right side, showing the lifting and lowering mechanism of the device and various details thereof. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the left side wing of the scraper or grader arm, showing the angular adjustability thereof. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a landscaping attachment according to the present invention, the leading edge of the grader or scraper arm having replaceable teeth extending therefrom. 
       
    
    
       [0020]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    The present invention relates is a landscaping attachment for towing behind a light vehicle, e.g., garden tractor or all terrain vehicle, etc. The landscaping attachment includes an electrically powered lifting and lowering mechanism, which is particularly adaptable for use with such light towing vehicles, as such vehicles generally do not have hydraulic power for accessories. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  of the drawings provides an environmental perspective view of the landscaping attachment  10  being towed behind a small all terrain vehicle V. The attachment  10  may comprise a variety of different implements providing different functions, but the attachment  10  shown in  FIG. 1  is an elongate earthworking implement  12  having a towing tongue  14  attached to the medial portion thereof, and extending substantially normal to the length or span of the earthworking implement  12 . 
         [0023]    The implement  12  may comprise any of a number of different configurations. The configuration illustrated in the drawings and described herein comprises a scraper or grader formed of a length of metal having an I-beam cross section with a first flange or face  16 , an opposite second flange or face  18 , and a medial web  20  joining the two flanges  16  and  18 . This I-beam cross-sectional configuration is most clearly illustrated in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. The first flange  16  includes a lower surface contact edge  22  having a series of permanent teeth  24  cut into or otherwise integrally formed with the edge  22 . The width of the lower portion of the second face or flange  18  is somewhat less than that of the first face or flange  16  so that the teeth  24  extend downwardly beyond the edge of the second face or flange  18  to engage the surface therebeneath when the wheel support carriage  26  is raised so that the implement  12  is resting upon the surface. It will be understood that other earth-shaping implements besides stationary teeth may be formed in or attached to the beam (such as a harrow, aerator, or the like), and that the beam may have a different cross-sectional shape. 
         [0024]    The wheel support carriage  26  extends from the earthworking implement  12 , and supports a pair of wheels  28  (more clearly shown in  FIG. 4 ) thereon. The wheel support carriage  26  is pivotally attached to the implement  12  to allow the wheels  28  to be raised or lowered relative to the implement  12  in order to raise the implement above the surface for transport or to allow the implement to rest upon the surface for earthworking. Details of the wheel attachment and support mechanism are shown in  FIGS. 2 through 5 . The wheel support carriage  26  comprises a pair of generally orthogonal arms, with the lower arms having first and second wheel axles  30  installed in the distal ends thereof. The opposite attachment ends of the arms are secured to the implement  12  by an elongate lateral bolt or axle  32 , which pins the attachment ends of the arms pivotally to the implement  12 . 
         [0025]    A wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34  extends from the implement  12  to serve as a fixed anchor for the wheel height adjustment mechanism. The bracket assembly  34  may comprise a pair of arms immovably secured to the implement and extending upwardly therefrom. A jack  36  extends between the bracket assembly  34  and the distal ends of the upper arms of the wheel carriage assembly  26  for raising and lowering the wheels. Each end of the jack  36  has a bracket  38  permanently affixed thereto, e.g., by welding, etc., with each bracket  38  having a laterally disposed pivot bolt or pin  40  extending therethrough and pivotally connecting the bracket  38  at one end of the jack  36  to the wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34  and the bracket  38  at the opposite end of the jack  36  to the distal ends of the upper arms of the wheel carriage assembly  26 . 
         [0026]    A number of different types of wheel lifting and lowering jacks may be used in the landscaping attachment  10 . The jack  36  shown in the corresponding illustrations and described herein comprises a scissors jack having a lateral actuation screw disposed medially therethrough. The jack  36  is preferably electrically actuated, with an actuation motor  42  communicating mechanically with one end of the actuation screw to rotate the actuation screw and extend or retract the jack  36 , depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor and screw. The motor  42  is preferably a DC electric motor, operating nominally on about twelve to fourteen volts, or more specifically operating by electrical power provided by the towing vehicle V. 
