US2716821A - Mobile snow removing machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 6 1955 H. c. GRANT, JR

MOBILE SNOW REMOVING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1951 INVEN TOR. Harry C Gran 2, J11 BY f Sept. 6 1955 H. c. GRANT, JR

Filed March 28 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 e e 35 e 65 n 72 39 87 62m lmuym y /5 8 a0 j E 75 76 77 EH1 39 29 4 i- 26 l i I 1? INVENTOR. Harry C GICZIZZ: J7.

p 6 1955 .H. c. GRANT, JR

MOBILE SNOW REMOVING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 28 1951 INVENTOR. Harry 6? Grazzlj J21 BY ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofii ce 2,7 l 6,82 1 Patented Sept. 6, 1955 MOBILE SNOW REMOVING MACHINE Harry Campbell Grant, Jr., Ridgewood, N. J. Application March 28, 1951, Serial No. 218,035

7 Claims. (Cl. 37-43) The present invention relates to snow removing apparatus, and, more particularly, relates to a mobile snow removing machine of the type adapted to be moved through the snow by a single person in being used to clear the walks and driveways of the property on which dwellings or other structures are located.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to provide snow removing machines of such character which either removed the snow by plowing the same or by some form of centrifugal action.

In the plow type machine, the snow to be cleared is forcibly moved to one side and is compressed into the adjacent mass of snow. This requires a considerable amount of power. In addition, lateral displacement of the snow requires great tractive resistance to permit the machine to be moved forwardly without excessive side-slip. This makes it necessary for the machine to be so heavy that it cannot be picked up by a single person, and also increases power requirements for operation. in order to move any appreciable depth of snow in this manner, it is impractical for the operator to push the machine forward whereby traction wheels or the like, which are geared or otherwise drivingly connected to the power source, are required. Such a power operated driving arrangement fixes the forward speed of the machine or requires the use of an elaborate and costly speed changing system.

In the centrifugal type machine, the snow is picked up by direct contact with a rotating element or by blower action, and is'thrown to one side of the machine, usually to useless heights. Either of these methods calls for imparting high velocity to every snow particle, and, since the action is centrifugal, guards must be used to force the snow to be ejected at the desired point in the machine. outwardly to slide along the guard at high velocity and under high contact pressure until directed through the ejection opening. This again results in the consumption of a large amount of power, and the inherently necessary high velocity of the blades or other equivalent parts entails high windage losses. I tailed in accelerating the snow from its at rest position to the necessarily high and excessive velocities. Due to the high speed of the elements contacting the snow, considerable damage can be caused to the machine if driven into an obstruction, or if some solid object, such as a fallen branch or a stone, is in the snow.

Where the snow removing action is based on blowing the snow by entrainment with air set in motion by centrifugal blowers, the velocities and acceleration rates are likewise necessarily high and the snow is ejected or propelled to far greater elevations and distances than is useful. Further power losses result from the normal efiiciency losses of centrifugal blowers and the fact that a great mass of air is moved in addition to the snow.

Because of the aforementioned power losses and others, the centrifugal type machines are limited to low This means that most of the snow is thrown Further loss is ensnow removal rates and shallow snow depths, unless driven by an over-sized source of power.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a snow removing machine of the type indicated herein which overcomes the difiiculties and objections of the presently known machines.

Another object is to provide such a machine which is relatively small, compact and light in weight; is operated by a small motor; is readily maneuverable and is adapted to be handled and carried by a single person; is simple and economical in construction; and is practical in operation.

Another object is to provide such a machine wherein the snow removing elements are operated at a low velocity to minimize damage to the machine upon engaging a hard object and to prevent hazard to the operator.

Another object is to provide such a machine wherein centrifugal elements are not employed to thereby eliminate windage losses, useless acceleration losses, sliding friction losses and throwing snow to excessive heights.

Another object is to provide such a machine adapted to remove all forms of snow, including powdery snow, slushy snow and ice-crusted snow.

Another object is to provide such a machine which in addition to removing the snow, broom sweeps the cleared path.

Another object is to provide such a machine which is rapid in operation and yet consumes a small amount of power.

