RU2843732C2 - Towed device for preparation of ski slopes - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: sport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to towed devices for preparation of ski, mainly tourist, trails for skate-ski trail mechanized preparation method for skate-ski movement. Towed device for preparation of ski slopes comprises a frame and a trail cutter, characterized in that the frame is a metal structure consisting of two L-shaped frames with their reinforcement on the side of the inner corner with a struts and interconnected by transverse braces, forming two frame arms – the upper horizontal arm and the downward directed vertical arm, at that, at the end of the vertical arm of the frame, a piece of pipe is transversely located for axial connection of the frame with a ski track cutter, and in the front part of the horizontal arm of the frame there is a towing coupler, wherein in the horizontal frame arm rear part the levelling blade upper suspension unit is located, the upper suspension unit includes a U-shaped plate, with which the levelling knife is connected, wherein the ski track cutter comprises a lever with a handle, in addition, a finisher is fixed on the ski track cutter.

EFFECT: preparation of a ski track is ensured in any weather conditions with any snow cover condition with the least expenditure of both material resources, such as fuel and lubricants, wear and tear of equipment, and the physical efforts of the snowmobile driver.

8 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to trailer devices for preparing ski trails (cross-country skis), both for skating and classical movement.

A device is known for a machine method of preparing a skating rink on ice, containing a traction and towing device, made with a mechanism for preparing the skating rink installed on it (patent for invention No. 2565570).

A device is known for a machine method of preparing a skating track on snow for classic and skating skiing, containing a towing device for preparing a skating track by compacting the snow cover, designed with the possibility of interaction with a traction device (patent for invention No. 2652943).

The disadvantages of the known devices are that they are very complex in design and operation, and also inconvenient to use.

A universal device for preparing ski tracks is known, containing a frame of longitudinal and transverse rods with a cutter fixed to it for cutting a classic ski track (patent for utility model No. 187787).

This device was chosen as the closest analogue - prototype.

The main disadvantage of this prototype device is the limited technological capabilities, lack of universality. It is impossible to prepare tracks with a significant amount of fallen and especially wet snow, because two or three loosening elements will hold a significant amount of snow, creating a snow bank that will lead to the towing vehicle stopping.

Another disadvantage is that it takes a lot of effort to turn this unit over to switch from the mode of loosening and leveling the track to the mode of cutting a classic ski track, after first removing it from the towing vehicle and dragging it back into place and reattaching it to the towing vehicle, which will be very difficult in conditions of a significant amount of fresh snow.

The purpose of the declared technical solution is high-quality preparation of a ski track in any weather conditions with any state of snow cover, both for skating and classic skiing with the least expenditure of material resources, such as fuel and lubricants, wear and tear of equipment, etc., and easing the physical efforts of the snowmobile driver.

The goal is achieved by the fact that the device is a compact, quickly disassemblable structure, equipped with a leveling knife with an electric drive, controlled remotely.

The functions of the device are to level and compact freshly fallen snow, loosen and create a smooth, ribbed coating on the snow surface. This towing device is also designed for cutting a classic ski track.

The claimed technical solution contains the following elements:

The frame, which is a small-sized metal structure 20 cm wide and 130 cm long, consisting of two L-shaped frames reinforced from the side of the inner corner with a truss (29) and connected to each other with transverse struts (16). In this way, two frame arms are formed: the upper horizontal (10), which is longer and a shorter, downward-facing, vertical arm (42). In the front part of the horizontal arm of the frame there is a towing hitch and a coupling height adjustment unit with a towing vehicle for the correct position of the leveling knife in the extreme, upper and lower positions. This unit consists of an external shorter pipe (6) with a through hole (8), vertically fixed in the front part of the frame and a pipe of a smaller size or diameter (7) inserted into it with through holes located at different heights. When aligning the holes of the inner pipe with the holes of the outer pipe and inserting a bolt into them and fixing it with a nut (73), it is possible to change the distance from the ski track to the upper arm of the frame in steps. At the bottom of the inner pipe of the coupling height adjustment unit with the towing vehicle, there is a spring-loaded towing hitch consisting of a ring (1) with a rod (2) passing inside the outer pipe (3) and a spring (9) which is installed between the rear end of the outer pipe and a nut with a washer located at the opposite end of the inner threaded rod from the ring. At the rear of the horizontal arm of the frame there is a unit of the upper suspension of the leveling knife with an electric drive controlled remotely. Its design consists of an external short pipe (22) fixed to the frame using a hinge joint (20), as well as an internal longer pipe of smaller diameter (24) at the lower end of which there is a U-shaped plate (23) with holes located at different heights (25) relative to the processed snow surface. On the external and internal pipes there are brackets with holes (27) in which an electric linear drive (26) is installed. On the upper arm of the frame between two cross struts made of an angular steel profile, an autonomous power supply unit for 12-24v (14) is attached. In the central part of the vertical arm of the frame there is a unit for automatic fixation of the ski track cutter at an angle to the processed snow surface. This unit consists of a lever (34) fixed using an axial connection (38) on a cross strut of the vertical arm of the frame, around which the lever can move. The lower part of the lever, which has a triangular projection with an acute angle (40), is pulled up to the stop to the transverse strut of the frame, secured with a spring (32) between the lever (34) and the bracket (30). In the upper part of the lever for fixing the ski track cutter, there is a handle for driving it (36). Below, at the end of the vertical arm of the frame, a section of pipe (62) is located transversely, serving for the axial connection of the frame with the ski track cutter. In the front, in the direction of travel, part of the horizontal arm of the frame there are two axles (4) with threads on their ends. These axles are located horizontally, to the right and to the left of the sides of the horizontal arm of the frame and serve for the axial connection of two rods of the upper suspension of the leveling knife (11). Also on the upper horizontal arm of the frame there is a stand (18) used to fix the wheel chassis on it, when there is a need to change the weight distribution on the track cutter when "cutting" the extrusion of the ski track, then when rearranging the wheel chassis from the rear brackets (53) to the stand (18) it is possible to change the ratio of the pressure force exerted by the weight of the towing device, between the knives of the track cutter (35) located in its front part and the rear part, profiling the ski track elements (37). The track cutter consists of a plastic rectangular plate (65), on top of which there is a frame made of a steel angular section and which is attached to the plastic plate using nuts and studs (59) (60), with which the knives (35) and profiling elements (37) of the track cutter are equipped, installed below the plastic plate. The ski track cutter frame consists of one transverse angular profile (58) and two longitudinal angular profiles (46). On the longitudinal elements of the frame, in addition to the openings located on their horizontal faces and serving to attach the knives and ski track profiling elements to them, there are two openings (39) located in the rear part of the vertical faces, serving to attach the finisher to the ski track cutter using a bolted connection (61). Also on the vertical faces of the longitudinal elements of the frame, in the area located above the point of contact of the knives with the ski track profiling elements, there are two threaded openings (44) opposite each other, serving, when screwing bolts (63) into them, to form an axial connection of the ski track cutter with the frame of the towing device. A pneumatic shock absorber (28) is fixed at one end on the cross member of the ski track cutter frame; a lever with a handle (31) is fixed near the place where the shock absorber is fixed, which serves to lift the ski track cutter. In the center of the cross member of the frame there is an opening (64) into which, when the ski track cutter is lifted, the tip of the triangular projection (40) enters and the ski track cutter is fixed at an angle to the snow surface. A snow stop (33) is installed between the cross member (58) of the frame and the front edge of the plastic plate (65). Triangular profiles (66) are installed parallel to the longitudinal triangular profile elements (46) along the edges of the plastic plate, which act as stabilizers of the direction of movement when cutting the ski track.

