Ballast assembly for vehicles
AssigneeDouglas Dynamics, L.L.C.
InventorCal G. Niemela
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ballast assembly for vehicles is mounted on one vehicle portion to balance the vehicle and counterbalance the weight of an implement such as a snowplow assembly on another portion of the vehicle. The ballast assembly includes a ballast member having a predetermined weight and a contour coordinated to the vehicle shape. A vehicle mounting member removably mounts the ballast member to the vehicle such as at a hitch receiver socket or to the vehicle frame at the rear end of the vehicle. The ballast member may comprise one or more metal plates stacked and secured to one another, or a hollow enclosure either temporarily or permanently filled with a weighted material such as sand, gravel, or concrete.
Claims22
A ballast assembly for use on vehicles as a counterweight to implements such as a plow or other structure mounted on the vehicle, said assembly comprising:
- a ballast member having a predetermined weight and a contour coordinated to the vehicle shape at one area of the vehicle;
- and
- a vehicle mounting member on said ballast member adapted to mount on the vehicle adjacent the one area of the vehicle;
- said mounting member projecting outwardly from said ballast member for removable engagement with the vehicle;
- whereby when installed on the vehicle, said assembly provides a counterbalance for an implement such as a plow mounted on the vehicle.
In a vehicle having a front end, a rear end, an implement such as a plow mounted on one end, and a bumper mounted on the opposite end, the improvement comprising:
- a ballast assembly mounted on said opposite end of said vehicle to counterbalance the weight of said implement on said one end of said vehicle, said ballast assembly including a ballast member having a predetermined weight and a contour coordinated with the shape and size of said bumper at said opposite end of said vehicle, and a vehicle mounting member on said ballast member, said mounting member engaged with said vehicle at said opposite end of said vehicle adjacent said opposite end such that said ballast member is mounted adjacent said bumper at said opposite end of said vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.