In many applications, wing plows can be supported at extended positions and orientations relative to a plow truck frame. Push arms are generally coupled to the wing plow and the plow truck frame to support the wing plow against the force exerted along the wing plow during plowing operations.
Some embodiments of the invention provide a mounting bracket for mounting a push arm to a wing plow. The mounting bracket can include a clevis portion with parallel prongs and a cross-member extending between the prongs. The mounting bracket can further include a backstop with a first backstop section at least partially defined by the cross-member and a second backstop section extending from the first backstop section at an acute angle relative to the prongs. A mounting flange can extend in a mounting flange plane, perpendicular from and along the backstop. The mounting flange can have a first mounting flange hole, a second mounting flange hole, and a third mounting flange hole. The mounting bracket can be configured to be mountable to the wing plow in a first orientation using the first and second mounting flange holes and can be mountable to the plow in a second orientation, using the second and third mounting hole. The second orientation can be rotationally offset from the first orientation about at least one rotational axis.
Some embodiments can provide a mounting bracket for alternatively mounting a push arm to a wing plow in a first orientation or a second orientation angularly offset relative from the first orientation. The mounting bracket can include a backstop with a first section and a second section extending at a 30 degree angle from the from the first section. A set of prongs can extend from the backstop in a first direction. A mounting flange can extend from the backstop in a second direction opposite the first direction. The mounting flange can have a plurality of mounting flange holes, a first set of which can be configured to mount the mounting bracket to the wing plow in the first orientation and a second set of which can be configured to mount the mounting bracket to the wing plow in the second orientation.
Some embodiments can provide a method for switching a mounting bracket for mounting a push arm to a wing plow between a first orientation and a second orientation. The mounting bracket can have a mounting flange with a first mounting flange hole, a second mounting flange hole, and a third mounting flange hole. With the mounting bracket attached to the wing plow in the first orientation with a first fastener installed in the first mounting flange hole and a second fastener installed in the second mounting flange hole, the method can include removing the first fastener from the first mounting flange hole and loosening the second fastener within the second mounting flange hole; rotating the mounting bracket relative to the wing plow about the second fastener; and installing the first fastener within the third mounting flange hole to secure the mounting bracket to the wing plow in the second orientation.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of embodiments of the invention:
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
Also as used herein, unless otherwise specified or limited, directional terms are presented only with regard to the particular embodiment and perspective described. For example, reference to features or directions as “horizontal,” “vertical,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” and so on are generally made with reference to a particular figure or example and are not necessarily indicative of an absolute orientation or direction. However, relative directional terms for a particular embodiment may generally apply to alternative orientations of that embodiment. For example, “front” and “rear” directions or features (or “right” and “left” directions or features, and so on) may be generally understood to indicate relatively opposite directions or features for a particular embodiment, regardless of the absolute orientation of the embodiment (or relative orientation relative to environmental structures). “Lateral” and derivatives thereof generally indicate directions that are generally perpendicular to a vertical direction for a relevant reference frame.
Also as used herein, ordinal numbers are used for convenience of presentation only and are generally presented in an order that corresponds to the order in which particular features are introduced in the relevant discussion. Accordingly, for example, a “first” feature may not necessarily have any required structural or sequential relationship to a “second” feature, and so on. Further, similar features may be referred to in different portions of the discussion by different ordinal numbers. For example, a particular feature may be referred to in some discussion as a “first” feature, while a similar or substantially identical feature may be referred to in other discussion as a “third” feature, and so on.
The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.
In some contexts, it may be useful to be able to mount a push arm at different angles relative to a wing plow because not all plow trucks have a mount for the push arm located in the same relative area on the plow truck frame, and the angle from which the push arm extends from the plow truck frame can vary. Further, it may be useful to be able to switch the angle of the push arm relative to the wing plow to accommodate different plow trucks without having to remove and replace the mounting bracket that couples the push arm to the wing plow. Embodiments of the invention can be useful for this purpose, and others. For example, embodiments of the invention can be used to couple a push arm to a wing plow in at least two orientations. Some embodiments of the invention can include a mounting bracket that is mountable to a wing plow and selectively switchable between alternative mounting orientations, including without needing to fully remove the mounting bracket from the wing plow. As another example, a mounting bracket according to other embodiments can be secured to a wing plow a plurality of fasteners, wherein one of the fasteners is used to secure the mounting bracket in both orientations.
In some embodiments, a mounting bracket can include a mounting flange that are configured to permit mounting a push arm to a wing plow in two orientations. The mounting flange can have a plurality of mounting flange holes that are alignable with mounting holes on the wing plow and through which a fastener is receivable. At least two of the mounting flange holes can be aligned along a first line and at least two of the mounting flange holes can be aligned along a second line, which is disposed at an angle from the first line. In some embodiments, one of the mounting flange holes can be used for both mounting orientations. In some embodiments, the fastener received within the shared mounting flange hole can be used as a pivot point to switch the mounting bracket between orientations.
In some embodiments, a mounting bracket can have a backstop that abuts the wing plow to allow the force exerted upon the plow during operation to be transferred to the push arm. In some embodiments, the backstop can be configured to abut the wing plow when the mounting bracket is mounted to the wing plow in more than orientation. In some embodiments, the backstop can extend in parallel to the mounting flange holes. In some embodiments, the backstop can have a first backstop section that extends parallel to the first line of mounting flange holes and a second backstop section that extends parallel to the second line of mounting flange holes.