The leveling universal knife is in the front projection a vertically standing rectangular frame, 150 cm wide and about 20 cm high, formed in the lower part by a horizontal plate (17) with triangular teeth (15), in the upper part by a parallel to it transverse rod (67) made of a rectangular profile pipe. At the edges, these transverse horizontal elements are connected by vertically standing plates (21) with ribs directed in the longitudinal direction, also between the plate with triangular teeth and the upper transverse rod there are vertical posts (19) made of an angular profile with the direction of their outer angle forward in the direction of movement. On the lower, horizontal plate with triangular teeth, in rows with extreme vertically standing plates, there are two hinge assemblies (68) standing at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the towing device with the direction of the hinge axis to the side front axles located on the frame (4), with holes for connecting them to the rod of the front suspension of the leveling knife. In the central part of the transversely located upper rod there are two through holes (82) for connecting the leveling knife to the U-shaped plate of the upper suspension. Shields (13) are fixed on the side plates (21).

Finisher - a unit performing the final finishing of the ski track for the skating style of movement. It consists of a transversely located steel channel (51) with plastic segments (49) inserted into it from below, profiling the "corduroy" snow surface, with pins (69) and secured to it with nuts (70). On top of the transverse channel, two pipes (48) are fixed perpendicular to it, directed forward, at a slight angle from the plane of the channel with profiling plastic segments inserted into it. These two pipes are located at the same distance from the center of the channel along the longitudinal axis and at a width of their outer edges equal to the inner distance between the vertical edges of the angular longitudinal profiles of the track cutter. At the ends of these pipes there are two holes (71) serving for the bolted connection (61) of the finisher with the track cutter. In the opposite direction from the pipes used to secure the finisher to the track cutter, there are two profile pipes (53) with a spring-loaded lock (52) used to secure the wheel chassis (54) to them. Shields (41) are secured to the end faces of the finisher. In front of the channel with the profiling "corduroy" segments, on the profile pipes with which it is secured to the track cutter, there is a cross beam (50) of a length equal to the width of the finisher, to which a snow baffle (43) is secured with one edge, and the baffle is secured with the other edge on top of the channel (51) with the profiling segments.

Two rods of the front suspension of the leveling universal knife are made of a profile pipe or a round pipe (11). On the side attached to the frame by means of an axial connection, a section of pipe (5) with an internal diameter slightly exceeding the diameter of the axes located on the sides of the front part of the horizontal arm of the frame (4) is welded to the rod, at the opposite end of the rod a through hole (72) is drilled used for axial connection with hinges (68) located on the transverse, horizontal plate with triangular teeth of the leveling universal knife.

The wheel chassis consists of a transversely located rod (56), on which there are two couplings (55) located at the same distance from each other as the finisher pipes (53), to which the wheel chassis is attached at the rear of the finisher by means of these couplings. In the center of the transverse rod there is a coupling (57) used to attach the chassis from above the horizontal arm of the frame by means of a stand (18). The wheels are mounted on the ends of the transverse rod and their rotation axis is offset relative to the centers of the couplings used to install the chassis at the rear of the finisher, these couplings have cuts for the entry of a triangular tooth of the spring-loaded chassis lock (52).

The autonomous power supply unit is located in a portable case (14), inside which a 12-volt battery or two 12-volt batteries are fixed, depending on the electric drive of the leveling universal knife used, either 12-volt or 24-volt. Inside the portable case there is a compact 12-24-volt charger with a power cable with a 220-volt plug, an automatic fuse against overcurrent and short circuit of the battery, a receiver if wireless control is used. On the outside there are: a 12-24-volt socket (12) for connecting the cable coming from the electric drive of the leveling knife, a digital display showing the remaining charge of the battery, a charger switch, a low-current LED light source.

