Patent Publication Number: US-2023133831-A1

Title: Towed Earth Moving Implement with Fixed-Winged Pitch-Adjustable Blade Assembly

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This application relates generally to the field of earth working equipment, and more particularly to towed earth moving implements. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the agricultural sector, blade-equipped implements towed behind a tractor are known for the purpose of levelling out the soil level in agricultural fields. Earth moving implements of this type are often configured with a pull tongue whose front end connects to the hitch of the tractor for towed forward conveyance of the implement therebehind, a blade assembly attached to a rear end of the pull tongue in a position lying cross-wise thereto to displace earth forwardly during such towed conveyance of the implement, and a wheeled frame on which the blade assembly is carried from therebehind. 
     One example of an implement of this type is Applicant&#39;s Gladiator implement, where the blade assembly has a center blade lying perpendicularly of the pull tongue, and a pair of wing blades affixed to opposing ends of the center blade and angling forwardly and outwardly therefrom in obliquely oriented relationship thereto, with bottom working edges of the three blades lying in a common plane. One set of actuators connected between the blade assembly and a blade-carrying subframe of the wheeled frame is operable to perform angular tilting between blade assembly and the wheeled frame about a transverse axis to raise and lower the blade relative to the ground. Another set of actuators connected between the blade-carrying subframe and a wheel-carrying subframe of the wheeled frame are operable to perform a swivelling action therebetween about a longitudinal roll axis of the implement, allowing either end of the blade assembly to be tilted up or down relative to the other end to laterally tilt the working plane of the blade assembly to follow or impart an angled grade during use of the implement. 
     While suitable for such leveling and grading operations, it would be desirable to improve upon an implement of this general type in a manner enabling it to perform a wider variety of different ground shaping operations involving creation of more complex ground surface profiles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a towed earth moving implement comprising: 
     a pull tongue running in a longitudinal direction and configured at a front end thereof with a coupling arrangement for connection to a tow vehicle for pulling of the implement in said longitudinal direction; 
     a blade assembly coupled to the pull tongue and comprising:
         a center blade lying transversely of the longitudinal direction and spanning laterally outward from the pull tongue each of two opposing sides thereof; and   a pair of wing blades connected to the center blade at opposing ends thereof on said two opposing sides of the pull tongue and each being oriented in non-parallel relation to the central blade in an orientation angling both forwardly and laterally outward therefrom; and       

     a wheeled frame on which said blade assembly is carried for rolling travel over an earthen surface workable by said blade assembly; 
     a pivotal blade-pitch connection between the pull tongue and the blade assembly that defines a blade pitch axis lying transversely of the longitudinal direction; and 
     at least one blade-pitch actuator operable to adjust a pitch angle of the blade, relative to the pull tongue, about said blade pitch axis. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a towed earth moving implement comprising: 
     a pull tongue running in a longitudinal direction and configured at a front end thereof with a coupling arrangement for connection to a tow vehicle for pulling of the implement in said longitudinal direction; 
     a blade assembly coupled to the pull tongue and comprising:
         a center blade lying transversely of the longitudinal direction and spanning laterally outward from the pull tongue each of two opposing sides thereof; and   a pair of wing blades connected to the center blade at opposing ends thereof on said two opposing sides of the pull tongue and each being oriented in fixed non-parallel relation to the central blade in a fixed orientation angling both forwardly and laterally outward therefrom; and       

     a wheeled frame on which said blade assembly is carried for rolling travel over an earthen surface workable by said blade assembly; 
     wherein each of the center and wing blades has a respective bottom working edge, and the blade assembly is movable between at least two of the following three operational positions, in each of which the respective bottom working edge of the center blade resides in a horizontal working plane: 
     a pitch-neutral levelling position in which the respective bottom working edges of the wing blades both reside in the same horizontal working plane as the respective working edge of the center blade; 
     an upwardly pitched ditching position in which the respective bottom working edges of the wing blades reside in forwardly inclined working planes of forwardly inclined relation to the horizontal working plane; and 
     a downwardly-pitched crowning position in which the respective bottom working edges of the wing blades reside in forwardly decline working planes of forwardly declined relation to the horizontal reference plane. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a front top left perspective view of a novel earth moving implement of the present invention having a pitch adjustable blade assembly featuring a center blade and two angled wing blades. 
