System for the fast road transportation of cumbersome industrial or agricultural equipment

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to an economical and efficient system that, by allowing a smooth, simple and fast shift into a vertical position, driven by a towing means, of a cumbersome industrial or agricultural equipment, it makes possible the road transportation of said equipment.

#2. Discussion of the Background

#FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective and partial sectional view of a harrow connected to the lifting unit of a towing means by means of the fast transportation system according to the invention; and FIGS. 2 to 5 show front, partial sectional, views on a smaller scale of the operating phases of the fast transportation system of FIG. 1.

#In the figures, 1 indicates the cumbersome equipment, consisting of a harrows to be connected, using the fast transportation system of the invention, to three brackets 2,3, and 4 of a lifting unit, schematically represented in FIG. 1, of a towing means 6, also schematically represented in FIG. 1, equipped with transportation wheels 7.

#For the above purpose, a first plate 11, having three horizontal pins 12, 13 and 14 substantially placed at the apices of a horizontal base triangle (see specifically FIG. 2) as well as a fourth horizontal pin 15 situated in the middle of the horizontal base of said triangle (see FIG. 2), is coupled with the above three brackets 2,3 and 4 by means of the hinges 8,9 and 10. The above horizontal pins 14 and 12, 15 and 13 slip into two parallel and horizontally elongated slots, respectively 16 and 17, provided on a second plate 18, placed against the plate 11 and coupled with the equipment 1 by means of hinges 19 (see FIG. 1).

#Said lower slot 16 of the plate 18 forms then, at its right end, an anti-clockwise curved slot 20 directed upward having a radius equal to the distance of said fourth pin 15 from the base fixed pin 13. The above upper slot 17 forms an anti-clockwise curved slot 21 directed downward having a radius equal to the distance of said fourth pin 15 from the apex pin 14; a further anti-clockwise curved slot 22, directed downward and having the radius equal to the distance of said fourth pin 15 from the apex pin 12, is provided on the fixed plate 18 starting from said lower slot 16 at a distance, from its elongated end 16', equal to the double of the distance of said fourth pin 15 from the base pins 12 or 13. On the other hand said first plate 11 is also connected with the equipment 1 through a driving hydraulic jack 23, hinged between said plate 11 and a projecting tailpiece 24 of said equipment 1. At the other end of the equipment a support and transportation wheel 25 is provided, which is turnably hinged to said end of the equipment and can be blocked in its position.