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This invention relates generally to attachments and more specifically, mounting adapter faceplates.
Skid steer machines are known and widely used for many tasks. The skid steer machines are compact and lack any steerable wheels. In contrast to machines that have steerable wheels the skid steer maneuvers by stopping or slowing the rotation of one set of side wheels while allowing the other set of side wheels to rotate. The skid steer machines are extremely popular for use in special operations. As a result, a number of different attachments have been created to allow the skid steer machine to perform different tasks. For example, in one application a bucket is attached to the front of the skid steer machine and in another application a blade and in still other applications forks can be attached to allow the skid steer machine to be used as a fork loader.
One of the disadvantages of the skid steer machines is that the skid steer machines are relatively expensive and the equipment used with the skid steer machines is specialized. Consequently, the use of skid steer machines and attachments to skid steer machines is limited to specific industries. Since some skid steer activities are of a one time usage there has developed a market for rental of attachments for skid steer loaders.
A common source of power on a farm is a tractor which has a rear three-point hitch for attachment of farm equipment thereto. Agricultural tractors are well known and can be used as a source of power for various agricultural equipment. The three-point hitch on the tractors are suitable for attaching farm equipment thereto. Unfortunately, the farm tractors are not suitable for use with skid steer attachments. From time to time an owner of an agricultural tractor may need to perform a specific task, which could be performed with an available attachment for a skid steer loader. In addition, tractors often have front-end loaders, which also cannot be used with skid steer attachments.
The inventions described herein address the limited use of the type of equipment such as skid steer attachments with tractors.
Briefly, the invention comprise an adapter faceplate that is mountable in an out of the way condition or an adapter faceplate plate that is removably mounted with either of the adapter faceplates including a latch member that can be quickly rotated from a latched condition to an unlatched condition to release an attachment or from an unlatched condition to a latched condition to secure an attachment to the adapter faceplate.
The adapter faceplate 10 which is shown mounted between arms 11 and 12 mimics the attachment used on skid steer machines to enable a second type of attachments that are made for skid steer machines to be used on faceplate 10. That is, faceplate 10 has a front face 50 and a top edge 50a and a lower edge 50b that enable mounting of a second type of attachment such as skid steer equipment. In addition, faceplate 10 includes box housing 56 for securement of other devices thereto.
In one embodiment, which is shown in
Referring to
The faceplate 10 is mounted toward the rear of the housings 20 and 30 so as to be in an out-of-the-way condition and not interfere with the conventional attachment mountable in housing 20 and 30. Thus, the type of equipment that is mounted in conventional attached housing 20 and 30 can be manipulated and operated with the faceplate 10 extending passively therebetween, similarly, if the operator wants to place a skid steer attachment device on the faceplate 10 the housings 20 and 30 extend passively from faceplate 10.
When an operator wants to use a skid steer attachment useable with the faceplate 10 any attachments that are mounted in housing 20 and 30 are removed. Once removed the faceplate 10 can be used to mount a skid steer attachment thereto.
The faceplate 10 is a rigid member having a front side, a back side, with an end side of the ridge member secured to a first movable or manipulateable housing 20 and an opposite end side of the rigid member secured to a further movable or manipulateable housing 30 whereby the faceplate 10 (and the attachments thereto) can be manipulated though manipulation of the first housing 20 and the further housing 30, which are movable though the arms 11 and 12.
With the embodiments shown in
The rear three point attachments 80, 82 and 83 allow for the faceplate to mounted directly to the three point hitch as well as allows the faceplate 70 to be removed from the three point hitch.
In contrast to the removable mounting of faceplate 70 the faceplate 10, which is secured to the housings 20 and 30, can remain in place when other attachments are secured to the housings.
Positioned proximate to wing 95 is a first tractor housing 100 that comprises a rigid plate having a three-sided trapezoidal recess defined by surfaces 102, 104 and 105. The tractor mount trapezoidal recess is dimensioned so as to slide over the dovetail shaped wing 95 with the tractor housing and the wing forming two-way dovetail engagement with each other. The tractor housing 100 can be laterally positioned on wing 95 and an identical tractor housing (not shown) can be similarly laterally positioned on wing 91 to allow one to mount the faceplate 90 to tractor front end loaders that have different spacing between front loader supports on the tractor lift mechanism.
Once the tractor housing 100 is positioned on the wing the tractor housing can be secured to the wing by bolts or the like (not shown) to restrain the tractor housing 105 from lateral displacement with respect to the wing 95. A set of openings 102 and 101 in tractor housing 105 permit one to attach housing 105 to a typical front-end hydraulic loader with manipulateable housings. To mount the faceplate 90 to a different size tractor lift mechanism additional holes can be formed in the tractor housing 100 to accommodate the front loader on other tractors.
Thus the embodiments shown in
In the unlatched condition an extendible member 112 slides in housing 111 which is secured to the back of faceplate 50. A link 113 extends outward and connects to link 115 through a pivot pin 114. Similarly, a link 117 connects to link 115 through a pivot pin 116. The other end of link 117 pivotally connects to member 120 though a pivot pin 118. A handle 119 extends outward from link 116 and allow one to rotate link from the unlatchched condition shown in Fugue 6 to the latched condition shown in
Thus with the faceplates shown herein the end side and the opposite end side of the faceplate can be permanently mounted to the first movable housing and a further movable housing of a tractor mounted implement and one can use a latch mechanism for securing an attachment to the faceplate. In one embodiment the latch mechanism includes a pair of links that can be rotated past a straight line condition to maintain the latch mechanism in the latched condition. In the latch mechanism shown in
Thus the invention includes a faceplate in combination having a first manipulateable housing and a second manipulateable housing; a rigid member, having a front side and a back side; with an end side of the ridge member secured to the first manipulateable housing; an opposite end side of the rigid member secured to the second manipulateable housing whereby the rigid member can be manipulated though manipulation of the first housing and the second housing.
The invention also includes a method of using at least two different types of attachments on a single tractor comprising the step of securing a first and a second manipulateable housing to a tractor; securing an adapter faceplate for receiving a second type of attachment between the first and the second manipulateable housing on the tractor; and securing either a first type of attachment to the first and the second manipulateable housing or a second type of attachment to the adapter faceplate without removing either the manipulateable housings or the adapter faceplate from the tractor.
The method also includes securing the adapter plate between the first and the second manipulateable housing and for latching an attachment to the faceplate by rotating a latch member in a first direction and unlatching an attachment by rotating the latch member in an opposite direction.
In the latched condition the pivot pin 205 has been moved slightly past a centerline between pivot pin 203 and 207 so that an upward or counter clockwise force is required to bring the lever to the unlatched position shown in
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/877,272 filed Jun. 25, 2004 titled Faceplate, which is a continuation in part of in application titled Faceplate, Ser. No. 10/440,649 filed May 19, 2003.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10877272 | Jun 2004 | US |
Child | 11540989 | Sep 2006 | US |
Parent | 10440649 | May 2003 | US |
Child | 10877272 | Jun 2004 | US |