US2669040A - V-type ditching machine adjustment - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, 1954 Q GREGERSON 2,669,040

V TYPE DITCHING MACHINE ADJUSTMENT Filed sept. 17, 194e 2 sheets-sheet 1 Feb 16, 1954 n o. l.. GREGERsoN 2,669,040

V TYPE DITCHING MACHINE ADJUSTMENT Filed Sept. 17, 1946 2 SheeS-Sheeb 2r rif/@92.9

sirable for dissembling the machine and in moving it from place to place, but obviously, the connections between the struts and the landside and the moldboard could be permanent, made so, for example, by means of rivets or welding (not shown) In Fig. 2, the landside 23 is shown in its working position along the bottom 28 of a canal, the bank of the canal being shown at 30 and a substantially finished side of the canal at 98. Disposed to travel along the canal on the bank 3B is the trailing wheel 3|, which is journaled on a stub axle 32, that extends outwardly from the trailing wheel so as to carry the lower end of a mast 33. Connected to the mast, for example by welding, is the upper end of a strut 34, this strut and the mast being further rigidly connected to each other by means of a brace so as to conveniently produce an A-frame. A brace 36 ex'- tends advantageously from the opposite end of the axle 32 to the strut 34. At the top of the mast 33 are warped gusset plates 31 and 38 between which is secured the upper end of a strut 39, the securement being effected by any suitable means, for example, a bolt 40, which allows a limited movement of this strut, the lower end of the latter being similarly fastened to the moldboard 2G by means of the bolt 4 I.

Flexibly connecting the A-frame 42 to the moldboard is a'chain 43 that serves to harness the trailing wheel 3l to the moldboard. For this purpose one end of the chain is connected to a lug 44 on the brace 3S, the other end of the chain being connected tothe bracket 45 that is fast on the moldboard 20, in this instance by means of rivets 4B. The chain fastenings may be of any suitable kind such as the respective clevises 41 and 48. The strut 34 is removably connected to 4 portion of a link 31 that in turn is connected to a short chain 63, the last link of which is connected to a clevis 10 that is pivotally connected to the front end of the moldboard 20 at 1l. Alternative holes 11a for the pivot pin are provided in the moldboard 25. A flexible auxiliary draft member comprising principally, for example, a wire cable 13, has one end thereof connected to the drawbar 58 by means of a rope socket 14. This cable extends through a pulley block 15 and the other end of the cab-le passes over the guide sheave 54 and is wound on the drum 52.

The pulley block 15 is attached to a link chain the landside 23 by any suitable means, for example, a bolt 49. Thus, the A-frame 42 with its trailing wheel 3l, has largely a floating relation to the moldboard and the landside, thereby bringing about certain desirable flexibility of connection between these parts relative to the control mechanism presently to be described.

Means operative to propel the ditching mai the moldboard and consists conveniently of usual winding or reeling drums 5I and 52 as well as usual guide sheavesl53 and 54. The winding drums are operative through the respective, usual levers 55 and 56. Power for driving the operating drums is supplied from the usual engine (not shown) through a usualtransmission mechanism (not shown).

The main draft member is indicated at 12 and preferably comprises an articulative chain 51 followed by a series of obstacle overridingpilot elements. A clevis 59 connects one end of chain 51 to the tractor drawbar 58, the other end being connected to an elongated, eyeletted link 63 that has a shaft portion on which is rotatably mounted a tube 6 l forming a fixed part of a pilot roller E2.. This first roller is articulatively connected to a second pilot roller 63 which also is mounted on a similar link, the successive rollers forming a group suited to the requirements of any particular case. In this instance are shown three pilot rollers, the last one 54 being articu1a tively connected to a nose float 55 xed on a tube 56 which latter is rotatably mounted on the shaft 16,- the other end of the chain being connected to the rear end of themoldboard 26 by means of a clevis 11 pivotally connected to an arm 18 that is fast on the moldboard, for example, by means of rivets 19.