A further object is to provide such a machine which essentially is of the knock-down construction to simplify storage and shipment but is readily assembled by the ultimate purchaser.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not re ferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a mobile snow removing machine which comprises a frame, means on the frame for facilitating manually moving the frame across the surface from which snow is to be removed, a hollow rotor or drum-like structure having at least one open end and being provided with a plurality of elements for lifting snow and depositing the same into the interior of the rotor, bearing means on the frame for supporting the rotor for movement about a horizontal axis with the lower portion of the rotor adjacent the surface from which snow is to be removed, power driven means on the frame for efiecting rotation of the rotor, and means mounted on the frame for directing the snow deposited within the rotor outwardly through the open end of the rotor.

In an embodiment of the invention about to be described, the machine further includes a guide bar for directing the snow from the surface to the snow lifting elements, and brush means for sweeping the surface after snow has been removed therefrom. Suitable members are mounted on the frame forwardly of the rotor through which the snow is guided to the lifting elements. The means for facilitating manually moving the machine include runners and/or rollers and a push bar preferably so arranged with respect to the rotor and the power driven means that the machine is readily maneuverable. The machine is further provided with suitable shields or housing means for confining the lifted snow in a fixed path and cause the snow to be deposited at a predetermined point with respect to the means for directing the same outwardly of the rotor.

Special provision may be made for smashing a crust of snow by forming the rotor with tooth-like elements. In addition, the lifting elements may be constructed to fa cilitate handling slushy snow and to cooperate with means for scraping such snow from these elements and directing the same into the rotor.

The rotor is preferably mounted for rotation by means offering very little frictional resistance which also provide for positively driving the rotor from both ends thereof. Another feature is that the rotor and the means for directing the snow outwardly can be driven from a common power source at a different predetermined speed while utilizing extremely simple and practical driving connections.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a snow removing machine in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating details of construction.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating another arrangement for directing the snow to the side of the path to be cleared.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating features of construction which may be embodied in the machines shown in the preceding drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, there is shown a snow removing machine generally comprising a frame 10; a rotor or drum-like structure 11 mounted on the frame; means for directing the snow outwardly from the rotor, generally indicated by the reference numeral 12; a source of power such as a motor 14 mounted on the frame; and suitable driving connections between the motor, the rotor and the snow directing means as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

As shown herein, the frame 10 comprises a pair of spaced apart vertical rectangular sides constructed of rod, bar, tube, angle or channel members connected together by welding, riveting or bolting the same, and a plurality of horizontal crosswise extending members secured or removably fastened to the sides to provide a substantially rigid frame structure of minimum weight and maximum strength. More particularly, the sides of the frame comprise upper and lower horizontal members 15 and 16; forward, middle and rear vertical members 17, 18 and 19, with the members 17 and 18 extending above the member 15; a diagonally extending member 13 connecting the members 15 and 16 between the members 17 and 18; and a diagonally extending member 20 connecting the members 15 and 16 between the members 18 and 19 and extending upwardly and rearwardly of the frame to a suitable height for mounting a crosswise extending push bar 21. The crosswise extending horizontal members include upper and lower members 22 and 23 connecting the members 17 and similar members 24 and 25 connecting the members 18; diagonal cross-braces 26 and 27 connecting the members 17 and 18, respectively; a horizontal member 28 connecting the members 19 at the upper ends thereof; a shaft or rod 29 connected between the sides of the frame at the lower rear corner thereof; and crosswise extending members 30 and a diagonal cross-brace 31 connecting the lower frame members 16.

The frame 10 is provided with plates or guides 35 at each side of the forward end thereof (Fig. 2) which flare outwardly and forwardly of the machine to form a mouth-like opening for cutting a path wider than the frame and the rotor and for guiding the snow towards the rotor, whereby a completely cleared path is established through which the machine is adapted to be pushed. A horizontal.

rod or strip 36 is connected between the plates 35, about at the level of the axis of rotation of the rotor, to prevent pushing the rotor into obstructions of considerable size. The plates 35 and the rod 36 preferably are mounted in a manner to facilitate removal thereof when the machine is to be used in clearing snow covered with a heavy crust of ice.