         FIG.  2    is a rear top left perspective of the implement. 
         FIG.  3    is a top plan view of the implement. 
         FIG.  4 A  is a side elevational view of the implement with the blade assembly in a non-pitched position placing working edges of the center and wing blades in a common horizontal working plane to perform a leveling operation on a ground surface. 
         FIG.  4 B  is a side elevational view of the implement with the blade assembly in a an upwardly pitched position placing the working edges of the wing blades in forwardly inclined relation to the center blade&#39;s working edge to perform a ditching operation on the ground surface. 
         FIG.  4 C  is a side elevational view of the implement with the blade assembly in an downwardly pitched position placing the working edges of the wing blades in forwardly declined relation to the center blade&#39;s working edge to perform a crowning operation on the ground surface. 
         FIG.  5 A  is a rear elevational view of the blade assembly of the implement in the non-pitched position of  FIG.  4 A . 
         FIG.  5 B  is a rear elevational view of the blade assembly of the implement in the upwardly pitched position of  FIG.  4 B . 
         FIG.  5 C  is a rear elevational view of the blade assembly of the implement in the downwardly pitched position of  FIG.  4 C . 
         FIG.  6 A  schematically illustrates working of an earthen surface with the blade assembly of  FIG.  5 A  to create a level ground profile. 
         FIG.  6 B  schematically illustrates working of an earthen surface with the blade assembly of  FIG.  5 B  to create a ditched ground profile. 
         FIG.  6 C  is schematically illustrates working of an earthen surface with the blade assembly of  FIG.  5 B  to create a crowned ground profile. 
         FIG.  7 A  is an isolated view of the level ground profile resulting from the ground leveling operation performed in  FIG.  6 A . 
         FIG.  7 B  is an isolated view of the ditched ground profile resulting from the ditching operation performed in  FIG.  6 B . 
         FIG.  7 C  is an isolated view of the crowned ground profile resulting from the crowing operation performed in  FIG.  6 C . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The drawings illustrate a towable earth moving implement  10  of the present invention that includes a winged blade assembly that is of adjustable pitch angle relative to the pull tongue of the implement, and whereby working edges of angled outer wing blades of the blade assembly can be re-oriented between horizontal, forwardly inclined and forwardly declined orientations relative to the working edge of a center blade to whose ends the angled outer wing blades are affixed. As a result, the inventive implement  10  is capable of not only performing the same levelling and grading operations as other towable earth moving implements of the prior art, but is also capable of performing ditching and crowning operations for imparting non-linear profiles to the earthen surface being worked by the implement. The same piece of equipment can thus be used for a larger variety of tasks compared to the prior art. 
     The implement  10  features a pull tongue  12  for connection to the rear hitch of a tow vehicle (typically a tractor at a front end  12 A of the pull tongue, a winged blade assembly  14  connected the pull tongue  12  at a location of rearwardly distal relation to the hitch-connectable front end  12 A thereof, and a wheeled frame  16  residing behind the blade assembly  14 , and on which the blade assembly  14  is carried for travel of the implement  14  over an agricultural field or other ground area via a set of ground wheels  18  rotatably mounted to the wheeled frame  16 . 
     In similar manner to the prior art, the blade assembly  14  is mounted to a front end of the wheeled frame  16  via a pivotal frame-tilt connection  20 , and a pair of frame-tilt actuators  22  are connected between the wheeled frame  16  and the blade assembly for the purpose of adjusting a relative tilt angle between the frame and blade assembly about a frame tilt axis A F  of this connection  20 . Adjustment of this tilt angle adjusts an elevation of the blade assembly  14  relative to the ground surface on which the ground wheels  18  reside. The novel implement  10  of the present invention differs from prior in the addition of another degree of freedom to the blade assembly&#39;s positional maneuverability, more specifically by novel inclusion of a pivotal blade-pitch connection  24  between the blade assembly  14  and the pull tongue  12 , and a corresponding set of one or more blade-pitch actuators  26  operable to adjust a pitch angle of the blade about a blade pitch axis A P  of this connection  24 . More details concerning these pivotal connections of the blade assembly  14  to the wheeled frame  16  and pull tongue  12  are given herein further below, after first setting forth other constructional details of the implement  10  for context. 
