Electrohydraulic valve assembly for front end loader attachment to farm tractor
AssigneeControl Concepts, Inc.
InventorsKenneth W. Zeuner, Alonzo B. Jarman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An attachment for converting a farm tractor to a front end loader having front and upwardly extending frame members, a pair of boom arms and an implement. Hydraulic cylinders actuate the boom arms and implement. An electrohydraulic valve assembly is hydraulically coupled to the cylinders and is rigidly secured to the attachment outside of the cab. A switching assembly electrically switches the electrohydraulic valve assembly and is secured within the cab for easy access to the operator of the tractor. An electrical cable is coupled between the switching assembly within the cab and the electrohydraulic valve assembly outside of the cab.
Claims12
In an attachment for converting a farm tractor having a cab to a front end loader, front frame members extending to the front of said tractor, upwardly extending frame members rigidly secured to said front frame members and providing a supporting pivotal connection for a pair of boom arms, a pair of hydraulic cylinders for actuating said boom arms, an implement pivotally connected to said boom arms and being actuated by at least one additional hydraulic cylinder, said front and upwardly extending frame members being secured to said tractor, in which the improvement combination comprises
- an electrohydraulic valve assembly having solenoid operated valves, said valve assembly being hydraulically coupled to said pair of cylinders and said additional cylinder and rigidly secured to said attachment outside of said cab,
- a switching assembly comprising a plurality of switching devices adapted for electrically switching said solenoid operated valves thereby to control said hydraulic cylinders, said switching assembly secured within said cab for easy access to the operator of said plurality of switching devices,
- electrical cable means coupled between said switching assembly within said cab and said electrohydraulic valve assembly outside of said cab thereby avoiding hydraulic oil lines and valves within said cab, and
- means directly electrically connecting only a first and a second of said switching devices respectively to a first and a second pair of said solenoid valves, said valve assembly including an unload valve normally maintained open and hydraulically coupling the pressure and tank of said tractor whereby upon actuation of each switching device one solenoid valve of the respective pair is energized and said unload valve is switched to the valve closed state.
In an attachment for converting a farm tractor having a cab to a front end loader, front frame members extending to the front of said tractor, upwardly extending frame members rigidly secured to said front frame members and providing a supporting pivotal connection for a pair of boom arms, a pair of hydraulic cylinders for actuating said boom arms, an implement pivotally connected to said boom arms and being actuated by at least one additional hydraulic cylinder, said front and upwardly extending frame members being secured to said tractor, in which the improvement comprises
- an electrohydraulic valve assembly hydraulically coupled to said pair of cylinders and additional cylinder and rigidly secured to said attachment outside of said cab,
- a switching assembly comprising a plurality of switches adapted for electrically switching said electrohydraulic valve assembly, said switching assembly secured within said cab for easy access to the operator thereof said plurality of switches,
- electrical cable means coupled between said switching assembly within said cab and said electrohydraulic valve assembly outside of said cab thereby avoiding hydraulic oil lines and valves within said cab, and
- said electrohydraulic valve assembly including float means comprising a float valve coupled to said pair of hydraulic cylinders having a normal state in which all of the ports thereof are blocked, a first electrohydraulic valve adapted to be switched by said switching assembly for maintaining said float valve in said ports blocked normal state, and a second electrohydraulic valve adapted to be switched by said switching assembly for actuating said float valve to couple together the lines to said pair of hydraulic cylinders thereby to provide float for said implement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.