In order to properly control the operation of the moldboard, means is provided for raising or lowering the moldboard with respect to the trailing wheel 3|. In the present instance, the raising and lowering functions are accomplished by means of a flexible cable 83 that passes through the pulley blocks 8| and 82, The pulley block 8l is advantageously connected to the moldboard by means of a relatively short chain 83 having the clevis 84, the latter being pinned to the moldboard. The near end of the cable 8b is fastened to the moldboard by means of a rope socket 85. The pulley block 32 is necessarily located at a point appreciably above-the pulley block 8|, an advantageous point of fastening being provided in proximity to the top of the mast by means of an eyefbolt 86.

Since the moldboard 2B is usually of considerable width from top to bottom and has considerable weight, it is desirable that the struts 24, 25 and 26, be securely braced to both the moldboard and the landside, in this instance, by means of the respective bracketed portions 81, 88 and 89. For convenience in dissembling when moving a machine from place to place, as hereinbefore touched upon, the bolts 28 serve to engage connection angles 93, Fig. 5, that are fast on the moldboard. Similarly, the bolts 21 engage connection angles 96a fast on the landside. In use, the landside is subjected to reactionary stresses from'the moldboard and therefore must be of sturdyI construction. Accordingly, a tubular member 23a extends longitudinally along the back of the landside and is connected thereto by the longitudinal plates 23h and 23o to form a l rigid assembly, this for illustration, being accomplished by welding the component parts together as required.

The ,general details of the pilot rollers, such as 62, 63 and 64 are indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, where the shell 9| and the tube 66 of each roller are connected to the respective heads 92, by welding. The general details of the nose float are indicated in Figs. 8 and 9 where the shell consists of steel plates 34 curved to a relatively long radius and welded together at the edges thereof to define a rather flattened configuration, the two plates 94 being provided with a rear head 96. The forward, end of the nose oat is curved, as at 91, to facilitate riding over obstacles.

The attened configuration of the nose float stabilizes its motion as it glides along through or over siltI and mud, and it in turn imparts a certain degree of stability to the moldboard and landside, while the connection member 22 improves the advancing attack of the moldboard upon the material encountered in its advance.

einem@ `tffhas'. been= found that excellent reslts'aiefomy tainedvvhen-zthef -line of :the upper. 7edge of.'v the landsida extended;:is.=-spaced: somewhat; outside of- .thewnearest` .point 'of'thermoldboard, .las designatedat'l l a-in.lig.11;,while at thefsa'me time, `the line ofi-the lower edgezof thetlandside, extended, is spaced apart .fromthe n nose :off Athe C:inoldboard adistance y2l b; considerably.greaterfthanthe distance 21a.

-. 'In operating fthe ditching 4assern'bly'two men "are Ausually* employed;l fboth having lt'heir sta tions preferablyfon the motive funit,.uone;to: guide itrand'the-y other to manipulate the control"mech anismfper kse that actuatesxthe control lines' ningyfto.: the. ditcher. 'Asef'represented Z-in :"Figf 5., theaditcherfis drawn? along la canal or otherfwa'-A terw'ayfinthe 'generalzdirection` oflthe1-arrow 93- Theioperator. v of .fthe `ditcher. manipulates the levers 53 and 54 to achieve the results desired in anyffparticularcase; Whilewthe-driver guides theftractor 50 inac'cordance with vthese same desired-results. The: frenioteness of; the a tractor fromvtheY ditcher depends upon@ the particular local conditions encountered from .time to. time. If thefbanksihappen to. .fbewquite .rrnand the vegetation not Vtoo-f. heavy', the ytractor rmay' travel rather :closely to the' channel,= y'but 'iff'- the condi.- tions are not favorable, the tractor must travel alcourse .spacedfa greater or lesser distancev from the-channel.