     With reference to the overhead plan view of  FIG.  3   , this vantagepoint is used as a horizontal reference plane in which orthogonally related longitudinal and transverse/lateral directions are defined to describe relative positions and orientations of various components. The pull tongue  12  runs in a longitudinal direction denoted by longitudinal axis A L . The blade assembly  14  features a center blade  28  that lies perpendicularly transverse of the pull tongue  12  and longitudinal axis A L , as can be seen with reference to a transverse axis A T  that is occupied by a bottom working edge  28 A of the center blade  28  and lies horizontally perpendicular of the longitudinal axis A L . The center blade thus extends laterally outward from both sides of the pull tongue  12  in this transverse direction of axis A T . The blade assembly  14  also includes a pair of wing blades  30  that are respectively attached to the opposing ends of the center blade  28  on these opposing sides of the pull tongue  12 . Each wing blade  30  is fixed in stationary relation to the center blade  28  in non-parallel relation thereto, and more specifically at an obliquely angled orientation sweeping forwardly and laterally outward from the respective end of the center blade  28 , as can be seen with reference to a pair of angled wing axes Aw that are each occupied by a bottom working edge  30 A of a respective one of the wing blades. The wing axes Aw are obliquely angled relative to both the longitudinal axis A L  and the transverse axis A T , and are of forwardly divergent relation to one another and symmetric relation to one another across the longitudinal axis A L . The bottom working edges  28 A,  30 A of the center and wing blades  28 ,  30  all reside in coplanar relation to one another. 
     For connection to the tow vehicle (not shown), the front end  12 A of the pull tongue  12  features a suitable hitch coupling arrangement  28 , which may of conventional design, and therefore is not described herein in any notable detail. A rear end  12 B of the pull tongue lies longitudinally opposite of the front end  12 A, and resides in front of the center blade  28  of the blade assembly  14 . Whereas the rear end  12 B of the pull tongue  12  would be rigidly affixed to the blade assembly  14  in the prior art, the rear end  12 B of the pull tongue  12  in the present invention is instead movably coupled to the blade assembly  14  via the pivotal blade-pitch connection  24 . The pull tongue  12  comprises a main tube  32  spanning longitudinally from the front end  12 A of the pull tongue  12  to the opposing rear end  12 B thereof. At the rear end  12 B, the pull tongue  12  has a first mounting flange  34  that radiates outward from the main tube  32  around the circumference thereof for bolted receipt of a first knuckle assembly  36  (“first knuckle”, for brevity) that has a mating fastening flange  38  abutted flush against the mounting flange  34  of the pull tongue. Fixed atop the center blade  28  of the blade assembly  14  is a neck structure  40  (“neck”, for brevity) that juts a short distance forwardly from a top end of the center blade  28  at a midpoint thereacross, i.e. at a central midplane of the implement that coincides with the longitudinal axis A L  and longitudinally bisects the implement  10 . A front end of the neck  40  thus resides a short distance longitudinally forward of the center blade  28 , and has mounted thereon a second mounting flange  42  to which a second fastening flange  43  of a second knuckle assembly  44  (“second knuckle”, for brevity) is bolted in flush relation thereagainst, just like the bolted attachment of the first knuckle to the first mounting flange on the main tube  32  of the pull tongue  12 . The two knuckles  36 ,  44  reside in nested or intermeshed relation to one another, and are interconnected in pivotably hinged fashion by a pivot shaft  46  that penetrates transversely through the two knuckles. The pivot shaft  46  defines the blade-pitch axis A P , which is of parallel relation to the center blade  28 , and to the transverse axis A T  occupied by the bottom working edge  28 A thereof, and is of perpendicular relationship to the longitudinal axis A L . The knuckles  36 ,  44  and cooperating pivot shaft  46  thus collectively form the pivotal blade pitch connection  24  between the blade assembly  14  and the pull tongue  12 , by which a pitch angle of the blade relative to the pull tongue  12  can be varied about the blade-pitch axis A P . 
