Patent Publication Number: US-9848521-B1

Title: Rock sifting and removing tractor attachment device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIE THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to tractor attachment devices and more particularly pertains to a new tractor attachment device for unearthing very large rocks and sifting large rocks from soil. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a connection frame configured for coupling to a vehicle. Each of a pair of fixed arms projects forward from a bottom of the connection frame. A sifting panel includes a plurality of interconnected spaced beams. The sifting panel is pivotable relative to the connection frame between a retracted position and an extended position. The beams are positioned parallel to the connection frame in the retracted position and the beams are positioned coplanar with the fixed arms in the extended position. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top front side perspective view of a rock sifting and removing tractor attachment device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use for sifting rocks. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use to move a large rock. 
         FIG. 4  is a top front perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed top front side perspective view of a linkage of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed top rear side perspective view of a linkage of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new tractor attachment device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the rock sifting and removing tractor attachment device  10  generally comprises a connection frame  12  configured for coupling to a vehicle  14  such as a tractor or the like. Each of a pair of fixed arms  16  projects forward from a bottom  18  of the connection frame  12 . Each of the fixed arms  16  has a barbed distal end  20  relative to the connection frame  12 . A sifting panel  22  includes a plurality of interconnected spaced sifting panel beams  24 . The sifting panel  22  is pivotable relative to the connection frame  12 . The sifting panel  22  is pivotable between a retracted position  26  and an extended position  28 . The sifting panel beams  24  are positioned parallel to the connection frame  12  in the retracted position  26  and the sifting panel beams  24  are positioned coplanar with the fixed arms  16  in the extended position  28 . The sifting panel  22  has a pair of outer sections  30 . Each of the outer sections  30  is positioned on a respective side of the fixed arms  16 . Each of the sifting panel beams  24  is coupled to and extends from a base pivot beam  34 . Each of a plurality of braces  48  is coupled to and extends forwardly from the connection frame  12 . The base pivot beam  34  extends through the each of the braces  48  and the fixed arms  16 . The base pivot beam  34  extends through the fixed arms  16  at an end opposite the barbed distal ends  20  of the fixed arms  16 . The sifting panel beams  24  pivot about the base pivot beam  34 . Rams  50  are coupled to the connection frame  12 . Each ram  50  has a housing  54  and piston  52 . The piston  52  extends and retracts parallel to the connection frame  12 . A distal end  56  of each piston  52  relative to the housing  54  is coupled to a linkage  58 . The linkage  58  includes a first pivotable section  60  which is coupled to and pivots relative to the connection frame  12 . The linkage  58  includes a second section  62  extending between and pivotally coupled to each of the first section  60  and a flange  64  which extends from and is in a fixed position relative to the sifting panel  22 . The linkage  58  urges the flange  64  to pivot about the base pivot beam  34  when the piston  52  is extended and retracted. Thus, the rams  50  are used to move the sifting panel  22  between the retracted position  26  and the extended position  28 . The rams  50  may be hydraulic and tied into a hydraulic system of the vehicle  14  in a conventional manner. 
     The sifting panel beams  24  are coplanar and parallel with each other. Each of the sifting panel beams  24  has a straight bottom surface  36  and a top surface  38  of each sifting panel beam  24  is angled relative to the bottom surface  36  of the sifting panel beam  24 . Thus, the sifting panel beams  24  taper extending away from a back end  40  of the sifting panel beam  24  and towards a pointed end  42  of the sifting panel beam  24 . A main support beam  44  extends a full length across the sifting panel  22 . Each of a pair of outer support beams  46  extends across a full length of an associated one of the outer sections  30  of the sifting panel  22 . The sifting panel  22  is moved between the extended position  28  and the retracted position  26  in a conventional manner such as the use of hydraulic pistons, or the like, controlled remotely from within the vehicle  14  and powered using a system tied into the vehicle  14 . 
     Outer plates  66  are coupled to opposite ends of the sifting panel  22 . The outer plates  66  are positioned laterally spaced outward from the connection frame  12  such that the connection frame  12  is positioned extending between the outer plates  66  when the sifting panel  22  is in the retracted position  26 . The outer plates  66  are right triangular shaped, coextensive with the beams, and taper extending away from the connection frame  12  when the sifting panel  22  is in the extended position  28 . 
     In use, the sifting panel  22  is placed into the retracted position  26  for loosening and removal of large rocks using only the fixed arms  16 . The sifting panel  22  is placed into the extended position  28  allowing the spaced beams  24  to sift rocks and debris out of soil. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.