`Sonrefo'f theresultsobtainable by meansv of theinvention` arerin generalvisualized in Fig. 5..: Assuming that-the blade 2D has been set at the properfangle, as determined by varying` conditions, such `as'thoselpeculiar to a particular Waterwayiwithffrespect to-.thefnal results desired, it Will loeobservedrthat in traveling in the direction of .the varrow'93,ithe moldboard 20 isitra'inedfacross Aand cutsfinto 'a side of the k-vvaterway so as to practically roll up .alayer .of refuse-earth. or spoil together'with anyvegetable growth thereon. yThisispoilisrrolled' onto the respective bank ofthewaterway and leaves the side vof the latter in substantially the finished form indicated at v98, while the trailerrwheel follows themol'dboard along a path thatmay very considerably, but that in Ygeneral follows the representation at 99. 'Thelayer'offspoilafbeing removed,- 'generally follows the representation at 100, the' arrowsA indicatingA its :rolling movement.

Irrigation canals and ditches .farei-subject to having'the banksgrown over, and even-the sides andibottorny of a Waterway .itself covered .with

vegetable growtlnsuch as willows, grassand. wild shrubbery of various kinds. A considerable 'network .ofdeeply `penetrating roots is developed that from .year to year produces agrowth which gives trouble by. impeding .the ow of water through the waterway and reduces 'very materially vthe Ycarrying and `earning 'capacity thereof. Therefore it becomes necessary at frequent intervals to remove the Vegetation 'that is objectionable-andA wild, and re-form the sides and banks fof lthe canal orditch. The utility of 'jthe invention-in :accomplishing this work .Will .readil-ybeunderstcod from what has beenexplained.

A representation of some ofthe vobjectionable features encountered,v is set forth inV Fig. x5vr where along the bank portion IUI, growingv grass has gotten .very long and trails down into` the Waterway channel. At |02 `is indicatedl a growth 'of willows. v As a-fccnsequence, the side IH13 ofthe channel,-because ofthe wash of the current-and.

thedeposition of silt or other obstructive matter; Ahas wbecome de-formed tor-an.. objectionable Yextent:` i ther; ditching;r lmachinetmovesrfcr- -vvardcfalong lsuch afwaterway, :the obstructing matter is removed, .-jusually -at'oneipas'sage of :ithe machine. 'As the machine i' advances and. .the spoil .is rolled up ontoithe bank, th'e vegetable growth fof.- any L substantial iheight *is bent xover and: r flattened dovvnA by". the. foncoming' rolling action ofix the :spoil |06, such 1 flattening 'bein'g suggested at |04. important consideration the .'.op'eraton of fthe machine is :the-l tiiexibi'lityr ofi-its .'F'control means. This flcexiloil'ity is basedonltherf-act that the "operation" takes''place in .two "selectivelyvariable,z-iconti'guous f triangular: 'planes having ifa-.f side inf'ccmmon alongrvvnich aningin'g action :takes place; as illustratedv in the ydiagrams y of Figsif'S and' 4.. .Theemoldboard 4zu'f'andthe :landsdelfz are represented by the so ,r designated intersecting straight-v lines ythat constitute two "sides of a triangle, -the thirds side being" an imaginary line 69ljoiningfv the far .extremitiesof linesV 20 an'di23; This vtriangle has verticesa, b, c, and yobviously lies in the'plane offoperatio'n ofthe machine.v The othe'rtriangle hasV the vsidesl'zand Ik/and the vertices d,'c, f, -the third-side being l2li-lin commonv with the triangleabc. The side 12 represents the maindraftfmember With"i'tsiappurten'ances,y and the line 13; the auxiliarydrat member with its appurtenances.

