Abstract:
A pile and/or post pounder utilizing a tracked floating anvil and having a continuous loop for lifting a tracked hammer. The pounder is adapted to be transported on, and powered by the hydraulic system on any mobile construction equipment. It safely holds the post in position when pounding is commenced. The continuous loop, driven by a variable speed hydraulic motor, facilitates hammering at as high a rate as possible. The utilization of a floating anvil to pound a post is made possible by a floating anvil which is able to withstand severe lateral loading which results when the top portion of the post slides laterally outwards.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to pile and post pounders. More particularly this invention relates to a post pounder utilizing a continuous loop lift means for lifting a tracked hammer. It features a tracked floating anvil which is capable of withstanding not only vertical but severe lateral impact. Lateral impact results when a post is struck which is not in perfect alignment with the direction of the blow. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With a conventional pile or post pounder it is necessary for an operator to hold a post beneath the hammer until the post has been driven into the ground sufficiently to remain upright and aligned beneath the hammer. Driven posts have a tendency to mushroom and split. Holding the post is dangerous. It is next to impossible to consistently squarely strike the top portion of a post. If the post gets sufficiently out of alignment with the direction of the hammer&#39;s stroke, then the top portion of the post tends to fly out laterally from beneath the hammer. What is needed is a safe means to initially hold the driven post in alignment with the direction of the hammer&#39;s stroke. 
     The utilization of a floating anvil solves the problem of initially holding the post while it is started into the ground. When a post is hammered into the ground, especially when it is being started it may move out of alignment. When a hammer is used to strike a floating anvil which is seated on the top of the post we can be assured that the post will be struck. However, if the post has moved out of alignment with the direction of the hammer stroke, the post will tend to fly outwardly from beneath the anvil. When the anvil is seated around and over the top portion of the post this high energy lateral motion is transferred through the anvil into the tracks. In order to reap the considerable benefits which result from pounding a post with a floating anvil what is needed is a floating anvil which has the capacity to withstand severe vertical and lateral impact. The floating anvil should also be relatively lightweight so that minimal energy of the hammer is dissipated therein. 
     OBJECTS AND STATEMENT OF INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to disclose a means of safely and accurately positioning and holding a post of any shape which is to be driven, beneath a hammer. It is an object of this invention to disclose a means of consistently squarely striking a driven post. It is an object of this invention to eliminate the damage—typically mushrooming and splitting—to the top end portion of a driven post. It is a further object of this invention to disclose a portable post pounder which may be lifted and lowered onto a positioned post, which is hydraulically powered, and which may be conveniently carried, by conventional mobile equipment. It is a final object of this invention to disclose a post pounder having a relatively lightweight floating anvil which has the capacity to withstand severe vertical and lateral impact. 
     One aspect of this invention provides for a floating anvil adopted to seat on a post in a post pounder having a hammer sliding between two upright parallel tracks comprising: an upper portion made of a hardened metal to withstand the impact of the hammer; a central portion made of a softer metal attached to the upper portion; a lower portion adapted to surround a top portion of the post and maintain it in an upright position beneath the anvil; and guide means attached to opposite sides of the floating anvil adapted to mate with and slide within the tracks. 
     Another aspect of this invention provides for a post pounder comprising: a frame; an upright track mounted on the frame; a floating anvil as in claim 1 positioned in the track, adapted to seat on the post; a sliding hammer positioned in the track positioned above the floating anvil; and, lift means carried by the frame to lift, and then to drop the sliding hammer; wherein use the frame is lifted to seat the floating anvil on a post positioned for driving; and then the hammer is reiteratively lifted in the track and dropped until the post is sufficiently driven into the ground. 
     Various other objects, advantages and features of novelty which characterize this invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims which form part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its users, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and description, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated. 
    
    
     FIGURES OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth will become apparent to those skilled in the art when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1A is an elevational view of a post pounder without a post. 
     FIG. 1B is the elevational view of the post pounder shown in FIG. 1 seated on a post. 
     FIG. 1C is the elevational view of the post pounder shown in FIG. 1B having it hammer partially lifted. 
     FIG. 1D is the elevational view of the post pounder shown in FIG. 1C having its hammer fully lifted. 
     FIG. 1E is the elevational view of the post pounder shown in FIG. 1D after its hammer has been dropped. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the post pounder shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a floating anvil which has the capacity to withstand severe vertical and lateral impact. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower side portion of a floating anvil comprising a flat chisel adapted to cut through asphalt. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lower side portion of a floating anvil comprising a chisel point used to break concrete. 
    
    
     The following is a discussion and description of the preferred specific embodiments of this invention, such being made with reference to the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts and/or structure. It should be noted that such discussion and description is not meant to unduly limit the scope of the invention. Throughout the specification and claims herein the post pounder is defined and intended to include a pile driver. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1A-1E we have elevational views of a post pounder  20  which show its operation. FIG. 1A is an elevational view of a post pounder  20  before seating on a post  22 . FIG. 1B is the elevational view of the post pounder  20  shown in FIG. 1 having its tracked floating anvil  26  seated on a post  22 . Lug  42  on chain  40  is in a low position. FIG. 1C is the elevational view of the post pounder  20  shown in FIG. 1B having its columnar shaped hammer  24  partially lifted by lug  42  on chain  40 . FIG. 1D is the elevational view of the post pounder  20  shown in FIG. 1C having its hammer  24  fully lifted by lug  42  on chain  40 . FIG. 1E is the elevational view of the post pounder  20  shown in FIG. 1D after its hammer  24  has been dropped on the tracked floating anvil  26  which is seated on a top portion of the post  22 . In use the post pounder  20  is lifted and its floating anvil  26  is seated on a post  22  positioned for driving; then the hammer  24  is reiteratively lifted and dropped until the post  22  is sufficiently driven into the ground  30 . 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the post pounder  20  shown in FIG.  1 . The post pounder  20  for driving a post  20  into the ground  30  comprises: a frame  28 ; two parallel upright tracks  32  (which most preferably are U shaped channels) mounted on the frame  28 ; a floating anvil  26  having opposite sides positioned in and between the tracks  32 , adapted to seat on the post  22 ; a sliding hammer  24  having opposite sides positioned in and between the tracks  28  above the floating anvil  26 ; and, continuous loop lift means  38  carried by the frame  28  to lift the sliding hammer  24 . 
     Continuous loop lift means  38  most preferably comprises a chain  40  having a projecting lug  42  adapted to engage the sliding hammer  24  so that when the chain  40  is driven, so that the sliding hammer  24  is first lifted and then dropped. The chain  40  extends between two sprockets  46  so that it has an upright lifting side. Most preferably an upright back plate  49  is positioned behind the lifting side of the chain  40  to ensure that the lug  42  linearly tracks alongside the hammer  24  for lifting without premature disengagement. Additionally, the lift means  38  preferably comprises a hydraulic motor  48 . The hydraulic motor  48  may be driven by the hydraulic system on any mobile equipment used to transport the post pounder  20  including, a truck, a trailer, a bobcat, a front end loader, and a 3 point hitch (none shown). The post pounder  20  may replace the shovel on a bobcat or front end loader (none shown) by attachment to an outside portion of lower frame back member  29 . 
     With a single hydraulic control (not shown) an operator may start, stop, and optimally select the hammering rate on a driven post  22 . The sliding hammer  24  is fabricated from a square channel having a cavity which may be filled with varying amounts of ballast (usually chain) so that an optimum hammer weight may be selected for an application. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a floating anvil  26  which is adopted to seat on a post  22 . The anvil  26  comprises: an upper portion  34  made of a hardened steel to withstand the impact of the hammer  24 ; a central portion  34  made of a soft steel bolted to the upper portion  34 ; a lower portion  37  configured to surround a top portion of the post  22  and maintain it in an upright position beneath the anvil  26 ; and guide means which are preferably bushing  50  attached to opposite sides of the upper portion  34  of the floating anvil  26 . 
     Most preferably each oppsite side of the upper portion  34  of the anvil  26  carries an upper and lower bushing  50  The bushings  50  are preferably made of nylon and held together by a bushing attachment means which most preferably is a bushing bolt  52 . It is contemplated that the bushing attachment means could include fusion of the upper and lower bushing  50 . A shock absorbing rubber disk  54  insulates the bushing bolts  52  from the bushings  50 . The bushing  50  are configured to prevent the upper portion  34  of the anvil  26  from contacting the tracks  32  and the bushing bolts  52 . 
     The lower portion  37  of the anvil  26  comprises a split peripheral member which is a split ring  56 , which projects downwardly to circumscribe a post  22  of a specified diameter. The ring  56  is split so that it may remain attached when the central portion  36  flexes. The split ring  56  may be welded to the central portion  36 . 
     In the most preferred embodiment of the invention the upper portion  34  was made from a 1¼ inch thick “QT100” grade of hardened steel. The central portion was made from a ¾ inch thick soft steel. Each nylon bushing is 2¼ inches high so that the floating anvil has a 5¼ inch height and will remain upright in the track s  32  without binding. The upper portion  34  of the anvil  26  has to be hard steel to stand up to the hammer  24 . When the upper portion  34  was made of soft steel it UPS curled up. Even the guide means  50  has to be attached to opposite sides of the hard upper portion  34  of the floating anvil  26 . When the guide means  50  was attached to the central portion  36 , it too curled under the lateral load. By experimentation it was learned that the floating anvil  26  had to have a soft steel central portion  36 . When the lower portion  37  was welded to hard steel the weld broke—the hard steel did not flex. When the lower portion  37  was bolted to the anvil  26  the bolts (not shown) broke immediately. When the lower portion  37  was not split it too shattered. It was also found that it was necessary to interpose bushings  50  between the upper portion  34  and the tracks  32  to prevent deformation of the tracks  32 . And without rubber disks  54  interposed between the nylon bushings  50  and the bushing bolts  52 , the bushing bolts broke. Several engineering firms attempted to design the floating anvil  26 , and none produced a workable floating anvil  26 . 
     FIG. 4 shows the detachable lower side portion of the floating anvil  36  having a flat chisel  52 . It is adapted to cut asphalt. FIG. 5 shows the detachable lower side portion  36  of the floating anvil  26  having a conical chisel point  50 . It is adapted to break concrete. 
     While the invention has been described with preferred specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention. The optimal dimensional relationships for all parts of the invention are to include all variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, assembly, and operation, which are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art. All equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings, and described in the specification, are intended to be encompassed in this invention. What is desired to be protected is defined by the following claims.