This towing device operates as follows: to prepare a skating track and a smooth snow base for the classic method of skiing, it is necessary to pull the lever with the handle of the track cutter (31) upwards until it is automatically locked, when the front edge of the transverse angular profile of the track cutter (58), sliding along the flat edge of the triangular projection with an acute angle (40) of the track cutter lock lever located on the frame, presses on it, stretching the spring (32) and reaching the hole (64), located on the transverse profile of the track cutter frame until the moment when the acute angle of the projection (40) enters it with the help of the stretched spring (32), the lock lever (34) reliably holds the track cutter at an angle to the processed snow surface. In this case, the ski track cutter completely comes out of contact with the ski track, and the towing device begins to rest on the finisher located behind the ski track cutter, while the force acting on the automatic locking lever of the ski track cutter is directed downwards and along it, and the spring only contributes to automatic locking in this position, therefore, in this position, the ski track cutter is held quite reliably. The person operating the snowmobile, motorized towing vehicle, ATV towing this towing device, using the buttons of the remote control, both wired and wireless, adjusts the depth of the leveling universal knife. When applying a supply DC voltage of 12-24 V to the linear electric drive (26), its length changes, by changing the polarity of the supplied DC voltage of 12-24 V using the remote control button, the linear electric drive is either shortened or lengthened, and since it is secured between the outer pipe (22), mounted on the frame using a hinge (20), which does not allow this pipe to move up, down, right, left, but only makes it possible to change its angle of inclination in the longitudinal direction relative to the frame, and between the inner, freely moving pipe (24) of the upper suspension of the leveling universal knife, at the bottom of which there is a U-shaped plate (23) with holes (25) for bolting it to the upper crossbar of the leveling universal knife, the leveling universal knife moves up to the frame or down to the snow surface being processed. Two rods of the front suspension of the leveling universal knife (11) resist the effect of the force directed horizontally to the front edge of the horizontal plate (17) with triangular teeth (15) arising from the snow running onto it during deepening, and also in place with the unit of its upper suspension, hold the plane of the frame of the leveling knife with triangular profile crossbars (19) in a vertical position and form a triangle with sides in the lateral projection; the rod of the front suspension, the unit of the upper suspension of the leveling universal knife with an electric linear drive and the upper, horizontally located shoulder of the frame, which effectively counteracts the vertically directed force arising when deepening the leveling universal knife, pushing the leveling knife upward. When releasing the leveling knife downwards, it is necessary that the limit switch of the linear electric drive operates in time, preventing unnecessary significant deepening of the leveling knife into the hard snow surface, for this purpose the height of the horizontal arm of the frame is adjusted under the towing vehicle used for work, with the track cutter fixed at an angle to the snow surface, by changing the position of the inner pipe (7) with the towing hitch relative to the outer pipe (6) of the coupling height adjustment unit with the towing vehicle, aligning the through holes (8) on these pipes in different positions and fixing with a bolted connection (73). When working on freshly fallen and especially wet or damp snow, which strongly sticks together to form a snow bank, causing the towing vehicle to stop, the remote control allows raising the leveling knife, releasing excess snow during movement, which greatly facilitates the work and allows preparing a high-quality ski track. When preparing a frozen or icy ski track, when manually deepening loosening and loaded elements to penetrate into a hard snow surface, due to the insignificant weight and features of the snowmobile transmission in the form of a variator, it will be problematic to move from the place, and a remotely controlled electric drive allows the leveling knife to deepen into a hard snow surface when the towing vehicle, more often a snowmobile, gains a certain speed. The towing device can be imagined as a lever with a fulcrum on the jagged lower edge of the leveling knife, where the shorter front lever is affected by the weight of the towing vehicle with the driver (the towing device must be in good condition and have a lock), and the longer, rear lever is affected by the weight of a significant part of the installation, which, in conjunction with the rigid counteraction to the vertical, upward pressure on the lower edge of the leveling knife, allows easy deepening even in icy snow. When preparing a ski track on freshly fallen snow, moving with the leveling knife released, there is an active mixing of the snow it encounters; the front edge with triangular teeth (15) having a small vertical plane of the leveling knife, directs part of the snow upwards, which, colliding with the snow passing above and moving further, part of the snow meets the edges of the vertical, triangular crossbars (19), located between the lower horizontal plate of the leveling knife (17) and its upper beam (67), which direct snow flows at an angle towards each other. After the finisher passes, on intensively mixed snow containing fewer air voids, after 2-3 hours a sufficiently dense snow cover is formed, contributing to more comfortable skiing. The snow stop (43) standing on the finisher is fixed with one of its edges on top of the transversely located channel (51) with plastic profiling "corduroy" segments (49), due to which, in front of the profiling segments, a ledge (45) is formed by the front vertical edge of the transversely located channel (51). The presence of this ledge allows, when leveling a frozen and icy ski track, when, after passing the leveling universal knife, an insignificant amount of snow crumbs is formed, to accumulate and, as it were, "keep ready" some amount of snow at the very front edge of the profiling "corduroy" segments, which contributes to better filling of small holes with snow at the entrance to the finisher and, accordingly, a higher quality, flawless, snow surface at the exit. In order to cut a ski track for the classic method of movement or to cut a ski track on the descent for all methods of movement, it is necessary to stop the towing vehicle with a towing device and move the handle of the lever (36) of the automatic locking unit of the ski track cutter, forward in the direction of movement, which will lead to its disengagement from the ski track cutter, which in turn will descend onto the snowy, pre-leveled surface, and the finisher will rise above the ski track (image 5), beforehand, the leveling universal knife should be in the maximum upper position. When cutting a ski track for mass starts, when a large number of ski tracks are cut on the starting glade, then an even gap is made without tracks and a smaller number of them are cut again, the towing driver manipulates two levers, then with one movement lifts the ski track cutter, the lever with the handle (31) then with one short movement for the handle of the ski track lock lever (36), releases it on the snow, copes with such a task quite quickly and efficiently. When leveling the ski track, the person operating the towing vehicle monitors the amount of snow accumulating in front of the released leveling universal knife, necessary for filling in depressions and holes and, using the buttons of the remote control, regulates the degree of deepening of the leveling universal knife. Often on a ski track, as a result of snow drifting, when it is blown over the plane of the ski track, which as a result of compaction is below the level of the snow surrounding it, a so-called trough is formed as a result of the fact that more snow accumulates along the edges of the ski track, so the edges of the ski track become higher than its center. When moving in a skating motion on such a ski track, the front tip of the ski bends upward, leading to the skier braking, which creates discomfort when skiing in such conditions. In order to eliminate such a raised edge of the ski track, it is necessary to move the bolt connection (75) of the upper crossbar of the leveling universal knife to the lower hole (25) of the U-shaped plate of its upper suspension from the edge that needs to be cut deeper. The leveling universal knife is released with one edge lower than the other and when working on leveling the raised edges of the ski track, we release it where these elevations are. In order for the ski track to acquire a flat transverse profile, it is necessary to drive along both edges, either changing the installation height of the sides of the leveling universal knife, or, if possible, drive along the opposite edge of the ski track in the opposite direction. Sometimes it is necessary to cross the road surface or to transport this towing device on a hard surface not covered with snow; a wheeled chassis is used for this. When preparing the ski track, the wheel chassis can be located either on the stand (18) of the upper horizontal arm of the frame, or on the brackets (53) behind the finisher with the wheels up. In order to stand on the wheel chassis, it is necessary to switch the towing device to the classic ski track cutting mode, that is, using the handle of the lever of the automatic locking unit (36), release the ski track cutter down, while the finisher and brackets (53) with the wheel chassis will rise. If the wheel chassis was on the stand (18), then the chassis is removed from it and put on the couplings (55) on the brackets (53) with the wheels pointing downwards, until the chassis is fixed on the brackets with the lever with the spring (52), if the wheel chassis was on the brackets (53), then you need to press the lever with the spring (52), fixing the wheel chassis, remove the chassis from the brackets (53), turn it over with the wheels (54) down and put it back until it is fixed, then we switch the towing device to the skating track preparation mode, when the track cutter, using the lever with the handle (31), rises up until it is fixed at an angle to the surface, only in this case the towing device begins to rest not on the finisher, but on the wheel chassis. In real time, such an operation takes only a few seconds, and this design allows using the wheel chassis not only for its intended purpose, but also as a load that can be installed in different parts of the towing device in order to ensure better cutting of the classic ski track. Cutting of the ski track with this cutter is carried out by the squeezing method, which contributes to a longer-lasting high-quality ski track, since the snow is not cut out of the clearance of the tracks, while scattering it to the sides, which also in turn spoils the quality of the classic or skating ski track passing nearby, but is squeezed out to the sides, thereby significantly more compacting the walls of the trapezoidal profile of the track for the classic style of skiing, which in turn will be exposed to destructive effects from the skis and ski boots, whose lower part is also in the trapezoidal clearance of the ski track. The extrusion method requires that the ski track cutter has sufficient mass to be able to cut a classic ski track in dense snow. For this purpose, in this towing device, the ski track cutter is located in its central part so that when cutting a classic ski track, most of the weight of the entire installation presses on it, but at the same time there is the possibility of easy access to the ski track cutter knives for the purpose of cleaning them, for this purpose the towing device is brought to the position for preparing a skating ski track. Also in this position it is possible to reverse on a hard snow surface, when it is necessary to turn around on the ski track, due to the fact that the plastic profiling "corduroy" segments, on which the towing device rests, have a smooth bevel not only in front, but also in the back, which allows individual very uneven sections of the ski track to be passed with the towing device more times, and not to go a whole big loop or even a whole circle in order to correct some small section of the track. After finishing the work on preparing the ski track, by pressing the button of the digital display of the battery capacity reading, we see whether it is necessary to charge the battery; to charge, it is necessary to pull the rubber band (74) pressing the autonomous power supply case (14) to the crossbars of the frame and remove it, then at any socket of the 220V power supply network we connect with the charger with the cable inside the case. Recharging the battery is not required often, since during the preparation of the ski track, the electric linear drive does not have to be turned on often and literally for a few seconds to change the height of the knife relative to the surface of the ski track.

