The present invention relates to snow-moving equipment and, more particularly, to powered snow blowers.
Snow blowers are machines that facilitate rapid snow removal. They can dramatically increase the speed at which snow is removed from driveways, sidewalks, roads, paths and the like. Snow blowers typically have a rotating auger positioned within a housing. In a single stage snow blower, the auger conveys the snow to the center where the auger projects the snow through a vertical duct or chute. Some snow blowers incorporate a second stage which further includes an impeller mechanism that propels the snow with force out of the snow blower. The second stage facilitates the ejection of the snow while allowing the auger to spin a slower speed.
Some types of snow blowers may be guided by hand and may be sized similar to a walk-behind lawn mower. In other cases, larger snow blowers are mounted to prime mover vehicles such as tractors or skid-setter loaders. The mounted snow blowers may utilize a power take off (PTO) shaft which takes power from the engine of the prime mover to drive the components of the snow blower. Other types of mounted snow blowers receive power through a hydraulic system of the prime mover.
One problem with existing snow blowers is that the rotating auger is positioned behind a forwardmost portion of the housing. As the snow blower approaches an obstacle such as a garage or parked car, the forward movement of the snow blower must stop to prevent the housing from hitting the obstacle before the spinning auger can gather snow between the auger and the obstacle. This leaves an amount of unblown snow between the auger and the obstacle. The snow blower is then moved backward away from the obstacle. A plow blade or a shovel must be used to remove the unblown snow near the obstacle. To help overcome this problem operators usually try to position the snow blower as close to obstacles as possible. However, it can be difficult for the operator to determine when they are too close to obstacles, which can sometimes lead to damage if the snowblower contacts the obstacle.
There is therefore a need for an improved snow blower which overcomes these and other problems in the art.
One aspect of the invention relates to a snow blower device having a housing with opposing end portions combined by one or more lateral portions. The opposing end portions and one or more lateral portions form a cavity having an inside and an outside, and the one or more lateral portions have an opening therein. A rotatable auger is combined with the housing to direct snow into a discharge chute having a lumen extending from the inside of the cavity to the outside of the cavity. A blade is combined with the frame by an attachment assembly. The blade is movable between a retracted position wherein the blade is raised and an engaged position wherein the blade is lowered and configured to plow snow. A portion of the attachment assembly extends through the opening in the one or more lateral portions of the housing.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a snow blower device. The snow blower may be a standalone machine having its own engine or it may be an attachment configured to be attached to and powered by a prime mover vehicle. The device includes a housing having opposing end portions combined by one or more lateral portions, which lateral portions may include a top portion and a rear portion. The housing end portions and one or more lateral portions form a cavity. The housing has an opening along its forward end configured to receive snow into the cavity as the device is moved in a forward direction across a ground surface. A rotatable auger is combined with the housing and positioned within the cavity to gather and direct snow into a discharge chute having a lumen extending from the inside of the housing to the outside of the housing. The auger is driven by a power source such as an engine or motor, which may be a gasoline engine or a motor hydraulically powered by the hydraulic system of a prime mover vehicle. The device further includes a blade combined with the frame by an attachment assembly having an intermediate member and an actuator. The blade is movable between a retracted position and an engaged position. In the retracted position the blade is positioned to let the snow reach the auger when the snow blower is moved in the forward direction. In the engaged position the blade is moved downward ahead of the auger so that it functions as a plow or snow push to push or drag an amount of unblown snow in front of the auger. In some embodiments the actuator is combined with an external rear portion of the housing so that the attachment assembly extends from the blade, through an opening in one of the lateral portions of the housing, and is attached to the actuator. In this manner the attachment assembly is nested within the cavity of the frame. In some embodiments the blade has a width that is less than the width of the housing. In some embodiments there are two attachment assemblies combined with different portions of the blade, and the distance between the attachment assemblies is less than the width of the housing so that both attachment assemblies are nested within the housing.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a snow blower device. The snow blower device may be a standalone machine having its own engine or it may be an attachment configured to be attached to and powered by a prime mover vehicle. The device includes a housing having opposing end portions combined by one or more lateral portions, which lateral portions may include a top portion and a rear portion. The housing has an opening in its forward end configured to receive snow into the housing cavity defined by the end portions and one or more lateral portions as the device is moved in a forward direction across a ground surface. A rotatable auger is combined with the housing and positioned within the housing cavity to gather and direct snow into a discharge chute having a lumen extending from the inside of the housing to the outside of the housing. The auger is driven by an engine or motor, which may be a gasoline engine or a motor hydraulically powered by the hydraulic system of a prime mover vehicle. The device further includes a blade combined with the frame by an attachment assembly having an intermediate member and an actuator. The blade is movable between a retracted position and an engaged position. In the retracted position the blade is positioned to let the snow reach the auger when the snow blower is moved in the forward direction. In the engaged position the blade is moved downward ahead of the auger so that it functions as a plow or snow push to push or drag an amount of unblown snow in front of the auger. The snow blower further includes a sensor used to determine when a portion of the snow blower is a predetermined distance from an obstacle such as a house, light pole, garage door, or car. Upon determining that the snow blower is the predetermined distance from the obstacle, a visible or audible indicator will notify the operator, prompting the operator to move the blade to the engaged position and move the unblown snow to a desired location.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of using the snow blower device described above. The snow blower may be operated in the forward direction to use the auger to gather and/or blow snow out of the chute. Then, as the snow blower approaches an obstacle such as a house or car, the forward movement of the snow blower is stopped leaving an amount of unblown snow between the auger and the obstacle. The blade is moved to its engaged position to capture the amount of unblown snow and push or drag the unblown snow to a desired location. Some embodiments further include using a sensor to alert the operator that the snow blower is a predetermined distance away from an obstacle. The sensor may be electronic and programmed to receive a signal. Upon receipt of the signal the operator moves the blade to the engaged position and operates the snow blower to push or drag the unblown snow to a desired location.
As shown in
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The auger 30 is driven by a suitable power source 36, such as an engine or motor. The power source 36 may be a gasoline engine, a PTO of a prime mover vehicle, or a motor hydraulically powered by the hydraulic system of a prime mover vehicle. The embodiment shown in
As mentioned above, the device further includes a blade 22 combined with the housing 12 and movable between a retracted position (
The blade 22 may be moved between the retracted position and the engaged position by an attachment assembly. In some embodiments the attachment assembly comprises an actuator 26 and an intermediate member 32. As shown, there are two attachment assemblies combined with the opposing end portions of the blade 22.
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Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of using the snow blower 10 device described above. The snow blower 10 may be operated in the forward direction to use the auger 30 to blow snow out of the chute 14. Then, as the snow blower 10 approaches an obstacle such as a house or parked car, the blade 22 is moved to its engaged position to capture an amount of unblown snow between the blade 22 and the auger 30 then push or drag the unblown snow to a desired location. Some embodiments further include receiving a signal from the sensor 38 to alert the user that the snow blower 10 is a predetermined distance away from an obstacle. Upon receiving the signal, the blade 22 is moved to the engaged position and the operator moves the snow blower 10 in the reverse direction to drag the unblown snow rearward to a desired location. In some embodiments the blade 22 may push the unblown snow by operating the snow blower 10 in the forward direction.
Having thus described the invention in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various revisions can be made to the preferred embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is my intention, however, that all such revisions and modifications that are evident to those skilled in the art will be included with in the scope of the following claims.