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US 2023/0256883 A1Published application
Sod scrap collection apparatus and method
AssigneeFirst Products, Inc.
InventorsDonald C. Jones, Alan L. McLeod
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sod scrap collection apparatus is disclosed that enables pickup and collection of scraps of sod that have been discarded on the ground. The apparatus is pulled by a tractor and includes a pickup head followed by a dump bed. A pickup head conveyor moves pickup teeth along and over the ground at a particular distance in order to scrape up sod scraps and discard them into the dump bed where they are collected. A dump bed conveyor of the dump bed, which runs in the opposite direction as the pickup head conveyor, moves parallel spaced sweeping bars along a top of the sod scraps residing in the dump bed at an upward angle from front to back, so that the dump bed fills with the sod scraps efficiently from front to back.
Claims22
A sod scrap collection apparatus that enables pickup and collection of scraps of sod lying on ground, the sod scrap collection apparatus connectable to and for being pulled by a tractor, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a pickup head having:
- (1) a pickup head frame to be pulled by the tractor in a horizontal direction of travel along the ground;
- (2) a pickup chain conveyor mounted to the pickup head frame, the pickup chain conveyor having:
- (i) right and left side upper sprockets and right and left side lower sprockets, the upper sprockets situated higher than the lower sprockets in a vertical direction relative the horizontal direction of travel and behind the lower sprocket in the horizontal direction of travel;
- (ii) right and left side pickup chains that move along respective paths around the right and left side upper sprockets and around the right and left side lower sprockets;
- (iii) a plurality of horizontal parallel mounting bars attached to, extending between, and movable by the chains, the bars being spaced apart;
- (iv) a plurality of pickup teeth mounted to the mounting bars, the pickup teeth extending outwardly from the mounting bars;
- (v) wherein the pickup chain conveyor has a front side and a rear side, the front side facing the horizontal direction of travel at a transverse angle, the pickup chain on the front side moving upward and backward from the lower sprockets toward the upper sprockets, the rear side moving downward and frontward from the upper sprockets toward the lower sprockets;
- and
- (vi) wherein the pickup teeth at the front side move generally upwardly from a pickup point on the ground and the pickup teeth at the rear side move generally downwardly;
- (3) a roller mounted to the pickup head frame;
- and
- (4) a vertical roller adjustment mechanism configured to move the roller relative to the frame so that a particular distance between the pickup teeth passing around the lower sprocket and underlying ground at the pickup point can be selected that enables sod scraps to be picked up by the pickup teeth;
- and
- (b) a dump bed having:
- (1) a dump bed frame attached to and pulled by the pickup head frame;
- (2) a plurality of wheels at an underside of the dump bed frame enabling movement of the dump bed frame along the ground;
- (3) a sod scrap storage housing defined by a plurality of upstanding vertical walls, the storage housing enclosing a sod scrap storage area with a front wall and a rear wall, the front wall being shorter than the rear wall;
- (4) a dump bed chain conveyor mounted over the storage housing and extending between the front and rear walls, the dump bed conveyer having:
- (i) right and left side upper sprockets and right and left side lower sprockets, the upper sprockets situated higher than the lower sprockets in a vertical direction relative the horizontal direction of travel and behind the lower sprockets in the horizontal direction of travel, the upper sprockets situated near the rear wall, the lower sprockets situated near the front wall;
- (ii) right and left side dump bed chains that move along respective paths around the right and left side upper sprockets and the right and left side lower sprockets;
- (iii) wherein the dump bed chain conveyor has a front side and a rear side, the front side facing the horizontal direction of travel at another transverse angle, the right and left side dump bed chains on the front side moving downward and frontward from the upper sprockets toward the lower pulleys, the rear side moving upward and backward from the lower sprockets toward the upper sprockets;
- and
- (iv) a plurality of horizontal parallel sweeping bars attached to, extending between, and movable by the chains, the bars being spaced apart, the bars being movable along a top of the sod scrap storage area.
