Patent Application
20070095549
The present teachings relate in general to sand conditioners, and more specifically to a device and method for operating a sand rake, functional at least for use on golf course sand traps.
Multiple designs for sand trap rakes for golf courses are known. Both hand held rakes and rakes which are powered by a tractor or the like are known. These rakes use fingers for plowing through the sand for coarse sand preparation which are normally followed by a dresser having finer teeth or saw-tooth like edges to smooth the sand. Sand trap rakes are commonly used when the surface of the sand has been upset such as through daily use, or when the sand becomes hardened or wetted by weather conditions including dew, rain, snow, frost, and the like.
Common sand trap rakes which are pulled or otherwise controlled by a tractor commonly extend beyond a perimeter of the tires of the tractor. This permits the tire tracks that the tractor makes to be smoothed over as the tractor leaves the sand trap. Common powered sand trap rakes have several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the varying configurations of sand traps found in most golf courses limits the surface area which the tires of the tractor can contact without damaging the sand trap itself. The limited extension of the rake assemblies beyond the footprint of the tires therefore limits the area which can be raked.
Rake designs which permit the individual rake assemblies to be extended beyond the envelope of the tires of the tractor such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,306 to Tonutti provide horizontal support for the rake assemblies by extending a support wheel horizontally outward. The disadvantage of the Tonutti design if employed within a sand trap is the wheels which support the assembly upon horizontal extension do not permit the individual rakes to angularly deflect as the outer sloping wall of the sand trap is encountered. The wheel supports for the rake assembly of Tonutti also could cause additional damage to the outer sloping walls of a sand trap. Rake designs such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,802 to Carlson et al. include multiple rake subassemblies which can rotate relative to each other to accommodate the changing geometry of a sand trap, however the Carlson et al. design does not permit the individual or assembled group of rakes to be horizontally extended with respect to the imprint of the tires of the tractor assembly. The conditioning device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,695 to Voorhees permits an outward folding extension of a sand rake assembly using a lever and a cable supporting an outer-most rake member. The device of Voorhees is extendable from only one side of the tractor assembly and does not provide for horizontal adjustment of individual rake assemblies.
Common sand trap rakes also have difficulty negotiating the curves and slopes of the many different types and depths of golf course sand traps. Common sand trap rakes are therefore narrow to negotiate the tight geometry and diverse contour of sand traps. The narrow design of common sand trap rakes and the geometry of the sand traps make it particularly difficult to maneuver around traps without simultaneously leaving tire tracks in the traps during sharp turns or upon departure from the trap of the tractor and rake. Portions of the sand trap(s) may also not be accessible due to limited adjustment of the rakes provided for common sand trap raking machines. Subsequent hand raking or finishing of traps can therefore be required to remove the tire marks and/or to rake the inaccessible areas, increasing the time and expense of maintaining the surface conditions of the traps.
According to some embodiments of the side shift rake for a sand trap vehicle, a beam is positionable substantially horizontal with respect to a ground surface and substantially perpendicular to a direction of beam travel. At least one rake assembly is supported from the beam. A lateral translation device is connected to the rake assembly to slidably translate the rake assembly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel and coaxial to a longitudinal axis of the beam.
According to other embodiments, a sand trap rake system includes a prime mover having a pair of drive wheels. A beam supported from the prime mover is positionable substantially parallel with respect to a ground surface and substantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of the prime mover. A plurality of rake members are supported from the beam. A lateral translation device translates at least one of the rake members outboard of one of the drive wheels. The lateral translation device is connectable with the beam for motion in a direction substantially coaxial to a longitudinal axis of the beam.
According to still other embodiments, a method is provided for laterally shifting a sand trap rake mounted to a vehicle, the vehicle including a pair of driven wheels and a transfer device, the rake including a beam and at least one rake member. The method includes slidably connecting the rake member to the beam. The method further includes joining the transfer device to the rake member. The method still further includes slidably translating the rake member in a path parallel to a longitudinal axis of the beam using the transfer device to a position at least partially outboard of one of the driven wheels.
Further areas of applicability of the various embodiments will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating various embodiments, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the teachings.
The present teachings will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of several various embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the teachings, their application, or uses. While the side shift rake for a sand trap vehicle described herein will be described generally as a sand trap rake connectable to a tractor, the teachings herein are equally applicable to all sand rakes however otherwise supported to a prime mover.