In any particular 'ditcher* the triangle felici-obviously -is constant, 'butthe-'triangle-de is subject to variation, nrst, fbecau'se v`vthe "-mainfdraft member '12"can be varied from-*timetoi'tirnefby adding orsubtracting chain linksfaccording to 'general requirements,` andffsecond, because' the auxiliary :draft member 13 caribe and Aisf'vaiied momentarily according to specific' requirementsas the assembly moves along. This selective variation in the-sidel'l`3 alongwith the factth'at contiguous vertices 'ia-and fare incommon subject to selective elevation or depression, by means ofv thel control line 81),*combinestoibringiabout the high degree fof-#maneuvering ilexibility 'of the apparatus of fthe invention;

It is to bel 'observedJ that they triangle abc' f Fig.v Bliesfwholly -Ainthe'llinr'e 2l) of-'Fig 4.

While' the v"fields in-I which themachine' `pflthe' invention .finds employmentfare i'quitefr'i-un'ierous, one fthat vis1.'repres'e'ntative brings 'o'ut @its novel maneuverability,is the cleaningof irrigation canais. f This `eld''seems'deserving "ofspeclal mention.. z Ordinarily, irrigation f 'canals f ililow through ldistricts vwhere.land l is funderl af'higlh degreeof "cultivation and y:hen'cefcanals are? beset with-many obstructions, vsuch :as iindividuallhead` gates through which the users of'water are' served; bridges, and so on. v 'Ganalf'workfof this character also 'brings out a.1significant'advantagev offithfe presenti` machine .'inxthat. lits sentirei performante is continuous and occurs in transit, thatfis-to say, there is no stopping of .theimach-ine because ofthe obstructions aforesaid;I While-'ditching machines -of othentypes inv common use,-almostin varably'require stopping at 'anyobstructin fol" lowed vby 'ai tediousi` procedure of getting the 44Ama-'- chine out ofthe channel and-replacingit on fthe opposite side yof -the *obstructiom-an intermittent performance atbest.

' When the present 'machine' encounters'headgates, lit is` .not necessary tov-take vthe machine out of the channel'v at'.all,'.foi-fthe" reason -.th'a't the' outboardap'ortion1 Aof tv the rmoldboard ficanbe raised suhicientlyhigh' von'the nrra'st-#so'that'fal-4 most any fheadgat'e` structure. isY cleared; sln'e'n' aszathei moldboardehasapassed':ever; f iti' eanagain' be lowered into'the digging position in thechannel without fuss or fanfare. An unique feature of manipulation of the machine is that in the interval of the said passing over, the weight of the moldboard is practically taken off the carrier wheel 3l, with the result that only the Weight of the Wheel comes on the headgate structure, therefore seldom causing any damage to the same.

Also unique is the passing of a bridge. As soon as the machine approaches the bridge, the auxiliary cable 13 and the control cable Sii are lengthened out or unreeled, so as to throw the entire tractor pull onto the nose of the machine, thereby raising it out of the channel and concentrating the entire pulling stress on the landside. This results in bringing the machine up, out of the channel immediately in front of the bridge, and to pass the same without further ado, all

during transit. After passing, the two cables are again shortened, or reeled in, so that the machine is guided back into the channel. At this point is where the particular novel utility of the runner 22, which has hereinbefore been designated as a connection member is manifested, in that it guides the nose of the machine generally in the longitudinal direction of the runner, instead of allowing the landside to impose its guidance on the nose. f

When the machine is used in a digging operation, the depth of the digging is controlled by slacking the auxiliary cable 'i3 and at the same time allowing the pull of the main draft member 12 to raise the nose to the desired extent, since the tendency of the main draft member Without this control is to sink the nose deeper and deeper into the soft material at the bottom of a canal, The novel utility of the nose float 65 consists in keeping the nose of a machine in such a position that the uniform line of the channel is maintained.

Also unique in the operation of the machine is the fact that it is maneuvered entirely by remote control so that the cleaning of a canal can easily be accomplished even though it is full of Water. This is of considerable importance when it is realized that withdrawing the water from a canal is not only an item of expense, but also that it occasions inconvenience and often money losses to the users of water from the canal.

Cleaning the bottom of a canal is easily accomplished by the proper manipulation of the control lines, first bringing the V-frame into a position where its plane coincides with the bottom surface of the canal and then drawing it along that surface.