In order to facilitate moving the machine across the surface from which snow is to be cleared, the lower frame members 16 are each provided with a runner 37 positioned beneath the axis of rotation of the rotor and having a sliding surface approximately tangentially disposed with respect to the lower peripheral portion of the rotor, whereby the rotor is almost in contact with the ground surface; and a pair of wheels or rollers 39 mounted on the shaft 29 which enable the forward end of the machine to be tilted upwardly by pressing down on the push bar 21, whereby the runners 37 are raised off the ground surface and the wheels 39 enable the machine to be moved with little effort, forwardly, rearwardly or pivoted sidewise, to turn corners. As will become apparent from further description herein, the relative weight and arrangement of the elements of the machine is such that the center of the mass is slightly in advance of the wheels 39 to facilitate tilting the machine and to render it readily maneuverable.

The rotor 11 may be further protected against coming in contact with small obstructions lodged on the surface to be cleared such as stones or against cutting into the ground when moved over an uneven surface by connecting a crosswise extending plate 40 between the runners 37 in advance of the sliding surfaces thereof. This plate scrapes up and feeds the rotor with the slightest thickness of snow that would otherwise be missed by the rotor. The plate preferably is yieldable and has its forward cc gc arranged for contacting the ground surface and is curled slightly upwardly to prevent digging into the ground, whereby, when the forward edge of the plate contacts a small obstruction on a hump on the ground surface, the plate acts to tilt the forward end of the machine upwardly. The operator immediately will become aware of this action and instinctively will press down on the push bar 21 to further tilt the machine to a position whereby the rotor is raised away from the ground surface to clear the obstruction.

As shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the rotor 11 comprises a pair of end ring assemblies 45, and a plurality of circumfcrentially spaced crosswise extending snow lifting elements or blades 46 mounted between the ring assemblies. The ring assemblies each include an annular plate or flat ring member 47 having an inner circular peripheral edge 49 and having an outer peripheral edge 50; and a cylindrical section 51 extending outwardly from the plate 47 between its inner and outer edges formed with circumferentially spaced sprocket portions 52 adapted to engage with a drive chain for rotating the rotor.

The blade members 46 may be connected to the ring assemblies in any suitable manner, but in one form of the invention are formed with projections or tabs 53 at each end thereof fitting into corresponding recesses or apertures 54 formed in the rings or plates 47 (Fig. 4). if desired, the blades may be secured to the rings, but preferably are slightly bendable lengthwise and are merely connected by the fit between the tabs 53 and apertures 54. whereby in the event a blade strikes a solid obstruction the blade will bend and be sprung out of its retaining apertures and fall to the ground, rather than being damaged by being forcibly driven into such an obstruction. As shown. the blades may be flat or curved and may be sloped with respect to the radius of the drum to approach the ground surface, for example, at an angle of about 30 to effectivel lift the snow upwardly.

The outer edges 50 may be notched or formed with saw-lil e teeth or serrations 55 extending outwardly of the outermost edge of the blades to cut or smash icy crusts and thereby facilitate pushing the machine through the uncleared. snow. Also, if desired, some or all of the blades may have brush means 58- on the outer edges thereof for broom-sweeping the cleared surface.

While the rotor 11 may be mounted on the frame for rotation about a horizontal axis in a number of suitable ways, the present invention contemplates accomplishing this in an extremely advantageous manner resulting in a low power requirement to rotate the rotor and general simplification of the construction of the machine. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, each of the frame members 17 and 18 have a roller 56 rotatably mounted thereon at the inner side thereof adjacent the upper end above the upper frame members and have a similar roller 56 mounted thereon adjacent the lower end just about above the lower frame members 16. These rollers have an annular recess 57 for receiving the ring edge 49, and are so positioned with respect to the ring asesmblies that the four rollers at each side establish a fixed circular path or bearing support'for the ring assemblies. If desired, two or three or more than four rollers could be provided for supporting each ring assembly. In this manner, the rotor is mounted for rotation with a minimum of sliding friction.

It will furthermore be noted that the rotor or drum-like structure is hollow and is open at its ends. This; enables the crosswise disposed frame members 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 3d and 31 to extend through the rotor, thus providing a rigid, lightweight frame structure and eliminating the necessity of a heavy, complicated and costly housing for supporting the rotor.

