The present disclosure relates generally to a mount apparatus for three-point hitch implements, and more particularly to mount apparatus for attaching three-point hitch implements to front loader arms of a front-end loader.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Typically, three-point hitch implements, such as landscape rakes, augers and various blades are arranged to be pulled behind a tractor by attaching the implements to a rear end of a tractor via a three-point hitch. To facilitate attaching the implements to the three-point hitch, commonly a quick-hitch apparatus is attached to a pair of outer or draft links and an upper center link of the three-point hitch. The quick-hitch apparatus has hooks adapted for quick attachment to three-point hitch attachment locations on the implement. Though the implements are generally effective when being pulled behind the tractor, the degree of freedom for maneuvering the implements can be limited. As such, the implements may not be able to access some tight or otherwise difficult to reach areas, such as ditches, or the tractor may get stuck while attempting to maneuver the implement to the desired location.
To overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, a mounting apparatus for attaching a three-point hitching implement to the front arms of a front-end loader are provided. The mounting apparatus has a bracket disposed between the front arms of the front arm loader and the quick-coupler mechanism. In this regard, the bracket provides four mounting points for rotational coupling to a pair of control link arms and lower arms. Three mounting locations are provided for coupling the quick-coupler to the bracket.
In one embodiment, a mounting apparatus is provided which has an upper hook and a pair of lower hooks. The upper and lower hooks are adapted for direct attachment to a three-point hitch implement. These hooks are coupled to a generally planar body which is coupled to a quick attach face plate having a pair of flanges extending laterally from the body. Each flange defines a pair of openings adapted for pivotal attachments to a front arm of a front arm loader. The front arms each have top and bottom arms. The brackets are rotationally coupled to the top and bottom arms to form a four-bar linkage.
Further disclosed is a method for attaching a three-point hitch implement to a pair of control link arms and front loader arms of a front-end loader. A quick attach face plate is attached to the control link arms via a pair of generally parallel flanges. A three-point quick-hitch apparatus is removably coupled to the quick attach face plate. A three-point hitch implement is then coupled to upper and lower hooks of the three-point quick-hitch apparatus.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Some of the objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent in view of the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments and best mode, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, in which:
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.
Referring in more detail to the drawings,
The front-end loader arm assembly 12 is represented here, for example, as having a pair of lower arms 24 movable upwardly and downwardly via a pair of actuators (not shown), and a pair of upper control link arms 28 movable fore and aft via another pair of actuators 30. The lower arms 24 have free ends 32 with through openings adjacent thereto for pivotal attachment via pins 34 to a standard bucket (not shown), for example, which is commonly provided as original equipment on the front-end loader 14. The upper control link arms 28 have free ends 36 with through openings adjacent thereto for pivotal attachment of the bucket via pins 38 thereto. The upper control link arms 28 have opposite ends 40 attached to the actuators 30, and also arranged for operable attachment to the lower arms 24 via a pair of pivot links 42. Accordingly, the lower arms 24 provide upward and downward movement of the implement, while the upper control link arms 28 provide tilting or pivoting movement of the implement.
As best seen in
The quick-hitch apparatus 16 can be of any type attachable to a three-point hitch, such as those readily available from Case New Holland under part number B91368, for example. The quick-hitch apparatus 16 has a rear surface 44 with three-point hitch attachment points, including an upper center hitch point and a pair of lower laterally spaced hitch points, as described above for the cart 18. An opposite front surface 46 of the quick-hitch apparatus 16 has three hooks (
The mount apparatus 10 has a generally planar body 54, represented here, for example, as having a generally inverted u-shaped, with laterally spaced upright supports 56 (
The quick attach face plate assembly 62 is arranged generally adjacent opposite sides of the body 54 and is arranged for close communication with the lower arms 24 and the upper control link arms 28. The quick attach face plate assembly 62, represented here, by way of example and without limitations, has a pair of parallel plates spaced from one another to define a pair of laterally spaced pockets 64 (
Additional lateral rigidity can be provided to the mount apparatus 10, such as by incorporating a stabilizer between the quick attach face plate assembly 62. The stabilizer is represented here as a tubular cross beam 66 through the quick attach face plate assembly 62 generally midway between the through openings, for example. An upper bracket 68 extends laterally outwardly from the front surface 60 of the cross support 58, shown here, for example, as being centered equidistantly between the upright supports 56. The upper bracket 68 has a through opening 69 to facilitate attachment to the center hitch point 20 of the three-point hitch implement (not shown), or the quick-hitch apparatus 16, as desired. The upper bracket 68 can be attached to the body 54 with the use of fasteners, or, as represented here, by a weld joint, for example.
A pair of lower brackets 70 extends laterally outwardly from the front surface 60 of the body 54 with a separate one of the lower brackets 70 extending from opposite ones of the upright supports 56. The lower brackets 70 are spaced a predetermined distance beneath the upper bracket 68 and have through openings 71 to facilitate attachment to the lower hitch points 22 of the three-point hitch implement, or the quick-hitch apparatus 16, as desired.
In use, the mount apparatus 10 is attached to the loader arm assembly 12 by axially aligning the openings in the quick attach face plate assembly 62 with the respective openings in the lower arms 24 and the control link arms 28. The pins 34, 38 are then disposed therein to maintain the quick attach face plate assembly 62 in pivotally attached relation to the loader arm assembly 12. The apparatus 10 is then coupled to the quick attach face plate assembly 62. In this regard, a coupling surface 73 is disposed within a hook surface 75 defined in the planar body 54. Lever arms 82 are engaged so as to allow engagement of the pins 80 in the slots 84, thus locking the apparatus 10 to the quick attach face plate assembly 62. Upon being attached to the loader arm assembly 12, the desired implement can be attached directly to the mount apparatus 10 by aligning the upper center hitch point 20 and the pair of lower laterally spaced hitch points 22 of the implement with the through opening 69 in the upper bracket 68 and the through openings 71 in the lower brackets 70, respectively. Pins or carriage bolts can then be used to secure the implement directly to the mount apparatus 10, or the quick-hitch apparatus 16 can be attached to the mount apparatus 10, thereby allowing the desired implement to be quickly attached to the arm assembly 12 of the front-end loader 14.
The central hook 48 is coupled to the planar body 54 by a coupling bracket 74. The coupling bracket 74, which is welded or bolted to the planar body 54, has a plurality of vertically displaced holes 76, which allow for adjustment of the center hook 48 with respect to the lower hooks 50.
As described above, the lower hooks 50 can also have an associated locking mechanism 52. It is envisioned the locking mechanism 52 can additionally have an automatic or manual actuator 78 which functions to engage or disengage the locking mechanism 52. As described above, pins 34 and 38 are used to couple the controlling arms 28 and free ends 32 of the lower arms 24 to the quick attach face plate assembly 62. Engagement of the actuator 30 or the actuator of the lower arm 24 will cause the rotation or vertical translation of the alternate mount apparatus 72 and associated implement.
As shown in
The embodiments of the mount apparatus 10 and 72 and associated transporting vehicle 14 discussed above are intended to be illustrative of presently preferred embodiments, and not limiting. Various modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention is defined, at least in part, by the claims that follow.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/732,467, filed on Nov. 1, 2005. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60732467 | Nov 2005 | US |