- Although more or less specific details are included in the foregoing description, it is to be understood that the invention is not thereby limited.

- What is claimed is:

l. A ditching machine comprising a V-shaped frame composed of a moldboard leg and a landside leg; a trailing wheel arranged outside said V-shaped frame to support the outboard portion of said moldboard leg; an A-frame having one leg strut at least partially supported on said trailing wheel and another leg strut connecting the Erst-mentioned leg strut to said landside; and a flexible connector extending from said A- frame to said outboard portion.

2. A ditching machine comprising a V-shaped frame composed of a moldboard leg and a landside leg; carrier means for the outboard portion of said moldboard leg; said carrier means the V; carrier means trailing and supporting said moldboard; a prime mover comprising motive means having a drawbar and reeling means; main draft means extending from substantially the vertex of said V-frame to said drawbar; and auxiliary draft means extending operatively from the rear of said moldboard leg to said reeling means. y

4. A ditching apparatus assembly according to claim 3, wherein said main draft means comprises a flexible connector having overriding roller means disposed in advance of the vertex of said V-frame.

5. A ditching apparatus assembly according to claim 3, wherein said main draft means includes a nose float in advance of the vertex of said V- frame.

6. A ditching apparatus assembly according to claim 3, wherein said auxiliary draft means comprises a flexible connector extending from said drawbar to the rear portion of said moldboard leg and from said rear portion back to said reeling means; and means operative to selectively control the reeling means.

i. A ditching apparatus assembly according to claim 3, wherein control means is included operative to selectively elevate or to cause the depression of said moldboard relatively to said carrier means.

8. A ditching apparatus assembly according to claim 3. wherein is included pulley means disposed at the rear portion of said moldboard; other pulley means disposed at a high point of said carrier; a second reeling means on said prime mover; and a flexible connector having one end thereof attached to said rear moldboard portion, thence threaded respectively through said second-mentioned and first-mentioned pulley means and finally extending operatively to said second reeling means.

9. An earth excavating plant comprising an excavating unit with a moldboard having a. nose portion, and an edge portion extending angularly upwardly and backwardly of said nose portion; means adapted to operatively support said moldboard; a motive unit operative to draw said excavating unit; a flexible main draft connector extending from said motive unit to said nose portion; a flexible secondary draft connector extending from said motive unit to the rear portion of said moldboard; means selectively operative to lengthen or shorten said secondary draft connector as the case may be, during transit; and means selectively operative to elevate or depress the rear portion of the moldboard as the case may be, during transit.

l0. An excavating plant including in combination, an excavator having a moldboard and a landside lying operatively in and constituting two sides of a triangular plane; a prime mover remote from said excavator; fiexible draft connectors extending from said prime mover to said excavator, said draft connectors forming substantially a second triangular plane having a. side in common with the moldboard side of the firstmentioned triangular plane, said prime mover being located substantially at that vertex of the second-mentioned triangular plane that is opposite the common side; an A-frame having a wheel-carried leg adjacent the free end of said moldboard, the other leg thereof being attached to the free end of said landside; and a flexible control connector operative to raise or lower the moldboard free end relative to said A-frame.

11. An excavating plant according to claim 10 wherein is included means operative to selectively increase or diminish as the case may be during transit, the effective length of that one of said flexible draft connectors which is oppo- 15 12. An excavating plant according to claim 10, wherein moldboard raising and lowering means extends from said prime mover to that vertex of the first-mentioned triangular plane opposite the landside side thereof; and wherein said prime mover is operative to selectively increase or diminish as the case may be, the length of the said moldboard flexible control connector.

OWEN L. GREGERSON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 127,239 Hopkins May 28, 1872 726,709 Lemert Apr. 28, 1903 1,048,243 Wallis Dec. 24, 1912 1,166,251 Phipps Dec. 28, 1915 1,779,101 McClurkin Oct. 2,1, 1930

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