US 4,236,329 AGranted

Detachable blade mounting device

AssigneeMeyer Products, LLC

InventorVernon L. Hetrick

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Abstract

A snow plow is detachably mounted to the front of a vehicle by interlocking members extending from the snow plow and vehicle. Engageable members on the plow are fixedly positioned a predetermined distance apart. Corresponding engaging members on the vehicle are displaceable between latching and unlatching positions by an over-center linkage arrangement. A first portion of the over-center linkage is pivotally connected to the vehicle. A second portion of the over-center linkage is slidably connected to the vehicle. Actuation of a hydraulic cylinder forces the over-center linkage to move from the unlatching position, wherein the blade and vehicle are disconnected, to the latching position, wherein the blade and vehicle are detachably connected. With the over-center linkage in the latching position, a toggle pin at the center moves against an abutment to lock the position of the over-center linkage, and therefore the plow onto the vehicle.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A device for mounting a snow plow blade onto a vehicle comprising:

first frame means for said snow plow blade, said first frame means having upper and lower latching surface means vertically spaced apart a fixed distance;
second frame means on said vehicle, upper and lower latching member means on said second frame means corresponding respectively to said upper and lower latching surface means;
means including toggle linkage means supporting one of said latching member means for displacement between latched and unlatched positions relative to said second frame means, said upper and lower latching member means in said unlatched position being spaced apart a distance less than said fixed distance and in said latched position engaging the corresponding latching surface means, said toggle linkage means having an over-center position with respect to said upper and lower latching member means when said one latching member means is in said latched position, means for moving said toggle linkage means to displace said one latching member means between said latched and unlatched positions, and means for maintaining said toggle linkage means in said over-center position when said one latching member means is displaced to said latched position.

A device for detachably mounting a snow plow onto a vehicle, first frame means for supporting said snow plow, a first pair of engageable means for connecting said snow plow to said vehicle supported near a bottom edge of said first frame means in a first horizontal plane, a second pair of engageable means for connecting said snow plow to said vehicle supported near a top edge of said first frame means in a second horizontal plane, said first and second horizontal planes separated by a predetermined distance, second frame means secured to said vehicle for releasably supporting said snow plow, linkage means supported by said second frame means for movement relative to said second frame means, a first pair of engaging means for connecting said snow plow to said vehicle supported by said linkage means, a second pair of engaging means for connecting said snow plow to said vehicle supported by said linkage means, movement means for moving said linkage means relative to said second frame means between an unlatched position wherein said first and second pairs of engaging means are separated by a distance substantially less than said predetermined distance and a latched position wherein said first and second pairs of engaging means are separated by a distance substantially equal to said predetermined distance, said linkage means including over-center linkage means for locking said snow plow to said vehicle, said over-center linkage means having a first link pivotally connected to said second frame means and supporting said first pair of engaging means, a second link slidably connected to said second frame means and supporting said second pair of engaging means, a toggle pin connecting said first and second links and an abutment restricting movement of said first and second links, whereby said first and second pairs of engaging means are positionable between said first and second pairs of engageable means when said linkage means is moved to said unlatched position and said first and said second pairs of engaging means are latchingly engaged with said first and second pairs of engageable means when said linkage means is moved to said unlatched position where said first and second links are restricted by said abutment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.