     In the illustrated example, in relation to width dimensions of the knuckles measured in the transverse direction of the implement, the first knuckle  36  on the pull tongue  12  is of narrower construction than the second knuckle assembly  44  on the neck  40  of the blade assembly. Accordingly, the narrower first knuckle  36  is received in nested fashion between side walls of the wider second knuckle  44 , though the nested relationship between the two knuckles may alternatively be reversed. The pivot shaft  46  penetrates through the two knuckles  36 ,  44  at lower regions thereof. To effect pivotal movement between the blade assembly  14  and the pull tongue  12  about the blade-pitch axis A P , a set of one or more blade-pitch actuators  48  are connected between the pull tongue  12  and the blade assembly  14 . The illustrated example features a pair of blade-pitch actuators  48  disposed in closely adjacent and symmetric relationship to one another across the longitudinal axis A L  at a location of overhead relation to the pivot shaft  46 . Each blade-pitch actuator  48  has one end pivotably pinned between a first set of connection lugs  50  that are rigidly mounted atop the first knuckle  36 , and another end pivotally pinned between a second set of connection lugs  52  that are rigidly mounted atop the neck  40  of the center blade  28 . The two blade-pitch actuators  48  are installed in hydraulically parallel relationship to one another for synchronous operation thereof, whereby extension and collapse of these actuators  48  in concert with one another is operable to pitch the blade assembly  14  in opposing directions about the blade-pitch axis A P  relative to the pull tongue  12 . 
     The wheeled frame  16  is composed of two distinct subframes, namely a front blade-carrying subframe  54  and a rear wheel-carrying subframe  56 . The blade-carrying subframe  54  is composed of a pair of longitudinal beams  58  lying parallel to one another and to the longitudinal axis A L  in symmetrically disposed positions on opposing sides thereof, a rear cross-beam  60  that perpendicularly interconnects to the two longitudinal beams  58  at rear ends thereof, and a pair of diagonal reinforcement braces  62  that each span internally and diagonally between the rear cross-beam  60  and a respective one of the longitudinal beams  58  on a respective side of the longitudinal axis A L . At a front end of the wheeled frame  16 , each longitudinal beam  58  is pivotably coupled to the blade assembly  14  via a respective pivot pin  64 . The pivot pin  64  penetrates transversely through a front end of the longitudinal beam  58 , and also through a cooperating pair of lug walls  66  that are affixed to the rear of the blade assembly  14  near a respective end of the center blade  28 , and between which the front end of the respective longitudinal beam  58  is received. The respective pivot pins  64  of the two longitudinal beams  58  are axially aligned with one another, and define a frame-tilt axis A F  of parallel relationship to the blade-pitch axis A P . 
     A respective frame-tilt actuator  22  is provided atop each longitudinal beam  58  of the blade-carrying subframe  54 , each having a frame-connected end pivotably pinned to the respective longitudinal beam  58  and an opposing blade-connected end pivotably pinned to the blade assembly  14  at points of elevated relation to the frame-tilt axis A F . In the illustrated example, the blade-connected end of each frame-tilt actuator  22  is pinned to the same pair of lug walls  66  between which the front end of the respective longitudinal beam  58  is received, but a higher location thereon. The two frame-tilt actuators  22  are installed in hydraulically parallel relationship to one another for synchronous operation thereof, whereby extension and collapse of these actuators  68  in concert with one another is operable to raise and lower the blade assembly  14  relative to ground level by varying a relative tilt-angle between the blade assembly  14  and the wheeled frame  16  about the frame-tilt axis A F . 
