Snowplow mount

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6354024
  • Patent Number
    6,354,024
  • Date Filed
    Monday, November 29, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 12, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A snowplow blade mount assembly mountable on a vehicle that includes a frame mount assembly which is affixed to a frame of the vehicle and a support assembly that connects to the frame mount assembly. The support assembly is designed to connect to a lift mount assembly and a blade mount assembly. The support assembly enables the blade mount assembly and/or lift mount assembly to be conveniently connected and disconnected from the vehicle.
Description




This invention relates primarily to plows and more particularly to an improvement in snowplows mountable on a motor vehicle for removing snow and other debris from road ways and similar surfaces.




The invention is particularly applicable to a snowplow apparatus and construction, wherein an improved snowplow mount assembly is provided for attaching and detaching the snowplow from the vehicle and will be described with particular reference thereto.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




It is common for owners of vehicles to equip the vehicle with a snowplow for the purpose of removing snow from a ground surface. These vehicles include cars, jeeps, sport utility vehicles, pick-ups and the like. Each type of vehicle has a different frame structure and a different bumper design to accommodate the frame structure. At present, the most commonly used arrangement for attaching a snowplow blade to a vehicle involves pivotally connecting an A-frame which supports the blade to a frame extension below the front of the vehicle. Vertical displacement of the snowplow blade in the A-frame is provided by a lift-mount assembly. The lift-mount assembly serves primarily to raise, lower and support the plow blade, such as by raising the plow blade above the ground during transportation of the snowplow blade as well as during a snowplow operation. The lift-mount assembly typically includes a hydraulic cylinder, lift arm and chain or cable arrangement mounted above the vehicle frame. Typically, the A-frame is aligned with the vehicle frame below the front of the vehicle to provide proper blade alignment.




The A-frame generally includes a frame assembly supporting a plow blade forwardly of the vehicle and having an inner end design to be releasably hitched to the support structure beneath the vehicle. Detachment of the snowplow blade unit from the vehicle enables use of the vehicle for personal and/or work oriented purposes other than snowplowing.




Depending on the type of the frame mount used, the frame mount typically projects out beyond or coplanar with the bumper thereby defeating the purpose of the bumper. In addition, the frame mount becomes a potentially dangerous battering ramp when extended past the bumper, and is subject to being damaged itself in a collision. Such prior art lift assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,667,708; 3,214,138; 3,410,008; 3,456,369; and 3,987,562. In addition, these prior art mount assemblies include one or more of a number of structural disadvantages, such as a) excessive weight, b) exposure to adverse environmental conditions, c) potential physical damage during non-snowplowing use, d) high cost of manufacture, e) difficulty in mounting to a variety of vehicle frames, and f) undesirable aesthetics when used on a vehicle. More particularly, with regard to such disadvantages, these prior art lift mount assemblies are typically 1) mounted on the existing vehicle bumper or on a special cross member between the vehicle frame members which either replaces or is provided in addition to the bumper, or 2) are mounted on one of the vehicle's frame and bumper components and interconnected with the one another. Furthermore, due to the design of these prior art mounting systems, when the snow blade is elevated, the lift arm mounting members cause considerable stress at the point of connection between the mounting members and the vehicle as a result of the weight of the corresponding snowplow blade unit. Such forces necessitate structurally heavy mounting members and supports, and special structural interconnections there between in an effort to minimize damage and/or bending or breakage of the mounting members and/or support components. This results in undue weight to the support unit and increased complexity in the assembly and the repair of the support unit. The lift arm assemblies are also intended to remain on the vehicle when the snowplow unit is removed therefrom. This is undesirable from the stand point of the weight imposed on the front axle of the vehicle and can result in a violation of one or more governmental restrictions with respect to vehicle loading. In addition, one or more of the lift components project a considerable distance forward of the vehicle bumper thus exposing such components to damage or destruction should the vehicle impact against an object. Moreover, these components, when exposed to the elements year round, can begin to deteriorate, therefore requiring more frequent maintenance, repair and replacing, thus increasing the expense of using such an assembly. The permanent fixture of these components to the vehicle also can significantly deteriorate from the aesthetic appearance of the front of the vehicle during non-winter months.