As already mentioned herein, the blades are adapted to lift the snow upon rotation of the rotor and to deposit the same within the rotor by causing the snow to fall by gravity when the blades approach their uppermost position, and other means direct this snow outwardly through an open end of the rotor.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, this, may be accomplished by the means 12 herein shown as an endless conveyor belt 60 extending crosswise within the drum or rotor. The belt is mounted for travel beneath the upper inner portion of the rotor by a flanged roll 61 mounted on a shaft 62 supported between the frame members 17 and 18 at one side of the machine and by a second flanged roll 64 mounted on a shaft 65 supporting bearings 66 on the upper frame member 15 at the other side of the machine. The shaft 65 extends rearwardly and is supported at its free end by a bearing 67 mounted on the aforementioned upper frame member 15 and serves as a drive shaft for the roll 64, while the shaft 62 has the roll 61 freely rotatably mounted thereon to serve as an idler.

The upper strand of the conveyor may be horizontally disposed, but preferably, as shown, is inclined upwardly in the direction in which it travels to throw the snow deposited thereon outwardly and upwardly of the machine and thereby give the snow a trajectory enabling it to be thrown a considerable distance tothe side of the machine with a minimum effort. The conveyor may have cleats or blades 68 thereon which prevent slippage of the snow when deposited on the upper strand and which positively propel the snow outwardly of the drum.

If desired, a cover plate 63 may be provided at the side of the rotor opposite the end from which the snow is ejected and an annular guard 69 may be provided at the snow ejecting side of the rotor, the plate and guard serving to shield the sides of the rotor and the drive chain therefor.

Assuming that the rotor is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, an arcuate shield 70 conforming to the inner contour of the rotor extends from above the runners 37 to the upper portion of the rotor and has a trough-like section 71 at its upper end inclined downwardly to a position above the forward edge of the conveyor belt 60. This shield retains the snow on the blades as they move upward and prevents the snow from sliding into the rotor whereas the section 71 guides the snow onto the conveyor belt. An arcuate shield or cover plate 72 conforming to the outer contour of the rotor extends across the upper portion of the rotor with its free ends terminating above the upper frame members 15. A second inclined trough-like section 74 has its upper edge adjacent the inner edges of the blades and has its lower edge positioned above the rearward edge of the conveyor belt. This section serves to scrape snow from the blades which extends inwardly of the inner edges thereof and to guide such snow and snow falling from the blades to the belt after the blades have passed their peak. If desired, a scraper blade may be mounted above the middle of the conveyor belt to more uniformly distribute snow across the width of the belt.

It will be appreciated that the rotor could also be rotated in clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 by inclining the blades 46 in the opposite direction and reversing the location of the shield 70 and the section 74.

The power driven means 14 may be an internal combustion engine or motor, but preferably, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a relatively small electric motor 75 is mounted at the rear of the frame between the sides thereof which is adapted to be supplied with current by a long extension cord (not shown) connected to an outlet in the general vicinity of the surface to be cleared. This motor elfects rotation of the rotor and the conveyor as about to be described.

The motor has a forwardly extending drive shaft 76 carrying a bevel gear 77 meshing with a bevel gear 79 on a. shaft 80 supported by bearings 81 on the frame members 20'. The shaft 80 has a sprocket 82 thereon adjacent each end drivingly connected with the rotor by a chain 34 Wrapped around the cylindrical ring assembly sections 51 and meshing with the sprocket means 52 thereon. By driving the rotor from both ends thereof in this manner, one end will not tend to move faster than the other whereby twisting or torque loading the rotor is prevented. In this way, the blades carry no stress other than that due to contact with the snow and the weight of the snow whereby a lightweight rotor requiring little rigidity can be advantageously utilized.

The drive shaft speed of the motor, the bevel gear ratio and the sprocket and rotor section 51 ratios are such that the rotor may be rotated at less than centrifugal speeds, whereby the rotor acts to lift the snow without tending to throw the same tangentially outwardly thereof.

The motor shaft 76 also carries a pulley 85 drivingly connected to a pulley 86 on the shaft 65 by a belt 87, whereby the motor is adapted to effect operation of the conveyor. The speed of the motor, the ratio of the pulleys and the conveyor perimeter and roll 64 ratio are such that the conveyor has a relatively high surface speed and is. adapted to throw the snow to the side of the machine a suitable distance without high power requirements.

It will be appreciated that the motor, the gears, pulleys, sprockets, chains and shafts could be enclosed by a removable housing of sheet metal, if desired.

