Ballast attachment for tractor three-point hitch
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsJeffrey Gary Denby, Daniel Robert Fuzzen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ballast attachment for a tractor three-point hitch includes a cubical, rotational molded polyethylene shell filled with steel reinforced concrete. The front side of the attachment includes a forwardly opening receptacle for receiving a transverse hitch bar carried by the lower links of a tractor three-point hitch, the rear portion of the receptacle including a semi-cylindrical seat for the hitch bar. The center of gravity of the attachment causes the lower part of the attachment to tend to pivot about the hitch bar toward the tractor to the point where it engages the lower three-point hitch draft links. A chain secures the attachment in place.
Claims15
In a ballast attachment adapted for being attached to a three point hitch and having opposite transversely spaced sides joined to front, rear and bottom sides, the improvement comprising:
- said ballast attachment including a hitch bar receptacle opening at and extending entirely across said front side of said ballast attachment, said receptacle including, and an upper rear location thereof, a downwardly facing horizontal seat adapted for receiving a hitch bar extending between lower draft links of said three-point hitch, said ballast attachment including spaced apart upper and lower forward parts, with a lower surface of said upper forward part defining an upper surface of said receptacle and with an upper surface of said lower forward part defining a lower surface of said receptacle;
- and said lower forward part being provided with a drawbar clearance slot located centrally between opposite sides of said lower forward part and extending a full height dimension of said lower forward part.
In a combination of a three-point hitch including a pair of lower draft links having a cylindrical hitch bar extending between respective locations near rear ends of the draft links, and a ballast attachment secured to said links, the improvement comprising:
- said ballast attachment having a width just slightly less than the distance between rear end locations of said draft links and being a substantially cubical one-piece structure having top, bottom, right-hand, left-hand, front and rear sides;
- said front side being provided with a forwardly opening hitch bar receptacle extending rearwardly from and entirely across said front side and terminating at a downwardly facing seat elevated from the remainder of said receptacle and being shaped complementary to and receiving said hitch bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.