Many efforts have been made to resolve several of these problems with respect to the use of snowplow blades. Assignees' U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,084 improves on a number of draw backs of prior art lift mount assemblies. This lift mount assembly reduces the number of modifications to the front end of the vehicle to accommodate the lift mount assembly. This lift mount assembly replaces projecting parts of the lift mount assembly with somewhat recessed exposed parts which do not bear the full impact of a collision should the vehicle impact against an object during non-snowplow use. However, the foremost part of the bracket portion of the lift mount assembly is located on the same vehicle plane as the foremost part of the bumper. Therefore, both the bumper and the lift mount bear the brunt of any collision. Potential damage to the lift mount assembly remains a likelihood on the collision. The lift mount assembly also must be positioned behind the bumper which can present installation problems. The mount assembly also requires some rigging to establish the top mounting point behind the bumper which can be troublesome for some vehicles.




Assignees' U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,608 improved on many of the remaining drawbacks of existing mount assemblies. The mount assembly is a two piece assembly wherein the housing unit is affixed to the frame of the vehicle beneath and behind the bumper of the vehicle thereby eliminating parts of the housing from being damaged on collision by the vehicle. The lift mount assembly also includes a support unit which releasably attaches to the housing and is designed to support components of the mount assembly to lift and lower the snowplow frame assembly. When the snowplow blade and A-frame are removed from the housing unit, the support unit may also be removed thereby eliminating projecting parts of the lift mount assembly from being exposed to damage. The removal of these components also enhances the authentic appearance of the vehicle during non-winter months and prevents the lift mount assembly components from being exposed to the elements throughout the year.




Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,608 is a significant improvement over prior art lift mount assemblies, the improved lift mount assembly does not address several problems with respect to the mounting of the lift assembly and blade mount assembly to various types of vehicles, the adjustment of the lift assembly to various types of vehicles, and the difficulty in attaching and detaching the lift assembly and/or snow blade mount assembly from the vehicle.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention contemplates a new and improved frame mount assembly for attaching a snowplow blade unit to a vehicle which overcomes all of the above referred problems and enables a lift mount assembly and/or a blade mount assembly to be quickly released from the vehicle. In this respect, the frame mount assembly, according to the present invention, is structurally simple and light in weight, thus enabling a savings in cost while facilitating the installation procedure and reducing the weight imposed on the front axle of the vehicle during snowplowing and non-snowplowing use. The frame mount assembly is structurally independent of the vehicle bumper and is mountable on a vehicle without replacing the original or existing bumper. The frame mount assembly advantageously enables quick release and removal of the support assembly from the supporting portion of the frame mount assembly, whereby only the frame mount assembly need remain on the vehicle during non-snowplowing use of the vehicle. Accordingly, components of the support assembly and components attached thereto can be stored and thus protected from adverse environmental conditions and potential damage by impact of the vehicle with another object during non-snowplowing use thereof. The frame mount assembly is constructed in association with the vehicle so as to advantageously minimize both the visibility of the frame mount assembly and the projection of the parts of the frame mount assembly thereof forwardly of the vehicle when the support assembly is removed, thus promoting the aesthetic appearance of the front of the vehicle. The mounting of the frame mount assembly independent of the vehicle's bumper allows forces and stresses imposed on the frame mount assembly when the snowplow blade is elevated to be transmitted through the frame mount assembly to the vehicle frame, thus avoiding any distortion of the bumper member and/or any disfiguring thereof by attachment of the component parts of the assembly thereto.




In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a snowplow mount assembly includes four principal components, namely a frame mount assembly, a support assembly, a lift assembly, and a blade mount assembly. The frame mount assembly is affixed to the frame of the vehicle and has at least one attachment point situated beneath and behind the bumper of the vehicle. The support assembly is designed to be connected to the at least one attachment point on the frame mount assembly. The support assembly is also design to be connected to the lift assembly unit and/or the blade mount assembly. The support assembly thereby integrates the lift assembly and/or blade assembly with the frame mount assembly. The support assembly is mounted to the frame mount assembly in a manner to allow the support assembly to be releasably attached to the frame mount assembly for easy removal from the vehicle. In one embodiment, the removal of the support assembly from the frame mount assembly results in no permanent structures of the snowplow mount protruding beyond the vehicle bumper.