In some contexts, it may be useful to provide a mounting bracket that allows attachment of a push arm to a wing plow in in different orientations and also capable of mounting push arms to wing plows mounted on either side of the truck. In some embodiments, the mounting bracket is symmetrical along at least one axis to enable the mounting bracket to be mountable to a wing plow on a passenger side of the truck and flipped over and be mountable to a wing plow on a driver side of the truck.
In some conventional arrangements, mounting brackets for mounting a push arm to a wing plow are configured to allow the attachment of the wing plow in only one orientation. Thus, two different mounting brackets are needed if mounting a push arm in two orientations is desired. To switch push arm orientations, a user is required to completely remove a first mounting bracket for a first mounting orientation and install a second mounting bracket for a second mounting orientation. The required removal and installation of separate, specialized mounting brackets is time consuming and requires storage of the unused mounting bracket.
Some embodiments of the invention can address this issue, or others. For example, some embodiments of the invention are presented below in the context of a convertible mounting bracket for mounting a push arm to a wing plow, wherein the mounting brackets have mounting features that can accommodate mounting to a push arm to a wing plow in at least two orientations. Generally, the principles disclosed herein can be used with any variety of side-mounted plow, including, but not limited to, wing plows, and can be used to secure any variety of structural or attachment components to the side-mounted plow.
With regard to construction, various embodiments can be readily formed from a variety of known manufacturing techniques, including casting. For example, some embodiments, including the embodiment illustrated in the FIGS., can be cast as one piece. In other embodiments, multiple pieces can be cast and joined together through methods such as welding.
As shown in
Turning now to
Continuing to look at
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the prongs 108 has a prong hole 112 at a distal end 114 thereof. The prong holes 112 are aligned along a prong hole axis 116 that extends through a center of each of the prongs 108. The prong holes 112 are configured to receive a pin there-through to couple the push arm 10 to the mounting bracket 100. In some embodiments, the pin can be a bolt 16 (shown in
The backstop 106 is also visible in
As shown in
Further details of the mounting flange 104 are also shown in
Generally, a mounting flange can include an array of holes, some of which can be configured to secure a mounting bracket in a first orientation and some of which can be configured to secure the mounting bracket in a second orientation (e.g., that is rotationally offset from the first orientation about at least one rotational axis). In the embodiment illustrated, the mounting flange 104 has a first mounting flange hole 124, a second mounting flange hole 126, and a third mounting flange hole 128. The mounting flange holes 124, 126, 128 are configured to receive fasteners (e.g., mounting bolts 34 shown in
Continuing, in the illustrated embodiment, the first and second mounting flange holes 124, 126 are spaced along a first line 130, which is parallel to the first backstop section 118. The first and second mounting flange holes 124, 126 are also laterally spaced from the first backstop section 118 a first distance 134. The second and third mounting flange holes 126, 128 are spaced along a second line 132 parallel to the second backstop section 120. Therefore, the second line 132 is disposed at the same angle from the first line 130 as the second backstop section 120 is relative to the first backstop section 118, approximately 135 degrees. The second and third mounting flange holes 126, 128 are laterally spaced from the second backstop section 120 a second distance 136. In the illustrated example, the first distance 134 is equal to the second distance 136. As further described below, this can help to ensure effective transmission of force to the push arm 10 for each of two mounting configurations of the mounting bracket 100.
Consistent with the discussion above, in some cases a first set of mounting flange holes can be disposed on a first section of a mounting flange, and a second set of mounting flange holes can be disposed on a second section of the mounting flange. For example, for the mounting bracket 100, the first mounting flange hole 124 extends through a first section 104A of the mounting flange 104, which extends along the first backstop section 118, and the third mounting flange hole 128 extends through a second section 104B of the mounting flange 104, which extends along the second backstop section 120. Further, the second mounting flange hole 126 extends through the mounting flange at an intersection of the first and second sections 104A, 104B (i.e., along a reference line that bisects an angle between the first and second backstop sections 118, 120 or along a reference line that extends from the prong 108A through an intersection of the first and second backstop sections 118, 120). As also discussed below, this configuration can provide for effective overall support as well as easy adjustability between different mounting orientations.
As additionally shown in
Turning now to
Of note for the illustrated embodiment, the plow mounting hole distance 38 is substantially equal to (e.g., within 10% of) the first distance 134 (see
Looking at
In some embodiments, it may be possible to move a mounting bracket between two orientations without necessarily removing the mounting bracket from a wing plow. For example, some embodiments can be configured to use a common mounting hole in a mounting flange for each of multiple differently rotated configurations. In this regard, in the illustrated embodiment, the second mounting flange hole 126 is used to mount the mounting bracket 100 to the wing plow 12 in both the first orientation and the second orientation. Correspondingly, switching between the first orientation and the second orientation requires the full removal of one of the mounting bolts 34 and only loosening of the second. For example, the mounting bracket 100 can be rotated about the mounting bolt in the common mounting hole, with the mounting bolt define a rotational axis, to rotationally move the mounting bracket 100 from the first orientation into the second orientation.
In some embodiments, a mounting bracket can be mounted to a wing plow that is attached to either side of a truck (i.e., to the passenger side of the truck 14 as shown in
In some implementations, devices or systems disclosed herein can be utilized or installed using methods embodying aspects of the invention. Correspondingly, description herein of particular features or capabilities of a device or system is generally intended to inherently include disclosure of a method of using such features for intended purposes and of implementing such capabilities. Similarly, express discussion of any method of using a particular device or system, unless otherwise indicated or limited, is intended to inherently include disclosure, as embodiments of the invention, of the utilized features and implemented capabilities of such device or system.
For example, with reference to
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220290389 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |