Patent ID: 8381422

Claim:
The method of converting a blade attachment of an off-road vehicle to a quick-attach blade wherein the blade attachment includes a push tube assembly comprising a pair of longitudinally extending push tubes, having rearward and forward ends, which have their rearward ends pivotally secured to the vehicle about horizontal axes which are transverse to the longitudinal axis of the push tubes, a generally horizontally disposed base plate secured to the push tubes at the forward ends thereof, a blade pivot mounted on the base plate and being selectively pivotally secured thereto about a vertical axis, and a plow blade operatively hingedly secured to the blade pivot for movement therewith, comprising the steps of: providing a rear adapter assembly including a generally horizontally disposed first mounting plate having a forward end, a rearward end, a first side, a second side and first and second horizontally spaced-apart elongated tubes secured thereto which extend forwardly from the forward end thereof; providing a front adapter assembly including a generally horizontally disposed second mounting plate having a forward end, a rearward end, a first side, a second side, and first and second horizontally spaced-apart elongated receiver tubes secured thereto which extend rearwardly therefrom and which have open rearward ends; removing the blade pivot and blade from the base plate; securing the rear adapter assembly to the base plate so that the first mounting plate is positioned on the base plate; securing the blade pivot to the second mounting plate so that the blade pivot is positioned on the second mounting plate and so that the blade pivot is selectively horizontally pivotally movable with respect thereto; the first and second tubes of the rear adapter assembly being adapted to be selectively received by the first and second receiver tubes so that the front adapter assembly, the blade pivot and the blade may be quickly attached to the push tube assembly of the vehicle.