In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the lift assembly is designed to be detachable from or permanently affixed to the support assembly. In one embodiment, the lift assembly includes a lift arm that is connected or interconnected to the blade mount assembly for lifting and lowering the blade mount assembly.




In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the blade mount assembly is designed to be detachable from or permanently affixed to the support assembly. In one embodiment, the blade mount assembly includes an A-frame design to support a snowplow blade.




In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the frame mount assembly is design to include a connection section that facilitates in the attachment of the support assembly to the frame mount assembly. The connection section can also function as a structural support for the other components of the frame mount assembly and to help rigidify and strengthen such components. The connection section facilitates in the dismounting of the support assembly from the frame mount assembly. In one embodiment, the frame mount assembly includes one or more regions that at least partially assist in guiding at least a portion of the support assembly into proper orientation with the frame mount assembly so that the support assembly can be mounted to the frame mount assembly. In one specific embodiment, the frame mount assembly the connection section includes a leg extension angularly oriented in the frame mount assembly. In this specific embodiment, the leg extension preferably slopes upwardly toward the bumper of the vehicle. Furthermore, in this specific embodiment, the leg extension is preferably angularly oriented to a ground surface at an angle between about 0 and 45°, and preferably between about 15 and 30°. In another specific embodiment, the frame mount assembly includes a landing designed to receive a portion of the support assembly. In this specific embodiment, the landing is designed to have a shape such that a portion of the support assembly inserts into the landing to thereby insure the proper positioning and the proper attachment of the support assembly to the frame mount assembly. Furthermore, in this specific embodiment, the landing of the frame mount assembly preferably includes one or more angular lip sections designed to facilitate in the insertion of the support assembly in the frame mount assembly. In addition, in this specific embodiment, the bottom portion of the landing preferably includes an angular lip having a downward angular deflection between about 0 and 15° so as to facilitate the guiding of the portion of the support assembly into the landing of the frame mount assembly. As can be appreciated, the angular deflection of the lip may be some other angle and the landing may include other angular lip sections to help facilitate in the insertion of the support assembly in the frame mount assembly. In another specific embodiment, the frame mount assembly includes one or more sloped surfaces that guide a portion of the support assembly to a location in the frame mount assembly where the support assembly is mounted to the frame mount assembly.




In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a support assembly which includes an end leg member that is design to mount with the frame mount assembly. The end leg portion is designed to have a dimension so as to fit into a specific region of the frame mount assembly. In one embodiment, the end leg member is angularly displaced with respect to a mid-body section of the support assembly. In another embodiment, the end leg member includes one or more angular surfaces which facilitate in the positioning of the end leg member in a desired location of the frame mount assembly. In still another embodiment, at least a portion of the cross-sectional shape of the end leg member is substantially similar to at least a portion of the cross-sectional shape of the frame mount assembly such that at least a portion of the outer surfaces of the end leg member forms a complimentary surface with the interior surfaces of the frame mount assembly when the support assembly is properly inserted into and connected to the frame mount assembly. In a further embodiment, the end leg member includes a positioning flange that facilitates in the positioning of the end leg portion in the desire position of the frame mount assembly. In one specific embodiment, the positioning flange is secure at or near the bottom of the end leg portion and is designed to contact a surface of the frame mount assembly to at least partially restrict the movement of the end leg portion when positioning the end leg portion in the frame mount assembly for mounting purposes. In another specific embodiment, the positioning flange facilitates in orienting the support assembly vertically and/or laterally in the frame mount assembly as the support assembly is positioned in the frame mount assembly. In yet another specific embodiment, the positioning flange is secure at or near the top of the end leg portion and is designed to contact a surface of the frame mount assembly to at least partially restrict the movement of the end leg portion when positioning the end leg portion in the frame mount assembly for mounting purposes. In still another specific embodiment, the positioning flange includes an angularly oriented lip which facilitates in the positioning and mounting of the end leg member to the frame mount assembly. In this specific embodiment, the lip has an angular deflection between about 0 and 70°.