And another feature of this towing device is its high mobility, which is realized due to the fact that it is possible to assemble it and disassemble it into separate units fairly quickly, and the dimensions and weight of each of these units allow them to be loaded and unloaded by one person. And it is also possible to transport the towing device disassembled in a passenger car, which can provide a platform of 150 cm in length with the rear seats folded down (Figure 6). Disassembly is performed in the following order; the chassis is removed, four bolt connections (61) connecting the ski track cutter with the finisher are unscrewed, then two bolt connections of the upper crossbar of the leveling universal knife with the U-shaped plate of the upper suspension unit of the leveling universal knife (75) are unscrewed, then two bolt connections with a lock nut (76) connecting the front suspension bar (11) with the hinges (68) of the leveling universal knife are unscrewed, in order to remove the bars of the front suspension of the leveling universal knife from the axles (4) located in the front part of the upper arm of the frame, it is necessary to unlock the thread on which the nut (81) is screwed by taking the end of the steel cable (77) threaded into the hole (78) on the threaded axle (4) and unscrew the nut (81), it remains to disconnect the ski track cutter, for this we unscrew the nut (79) which holds the pneumatic shock absorber (28) on frame, then unscrew the two bolts (63) holding the pipe located at the bottom of the vertical arm of the frame, the bolts are not unscrewed completely, but only until they come out of the pipe, while remaining in the threaded holes (44) located on the vertical edges of the longitudinal part of the track cutter frame. Thus, the disassembly will be complete and we will get separate units; 1) Frame with an electric linear drive of the upper suspension unit of the leveling universal knife, an automatic locking unit of the track cutter, an autonomous power supply unit for 12-24 volts and a towing hitch. 2) Track cutter with a pneumatic shock absorber. 3) Leveling universal knife. 4) Finisher. 5) Two rods of the upper suspension of the leveling universal knife. 6) Wheel chassis. The towing device is assembled in the reverse order. Practice has shown that assembly and disassembly work takes about 10 minutes, and since the weight and dimensions of each unit are transportable by one adult, the logistics associated with both movement and storage and placement of this towing device are significantly simplified.

The proposed towing device is used on the ski slopes of the Shizhma Sports and Recreation Center, being a good support for the snowcat, and sometimes replacing it, in particular during the preparation of the Shizhma ski marathon, which is one of the top 4 Russian ski marathons. This device was especially indispensable during the preparation of the classic part of the marathon, which takes place in one large circle, laid along very rugged terrain and often along narrow forest paths.

The main disadvantage of this prototype device is the limited technological capabilities and lack of universality. It is impossible to prepare tracks with a significant amount of fallen and especially wet snow, since two or three loosening elements will retain a significant amount of snow, creating a snow bank that will lead to the towing vehicle stopping.

Another disadvantage is that it takes a lot of effort to turn this unit over to switch from the mode of loosening and leveling the track to the mode of cutting a classic ski track, after first removing it from the towing vehicle and dragging it back into place and reattaching it to the towing vehicle, which will be very difficult in conditions of a significant amount of fresh snow.