     The wheel-carrying sub-frame  56  is composed of an axle beam  70  that resides behind the rear cross-beam  60  of the blade-carrying subframe  54 , and an upright stanchion  72  mounted atop the axle beam  70 . The stanchion  72  resides at a centered location between the opposing ends of the axle beam  70 , at which the ground wheels  18  are respectively mounted in rotatable fashion. The axle beam  70  is coupled to the rear cross-beam  60  of the blade-carrying subframe  54  by a swivel connection  74  that resides at the longitudinal midplane P M  of the implement, and thus is located centrally of both the rear cross-beam  60  and axle beam  70 . The swivel connection  74  defines a longitudinally-oriented roll-axis A R  that resides in the longitudinal midplane P M  and lies parallel to the longitudinal beams  58  and perpendicular to the frame-tilt axis A F , and about which blade-carrying and wheel-carrying subframes  54 ,  56  can be swivelled relative to one another. To control relative motion between the subframes  54 ,  56  about this roll axis A R , a pair of swivel actuators  78  reside on opposing sides of the wheel axle stanchion  72 , and each have one end pivotally pinned to the rear cross-beam  60  of the blade-carrying subframe  54  near a respective end of the rear cross-beam  60  thereof, and another end pivotally pinned to the wheel axle stanchion  72  at a nearest side thereof. 
     By collapsing a selected one of the swivel actuators  78  and simultaneously extending the other, the pair of swivel actuators  78  are operable to perform swivelling of the front blade-carrying subframe  54 , and the blade assembly  14  attached thereto, in either direction about the roll axis A R . Such swiveling movement in either direction about the roll axis A R  raises one end of the blade assembly  14  (i.e. one of the wing blades  30 ), and lowers the other end of the blade assembly  14  (i.e. the other one of the wing blades  30 ). In a neutral state of both swivel actuators  78  (neither fully collapsed, nor fully extended), the bottom working edge  28 A of the center blade  28  of the blade assembly  14  is parallel to the axle beam  70 , and thus parallel to the wheel axes and to a ground contact plane in which the ground wheels  18  contact the underlying ground surface, whereby the working edge  28 A of the center blade  28  acts to level out the ground surface at its existing grade during towed travel of the implement  10  over the ground. With either swivel actuator  78  extended and the other one retracted, one end of the blade assembly  14  is raised relative to the other, and so the bottom working edge  28 A of the center blade  28  of the blade assembly  14  is obliquely tilted about the roll axis A R  relative to the axle beam  70 , and thus also obliquely tilted relative to the wheel axes and ground contact plane, whereby towed travel of the implement instead imparts a newly angled grade to the ground surface. 
     Such adjustment of the blade assembly about a roll axis A R  between a neutral non-tilted roll position, for ground leveling operations, and one of two available tilted roll positions, for grading operations; and relative movement between the wheeled frame  16  and blade assembly  14  about a frame tilt axis A F  to adjust the elevation of the blade assembly  14 , are already known in the art, for example as evidenced by Applicant&#39;s aforementioned Gladiator implement. However, the novel addition of the blade-pitch connection  24  between the pull tongue  12  and the blade assembly  14 , and the associated blade-pitch actuators  48  for adjusting the blade assembly&#39;s pitch angle relative to the tongue  12  about the blade pitch axis A P , enables greater variation of the blade assembly&#39;s orientation in a beneficial manner enabling more complex ground-shaping operations than the conventional leveling and grading operations achievable by adjustment of the blade&#39;s roll-position about the roll axis A R . Different attainable blade assembly positions of varying pitch angle are shown in  FIGS.  4 A- 4 C , in each of which the swivel actuators  78  are in their neutral position, corresponding to a roll-neutral position of the blade. 
     In  FIG.  4 A , the blade-pitch actuators  48  are in neutral positions, and the common plane Pc shared by the bottom working edges  28 A,  30 A of all three blades  28 ,  30  is set at an orientation parallel to the ground contact plane P G  of the ground wheels  18 . So, in instances where the implement&#39;s ground wheels are on a horizontal ground surface, the common plane Pc of the bottom working edges  28 A,  30 A of the blade assembly  14  is likewise oriented horizontally. With the blade assembly in this pitch-neutral position, and also set at a suitable ground-engaging elevation via adjustment of the frame-tilt actuators  22 , the implement is said to be in a ground-levelling mode. As can be seen in the corresponding rear view of the blade assembly in  FIG.  5 A , the bottom working edges  28 A,  30 A of all three blades  28 ,  30  of the blade assembly  14  reside in a same horizontal working plane P H , which during towed use of the implement, schematically shown in  FIG.  6 A , performs a conventional leveling operation, whereby the ground surface is imparted with a level ground profile GL over the full width of the blade assembly, the result of which is shown in  FIG.  7 A . 
