Rotary tiller device
OwnerJack F. Andersoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary tiller device with a rotor disposed for rotation about a vertical axis is adapted for mounting on the lift arms of a mobile vehicle and includes a yieldable arm suspension mechanism and spring tiller teeth depending downwardly from the rotor, both of which in combination with each other provide uniform tillage depth control of the device. The rotor assembly can be moved laterally inwardly and outwardly with respect to the frame, and the beam can be adjustably swiveled about a vertical axis such that the rotor can be positioned to the left side, right side, or front of the frame or vehicle.
Claims21
In combination with a skid turn mobile vehicle that is adapted for steering by slowing, stopping, and reversing the rotation of the wheels on one side of the vehicle in relation to the wheels on the other side of the vehicle, rotary tiller apparatus, comprising:
- a main support frame adapted for mounting on said vehicle;
- yieldable suspension means attached to and extending laterally outward from said main support frame, the distal end of said suspension means being movable upwardly and downwardly in relation to said frame;
- a rotor assembly suspended from the distal end of said suspension means, including a vertical drive shaft, a rotor member mounted on the lower end of said shaft and a plurality of resilient cultivator means attached to and extending downwardly from said rotor member in spaced-apart relation to each other, said cultivator means being resiliently flexible elongated shank members adapted for tilling the ground;
- and
- drive means for rotating said shaft.
Rotary tiller apparatus adapted for mounting on a mobile vehicle equipped with vertically movable lift arms, comprising:
- a main support frame adapted for mounting on said lift arms of said vehicle;
- an elongated beam extending laterally outward from said support frame;
- connecting means for connecting one end of said beam to said support frame in a manner that accommodates both vertical and horizontal pivotal movement of the distal end of said beam in relation to said support frame, including a swivel member adapted to pivot in a substantially horizontal plane about a substantially vertical axis, a substantially vertical pin for pivotally connecting said swivel member to said support frame in a manner such that said swivel member pivots about the longitudinal vertical axis of said vertical pin, and a substantially horizontal pin in said swivel member, said one end of said beam being pivotally mounted on said horizontal pin and adapted to pivot in a substantially vertical plane about the longitudinal horizontal axis of said horizontal pin;
- a rotor member, including a disk-shaped plate positioned in a substantially horizontal plane under the distal end of said beam, a drive shaft attached to the center of said disk-shaped plate and extending upwardly through the distal end of said beam, and a plurality of tiller teeth attached to and extending downwardly from said disk-shaped plate;
- and
- drive means mounted on said beam and connected to said drive shaft for rotatably turning said rotor member.
Rotary tiller apparatus adapted for mounting on a mobile vehicle equipped with movable lift arms, comprising:
- a main support frame adapted for mounting on said lift arms of said vehicle;
- an elongated beam connected to and extending laterally outward from said support frame;
- a rotary tiller member positioned at the distal end of said beam and adapted for rotation about a vertical axis, including drive means for rotating said rotary member about said vertical axis in relation to said beam;
- and
- connecting means for connecting said one end of said beam to said support frame and adapted to releasably retain said beam rigidly immovable against pivotal movement in a horizontal plane relative to said support frame in any selected one of a plurality of positions within a range in which said beam is adjustably positionable to extend outward from said support frame in directions parallel to the longitudinal axis of said vehicle and transverse to the longitudinal axis of said vehicle, the longitudinal axis of said vehicle being parallel to the normal direction of travel of said vehicle, such that said rotor member is positionable forward of said vehicle and laterally to each side of said vehicle, said connecting means also being adapted to accommodate pivotal movement of said beam upwardly and downwardly in relation to said support frame as said beam is retained in any of said positions in said horizontal plane, and said lift arms on said vehicle being adapted to raise or lower the entire support frame, beam, and rotor assembly in relation to the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.