BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to maintenance of unsurfaced roads such as are typically maintained by road graders. A road grader is a very expensive piece of equipment and thus a low cost vehicle-drawn scraper is needed as an alternative.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The road scraper of this invention can be drawn behind a pickup truck or tractor and operated at speeds of twenty miles per hour. The frame of the scraper carries a plurality of angled blades extending angularly, rearwardly and laterally from a long side frame member towards a shorter side frame member. The rear ends of the two side frame members are interconnected by a diagonally extending frame member also having a blade secured to it. The top layer of material on the road surface is engaged by the angularly extending blades and moved rearwardly and laterally across the scraper to the shorter side frame member and then rearwardly along the angularly extending blade member. Some of the loose material will flow under the blade on the angular frame member such that there is an even distribution of loose material across the road as the road scraper moves along the road surface. The action of the scraper blades on the loose material is entirely within the confines of the scraper. The blades are arranged such that the scraper is balanced creating no side draft to either side of the road.
Unlike machines intended to be used in agricultural fields, the road scraper of this invention is intended to only scrape the top surface of the road which is generally a hardened surface with loose pieces of dirt and gravel amongst potholes which will be filled by action of the scraper. While the scraper of this invention can be operated at low speeds, it operates best at the higher speeds on the order of twenty miles per hour.
The scraper of this invention may also be used on farm driveways in one modified embodiment or on racetracks in another embodiment wherein the loose material is substantially all directed to the rear most corner of the scraper where it is discharged as a spray or windrow depending on the speed of travel. Common to all embodiments is the collection of the loose material at the rear of the scraper where it is then allowed to be fully or partially discharged along the rear angular blade through a passageway formed by a rearwardly and angularly extending dam blade.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the road scraper of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view thereof.
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a wing section in a raised transport position.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the scraper blades in dash lines and the direction of loose material flow into and through the scraper.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIGS. 2 and 5 but showing an alternate embodiment wherein an additional blade is provided at ninety degrees to the adjacent blades to direct loose material away from the ground support wheels and back to the center line of the scraper.
FIG. 7 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 5 but showing an alternate wing section having an outside frame member angled rearwardly to scrape the road surface and guide the loose material rearwardly toward the rear angular blade.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view similar to FIGS. 5 and 7 of a scraper for farm driveways which eliminates a windrow or spray of loose material along the driveway side edge.
FIG. 9 is a top plan view similar to FIGS. 5-8 but showing an alternate embodiment for use on racetracks wherein the loose material is guided along the rear angular blade to the rear most corner where it is discharged in a windrow or spray.
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the scraper of this invention being used on a two lane dirt or gravel road.
FIG. 11A is a top plan view of a racetrack showing the path of the scraper of FIG. 9 being pulled around the track in a counterclockwise direction.
FIG. 11B is a top plan view similar to FIG. 11A but showing the scraper being pulled around the track in a clockwise direction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The road scraper of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10 and includes a main frame 12 to which a pivotal wing section 14 is connected.
A tongue 16 is connected to a front transversely extending frame member 18. The main frame 12 includes a side frame member 20 opposite a shorter opposite side frame member 22 on the pivotal wing section 14. An angular frame member 24 on the main frame 12 extends from the side frame member 20 to an angular frame member 24A on the wing section 14 which in turn engages the shorter side frame member 22. The main frame 12 includes a side frame member 23 extending between the front frame member 18 and the angular frame member 24.
A wheel assembly 26 includes ground transport wheels 28 mounted on a pivotal frame 30 operated by a hydraulic cylinder 32 to raise and lower the wheels 28 for road transport or varying the height of the scraper as it travels along the road surface.
The pivotal wing section 14 is operated by hydraulic cylinder 34 for pivoting it between a lowered position as seen in FIG. 1 or a raised position as seen in FIG. 4 for transport.
The scraper 10 as seen in FIG. 5 includes three parallel angularly extending blades 36 which direct loose material flow as indicated by the arrows 38 laterally across the scraper 10 toward a blade 39 which extends rearwardly and laterally at approximately ninety degrees to the blades 36. A blade 40 is provided under the shorter side frame member 22 which in turn directs the loose material rearwardly into engagement with a blade 42 on the angularly disposed frame members 24A and 24. A blade 44 is provided on a frame member 46 which terminates short of the blades 42 and 42A to provide a space or passageway 50 therebetween for material to flow through along blades 42 and 42A thereby allowing loose material to exit the grader at the rear end corner of blade 42.
As seen in FIG. 1, an elongated magnet 60 is pivotally provided under the front frame member 18 to pick up loose metal objects such as nails.
The road scraper of this invention may have any desired width but preferred sizes include an eight and a half foot rigid frame, a ten and a half foot rigid frame, and a ten and a half foot fold-up frame as seen in FIGS. 1-6.
The scrapers of FIGS. 1-8 in operation funnel the loose material produced by the blades 36 and 39 to the longitudinal center of the grader 10 where it flows rearwardly as indicated by the reference numeral 52. The blade 44 functions as a dam in cooperation with the blade 42 to cause the loose material 52 to pile up as indicated by the reference numeral 54 and then flow rearwardly under the serrated blade 42 as indicated at 56 as well as through the passageway 50 as indicated at 58 where it exits at the rear most corner 60 of grader 10 forming a windrow or spray 62. Material 64 is also moved by the blade 40 rearwardly and is included in the material 58 which moves along the blades 42A and 42 as seen in FIG. 5.
The flow of material through the grader 10 is such that the grader is balanced and is centered behind a vehicle 70 as seen in FIG. 10 at speeds on the order of twenty miles per hour. The amount of material 56 that flows under the blades 42 and 42A compared to the material 62 which is discharged at the corner 60 may be varied as desired. Typically, however, 50 to 70 percent will flow directly rearwardly while 30 to 50 percent will flow out the corner 60 as a windrow or spray 62 or depending on the speed be spread uniformly rearwardly and laterally of the grader 10 as seen in FIG. 5. As seen in FIG. 1, the blade 42 has serrations which may be varied in size to allow more or less material to flow under the blade.
An alternate embodiment grader 10A is shown in FIGS. 9, 11A and 11B functioning much the same way as grader 10 in directing loose material laterally and rearwardly by blades 36 into a pile 54 created by the dam blade 44 and blade 42 with the loose material then passing through the passageway 50 along blade 42 to the rear corner 60 where it is discharged as a windrow or spray 62 or is fanned out rearwardly and laterally of the grader 10A. This particular operation is suitable for racetrack grading as seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B showing the grader going in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 11A and a clockwise direction in FIG. 11B. The blade 42 in this embodiment does not have serrations thus restricting the flow of material under it.
In FIG. 8, a further alternate embodiment 10B is shown for use on farm driveways where it is desired that the loose material be redistributed along the width of the driveway as opposed to laterally to the side of the grader. The grader 10B incorporates the same principles of the other graders in that the loose material is directed laterally across the grader into a pile 54 created by the dam blade 44 and blade 42 such that the material is permitted to flow through the passageway 50 and be redistributed on the driveway. It is seen in FIG. 8 that the blade 42 is shortened and does not extend the full width of the main frame 12. Loose material flows under the blade 44 rearwardly and under the blade 42 and out the rear end of the blade 42 such that the loose material is distributed across the driveway rather than to the side or off the driveway.
Patent Grant
6840332