The purpose of the declared technical solution is high-quality preparation of a ski track in any weather conditions with any state of snow cover, both for skating and classic skiing with the least expenditure of material resources, such as fuel and lubricants, wear and tear of equipment, etc., and easing the physical efforts of the snowmobile driver.

The goal is achieved by the fact that the device is a compact, quickly disassemblable structure, equipped with a leveling knife with an electric drive, controlled remotely.

The functions of the device are to level and compact freshly fallen snow, loosen and create a smooth, ribbed coating on the snow surface. This towing device is also designed for cutting a classic ski track.

The claimed device is illustrated with illustrations, where:

Fig. 1 shows the first part of the finisher from the front;

Fig. 2 shows the second part of the finisher from the front;

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the towing device in the classic ski track cutting mode;

Fig. 4 shows a front view;

Fig. 5 shows a top view in the skating track preparation mode;

Fig. 6 shows a side view in the mode of preparing a skating ski track and with the wheeled chassis installed with the wheels down in the mode of transporting it on a hard surface not covered with snow.

The claimed technical solution contains the following elements:

The frame, which is a small-sized metal structure 20 cm wide and 130 cm long, consisting of two L-shaped frames reinforced from the side of the inner corner with a truss (29) and connected to each other with transverse struts (16). In this way, two frame arms are formed: the upper horizontal (10), which is longer and a shorter, downward-facing, vertical arm (42). In the front part of the horizontal arm of the frame there is a towing hitch and a coupling height adjustment unit with a towing vehicle for the correct position of the leveling knife in the extreme, upper and lower positions. This unit consists of an external shorter pipe (6) with a through hole (8), vertically fixed in the front part of the frame and a pipe of a smaller size or diameter (7) inserted into it with through holes located at different heights. When aligning the holes of the inner pipe with the holes of the outer pipe and inserting a bolt into them and fixing it with a nut (73), it is possible to change the distance from the ski track to the upper arm of the frame in steps. At the bottom of the inner pipe of the coupling height adjustment unit with the towing vehicle, there is a spring-loaded towing hitch consisting of a ring (1) with a rod (2) passing inside the outer pipe (3) and a spring (9) which is installed between the rear end of the outer pipe and a nut with a washer located at the opposite end of the inner threaded rod from the ring. At the rear of the horizontal arm of the frame there is a unit of the upper suspension of the leveling knife with an electric drive controlled remotely. Its design consists of an external short pipe (22) fixed to the frame using a hinge joint (20), as well as an internal longer pipe of smaller diameter (24) at the lower end of which there is a U-shaped plate (23) with holes located at different heights (25) relative to the processed snow surface. On the external and internal pipes there are brackets with holes (27) in which an electric linear drive (26) is installed. On the upper arm of the frame between two cross struts made of an angular steel profile, an autonomous power supply unit for 12-24v (14) is attached. In the central part of the vertical arm of the frame there is a unit for automatic fixation of the ski track cutter at an angle to the processed snow surface. This unit consists of a lever (34) fixed using an axial connection (38) on a cross strut of the vertical arm of the frame, around which the lever can move. The lower part of the lever, which has a triangular projection with an acute angle (40), is pulled up to the stop to the transverse strut of the frame, secured with a spring (32) between the lever (34) and the bracket (30). In the upper part of the lever for fixing the ski track cutter, there is a handle for driving it (36). Below, at the end of the vertical arm of the frame, a section of pipe (62) is located transversely, serving for the axial connection of the frame with the ski track cutter. In the front, in the direction of travel, part of the horizontal arm of the frame there are two axles (4) with threads on their ends. These axles are located horizontally, to the right and to the left of the sides of the horizontal arm of the frame and serve for the axial connection of two rods of the upper suspension of the leveling knife (11). Also on the upper horizontal arm of the frame there is a stand (18) used to fix the wheel chassis on it, when there is a need to change the weight distribution on the track cutter when "cutting" the extrusion of the ski track, then when rearranging the wheel chassis from the rear brackets (53) to the stand (18) it is possible to change the ratio of the pressure force exerted by the weight of the towing device, between the knives of the track cutter (35) located in its front part and the rear part, profiling the ski track elements (37). The track cutter consists of a plastic rectangular plate (65), on top of which there is a frame made of a steel angular section and which is attached to the plastic plate using nuts and studs (59) (60), with which the knives (35) and profiling elements (37) of the track cutter are equipped, installed below the plastic plate. The ski track cutter frame consists of one transverse angular profile (58) and two longitudinal angular profiles (46). On the longitudinal elements of the frame, in addition to the openings located on their horizontal faces and serving to attach the knives and ski track profiling elements to them, there are two openings (39) located in the rear part of the vertical faces, serving to attach the finisher to the ski track cutter using a bolted connection (61). Also on the vertical faces of the longitudinal elements of the frame, in the area located above the point of contact of the knives with the ski track profiling elements, there are two threaded openings (44) opposite each other, serving, when screwing bolts (63) into them, to form an axial connection of the ski track cutter with the frame of the towing device. A pneumatic shock absorber (28) is fixed at one end on the cross member of the ski track cutter frame; a lever with a handle (31) is fixed near the place where the shock absorber is fixed, which serves to lift the ski track cutter. In the center of the cross member of the frame there is an opening (64) into which, when the ski track cutter is lifted, the tip of the triangular projection (40) enters and the ski track cutter is fixed at an angle to the snow surface. A snow stop (33) is installed between the cross member (58) of the frame and the front edge of the plastic plate (65). Triangular profiles (66) are installed parallel to the longitudinal triangular profile elements (46) along the edges of the plastic plate, which act as stabilizers of the direction of movement when cutting the ski track.

