Earth working – Sod cutter
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-19
2001-08-28
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Earth working
Sod cutter
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279665
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the art of digger attachments for skid-steer vehicles and tractors. The digger attachments have blades mounted on arms secured to hitch plates connected to the lift members of the vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Spade and shovel attachments for skid-steer vehicles are used to dig holes in the ground prior to planting trees and bushes. These attachments have blades that are forced under the root systems of trees, lift the trees, and transport the trees to a tree carrier vehicle or place the trees directly in the holes in the ground. Examples of digger attachments useable with skid-steer vehicles to remove and transplant trees are disclosed by E. H. Kluckhohn in U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,076; J. L. Juhl in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,276; R. W. Loudon in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,418 and C. E. Devaney in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 335,883. These shovel attachments have blades with concave curved or angles bottoms which preclude cutting a flat strip of sod and digging a flat bottom trench. Digging depth gauges are not used with these shovel attachments as there is no need to control the distance that the blades penetrate into the ground. The sizes of the blades determines the digging depths of the attachments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a sod cutting and shovel attachment for a motor vehicle for cutting an elongated strip of sod from a field of sod. The attachment has a frame connected to a hitch assembly adapted to be coupled to lift structures on the motor vehicle, such as a skid-steer tractor. A blade having upright side walls and a flat bottom wall joined to the side walls is secured to the arms. The blade is useable as a shovel to dig a flat bottom trench in the ground. The flat bottom wall has a transverse rear cutting edge and forwardly converging front cutting edges. Shoes mounted on the side walls of the blade located above the plane of flat bottom wall control the depth of the cut of the strip of sod.
In the preferred embodiment of the attachment, the side walls of the blade have upper and lower portions inclined downwardly and inwardly to the bottom wall. The shoes attached to the lower portions of the side walls are vertically adjustable on the side walls to adjust the depth of cut of the strip of sod. The lower portions of the side walls each have upright front and rear cutting edges extended upwardly from the bottom wall for taper cutting the side edges of the strip of sod. The shoes can be removed from the side walls of the blade to allow the attachment to be used to dig a flat bottom trench.
A modification of the sod cutting attachment has a device for curling the strip of cut sod into a roll of sod. The device has a semi-circular body joined to a linear tongue. A fastener secures the tongue to the flat bottom wall of the blade to retain the curved body in an upright position. When the attachment is moved with the motor vehicle, the sod is cut in an elongated strip of sod. The strip of sod moves along the upward curved path of the device and curls into a roll of sod positioned in the blade of the attachment. The operator of the motor vehicle continues cutting the strip of sod until the rolled sod fills the space between the side walls of the blade and the sod rolling device. The rolled sod is then dumped from the attachment to a selected location.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 335883 (1993-05-01), Devaney
patent: 2534838 (1950-12-01), Wall
patent: 2646740 (1953-07-01), Luoma
patent: 2652639 (1953-09-01), Kluckhohn
patent: 2703044 (1955-03-01), Adair
patent: 2732637 (1956-01-01), Shadden
patent: 2770076 (1956-11-01), Kluckhohn
patent: 3512276 (1970-05-01), Juhl
patent: 3747686 (1973-07-01), Beck
patent: 4018287 (1977-04-01), Brouwer
patent: 4049060 (1977-09-01), Hoke
patent: 4632192 (1986-12-01), Hooks
patent: 4895211 (1990-01-01), Harris
patent: 4903418 (1990-02-01), Loudon
patent: 4945662 (1990-08-01), Kreye
patent: 4982800 (1991-01-01), Shields
Advertising sheets for Schutt's Tree Diggers, publication date 1990.
E-Z Go Digger Operator's & Parts Manual—published prior to Jan. 1994.
Clark Equipment Company
Pezzuto Robert E.
Westman Champlin & Kelly P.A.
LandOfFree
Sod cutting attachment for skid-steer vehicle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Sod cutting attachment for skid-steer vehicle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Sod cutting attachment for skid-steer vehicle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2504661