         [0027]    Such small towing vehicles V are not conventionally equipped with hydraulic systems to operate auxiliary equipment, but are universally equipped with conventional electrical systems to operate lights and other electrical equipment conventionally installed upon such vehicles. The landscaping attachment  10  makes use of the electrical power provided by the conventional electrical system of the vehicle V to actuate the motor  42  and extend or retract the jack mechanism  36 . Conventional switching means (not shown) is used to drive the motor in the rotational direction desired from the operator&#39;s position of the vehicle V via a conventional wiring harness (not shown), to extend or retract the jack  36 . 
         [0028]    It will be seen that actuating the motor  42  will rotate the jack screw, thereby extending or retracting the jack  36  depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor  42  and screw. Retraction of the jack  36  results in drawing the upper arms of the wheel support carriage  26  toward the wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34 , thus raising the wheels  28  from their lowered position (shown in solid lines in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) to their raised position (shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). 
         [0029]    More precisely, the implement  12  lowers to the underlying surface as the jack  36  contracts, with the wheels  28  being raised slightly above the underlying surface when the jack  36  is retracted or contracted completely. When the jack  36  is completely folded or retracted, as shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , all of the weight of the implement  12 , as well as the weight of the wheels  28  and wheel carriage assembly  26  and the jack  36  and motor  42 , are resting on the underlying surface to provide the required force to work the surface as desired. The implement  12  is raised above the surface by reversing the jack actuation motor  42  to extend the jack  36 , thereby lowering the wheels  28  and raising the teeth of the implement  12  above the surface. This is the preferred configuration for towing the attachment  10  from point to point when contact with the underlying surface (e.g., manicured lawn, pavement, etc.) is not desired. 
         [0030]    It will be noted that the wheel carriage assembly  26  is shown positioned to opposite sides of the implement in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . This provision permits the wheels  28  and their carriage assembly  26  to be attached either behind the implement  12 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , for greater rearward weight shift of the assembly, or in front of the implement  12 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , in which case the wheel tracks are erased by the following implement during operation. The implement beam  12  permits the repositioning of the wheel carriage assembly  26  by means of opposite first and second wheel adjustment pivot lug sets  44   a  and  44   b,  respectively, extending from the first and second faces or flanges  16  and  18  of the I-beam implement  12 , and first and second wheel adjustment bracket lug sets, respectively  46   a  and  46   b,  extending from the first and second faces or flanges  16  and  18  of the I-beam implement  12  on the opposite sides or surfaces from the corresponding wheel adjustment pivot lug sets  44   a  and  44   b.  The wheel adjustment pivot lug sets  44   a  and  44   b  are most clearly shown in  FIG. 4 , with one bracket each of the two wheel adjustment bracket lug sets  46   a  and  46   b  being shown most clearly in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0031]    In  FIG. 2 , the wheel support carriage  26  and its wheels  28  are shown to the rear of the I-beam implement  12 , i.e., to the opposite side of the implement  12  from the towing tongue or arm  14 . This is accomplished by installing the attachment ends of the lower arms of the wheel support carriage  26  to the second or rearward wheel adjustment pivot lugs  44   b  by means of the elongate pin or axle bolt  32 , and installing the wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34  to the opposite, forwardly disposed wheel adjustment bracket lugs  46   a  (shown in  FIG. 3 ). It will be seen that the jack  36  may remain attached to the wheel carriage assembly  26  and wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34  at all times, and need not be removed from those components when the wheel carriage assembly is moved from one side of the implement  12  to the other. However, the jack  36  may be removed from the components  26  and  34  if so desired, if such removal facilitates the installation of the carriage assembly  26  to either side of the implement  12  as desired. 
         [0032]    In  FIG. 3 , the wheel carriage assembly  26  has been reinstalled to the front of the implement  12 , i.e., to the same side of the implement  12  as the towing tongue or arm  14 . This is accomplished by securing the attachment ends of the lower arms of the wheel carriage assembly  26  to the first or forward wheel adjustment pivot lugs  44   a  extending from the first or forward flange or face  16  of the implement  12  and securing the two brackets comprising the wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34  to the opposite, rearwardly-disposed second wheel adjustment bracket lugs  46   b.  Again, the wheel carriage assembly  26  with its wheels  28 , the jack  36 , and the wheel adjustment bracket assembly  34  may remain secured together as a unit during the installation of the assembly to the front or rear of the implement  12 . 
