US1767017A - Dirt spreader for ditching machines - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1.930. G. RSCHECKLER V DIRT SPREADER FOR DITGHING llA^.(}lIIN!3S Filed March 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmN il! i .......lll mN $1 .ad si INVENTOR CFLScheclcLer BY Q Q .Q`f" y ATTORNEY June 24, 1930. G. F. scHEcKLER 1,767,017

DIRT SPREADER Fon DITCHING MACHINES Filed March 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 6.17.' Scheckler BY I s s A-rronNuY Patented June p 24, 1930 GonpoN F. scHEcILEn, oFsTocxToN, CALIFORNIA DIM* SPREADER For. DI'ICIIING` MACHINES i .Applicationy :tiled March 19,1929. Serial No. 348,217.

l This inventionV relatesto ditching maj chines, and especially to machines of ythat Vcharacter used to ,cut irrigation ditches `or laterals across cultivated land; r4and par-l 5 Vticularly relates to the means for disposing of the dirt lexcavatedfrom the ditch. As such machines are at present constructed the dirtas excavated by the digging Vmechanism is conveyed laterally and deposited inthe shapeof one-or more windrows which of course are parallel to the ditch and are formed as the machine advances. `Since V ysuch dirt is in the way of subsequent cultivating and other operations it is customary and necessary toV employ a leveling device of some character to go overthe ground subsequent to the ditching operations and level down these windrows. This additional operation of course adds appreciably to the total cost of preparing the ground.

The principal object of my invention thereforefis to avoid the need of this extra operation by providing an attachment or a ditching machine of such a nature as to catch the dirt beforethe same is dischargedronto the ground by the conveyor and to cause such dirt to be spread over the ground in the vicinity of the ditch but clear of the same in the form of a thin evenly distributed layer,` so that nok further working of the dirt is necessary after the ditching machine has.

functioned and passed by. Y

A furtherobject of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly eifective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects 'I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of 40 the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters ofl referenceindicate corresponding parts in the several views:V

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of a ditchingv machine of standard or conventional form showing myV dir-t spreading de. vice attached thereto. Y

Fig. 2 is an end view of a ditching machine aconveyor, showing the mounting of the dirt spreading device in connection therewith.

*Y Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the conveyor showing the position fof the spreader `relative thereto. Y

Referring now more, particularly to theVV characters ofreference on the drawingsfthe `di-tch Vdigging machine may. be.. of any conventional standard, desigmand includes a main horizontal frame structure l supported by wheels 2 and carrying'the power plant" (not shown) which as usual drives theditching apparatus and advances the machine as a whole. The diggingv apparatus consists essentially of an auxiliary" frame 3 pivotally mountedon and depending rearwardly from the `frame lffor-vertical adjustment and" carrying spaced sprocket .wheels over whichV the endless digging chain 5 passes.. .This chain has outwardly projecting transverse diggi'ng -plates 6- at intervalsvto engage the dirt and form the.v ditch YD when Vthe aux-'70l iliary frame is lowered to its operating position. The shaft., `7 of the upper sprocket wheel is driven in a-l direction such'that the lower run of thechain will travel upwardlybyfsuitablecmeans such las a `chain drive 8 75 operated from a'shaft 9 extending forwardly to and driven by the power plant. Y -The dirt asexcavated 'from `the ditchvbyvr the digger chain is conveyed into a chutelO from which itis delivered into la transversely extending trough 1l supported by transverse beams v12 connected to the frame l. The trough preferably*` extends* equal distances `on both sides of the machine and is openon; bothends, and contains an auger conveyor 13 or thelike arrangedto conveyv the dirt as delivered thereto from the chute 10 to the outer endsof said trough. This conveyor is driven from the shaft? by a chain. drive 14 or the likebetween said shaft and the outer vend of the conveyor shaftrl.V The structure lthus far described` is standard in one form or another and of itself forms no part of my "invention, which willnow*be particularly described. s

Positioned under each end of the trough isl a horizontalfdis'c 15, the axis of which is disposed a sho'rtj distance rearwardly ofthe longitudinal center line of the conveyor and outwardly of the adjacent open end of the 100 trough, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This disc is of a size sufficient to catch all dirt as discharged from the trough by the operation of the conveyor. The axial shaft 16 of this disc projects upwardly therefrom to a point above the top of the trough and is there connected by a housed-in bevel drive 17 to the transverse driven `shaft 18 Vwhich is operatively connected with the main drive shaft 9 in any suitable manner.

e The type of drive connection between the shafts 16 and 18 allows the former to be swung fore and aft of themachine about said Y shaft 1S as an axis, so that the angle of setting of the disc relative to a. horizontalplane may be altered as may be desired, as indicated in dotted lines, in Fig. 2.

This is a beneficial though not an absolutely necessary feature, and by reason of the same the height to'which the dirt will be thrown with the rotation of the disc, and consequently its range ofspread relative to the machine, may be controlled within certain limits, as will be evident. To hold the disc shaft set any desired position, the housing 16 of the shaft 16 has a stud 19 projecting transversely therefrom, which stud projects through a slot 20 disposed arcuate with` the shaft 18,.` This slot' is'formed in a plate 21 which extends between and is fixedon the under sides of thevbeam 12; and the housing 16a is clamped against said plate by a nut 22 on the stud on the side `of the plate opposite the housing. Y

I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.` In a ditching'machine having excavating `means, and conveying means cooperating therewith to convey the dirt as excavated awayL from the excavation; said conveyor being arranged to discharge the dirt from its outer end, a rotary disc mounted on a substantially vertical axis under the discharge end of the conveyor in a position to receive the dirt as discharged fromthe conveyor, dirt engaging elements projecting upwardly from the kdisc, and'means supporting the disc in a manner to enable the angle of the same relative to a horizontal plane to be altered at will.

2. In aditching machine having excavatingmeans, and conveying means cooperating.

therewith to convey the dirt as excavated away from the excavation and extending transversely of the line of excavation, said conveyor being arranged to discharge at its outer end, a vertical shaft positioned rearwardly ofthe longitudinal center line of the conveyor and outwardly of the outer end of the conveyor, a, disc on the shaft under the conveyor to catch the dirt discharged therefrom, radial dirt engaging vanes projecting upwardly from the disc, and means for ro'- tating the shaft ina direction to cause the outer side of the disc to rotate to the rear.

I n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' GORDON F. SCHECKLER.

The upper surface of the disc is provided with a plurality of substantially radial vanes 23; the disc being connected in driving relation with the power plantso as to rotate at considerable speed and in a direction such that its outer side will turn rearwardly. It will therefore be seen that the dirt deposited on the disc from the conveyor is caught by the vanes and thrown outwardly and horizontally over the adjacent dirt in the form of an evenly distributed and thin layer.

Due to the direction vof rotation and the axial positioning of thedisc rearwardly of the center line of the conveyor, the dirt is all caught by the forward portion of the disc` and ythrown outwardly from thev conveyor, 'thus preventing any dirt from being thrown underthe machine and into the ditch where it is ofl course not wanted.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that have produced such a device. as Substantially fulllsth@ Objects of the invention as set forth herein.

`While th's specification sets forth in detail kthe present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as dov not form a cLepartu-refrorn the spirit of the invention, as defined by the, appended: claims.

Having, thus described myinventon what

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