21 more elements
A pickup head for picking up scraps of sod lying on ground, the pickup head capable of being pulled by a tractor, the pickup head comprising:
- (1) a pickup head frame to be pulled by the tractor in a horizontal direction of travel along the ground;
- (2) a pickup chain conveyor mounted to the pickup head frame, the pickup chain conveyor having:
- (i) right and left side upper sprockets and right and left side lower sprockets, the upper sprockets situated higher than the lower sprockets in a vertical direction relative the horizontal direction of travel and behind the lower sprocket in the horizontal direction of travel;
- (ii) right and left side pickup chains that move along respective paths around the right and left side upper sprockets and around the right and left side lower sprockets;
- (iii) a plurality of horizontal parallel mounting bars attached to, extending between, and movable by the chains, the bars being spaced apart;
- (iv) a plurality of pickup teeth mounted to the mounting bars, the pickup teeth extending outwardly from the mounting bars;
- (v) wherein the pickup chain conveyor has a front side and a rear side, the front side facing the horizontal direction of travel at a transverse angle, the pickup chain on the front side moving upward and backward from the lower sprockets toward the upper sprockets, the rear side moving downward and frontward from the upper sprockets toward the lower sprockets;
- and
- (vi) wherein the pickup teeth at the front side move generally upwardly from a pickup point on the ground and the pickup teeth at the rear side move generally downwardly;
- (a) a roller mounted to the pickup head frame;
- and
- (b) a vertical roller adjustment mechanism configured to move the roller relative to the frame so that a particular distance between the pickup teeth passing around the lower sprocket and underlying ground at the pickup point can be selected that enables sod scraps to be picked up by the pickup teeth.
9 more elements
A pickup head for picking up scraps of sod from the ground, the pickup head capable of being pulled by a tractor, the pickup head comprising:
- (1) a pickup head frame to be pulled by the tractor in a horizontal direction of travel along the ground;
- (2) a pickup conveyor mounted to the pickup head frame, the pickup conveyor having:
- (i) right and left upper rotational means and right and left lower rotational means, the upper rotational means situated higher than the lower rotational means in a vertical direction relative the horizontal direction of travel and behind the lower rotational means in the horizontal direction of travel;
- (ii) right and left pickup linkage means for moving along respective paths around the upper rotational means and around the lower rotational means;
- (iii) a plurality of pickup teeth that are movable by the pickup linkage means and that extend outwardly from the pickup linkage means;
- (iv) wherein the pickup conveyor has a front side and a rear side, the front side facing the horizontal direction of travel at a transverse angle, the pickup linkage means on the front side moving upward and backward from the lower rotational means toward the upper rotational means, the rear side moving downward and frontward from the upper rotational means toward the lower rotational means;
- and
- (v) wherein the pickup teeth at the front side move the scraps generally upwardly from a pickup point on the ground and the pickup teeth at the rear side of the pickup linkage means move the scraps generally downwardly;
- (3) a roller mounted to the pickup head frame;
- and
- (4) a vertical roller adjustment for moving the roller relative to the frame so that a particular distance between the pickup teeth passing around the lower rotational means and underlying ground at the pickup point can be selected that enables sod scraps to be picked up by the pickup teeth.
8 more elements
A pickup head for picking up scraps of sod from the ground, the pickup head capable of being pulled by a tractor, the pickup head comprising:
- a pickup head frame to be pulled by the tractor in a horizontal direction of travel along the ground;
- a pickup conveyor mounted to the pickup head frame, the pickup conveyor configured to move a plurality of outwardly extending pickup teeth from a pickup position near the ground to a discard position near a dump bed;
- wherein the pickup conveyor has a front side and a rear side, the front side facing the horizontal direction of travel at a transverse angle, the pickup conveyor on the front side moving the teeth upward and backward, the rear side moving the teeth downward and frontward;
- and
- a roller mounted to the pickup head frame;
- and
- a vertical roller height adjustment that enables adjustment of the teeth relative to the ground so that a particular distance between the teeth and the ground can be selected to enable sod scraps to be picked up by the teeth.
4 more elements
A method for picking up and collecting scraps of sod lying on ground, comprising the steps of:
- moving a pickup head with a tractor along the ground, the pickup head having a conveyor having outwardly extending pickup teeth that travel from a bottom of the conveyor to a top of the conveyor, the bottom being near the ground at a distance from the ground that is suitable to grasp the sod scraps;
- grasping the sod scraps with the pickup teeth as the pickup head is moved along the ground;
- with the conveyor, moving the sod scraps upwardly from the bottom to a discard location at or substantially in close proximity to the top;
- and
- discarding the sod scraps at the discard location.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.