The leveling universal knife is in the front projection a vertically standing rectangular frame, 150 cm wide and about 20 cm high, formed in the lower part by a horizontal plate (17) with triangular teeth (15), in the upper part by a parallel crossbar (67) made of a rectangular profile pipe. At the edges, these transverse horizontal elements are connected by vertically standing plates (21) with ribs directed in the longitudinal direction, also between the plate with triangular teeth and the upper crossbar there are vertical posts (19), made of an angular profile with the direction of their outer angle forward in the direction of movement. On the lower, horizontal plate with triangular teeth, in rows with extreme vertically standing plates, there are two hinge assemblies (68) standing at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the towing device with the direction of the hinge axis to the side front axles located on the frame (4), with holes for connecting them to the rod of the front suspension of the leveling knife. In the central part of the transversely located upper rod there are two through holes (82) for connecting the leveling knife to the U-shaped plate of the upper suspension. Shields (13) are fixed on the side plates (21).

Finisher - a unit that performs the final finishing of the ski track for skating style of movement. It consists of a transversely located steel channel (51) with plastic segments (49) inserted into it from below, profiling the "corduroy" snow surface, with pins (69) and secured to it with nuts (70). On top of the transverse channel, two pipes (48) are fixed perpendicular to it, directed forward, at a slight angle from the plane of the channel with profiling plastic segments inserted into it. These two pipes are located at the same distance from the center of the channel along the longitudinal axis and at a width of their outer edges equal to the inner distance between the vertical edges of the angular longitudinal profiles of the track cutter. At the ends of these pipes there are two holes (71) serving for the bolted connection (61) of the finisher with the track cutter. In the opposite direction from the pipes used to secure the finisher to the track cutter, there are two profile pipes (53) with a spring-loaded lock (52) used to secure the wheel chassis (54) to them. Shields (41) are secured to the end faces of the finisher. In front of the channel with the profiling "corduroy" segments, on the profile pipes with which it is secured to the track cutter, there is a cross beam (50) of a length equal to the width of the finisher, to which a snow baffle (43) is secured with one edge, and the baffle is secured with the other edge on top of the channel (51) with the profiling segments.

Two rods of the front suspension of the leveling universal knife are made of a profile pipe or a round pipe (11). On the side attached to the frame by means of an axial connection, a section of pipe (5) with an internal diameter slightly exceeding the diameter of the axes located on the sides of the front part of the horizontal arm of the frame (4) is welded to the rod, at the opposite end of the rod a through hole (72) is drilled used for axial connection with hinges (68) located on the transverse, horizontal plate with triangular teeth of the leveling universal knife.

The wheel chassis consists of a transversely located rod (56), on which there are two couplings (55) located at the same distance from each other as the finisher pipes (53), to which the wheel chassis is attached at the rear of the finisher by means of these couplings. In the center of the transverse rod there is a coupling (57) used to attach the chassis from above the horizontal arm of the frame by means of a stand (18). The wheels are mounted on the ends of the transverse rod and their rotation axis is offset relative to the centers of the couplings used to install the chassis at the rear of the finisher, these couplings have cuts for the entry of a triangular tooth of the spring-loaded chassis lock (52).

The autonomous power supply unit is located in a portable case (14), inside which a 12-volt battery or two 12-volt batteries are fixed, depending on the electric drive of the leveling universal knife used, either 12-volt or 24-volt. Inside the portable case there is a compact 12-24-volt charger with a power cable with a 220-volt plug, an automatic fuse against overcurrent and short circuit of the battery, a receiver if wireless control is used. On the outside there are: a 12-24-volt socket (12) for connecting the cable coming from the electric drive of the leveling knife, a digital display showing the remaining charge of the battery, a charger switch, a low-current LED light source.

