Earth working – Tool – standard or connection – Non-rectangular – symmetrical type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-20
2001-09-18
Novosad, Christopher J. (Department: 3671)
Earth working
Tool, standard or connection
Non-rectangular, symmetrical type
C172S749000, C172S762000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289996
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to earthworking tools, such as agricultural sweeps, of the type which are held in wedging frictional engagement on the tines of agricultural tillage implements. More particularly, the invention relates to securing devices for preventing accidental release of such earthworking tools from agricultural tillage implements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Agricultural sweeps are employed as earthworking tools in the cultivation of soil. A typical sweep comprises a stem portion which is removably mounted on the tine of an agricultural tillage implement and an earthworking portion attached to the stem which is pulled through the soil. The earthworking portion typically has an arrowhead shape and comprises a pair of symmetrical wing elements extending rearwardly from a point. An example of an agricultural sweep is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,568, issued Nov. 9, 1999 to Parish.
In the past, agricultural sweeps were typically attached to tillage implements by bolting the stem of the sweep to a tine of the implement, either directly or through an adaptor attached to the tine. Removal of the sweep therefore required the use of wrenches or the like to loosen and/or remove the bolts from the stem of the sweep. As a typical tillage implement would utilize a number of such sweeps, the labor involved in mounting and dismounting such sweeps from the implement was considerable.
To overcome these difficulties, knock-on sweeps were developed in which the adaptor or the tine itself is tapered to be complementary with a tapered stem of the sweep. This type of sweep is mounted by striking the tip of the sweep with a hammer to firmly wedge the stem of the sweep over the adaptor or tine. The sweep can then be dismounted by a hammer blow applied at the rear edge of the stem. An example of a knock-on sweep is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,378, issued Jan. 27, 1998 to Yeager.
Due to their ease of installation and removal, knock-on sweeps have become popular and are now widely used by farmers. However, knock-on sweeps are not free from disadvantages. The primary disadvantage with such sweeps is that the frictional grip between the sweep and the adaptor or tine is subject to failure, resulting in accidental release of the sweep.
To address this problem, many currently available knock-on sweeps, including that disclosed by the above-mentioned Yeager patent, utilize retaining devices to prevent accidental release of the sweep while attempting to preserve the simplified mounting and dismounting feature of knock-on sweeps. The retaining device of Yeager comprises an adaptor onto which the stem of the sweep is wedged in a normal working position. The adaptor has a transverse groove which aligns with rectangular cutouts in the stem of the sweep in the normal working position. A pin is then inserted into the groove and through the cutouts to retain the sweep against accidental release. The pin is also retained against accidental release by a pair of resilient flat springs bolted to the adaptor.
One problem with presently-used retaining devices is that they consist of a number of parts, each of which may be prone to failure under the harsh conditions under which agricultural implements are used. A need therefore exists for a simplified retaining device for securing an earthworking tool to a tillage implement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art by providing a simplified device for retaining an earthworking tool on a tine of an agricultural implement, the retaining device according to the invention being comprised of a single piece of metal, and requiring no assembly.
The retaining device according to the invention is particularly suited for use with an adaptor having one or more bolt holes through which the adaptor is bolted to the tine of the implement, and with an agricultural sweep such as that shown in the above-mentioned Parish patent having an aperture in the stem.
The retaining device according to the invention comprises an anchoring portion which is retained inside a bolt hole of the adaptor, and a tail portion which extends between the anchoring portion and the aperture in the stem of the sweep, when the sweep is mounted in its normal working position on the adaptor.
The tail has an upturned end which catches in the aperture in the stem when the stem is wedged over the adaptor to its normal working position, thereby preventing accidental dislodgement of the sweep. The sweep is mounted simply by striking its forward end with a hammer until the upturned end of the tail catches in the aperture in the stem. The sweep is dismounted by first inserting a punch into the aperture and striking the punch with a hammer to dislodge the tail portion from the aperture, and then striking the rear edge of the stem with a hammer to dislodge the sweep.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a retainer for securing an earthworking tool to an elongate tapered adaptor complementary with a stem of the tool, wherein the adaptor has a rear end, a relatively narrower front end, a lower surface and an upper surface having a depression therein, the depression having a peripheral edge; and the stem has a front wall with an aperture therein, the aperture having a peripheral edge; such that when the stem is wedged over the adaptor in a normal working position with an earthworking portion of the tool extending forwardly of the front end of the adaptor and with the upper surface of the adaptor directly opposing the front wall of the stem with a gap therebetween, the depression in the adaptor is linearly spaced from the aperture in the stem in a direction toward the front end of the adaptor; the retainer comprising: (a) an anchoring portion having a front end, a rear end, an upper surface, an opposed lower surface and a side surface connecting the upper and lower surfaces, the anchoring portion being receivable in the depression with the rear end thereof being closely received relative to the peripheral edge of the depression; and (b) a flat tail portion having a front portion connected to the anchoring portion and extending rearwardly therefrom, a rear portion extending rearwardly from the front portion and having a distal end, the tail portion further comprising an upper surface, an opposed lower surface and a side surface connecting the upper and lower surfaces thereof; wherein the front portion of the tail portion is generally flat and planar, has a thickness which is not greater than said gap between the adaptor and the stem, and has a length sufficient to extend rearwardly along a longitudinal axis of the adaptor from the depression in the adaptor to the aperture in the stem when the stem is wedged over the adaptor in the normal working position; the front and rear portions of the tail portion are obtusely angled relative to one another, the angle being such that a maximum height of the distal end of the rear portion, measured relative to the lower surface of the tail portion in the front portion thereof, is greater than said gap between the adaptor and the stem; and the rear end of the tail portion has a length measured rearwardly from the front portion sufficient that the distal end of the rear portion is closely received relative to the peripheral edge of the aperture in the stem when the stem is wedged over the adaptor in said normal working position of the tool.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an assembly for securing an earthworking tool to a tine of an agricultural implement, the earthworking tool having an earthworking portion and a stem with a front wall provided with an aperture, the aperture having a peripheral edge, said assembly comprising: (a) an elongate tapered adaptor having a rear end, a relatively narrower front end, a lower surface and an upper surface having a depression therein, the depression having a peripheral edge, the adaptor being complementary with the stem of the earthworking tool such that, when the stem is wedged over the adaptor in a normal working position
LandOfFree
Securing device for knock-on earthworking tool does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Securing device for knock-on earthworking tool, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Securing device for knock-on earthworking tool will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2471346