According to various embodiments and referring generally to
Rake vehicle 11 further includes a front housing 26 which encloses a steering mechanism connecting steering device 24 to steerable wheel 20. A rake assembly 28 is provided in various embodiments suspended from a rear section of rake vehicle 11. In other embodiments, rake assembly 28 can be disposed between first and second drive wheels 16, 18 and steerable wheel 20 or can alternately be positioned forward of steerable wheel 20. It should be evident that in various embodiments, one location for rake assembly 28 is aft of each of the first and second drive wheels and steerable wheel 20 to smooth a sand surface including any tire tread marks left by any of the wheels.
Referring now generally to
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In various embodiments, rake assembly 28 is horizontally displaced via a mechanical connection with a rake assembly support member 48. In these aspects, a gear rack 50 is disposed between rake assembly support member 48 and rake assembly 28. Gear rack 50 is engaged by a pinion gear 52 rotatably connected to a motor 54. Operation of motor 54 to rotate pinion gear 52 translates rake assembly 28 in either of the first rake movement direction F or a second rake movement direction G. In various embodiments, motor 54 is a DC motor electrically powered by a generator (not shown) powered by power unit 38. Rake assembly 28 can be slidably connected to rake assembly support member 48 using for example a pair of slide couplings 55 fastened or otherwise connected to rake assembly support member 48 and slidably engaging rake assembly 28. Rake vehicle 11 is normally propelled in a forward direction H during operation of rake assembly 28.
Referring now to
According to various embodiments, rake assembly 28 is slidably disposed to support beam 60 using a sliding coupling 74. Sliding coupling 74 is moved in either of first or second rake movement directions F or G using a piston 76 which translates a piston rod 78. Piston 76 is connected to support beam 60 and piston rod 78 is actuated using hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic system (not shown) provided with rake vehicle 11.
In some embodiments, rake assembly 28 includes each of a first, second and third rake housing 80, 82, 84. Each rake housing 80, 82, 84 includes a plurality of tines 85 which extend substantially downward to engage material in a sand trap. Tines 85 provide coarse mixing of the sand/soil. Each of the first, second and third rake housings 80, 82, 84 are rotatably connected to each other using at least one rotatable connector 86 such as a hinge. In the example shown, rotatable connectors 86 permit first and third rake housings 80, 84 to displace (i.e.: rotate) relative to second rake housing 82 to accommodate differences in topography of an individual sand trap.
Extending rearward from each of first, second and third rake housings 80, 82, 84 are each of a first, second, third and fourth dressing member, 88, 90, 92, 94. Each dressing member is connected to its respect rake housing using a connecting link 96 coupled to a support surface 98 of the rake housing using a flange 100 and fasteners. Each dressing member 88 through 94 can therefore be removed for repair or replacement from the individual rake housing. Each rake housing 80, 82, 84 further includes a plurality of dressing teeth 102 and each dressing member 88 through 94 includes a plurality of dressing teeth 104. Dressing teeth 102, 104 provide a finished appearance to the sand trap following coarse mixing by each of tines 85.
In other various embodiments (not shown), piston 76 and piston rod 78 can be replaced for example by an electric motor and gear assembly similar to motor 54 and pinion gear 52. Support beam 60 can also be replaced by a tube-within-a-tube assembly having an inner tube slidably disposed within an outer tube. Rake assembly 28 is connected to the inner tube and extendable laterally outward when the inner tube is translated. The inner tube can be extended for example using a hydraulic ram assembly similar to piston 76 and piston rod 78, or using pressurized air, an electric motor, or the like. The various embodiments are not limited to the type of drive unit used to translate rake assembly 28 horizontally inward or outward from rake vehicle 11. Other aspects of rake assembly 28 can be similar to the sand trap conditioner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,626 co-owned by the Assignee of the present teachings, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. Referring again to
As best seen in reference to
Referring generally to
Side shift rake assemblies of the various embodiments are not limited to the configurations shown herein. A greater or lesser quantity of rake housings 80, 82, 84 and/or dressing members 88 through 94 can be used without departing from the scope of the various embodiments. Multiple types of drive mechanisms can be used to horizontally translate the side shift rake assemblies of the various embodiments.
A side shift rake for a sand trap vehicle of the various embodiments offers several advantages. By horizontally extending a rake assembly, an operator can position one or more rake members to accommodate varying sand trap wall geometries and pitch angles. By providing discrete control of the amount of horizontal displacement of a rake assembly, an operator can adjust the position of rake members to accommodate a rake vehicle tight turning radius, local irregularities in trap geometry, and/or extend to trap areas which a normally fixed rake assembly cannot reach. Providing automatic rather than manual control reduces operator fatigue and permits continuous adjustment of the rake outward position. An operator can also extend the rake to individually reach specific areas of a trap which would otherwise require an additional pass by the tractor, or hand grading.
The description of the various embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the teachings are intended to be within the scope of the teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the teachings.