This towing device operates as follows: to prepare a skating track and a smooth snow base for the classic method of skiing, it is necessary to pull the lever with the handle of the track cutter (31) upwards until it is automatically locked, when the front edge of the transverse angular profile of the track cutter (58), sliding along the flat edge of the triangular projection with an acute angle (40) of the track cutter lock lever located on the frame, presses on it, stretching the spring (32) and reaching the hole (64), located on the transverse profile of the track cutter frame until the moment when the acute angle of the projection (40) enters it with the help of the stretched spring (32), the lock lever (34) reliably holds the track cutter at an angle to the processed snow surface. In this case, the ski track cutter completely comes out of contact with the ski track, and the towing device begins to rest on the finisher located behind the ski track cutter, while the force acting on the automatic locking lever of the ski track cutter is directed downwards and along it, and the spring only contributes to automatic locking in this position, therefore, in this position, the ski track cutter is held quite reliably. The person operating the snowmobile, motorized towing vehicle, ATV towing this towing device, using the buttons of the remote control, both wired and wireless, adjusts the depth of the leveling universal knife. When applying a supply DC voltage of 12-24 V to the linear electric drive (26), its length changes, by changing the polarity of the supplied DC voltage of 12-24 V using the remote control button, the linear electric drive is either shortened or lengthened, and since it is secured between the outer pipe (22), installed on the frame using a hinge (20), which does not allow this pipe to move up, down, right, left, but only makes it possible to change its angle of inclination in the longitudinal direction relative to the frame, and between the inner, freely moving pipe (24) of the upper suspension of the leveling universal knife, at the bottom of which there is a U-shaped plate (23) with holes (25) for bolting it to the upper crossbar of the leveling universal knife, the leveling universal knife moves up to the frame or down to the snow surface being processed. Two rods of the front suspension of the leveling universal knife (11) resist the effect of the force directed horizontally on the front edge of the horizontal plate (17) with triangular teeth (15) arising from the snow running onto it during deepening, and also in place with the unit of its upper suspension, hold the plane of the frame of the leveling knife with triangular profile crossbars (19) in a vertical position and form a triangle with sides in the lateral projection; the rod of the front suspension, the unit of the upper suspension of the leveling universal knife with an electric linear drive and the upper, horizontally located shoulder of the frame, which effectively counteracts the vertically directed force arising when deepening the leveling universal knife, pushing the leveling knife upward. When releasing the leveling knife downwards, it is necessary that the limit switch of the linear electric drive operates in time, preventing unnecessary significant deepening of the leveling knife into the hard snow surface, for this purpose the height of the horizontal arm of the frame is adjusted under the towing vehicle used for work, with the track cutter fixed at an angle to the snow surface, by changing the position of the inner pipe (7) with the towing hitch relative to the outer pipe (6) of the coupling height adjustment unit with the towing vehicle, aligning the through holes (8) on these pipes in different positions and fixing with a bolted connection (73). When working on freshly fallen and especially wet or damp snow, which strongly sticks together to form a snow bank, causing the towing vehicle to stop, the remote control allows raising the leveling knife, releasing excess snow during movement, which greatly facilitates the work and allows preparing a high-quality ski track. When preparing a frozen or icy ski track, when manually deepening loosening and loaded elements to penetrate into a hard snow surface, due to the insignificant weight and features of the snowmobile transmission in the form of a variator, it will be problematic to move from the place, and a remotely controlled electric drive allows the leveling knife to deepen into a hard snow surface when the towing vehicle, more often a snowmobile, gains a certain speed. The towing device can be imagined as a lever with a fulcrum on the jagged lower edge of the leveling knife, where the shorter front lever is affected by the weight of the towing vehicle with the driver (the towing device must be in good condition and have a lock), and the longer, rear lever is affected by the weight of a significant part of the installation, which, in conjunction with the rigid counteraction to the vertical, upward pressure on the lower edge of the leveling knife, allows easy deepening even in icy snow. When preparing a ski track on freshly fallen snow, moving with the leveling knife released, there is an active mixing of the snow it encounters; the front edge with triangular teeth (15) having a small vertical plane of the leveling knife, directs part of the snow upwards, which, colliding with the snow passing above and moving further, part of the snow meets the edges of the vertical, triangular crossbars (19), located between the lower horizontal plate of the leveling knife (17) and its upper beam (67), which direct snow flows at an angle towards each other. After the finisher passes, on intensively mixed snow containing fewer air voids, after 2-3 hours a sufficiently dense snow cover is formed, contributing to more comfortable skiing. The snow stop (43) standing on the finisher is fixed with one of its edges on top of the transversely located channel (51) with plastic profiling "corduroy" segments (49), due to which, in front of the profiling segments, a ledge (45) is formed by the front vertical edge of the transversely located channel (51). The presence of this ledge allows, when leveling a frozen and icy ski track, when, after passing the leveling universal knife, an insignificant amount of snow crumbs is formed, to accumulate and, as it were, "keep ready" some amount of snow at the very front edge of the profiling "corduroy" segments, which contributes to better filling of small holes with snow at the entrance to the finisher and, accordingly, a higher quality, flawless, snow surface at the exit. In order to cut a ski track for the classic method of movement or to cut a ski track on the descent for all methods of movement, it is necessary to stop the towing vehicle with a towing device and move the handle of the lever (36) of the automatic locking unit of the ski track cutter, forward in the direction of movement, which will lead to its disengagement from the ski track cutter, which in turn will descend onto the snowy, pre-leveled surface, and the finisher will rise above the ski track (image 5), beforehand, the leveling universal knife should be in the maximum upper position. When cutting a ski track for mass starts, when a large number of ski tracks are cut on the starting glade, then an even gap is made without tracks and a smaller number of them are cut again, the towing driver manipulates two levers, then with one movement lifts the ski track cutter, the lever with the handle (31) then with one short movement for the handle of the ski track lock lever (36), releases it on the snow, copes with such a task quite quickly and efficiently. When leveling the ski track, the person operating the towing vehicle monitors the amount of snow accumulating in front of the released leveling universal knife, necessary for filling in depressions and holes and, using the buttons of the remote control, regulates the degree of deepening of the leveling universal knife. Often on a ski track, as a result of snow drifting, when it is blown over the plane of the ski track, which as a result of compaction is below the level of the snow surrounding it, a so-called trough is formed as a result of the fact that more snow accumulates along the edges of the ski track, so the edges of the ski track become higher than its center. When moving in a skating motion on such a ski track, the front tip of the ski bends upward, leading to the skier braking, which creates discomfort when skiing in such conditions. In order to eliminate such a raised edge of the ski track, it is necessary to move the bolt connection (75) of the upper crossbar of the leveling universal knife to the lower hole (25) of the U-shaped plate of its upper suspension from the edge that needs to be cut deeper. The leveling universal knife is released with one edge lower than the other and when working on leveling the raised edges of the ski track, we release it where these elevations are. In order for the ski track to acquire a flat transverse profile, it is necessary to drive along both edges, either changing the installation height of the sides of the leveling universal knife, or, if possible, drive along the opposite edge of the ski track in the opposite direction. Sometimes it is necessary to cross the road surface or to transport this towing device on a hard surface not covered with snow; a wheeled chassis is used for this. When preparing the ski track, the wheel chassis can be located either on the stand (18) of the upper horizontal arm of the frame, or on the brackets (53) behind the finisher with the wheels up. In order to stand on the wheel chassis, it is necessary to switch the towing device to the classic ski track cutting mode, that is, using the handle of the lever of the automatic locking unit (36), release the ski track cutter down, while the finisher and brackets (53) with the wheel chassis will rise. If the wheel chassis was on the stand (18), then the chassis is removed from it and put on the couplings (55) on the brackets (53) with the wheels pointing downwards, until the chassis is fixed on the brackets with the lever with the spring (52), if the wheel chassis was on the brackets (53), then you need to press the lever with the spring (52), fixing the wheel chassis, remove the chassis from the brackets (53), turn it over with the wheels (54) down and put it back until it is fixed, then we switch the towing device to the skating track preparation mode, when the track cutter, using the lever with the handle (31), rises up until it is fixed at an angle to the surface, only in this case the towing device begins to rest not on the finisher, but on the wheel chassis. In real time, such an operation takes only a few seconds, and this design allows using the wheel chassis not only for its intended purpose, but also as a load that can be installed in different parts of the towing device in order to ensure better cutting of the classic ski track. The cutting of the ski track by this cutter is carried out by the squeezing method, which contributes to a longer-lasting high-quality ski track, since the snow is not cut out of the clearance of the tracks, while scattering it to the sides, which also in turn spoils the quality of the classic or skating ski track passing nearby, but is squeezed out to the sides, thereby significantly more compacting the walls of the trapezoidal profile of the track for the classic style of skiing, which in turn will be exposed to destructive effects from the skis and ski boots, whose lower part is also in the trapezoidal clearance of the ski track. The squeezing method requires that the ski track cutter have sufficient mass to be able to cut a classic ski track in dense snow. For this purpose, in this towing device, the ski track cutter is located in its central part so that when cutting a classic ski track, most of the weight of the entire installation presses on it, but at the same time there is the possibility of easy access to the ski track cutter knives for the purpose of cleaning them, for this purpose, the towing device is brought to the position for preparing a skating ski track. Also in this position, it is possible to reverse on a hard snow surface when it is necessary to turn around on the ski track, due to the fact that the plastic profiling "corduroy" segments on which the towing device rests have a smooth bevel not only in front, but also behind, which allows individual very uneven sections of the ski track to be driven with the towing device more times, and not to drive a whole large loop or even a whole circle in order to correct some small section of the track. After finishing the work on preparing the ski track, by pressing the button of the digital display of the battery capacity reading, we see whether it is necessary to charge the battery; to charge, it is necessary to pull the rubber band (74) pressing the autonomous power supply case (14) to the crossbars of the frame and remove it, then at any socket of the 220 V power supply network, we connect the charger with the cable inside the case. Recharging the battery is not required often, since during the preparation of the ski track, the electric linear drive does not have to be turned on often and literally for a few seconds to change the height of the knife relative to the surface of the ski track.

