GB1566765A

GB1566765A - Ploughs

Info

Publication number: GB1566765A
Application number: GB5096577A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: NAUD EXPL CHARRUES
Current assignee: NAUD EXPL CHARRUES
Priority date: 1976-12-10
Filing date: 1977-12-07
Publication date: 1980-05-08
Also published as: BE861485A; FR2373217A1; IT1088736B; FR2373217B1; LU78651A1

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO PLOUGHS (71) We, SOCIETE D'EXPLOITATION DES CHARRUES NAUD, a SocitC anonyme organised under the laws of France, of R.D. 752, Andreze 49600, Beaupreau, Franoe, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to improvements in ploughs of the all-metal wheel plough type, designed to be towed behind a tractor, such as the reversible multiple or gang ploughs.

Provided in such ploughs is a frame designed to be fixed at one of its ends to the threepoint lifting mechanism of a tractor, the said frame supporting a series of support beams which are mounted for tilting or rocking movement at their front ends and of which the other ends carry a frog supporting the ploughshares and the mould boards. In such ploughs, means are provided for locking the support beams in the operating position of the plough, such means being so arranged as to free the said support beams when the plougshares meet abnormal resistance in the ground.

Such arrangements operate perfectly satisfactorily, but have the disadvantage that after release of one of the locking means, it is necessary for the said support beam to be manually replaced.

It has accordingly been proposed to provide automatic means permitting the assembly to be restored to the working position when a support beam is unlocked and to relock it automatically after the position where the corresponding plougshare has caused the rocking of the said beam, because of the great resistance which it has met.

Generally, these means comprise at least one hydraulic jack for each support beam, these jacks being connected to a tank under pressure. With this arrangement, when a ploughshare encounters a too great resistance, the corresponding support beam rocks against the action of the jack, of which the oil contained in the body of this latter is sent under the effect of the displacement of the piston into the tank. The pressure, increasing in the tank, tends to be returned into the cylinder of the jack, so that when the point of great resistance in the ground has been passed, the support beam reassumes its working position.

Such an arrangement has numerous inconveniences. The system is complex and the adjustment thereof is delicate, while the response time for restoring the support beam to its working position is slow; moreover, it is practically impossible, without excessive complication of the system, to achieve an adjustment for each support beam: now it is known that the plougshare; located towards the front of the plough are subjected to a force which is much greater than that of the plougshares situated towards the rear, so that either the front support beams are constantly released, or the triggering point for the unlocking of the rear support beams is too great, so that there is danger of the elements being broken.

An arrangement is also known in which the support beam is hollow and is traversed by a rod, one end of which is articulated on the frame, while the other end which extends beyond the support beam is connected to a support of one of the ends of a leaf spring, of which the other end is fixed on the support beam. That end of the support beam which is adjacent the frame is applied to the bearing surfaces of the latter.

Using such an arrangement, a plough is obtained with a safety means comprising an automatic resetting in the working position, but it has numerous disadvantages. Particularly when the plougshare meets a large obstacle, the rod abuts against the internal surface of the support beam so that it causes a displacement of the latter, which is disengaged from its bearings, so that once the obstacle has been cleared, the support beam does not return into its initial working position. It is thus necessary for it to be put back in position, this representing a considerable loss of time.

The present invention aims at providing improvements which permit the various dis advantages as referred to above to be overcome in a simple and efficient manner.

.rrccording to this invention we provide a plough comprising a frame adapted to be coupled to the rear end of a tractor, at least one hollow support beam carrying close to one rear end a frog supporting a ploughshire and a mould board, while the other end is mounted for rocking movement on the frame to and from a position disposed above the longitudinal axis of the support beam, a rod pivoted on the frame extending through the hollow support beam, an abutment at an intermediate point of the length of the support beam, which abutment is traversed by the rod, and a helical compression spring, engaged on the said rod and tending to hold the support beam in its normal operating position, fitted into the hollow support beam, one end bearing against the abutment and the other end bearing against a nut screwed on to the threaded free end of the rod remote from the frame.