While the machine just described is capable of being moved manually, it will be appreciated that movement of the machine may be assisted by providing suitable means for effecting rotation of the wheels 39 by means of the motor 75.

In Fig. 5, another arrangement is illustrated for directing the snow deposited within the rotor outwardly through an open end thereof and to the side of the path to be cleared. In this arrangement, a blower is mounted on the frame 10 within the rotor at the end opposite the end from which the snow is to be ejected, and a troughlike structure 101 extends from the blower crosswise through the rotor. This trough-like structure preferably is inclined upwardly at a slight angle to the horizontal and converges in the direction towards the ejection end whereby snow deposited thereon by the rotor is gathered into a compact stream and is directed upwardly and outwardly by the air stream produced by the blower and is thrown a suitable distance to the side of the path being cleared. In this embodiment of the invention, the shaft 65 is utilized to drive the blower at a high speed by means of the motor 75, although it will be appreciated that a separate motor may be provided for driving the blower directly.

In Fig. 6, a modified rotor structure is illustrated, wherein the rotor is provided with blades 109 which are pivotally mounted at 110 adjacent the inner edges 49 of the rings 47 and are adapted to tilt inwardly and outwardly in a path defined by stops 111 and 112 on the rings 47. The blades at the lower portion of the rotor tilt outwardly under the influence of gravity and/or centrifugal force and scoop up the snow and are retained in their outward position by the weight of the snow as they are moved upwardly.

As the blades move towards their upper position on the rotor, they are tilted inwardly by suitable cam means, herein illustrated as a belt 114 mounted on idlers 115 and 116 and having the lower strand disposed substantially tangentially with respect to the outer periphery of the rotor and positioned for engagement by the leading edge of the blades at a small angle of incidence. The belt 114 or other cam means are so arranged that the blades are tilted to their innermost position at about their uppermost position on the rotor, and a scraper blade 117 is so positioned within the rotor that the rotor blades pass thereover and any snow clinging thereto is scraped therefrom and is caused to drop downwardly and be carried away by the means for directing the snow outwardly of the rotor. As shown herein, the blade 117 may constitute the upper edge of a trough element at the rearward side of the conveyor which is inclined across the conveyor.

The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6 is particularly advantageously employed where the snow is of a slushy or compactable character and tends to cling to the rotor blades due to freezing or otherwise.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, practical and economical snow removing machine which is readily manufactured, is easy to assemble, and overcomes all the disadvantages of previously known machines. The machine is ideally suited for clearing paths on walks, driveways and the like, and by reason of its lightweight and maneuverability can be operated and handled by a single person. The machine is adapted to remove all forms of snow in an etficient manner without any special skill on the part of the operator or without subjecting the operator to any hazard. The machine furthermore is rugged in construction and is fully capable of withstanding such rough usage to which it may normally be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a mobile snow removing machine, the combination of a frame, means on said frame for facilitating moving said frame across a surface from which snow is to be removed, a drum-like hollow rotor having an open end and a ring adjacent each end thereof, a plurality of elongate transversely extending blade-like elements having leading and trailing edges and being constructed and arranged for lifting snow and depositing the same into the interior of said rotor, said rings and blade-like elements having cooperating means for mounting said blade-like elements for swinging movement between said rings, said blade-like elements normally being inclined with respect to the radius of said rotor with the leading edges thereof forwardly disposed in the direction of rotation of said rotor, means adjacent the upper portion of said rotor for effecting radially inward swinging movement of said bladelike elements, bearing means on said frame for supporting said rotor rings for movement about a horizontal axis Gil with the lower portion of said rotor adjacently above the surface from which snow is to be removed, power driven means on said frame for effecting rotation of said rotor, and means mounted on said frame for directing the snow deposited within said rotor outwardly through the open end of said rotor.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein means located within said rotor adjacent the upper portion thereof effect scraping of snow from said blade-like elements while in their inwardly swung position.

