US 4,377,300 AGranted

Ballast weights for tractors

AssigneeMassey-Ferguson Services N.V.

InventorJohn L. Old

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Abstract

A ballast weight for use on agricultural or industrial machines such as tractors, the weight being provided with a cut-out which opens through one edge and which receives part of a mounting frame attached to the machine. The weight is retained in position on the mounting frame by shaping the upper portion of the cut-out adjacent the opening to form a lip which can be hooked behind an upper part of the frame and by a linearly slidable latch member which is housed in a cavity provided in that portion of the weight which defines the lower portion of the cut-out. One end of the latch member projects from the upper end of the cavity into the cut-out and is arranged to automatically engage a locating formation on the lower part of the mounting frame under the action of a spring bias when the weight is brought into its operational position. The other end of the latch member is provided with an operating means, such as a finger hole or ring, which projects from the lower end of the cavity and enables the latch member to be linearly displaced within the cavity against the bias to disengage the frame thus enabling the weight to be removed from the frame.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A ballast weight having a cut out defined by upper, lower and forward portions, the cut out being capable of receiving at least part of a weight mounting frame having a locating formation on the lower parts thereof, the lower portion of the cut out being arranged to extend beneath the lower part of the weight mounting frame and being provided with a generally vertically extending through cavity, one end of the cavity opening into the cut out and the other end opening through a lower edge of the weight, a latch member mounted for linear sliding movement within the cavity, the latch member being biased so that one end thereof projects into the cut out from said one end of the cavity to automatically engage said locating formation during installation of ballast weight thus securing the ballast weight in its operational position on the frame, operating means on the other end of the latch member, said operating means projecting from said other end of the cavity to enable the latch member to be linearly displaced within the cavity against bias to disengage the mounting frame thus enabling removal of the ballast weight, the cross sectional shape of the cavity and the clearance between the latch member and the walls of the cavity ensuring that any extraneous material which enters the cavity is expelled by said linear displacement of the latch member within the cavity.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.