In this way, a very simple and very efficient automatic safety means is provided, in which it is possible to regulate the point of release for each support beam independently of the others.

In addition, it becomes unnecessary to use all the bolts and other similar members, the functioning of which is always uncertain after a certain amount of wear.

In accordance with another feature, the improvements are applicable to reversible ploughs, of which the frame comprises two pivot points located above and below the longitudinal axis of the support beam, so that, when working, the said support beam is always able to rock above the said longitudinal axis, and are characterised in that the end of the support beam mounted for rocking movement on the frame comprises a member formed by a substantially rectangular plate disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the said support beam and comprising two horizontally aligned journals or pivots along the upper horizontal edge and two aligned journals or pivots along the lower edge and parallel with the two upper pivots, the corresponding end of the frame being provided with a support comprising seatings for the said pivots.

Finally, the pivot point of the rod on the frame is situated to the rear of the plate.

Because of this arrangement, the deflections of the rod with the rocking of the support beam are small, so that any danger of the latter jamming in the opening of the stop or abutment is avoided.

The invention is now to be described in greater detail by reference to one specific embodiment which is given simply by way of example and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a plough improved in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is an elevation to a larger scale of a support beam of the plough, partly broken away to facilitate understanding, Figure 3 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, the support beam being rocked.

The plough which is illustrated in the Figures comprises a frame 1 formed of a plough beam and of which the front end comprises means for coupling it to a threepoint lifting mechanism and a jack 2 for controlling the return movement.

The plough comprises three support beams, 3, 4 and 5, which are all identical and are mounted in the same manner on the main plough beam, each of them comprising frogs 6 which support plougshares 7 and mould boards 8.

One of the support beams, for example, the beam 3 is shown to a larger scale in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the said support beam being formed by a tubular member of square section, one of the ends of which is integral with a plate 10 of generally square formation and reinforced by stays 11, the said plate comprising two pivots 12 along its upper edge or margin and two pivots 13 along its lower margin.

Close to its end which is integral with the plate, the tubular body comprises an internal abutment or stop 14 in which is drilled a central hole 15 through which extends a rod 16 passing through a helical spring 17 fitted into the tubular body, the rod having at one end an annular member 18, formed by a reinforcement, while the other end comprises a screwthread 19 which receives a nut 20 with interposition of a washer 21.

The main plough beam 1 comprises supports 22 which are welded laterally and solidly in their central portion, a fork 23, between the prongs of which is inserted the annular member 18, the latter and the prongs having a pin 24 extending therethrough.

The support 22 is provided along its upper margin with cylindrical seatings 26, while it has along its lower margin cylindrical seatings 27. The pivots or journals 12 cooperate with the seatings 26 and the pivots or journals 13 with the seatings 27.

As will be seen from the various Figures 2, 3 and 4, the pivot pin 24 is disposed towards the rear in relation to a plane passing through the seatings 26 and 27. Because of this arrangement, the rod 16 remains substantially in alignment with the axis of the spring 17 in the different angular positions which may be occupied by the support beam.

The operation of the plough is as follows: In the normal operating position, the different support beams occupy the position of the beams 3 and 5. If a ploughshare 7 digging into the ground meets any abnormal resistance, it tends to rock the corresponding support beam towards a position close to that which is represented by the support beam 4 (Figure 1) or the support beam 3 (Figure 4).

With the rocking movement of the support beam (Figure 4), the pivots 12 co-operate with the seatings 26 and the annular member or ring 18 pivots about the pivot pin 24, while the spring 17 is compressed.

It is understood that, as the support beam rocks to a greater extent, the spring 17 will be more strongly compressed and as a consequence it will tend to restore the said support beam to its initial working position.

As soon as the difficult point has been passed, by the action of the spring 17, the support beam will return to its operating position.

It is understood that it is very easily possible to regulate the starling point from which the support beams rock, by tightening the nuts 20 to a greater or lesser extent, so that each support beam may be regulated independently of the other, this being very important.