And another feature of this towing device is its high mobility, which is realized due to the fact that it is possible to assemble it and disassemble it into separate units fairly quickly, and the dimensions and weight of each of these units allow them to be loaded and unloaded by one person. And it is also possible to transport the towing device disassembled in a passenger car, which can provide a platform of 150 cm in length with the rear seats folded down (Figure 6). Disassembly is performed in the following order; the chassis is removed, four bolt connections (61) connecting the track cutter with the finisher are unscrewed, then two bolt connections of the upper crossbar of the leveling universal knife with the U-shaped plate of the upper suspension unit of the leveling universal knife (75) are unscrewed, then two bolt connections with a lock nut (76) connecting the front suspension bar (11) with the hinges (68) of the leveling universal knife are unscrewed, in order to remove the front suspension bars of the leveling universal knife from the axles (4) located in the front part of the upper arm of the frame, it is necessary to unlock the thread on which the nut (81) is screwed by taking the end of the steel cable (77) threaded into the hole (78) on the threaded axle (4) and unscrew the nut (81), it remains to disconnect the track cutter, for this we unscrew the nut (79) which holds the pneumatic shock absorber (28) on frame, then unscrew the two bolts (63) holding the pipe located at the bottom of the vertical arm of the frame, the bolts are not unscrewed completely, but only until they come out of the pipe, while remaining in the threaded holes (44) located on the vertical edges of the longitudinal part of the track cutter frame. Thus, the disassembly will be complete and we will get separate units: 1) Frame with an electric linear drive of the upper suspension unit of the leveling universal knife, an automatic locking unit of the track cutter, an autonomous power supply unit for 12-24 volts and a towing hitch. 2) Track cutter with a pneumatic shock absorber. 3) Leveling universal knife. 4) Finisher. 5) Two rods of the upper suspension of the leveling universal knife. 6) Wheel chassis. The towing device is assembled in the reverse order. Practice has shown that assembly and disassembly work takes about 10 minutes, and since the weight and dimensions of each unit are transportable by one adult, the logistics associated with both movement and storage and placement of this towing device are significantly simplified.

The proposed towing device is used on the ski slopes of the Shizhma Sports and Recreation Center, being a good support for the snowcat, and sometimes replacing it, in particular during the preparation of the Shizhma ski marathon, which is one of the top 4 Russian ski marathons. This device was especially indispensable during the preparation of the classic part of the marathon, which takes place in one large circle, laid along very rugged terrain and often along narrow forest paths.

Claims (8)

1. A towing device for preparing ski trails, comprising a frame and a ski track cutter, characterized in that the frame is a metal structure consisting of two L-shaped frames reinforced on the side of the inner corner with a truss and connected to each other with transverse struts, forming two frame arms - an upper horizontal arm and a downward-facing vertical arm, wherein at the bottom at the end of the vertical arm of the frame a section of pipe is transversely located for axially connecting the frame to the ski track cutter, and in the front part of the horizontal arm of the frame there is a towing hitch, wherein in the rear part of the horizontal arm of the frame there is an upper suspension unit of the leveling knife with an electric drive, controlled remotely with the ability to raise and release the leveling knife, the upper suspension unit includes a U-shaped plate to which the leveling knife is connected, wherein the ski track cutter contains a lever with a handle, made with the ability to remove the ski track cutter from contact with the snow surface and setting it at an angle to the snow surface, in addition, a finisher is attached to the ski track cutter. 2. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the ski track cutter is equipped with a pneumatic shock absorber and contains a unit for automatically fixing the ski track cutter at an angle to the snow surface being processed, which is designed with the ability to rest on the finisher when it is removed from contact with the ski track during loosening and leveling the ski track. 3. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the leveling knife, which performs the functions of loosening, mixing and leveling the snow surface, contains vertical posts of an angular cross-section with the direction of their outer angle forward in the direction of travel and is located on the lower horizontally standing plate with triangular loosening teeth. 4. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to item 1, characterized in that it contains two suspension units for the leveling knife, which contribute to both the rigidity of its stationary position and its controlled mobility; the leveling knife can be installed to the upper suspension unit straight or at an angle in the transverse plane, to the right or left side; a front suspension unit for the leveling knife, consisting of two rods. 5. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to item 1, characterized in that the finisher in its lower part has a vertical step between the front part of the plastic segments profiling the ribbed surface on the snow surface and the snow stop and is rigidly fixed in the rear part of the ski track cutter. 6. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to paragraph 1, characterized in that it contains a removable wheeled chassis, which is installed in the rear part of the towing device. 7. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to item 1, characterized in that it has an autonomous power supply unit with a 12 V or 24 V DC source, which is equipped with a wireless receiver, a control switch for the polarity of the 12-24 V voltage supplied to the electric drive of the upper suspension of the leveling blade and an LED source of external lighting. 8. A towing device for preparing ski trails according to paragraph 1, characterized in that it is a collapsible structure.