     In  FIG.  4 B , the blade-pitch actuators  48  have been extended to pitch the front of the blade assembly  14  upward, a result of which is that the common plane Pc shared by the bottom working edges  28 A,  30 A of all three blades  28 ,  30  is set at a forwardly inclined orientation relative to the ground contact plane P G  of the ground wheels  18 . So, in instances where the implement&#39;s ground wheels are on a horizontal ground surface, the working edge  28 A of the center blade  28  once again resides in a horizontal working plane P H , but the working edges  30 A of the wing blades  30  reside in forwardly inclined working planes Pi of forwardly inclined relationship to the horizontal working plane P H . While  FIG.  4 B  shows the working edges of the blade assembly in elevated relation to the ground contact plane P G , it will be appreciated that via adjustment of the frame tilt actuators  22 , the blade assembly  14  is lowerable down to a suitable working height for engagement with the ground in the manner shown in  FIG.  6 B . The forwardly inclined slope of these forwardly inclined working planes Pi of the wing blades  30  can be seen in in the side view of  FIG.  4 B , while laterally-outward angle of inclination also possessed by the forwardly inclined working planes Pi can be seen in the rear blade view of  FIG.  5 B . With the blade assembly  14  in this upwardly-pitched position, and also set at a suitable ground-engaging elevation, the implement is said to be in a ditching mode. During towed operation of the implement in this ditching mode, as schematically shown in  FIG.  6 B , a non-uniform ditch-forming ground profile G D  is imparted to the ground surface over the width of the blade assembly  14 . With further reference to  FIG.  7 B , a level central region R C  of the ground profile G D  is formed beneath the horizontal working edge  28 A of the center blade  28 , and upwardly sloped outer regions R U  of the ground profile G D  that slope upwardly from opposing ends of the level central region R C  are respectively formed beneath the outwardly inclined wing blades  30 . 
     In  FIG.  4 C , the blade-pitch actuators  48  have been collapsed to pitch the front of the blade assembly downward, a result of which is that the common plane Pc shared by the bottom working edges  28 A,  30 A of all three blades  28 ,  30  is set at a forwardly declined orientation relative to the ground contact plane P G  of the ground wheels  18 . So, in instances where the implement&#39;s ground wheels are on a horizontal ground surface, the working edge  28 A of the center blade  28  once again resides in a horizontal working plane P H , but the working edges  30 A of the wing blades  30  reside declined working planes Po of forwardly declined relationship to the horizontal working plane P H . The forwardly declined slope of these working planes Po of the wing blades  30  can be seen in in the side view of  FIG.  4 C , while a laterally-outward angle of declination also possessed by these forwardly declined working planes Po can be seen in the rear blade view of  FIG.  5 C . With the blade assembly  14  in this downwardly-pitched position, and also set at a suitable ground-engaging elevation via adjustment of the frame-tilt actuators  22 , the implement is said to be in a crowning mode. During towed operation of the implement in this crowning mode, as schematically shown in  FIG.  6 C , a non-uniform crown-forming ground profile G C  is imparted to the ground surface over the width of the blade assembly  14 . With further reference to  FIG.  7 C , a level central region R C  of the ground profile G C  is again formed beneath the horizontal working edge  28 A of the center blade  28 , and downwardly sloped outer regions RD of the ground profile G D  that slope downwardly from opposing ends of the level central region R C  are respectively formed beneath the outwardly declined wing blades  30 . 
     The novel design of the land moving implement thus fully retains the same land levelling and land grading functionality of prior art implements, while adding new ditching and crowning capabilities. In the illustrate embodiment, this extra functionality is attained purely through additional pitch-adjustability of a blade assembly with fixedly-angled wings, rather than through incorporation of of movable blade sections by which the shape of the blade assembly itself could be modified to impart different shape profiles to the agricultural field or other ground surface being worked by the towed implement. 
     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.