Abstract:
A mounting for connecting an operating head, that generates vibrations when in use, to a vehicle in a manner to minimize the transmission of vibrations from the head to the vehicle. The mounting comprising a number of female connector device on one of the head and the vehicle and a similar number of male connecting device on the other of the head and vehicle, the male connecting device each carrying a resilient sleeve. The male connecting device are inserted into the female connecting device and a bolt is passed through each female connecting device and each resilient sleeve associated with it to join the head to the vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention is directed toward an vibration damping mounting for connecting an operating head, which generates vibrations during operation, to a vehicle. The invention is particularly directed toward an vibration damping mounting for connecting a rotating brush cutting head to a brush cutting vehicle carrying the head. 
     2. Background Art 
     Heavy equipment, employing an operating head which creates vibrations during use, has the head normally fixed to a vehicle carrying the head. As a result, the vibrations generated in the head during its operation are transmitted to the vehicle and could adversely affect the operator of the vehicle. 
     An example of such heavy equipment is a brush cutter having a brush cutting head fixedly mounted on the front of a vehicle. The head carries a rotating drum with teeth, the teeth cutting brush as the drum is rotated and as the vehicle is moved ahead. Vibrations are created by the teeth striking the brush to cut it and these vibrations are transmitted to the operator of the vehicle. Examples of the type of brush cutting vehicle to which the invention is particularly adapted are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,513,485, 5,642,765 and 5,975,167 by way of example. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a resilient mounting for attaching the operating head to the vehicle to minimize the transmission of vibrations from the head to the vehicle. It is more particularly the purpose of the present invention to provide a resilient mounting for attaching a brush cutting head to the front of a vehicle on a brush cutter. 
     In accordance with the present invention the resilient mounting has a number of male connecting means mounted on one of the brush cutting head and the front of the brush cutting vehicle and a corresponding number of female connecting means mounted on the other of the brush cutting head and the brush cutting vehicle. The male connecting means are in the form of brackets as are the female connecting means, the male and female brackets sized, and located on both the head and vehicle respectively, to have the male brackets snugly enter the female brackets when connecting the head to the vehicle. The male brackets carry a rigid tubular sleeve at their end, the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum in the brush cutting head when the head is attached to the vehicle. A resilient tubular sleeve is mounted within the rigid tubular sleeve on the male brackets. A bolt is passed through each female bracket and the resilient sleeve on its corresponding male bracket, when the male bracket is properly mounted in the female bracket, to detachable connect the brush cutting head to the vehicle. The resilient sleeves minimize the vibrations transmitted between the brush cutting head and the brush cutting vehicle during operation of the head. 
     The invention is particularly directed toward a resilient mounting for connecting an operating head, that generates vibrations when in use, to a vehicle in a manner to minimize the transmission of the vibrations from the head to the vehicle. The mounting comprising a number of female connecting means on one of the head end the vehicle and a corresponding number of male connecting means on the other of the head and vehicle. The male connecting means each carry a resilient sleeve. Each male connecting means is inserted into the female connecting means and a bolt is passed through each female connecting means and each resilient sleeve associated with it to join the head to the vehicle. 
     The invention is more particularly directed toward a resilient mounting for connecting a brush cutting head, having a rotatable cylindrical drum carrying cutting teeth, to a brush cutting vehicle in a manner to minimize the transmission of the vibrations from the head to the vehicle when the vehicle is being operated to cut brush. The resilient mounting comprises a number of female connecting means on one of the head and the vehicle and a corresponding number of male connecting means on the other of the head and vehicle, the female and male connecting means sized and located to have the male connecting means snuggly enter the female connecting means when connecting the brush cutting head to the brush cutting vehicle. The male connecting means each carry a tubular resilient sleeve, the longitudinal axis of the resilient sleeve parallel to the longitudinal rotational axis of the cylindrical drum when the male connecting means is inserted into the female connecting means. A bolt passes through each female connecting means and each resilient sleeve associated with it to detachably join the head to the vehicle. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a brush cutter head adjacent a brush cutting vehicle it is to be attached to; 
         FIG. 2  is a detail perspective view of part of the mounting means used to mount the brush cutter head to the vehicle; and 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-section view of an assembled mounting means. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in the figures, the brush cutter  1  has a brush cutting head  3  mounted on the front of a brush cutting vehicle  5  by means of mounting means  7 . The mounting means  7  has a rectangular mounting plate  9  fixedly mounted on the front of the vehicle  5  by bolting or other suitable means. The mounting plate  9  faces forwardly in a vertical position with the long sides of the plate horizontal. The plate  9  carries four female connecting means  11 ,  13 ,  15 ,  17  at the corners of the plate. Each connecting means comprises a pair of horizontally spaced-apart ears  19 ,  21  extending forwardly from the plate. The ears  19 ,  21  each have a bolt hole  23  there through, the holes  23  horizontally aligned. The upper connecting means  11 ,  15  are horizontally aligned and located over the lower connecting means  13 ,  17  respectively which are also horizontally aligned. 