It is also understood that the invention is very simple and that, because of the particular mounting of the support beams, the latter will be able to rock just as well on the pivots 12 as on the pivots 13, following the ploughshares during operation, but also in directions perpendicularly of the pivots 12 and the pivots 13, this offering a very high degree of safety, Obviously, the invention is not restricted to the embodiment which has been described and illustrated herein, but that it will be able to incorporate therein numerous modifications as regards details without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

For example, the spring 17 could be replaced by an elastic material.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A plough, comprising a frame adapted to be coupled to the rear end of a tractor, at least one hollow support beam carrying close to one rear end a frog supporting a plougshare and a mould board, while the other end is mounted for rocking movement on the frame to and from a position disposed above the longitudinal axis of the support beam, a rod pivoted on the frame extending through the hollow support beam, an abutment at an intermediate point of the length of the support beam, which abutment is traversed by the rod, and a helical compression spring, engaged on the said rod and tending to hold the support beam in its normal operating position, fitted into the hollow support beam, one end bearing against the abutment and the other end bearing against a nut screwed on to the threaded free end of the rod remote from the frame.

2. A plough according to claim 1, of the reversible type, the frame comprising two pivot points disposed above and below the longitudinal axis of the support beam, in such a way that, during operation, the said support beam is always able to rock above the said longitudinal axis, and wherein the end of the support beam mounted for rocking movement on the frame comprises a member formed by a substantially rectangular plate arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the said support beam and comprising two horizontally aligned journals or pivots along the upper horizontal margin and two other journals or pivots aligned and parallel to the two upper journals or pivots along the lower margin, the corresponding end of the frame being provided with a support comprising seatings for the said journals or pivots.

3. A plough according to claim 2, wherein the point of pivoting of the rod on the frame is disposed to the rear of the plate.

4. A plough according to claim 1 substantially as described herein.

5. A plough substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein with reference thereto.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. In the normal operating position, the different support beams occupy the position of the beams 3 and 5. If a ploughshare 7 digging into the ground meets any abnormal resistance, it tends to rock the corresponding support beam towards a position close to that which is represented by the support beam 4 (Figure 1) or the support beam 3 (Figure 4). With the rocking movement of the support beam (Figure 4), the pivots 12 co-operate with the seatings 26 and the annular member or ring 18 pivots about the pivot pin 24, while the spring 17 is compressed. It is understood that, as the support beam rocks to a greater extent, the spring 17 will be more strongly compressed and as a consequence it will tend to restore the said support beam to its initial working position. As soon as the difficult point has been passed, by the action of the spring 17, the support beam will return to its operating position. It is understood that it is very easily possible to regulate the starling point from which the support beams rock, by tightening the nuts 20 to a greater or lesser extent, so that each support beam may be regulated independently of the other, this being very important. It is also understood that the invention is very simple and that, because of the particular mounting of the support beams, the latter will be able to rock just as well on the pivots 12 as on the pivots 13, following the ploughshares during operation, but also in directions perpendicularly of the pivots 12 and the pivots 13, this offering a very high degree of safety, Obviously, the invention is not restricted to the embodiment which has been described and illustrated herein, but that it will be able to incorporate therein numerous modifications as regards details without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the spring 17 could be replaced by an elastic material. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A plough, comprising a frame adapted to be coupled to the rear end of a tractor, at least one hollow support beam carrying close to one rear end a frog supporting a plougshare and a mould board, while the other end is mounted for rocking movement on the frame to and from a position disposed above the longitudinal axis of the support beam, a rod pivoted on the frame extending through the hollow support beam, an abutment at an intermediate point of the length of the support beam, which abutment is traversed by the rod, and a helical compression spring, engaged on the said rod and tending to hold the support beam in its normal operating position, fitted into the hollow support beam, one end bearing against the abutment and the other end bearing against a nut screwed on to the threaded free end of the rod remote from the frame.

4. A plough according to claim 1 substantially as described herein.