3. In a mobile snow removing machine, the combination of a frame, means on said frame for facilitating moving said frame across a surface from which snow is to be removed, a drum-like hollow rotor having an open end and a ring adjacent each end thereof, a plurality of elongate transversely extending blade-like elements having leading and trailing edges and being constructed and arranged for lifting snow and depositing the same into the interior of said rotor, means for mounting said bladelike elements for swinging movement between said rings constructed and arranged to permit said blade-like elements at the lower portion of said rotor to move to a radially outwardly extending position and inclined with respect to the radius of said rotor with the leading edges thereof forwardly disposed in the direction of rotation of said rotor, stop means on said rings for defining the extent of outward and inward movement of said bladelike elements, cam means mounted on said frame adjacent the upper portion of said rotor exteriorally of said blade-like elements for moving the same radially inwardly, bearing means on said frame for supporting said rotor rings for movement about a horizontal axis with the lower portion of said rotor adjacently above the surface from which snow is to be removed, power driven means on said frame for effecting rotation of said rotor, means mounted on said frame for directing the snow deposited Within said rotor outwardly through the open end of said rotor, and a scraper bar mounted within said rotor adjacent the upper portion thereof and above said last mentioned means for removing snow from said bladelike elements upon being moved radially inwardly by said cam means.

4. In a mobile snow removing machine, the combination of a frame, means on said frame for facilitating moving said frame across a surface from which snow is to be removed, a drum-like hollow rotor having an open end, a plurality of elongate transversely extending blade-like elements having leading and trailing edges, means for mounting said blade-like elements for swinging movement between the ends of said rotor, said bladelike elements being constructed and arranged for lifting snow and depositing the same into the interior of said rotor and normally being inclined with respect to the radius of said rotor, with the leading edges thereof for wardly disposed in the direction of rotation of said rotor, means adjacent the upper portion of said rotor for effecting radially inward swinging movement of said bladelike elements, bearing means on said frame for supporting said rotor for movement about a horizontal axis with the lower portion of said rotor adjacently above the surface from which snow is to be removed, power driven means on said frame for effecting rotation of said rotor, and means mounted on said frame for directing the snow deposited within said rotor outwardly through the open end of said rotor.

5. A machine according to claim 4, wherein means are located within said rotor for effecting removal of snow from said blade-like elements while in their inwardly swung position.

6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein stop means are provided on said rotor for defining the extent of swinging movement of said blade-like elements.

7. In a mobile snow removing machine, the combination of a frame, means on said frame for facilitating moving said frame across a surface from which snow is to be removed, a drum-like hollow, open ended rotor having annular plates at the ends thereof, a plurality of elongate transversely extending blade-like elements having leading and trailing edges, means for mounting said blade-like elements at the trailing edges thereof for swinging movement between said end plates adjacent the inner periphery thereof, said blade-like elements being constructed and arranged for lifting snow and depositing the same into the interior of said rotor and being normally inclined with respect to the radius of said rotor and adapted to swing towards the interior of said rotor when at the upper portion of said rotor, with the leading edges thereof forwardly disposed in the direction of rotation of said rotor, stop means on said end plates adapted to be engaged by said blade-like elements to prevent the leading edges of said elements from extending inwardly beyond the inner periphery of said edge plates, bearing means on said frame for supporting said rotor for movement about a horizontal axis with the lower portion of said rotor adjacently above the surface from which snow is to be removed, power driven means on said frame for effecting rotation of said rotor, means for effecting radially inward swinging movement of said blade-like elements at the upper portion of said rotor, means mounted on said frame including a scraper element within said rotor adjacent the upper portion thereof having an edge spaced adjacently from said blade-like elements when in engagement with said stop means for effecting removal of snow from said blade-like elements when swung towards the interior of said rotor and causing the removed snow to be deposited within said rotor without contacting said blade-like elements, and means mounted on said frame for directing the snow deposited within said rotor outwardly through the open end of said rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 266,880 Petrie Oct. 31, 1882 298,295 Dunbar May 6, 1884 317,481 Zeis May 5, 1885 400,154 Williams Mar. 26, 1889 1,175,174 Peterson Mar. 14, 1916 1,561,007 MacGregor Nov. 10, 1925 1,852,048 George Apr. 5, 1932 2,055,176 Lang Sept. 22, 1936 2,116,945 Hitchens May 10, 1938 2,140,823 Van Voorhis Dec. 20, 1938 2,165,299 Penote July 11, 1939 2,246,015 Sims June 17, 1941 2,298,566 Johnson Oct. 13, 1942 2,307,412 Lewis Jan. 5, 1943 2,329,659 Smith Sept. 14, 1943 2,368,360 Hollman et al. Jan. 30, 1945

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