         [0033]    The implement  12  may also be provided with adjustable wings  54   a  and  54   b,  as shown particularly in  FIGS. 1 and 6  of the drawings. The wings  54   a  and  54   b  may be removed from the implement  12  if their use is not required for the operation to be performed. The implement  12  includes laterally opposed first and second ends, respectively  48   a  and  48   b,  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Each of the ends has a set of wing attachment hinge lugs  50   a  and  50   b  extending forwardly therefrom, with the hinge axis (indicated by the hinge bolt or pin  52  in  FIGS. 3 and 6 ) being normal to the plane defined by the span of the implement  12  and its towing tongue  14 . A wing  54   a,    54   b  is pivotally attached to each end  48   a,    48   b  of the implement  12  by a cooperating hinge lug  56  extending from each wing  54   a,    54   b.  (The second or right wing  54   b  is removed from its attachment to the right end of the implement  12  in the right elevation view of  FIG. 3  in order to more clearly show the forward attachment of the wheel support carriage assembly  26 .) The hinge bolt or pin  52  that pivotally secures each wing  54   a  and  54   b  to their respective implement ends  48   a  and  48   b  restricts angular motion of the two wings  54   a  and  54   b  to a plane parallel to the plane of the implement  12  and its tow bar or tongue  14 , i.e., in a generally fore and aft horizontal arc when the implement  12  and towing tongue  14  are oriented generally horizontally. 
         [0034]    The angular position of each wing  54   a,    54   b  is locked in position as selected by a wing angle manual adjustment link  58 , with the left side link  58  being shown in detail in  FIG. 6 . The base or anchor end of the link  58  is pivotally secured to the distal end of the implement  12 , e.g., first or left end  48   a  in  FIG. 6 , by a bolt or pin  60  which also secures a brace  62   a,    62   b  between the towing tongue  14  and the opposite ends  48   a  and  48   b  of the implement  12 . 
         [0035]    As the pivot axis bolt or pin  52  of the wing attachment hinge assembly is offset from the attachment of the anchor end of the adjustment link  58 , it will be seen that securing the wings  54   a,    54   b  to the implement  12  at different relative angles will result in different distal end attachment points for the corresponding links  58 . Accordingly, each link  58  may be provided with a series of wing attachment passages or holes  64  in order to adjustably secure the wings  54   a,    54   b  to the implement beam  12  at the desired angle. The wing attachment passages  64  of the links  56  may be established to set the wing angles as desired, e.g., zero degrees (in line with the implement beam  12 ), fifteen degrees, thirty degrees, forty five degrees, etc., as desired, and locked or secured in that selected position by a bolt or pin  66 . It will also be noted that the wings  54   a,    54   b  may be removed from their respective attachments to the ends  48   a,    48   b  of the implement  12  merely by removing the corresponding hinge bolt or pintle  52  and disconnecting the link  58  at either its adjustment end or at its opposite anchor end. 
         [0036]      FIG. 7  provides an exploded detail perspective view of an alternate embodiment for the teeth of the implement  12 . The implement teeth  24  shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 1  are integral parts of the implement beam  12 , with the front flange or face  16  of the beam being cut to form the teeth  24 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the first or front flange or face  16   a  of the implement  12   a  has a series of tooth attachment holes or passages  68  formed therethrough with a smooth lower surface contact edge  22   a,  rather than a serrated or toothed lower edge, as in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . This allows a series of separate, removable teeth  70  to be installed along the length of the implement  12   a.  The removable teeth  70  preferably have a rhomboid configuration with opposed attachment holes  72  therethrough in order that each tooth  70  may be reversed when excessive wear occurs to one end or the other, thereby effectively doubling the life of each tooth. The removable teeth  70  may be secured to the first face or flange  16   a  of the implement beam  12   a  by means of conventional bolts  74  and nuts (not shown), or the bolts  74  may thread into threaded tooth attachment passages  68  formed through the front flange or face  16   a  of the implement  12   a.    
         [0037]    In conclusion, the landscaping attachment  10  provides a much needed tool for working and clearing land for the person having access to a small all terrain vehicle, garden tractor, golf cart, or the like. 
         [0038]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.