     The left hand connecting means  11 ,  13  are part of a first female bracket  25  and the right hand connecting means  15 ,  17  are part of a second female bracket  27 . The female brackets  25 ,  27  are the same so only the bracket  27  will be described in detail. Bracket  27  comprises a channel shaped member having side walls  31 ,  33  joined by a back wall  35 . The ears  19 ,  21  of the connecting means  11 ,  13  are formed in the top and bottom of the side walls  31 ,  33  respectively and extend forwardly from the back wall  35 . The brackets  25 ,  27  are mounted on the front of the plate  9 , one on one side and the other on the other side of the plate, with their back wall  35  flush against the plate and connected thereto by welding, bolts or other suitable means. The connecting means  11 ,  13 ,  15 ,  17  form the corners of an imaginary rectangular and are located at the corners of the rectangular plate  9 . 
     The mounting means  7  includes four male connecting means  41 ,  43 ,  45 ,  47  carried on the back wall  49  of the brush cutting head  3 . The upper connecting means  41 ,  45  are spaced apart and horizontally aligned and overlie the lower connecting means  43 ,  47  respectively, the lower connecting means  43 ,  47  also horizontally aligned. The connecting means  41 ,  43  on one side of the head  3  share a first male bracket  51  and the connecting means  45 ,  47  on the other side of the head  3  share a second male bracket  53 . The brackets  51 ,  53  are attached to the back wall  49  of the head  3  by welding, bolting or other suitable means. 
     The male brackets  51 ,  53  are identical so only one will be described in detail. Bracket  53  is a channel shaped member having side walls  55  joined by a back wall  57 . There are upper and lower mounting holes  59 ,  61  in each side wall  55 . Upper and lower rigid tubular members  63 ,  65  extend between the sidewalls  55 , the tubular members  63 ,  65  aligned with the upper and lower mounting holes  59 ,  61  in each side wall respectively. The tubular members  63 ,  65  are fixed to the side walls  55  and have an inner diameter equal to the diameter of the holes  59 ,  61 . 
     Each male connecting means  41 ,  43 ,  45 ,  47  has a resilient tubular sleeve  69  mounted on a rigid tubular support  71 . The rigid tubular support  71  is slightly longer than the sleeve  69 . The sleeve  69  is sized to snugly fit within the tubular members  63 ,  65  and can even extend slightly past their ends into the holes  59 ,  61  in the side walls  55 . The tubular support  71  extends to the outside of the side walls  55 . It will be seen that the longitudinal axis  73  common to the concentric tubular support  71 , the resilient sleeve  69  and the tubular members  63  or  65  in the male connecting members  41 ,  43 ,  45 ,  47  are parallel to each other, and to the rotational axis  75  of the cylindrical cutting drum  76  in the cutting head  3 . 
     It will be seen that the connecting means  41  includes the upper part of bracket  51 , upper mounting holes  59 , upper tubular member  63 , resilient tubular sleeve  69  and rigid support  71  while the connecting means  43  includes the bottom part of bracket  51 , lower mounting holes  61 , lower tubular member  65 , another resilient tubular sleeve  69  and another rigid support  71 . The connecting means  45  includes the upper part of bracket  53 , upper mounting holes  59 , upper tubular member  63 , resilient tubular sleeve  69  and rigid support  71  while the connecting means  47  includes the lower part of bracket  53 , lower mounting holes  61 , lower tubular member  65 , another resilient tubular sleeve  69  and another rigid support  71 . 
     The male connecting means  41 ,  43 ,  45  and  47  form the corners of an imaginary rectangle on the back wall  49  of the cutter head  3  matching the imaginary rectangle formed by the female connecting means  11 ,  13 ,  15  and  17  on the plate  9  on the vehicle  5 . 
     In use, the brush cutter head  3  is mounted against the mounting plate  9  on the front of the vehicle  5 , with the male brackets  51 ,  53  on the brush cutter head  3  snugly entering into the female brackets  25 ,  27  on the plate  9 . The male connecting means  41 ,  43 ,  45 ,  47  enter between the female connecting means  11 ,  13 ,  15 ,  17 . More specifically, each male connecting means  41 ,  43 ,  45 ,  47  is located between a pair of ears  19 ,  21  with the rigid tubular support  71  of each male connecting means aligned with the holes  23  in each pair of ears  19 ,  21 . A bolt  79 , forming part of the mounting means  7 , is passed through the holes  23  in the female connecting means and the rigid support  71  of male connecting means and a nut  77  on the bolt  79  securely connects the male and female connecting means together. The resilient sleeves  69  dampen any vibrations passing from the cutting head  3  to vehicle  5  while the cutting head is being operated. 
     The invention has been described with the four female connecting means sharing two female brackets and the four male connecting means sharing two male brackets. It will be obvious that each of the four female connecting means and each of the four male connecting means can have its own bracket. The female connecting means have been described as being on the vehicle and the male connecting means as being on the cutting head but they can be reversed so that the female connecting means are on the cutting head while the male connecting means are on the vehicle. 
     The invention has been described as having four connections between the vehicle and the cutting head, the connections at the corners of an imaginary rectangle. The arrangement provides a detachable resilient mounting which securely holds the cutting head against linear movement in any direction and against any twisting or rotational movement. However the invention could be used with two, three, five or six connections between vehicle and the cutting head if so desired.