Claims
- 1. A ballast assembly for use on vehicles as a counterweight to implements such as a plow or other structure mounted on the vehicle, said assembly comprising:
a ballast member having a predetermined weight and a contour coordinated to the vehicle shape at one area of the vehicle; and a vehicle mounting member on said ballast member adapted to mount on the vehicle adjacent the one area of the vehicle; said mounting member projecting outwardly from said ballast member for removable engagement with the vehicle; whereby when installed on the vehicle, said assembly provides a counterbalance for an implement such as a plow mounted on the vehicle.
- 2. The ballast assembly of claim 1 including support means on said ballast member for adding additional ballast weight to the assembly.
- 3. The ballast assembly of claim 2 wherein said ballast member is a first plate, said assembly including at least one additional plate, said support means including at least one support projection for receiving and supporting said at least one additional plate on said first plate.
- 4. The ballast assembly of claim 3 wherein said first plate and said at least one additional plate are each generally planar and are adapted to be stacked one against the other.
- 5. The ballast assembly of claim 3 wherein said vehicle mounting member is an elongated mounting projection adapted to be received in a hitch receiver socket at one end of the vehicle adjacent the vehicle bumper.
- 6. The ballast assembly of claim 5 wherein said mounting projection includes said support projection, said additional plate including a first aperture receiving said support projection such that said first plate and said additional plate are stacked against one another.
- 7. The ballast assembly of claim 6 including at least a second support projection spaced from said one support projection, said one support projection and said second support projection extending outwardly away from said first plate, said additional plate including a second aperture spaced from said first aperture for receiving said second support projection.
- 8. The ballast assembly of claim 7 including a third support projection, said first support projection positioned generally centrally on said first plate, said second and third support projections spaced from one another and on either side of said first support projection; said additional plate including a third aperture spaced from said first and second apertures, said third aperture receiving said third support projection.
- 9. The ballast assembly of claim 8 including a fastener mounted in at least one of said first, second, and third support projections to retain said additional plate on said assembly.
- 10. The ballast assembly of claim 8 wherein each of said first, second, and third support projections includes a fastener mounted therein, said fasteners retaining said additional plate on said assembly.
- 11. The ballast assembly of claim 3 including a plurality of additional plates mounted on said support projection.
- 12. The ballast assembly of claim 11 wherein said first plate and said additional plates are each contoured and shaped to match and coordinate with the shape of a bumper on one end of the vehicle.
- 13. The ballast assembly of claim 12 wherein said first plate has a predetermined size and shape, said additional plates each having a shape similar to said first plate but being successively smaller in size as compared to said first plate.
- 14. The ballast assembly of claim 2 wherein said support means comprises a hollow enclosure adapted to receive weighted material therein to increase the ballast weight of said assembly.
- 15. The ballast assembly of claim 14 wherein said support means further includes at least one removable closure on said hollow enclosure for filling said hollow enclosure with weighted material.
- 16. The ballast assembly of claim 15 wherein said support means also includes a second removable closure on said hollow enclosure for emptying the weighted material therefrom.
- 17. The ballast assembly of claim 14 wherein said vehicle mounting member is an elongated mounting projection adapted to be received in a hitch receiver socket at the rear of the vehicle adjacent the vehicle bumper.
- 18. In a vehicle having a front end, a rear end, an implement such as a plow mounted on one end, and a bumper mounted on the opposite end, the improvement comprising:
a ballast assembly mounted on said opposite end of said vehicle to counterbalance the weight of said implement on said one end of said vehicle, said ballast assembly including a ballast member having a predetermined weight and a contour coordinated with the shape and size of said bumper at said opposite end of said vehicle, and a vehicle mounting member on said ballast member, said mounting member engaged with said vehicle at said opposite end of said vehicle adjacent said opposite end such that said ballast member is mounted adjacent said bumper at said opposite end of said vehicle.
- 19. The ballast assembly of claim 18 including support means on said ballast member for adding additional ballast weight to the assembly.
- 20. The ballast assembly of claim 19 wherein said ballast member is a first plate, said assembly including at least one additional plate, said support means including at least one support projection for receiving and supporting said at least one additional plate on said first plate.
- 21. The ballast assembly of claim 20 including a plurality of additional plates mounted on said support projection.
- 22. The ballast assembly of claim 19 wherein said support means comprises a hollow enclosure adapted to receive weighted material therein to increase the ballast weight of said assembly.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority on U.S. provisional patent application Serial No. 60/450,077, filed Feb. 25, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60450077 |
Feb 2003 |
US |