In accordance with still a further aspect of the present invention, the support assembly includes a mid-section. The mid section of the support assembly is designed such that a portion of the outer surface of the mid-section forms a complimentary surface with the frame mount assembly when the support assembly is connected to the frame mount assembly. In one specific embodiment, the mid-section of the support assembly is designed to be connected to the frame mount assembly. In another specific embodiment, the mid-section of the support assembly includes an opening to receive a connector to secure the support assembly to the frame mount assembly. In this specific embodiment, the frame mount assembly includes an opening which forms a complimentary opening with the opening in the mid-section of the support assembly for the connector to be inserted there through when the support assembly is properly positioned in the frame mount assembly. In another specific embodiment, the support assembly is secured to the frame mount assembly in at least two locations, one at the leg portion and the other at the mid-section of the support assembly.




In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the support assembly includes one or more connectors to enable the support assembly to be easily removed and/or attached to the frame mount assembly. In one embodiment the connector is a pin assembly, bolt assembly, latch assembly, and/or clamp assembly that secures the support assembly to the frame mount assembly. In one specific embodiment, the connector is a pin assembly and/or bolt assembly that is fitted into a hole in the frame mount assembly and through a hole in the support assembly which is aligned with the hole in the frame mount assembly when the support assembly is properly positioned in the frame mount assembly. In another specific embodiment, the connector is a pin assembly and/or bolt assembly that includes a locking and/or position mechanism to lock and/or secure the pin assembly and/or bolt assembly is a certain position during the mounting and/or dismounting of the support assembly to the frame mount assembly. In still another specific embodiment, the connector is a pin assembly and/or bolt assembly that includes a biasing mechanism to bias the pin and/or bolt in a certain position. Preferably, the biasing mechanism biases the pin and/or bolt in a attachment position to assist in maintaining that the support system remains mounted to the frame mount assembly after the support system has been mounted to the frame mount assembly. In one arrangement, the biasing mechanism includes a spring.




In another embodiment of the present invention, the support assembly includes a blade mount connector designed to connect the blade mount assembly to the support assembly. In one embodiment, the blade mount assembly is connected to the support assembly to allow at least a portion of the blade mount assembly to be lifted and/or lowered. In one specific embodiment, the blade mount assembly includes an opening which forms a complimentary opening with an opening in the support assembly for a connector to be inserted there through when the blade mount assembly is properly positioned with respect to the support assembly. In this specific embodiment, the blade mount assembly preferably can pivot about the connector. In still another embodiment, the blade mount assembly can be attached and/or detached from the support assembly. In one specific embodiment, the blade mount assembly is connected to the support assembly at a different location on the support assembly from the location the support system is connected to the frame mount assembly.




In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the support assembly includes at least one stop plate. The stop plate is designed to engage a portion of the blade mount assembly when the blade mount assembly is lifted into an upward position by the lift mount assembly and/or when the support assembly is disengaged from the frame mount assembly and lies upon the blade mount assembly. In one embodiment, the stop plate is positioned on the support assembly such that the stop plate and a top surface of the blade mount assembly form a complimentary surface with respect to one another when the portion of the blade mount assembly engages the stop plate. In another embodiment, the stop plate adds structural integrity to the support assembly to increase the rigidity to the support assembly and to inhibit deformation of the support assembly. In still another embodiment the stop plate includes an adjustable extension to adjust the extension of a portion of the stop plate. In yet anther embodiment, the stop plate and/or blade mount adjustment includes a contact seat. In one specific embodiment, the contact seat includes metal, plastic, and/or rubber.




In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the support assembly includes a bumper plate to limit the amount of the support assembly that extends under the vehicle. The bumper plate helps to prevent damage to the support assembly and other components of the snowplow mount assembly. In one embodiment, the bumper plate is designed to engage a portion of the frame mount assembly to limit the position of the support assembly with respect to the frame mount assembly when mounting the support assembly to the frame mount assembly.




In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the support assembly includes a second end leg member that is designed to connect the lift mount assembly to the support assembly. In one embodiment, the second end leg member is rigidly connected to a portion of the lift mount assembly. The rigid connection can be formed by a weld, bolt, pin, clamp and the like. In another embodiment, a portion of the lift assembly is formed from a common portion of the support assembly. In still another embodiment, the lift mount assembly is angularly connected relative to the second end leg member. In this embodiment, the blade mount assembly is angularly oriented on the support assembly to reduce stress on the connection between the support assembly and the lift mount assembly. In still yet another embodiment, the lift mount assembly is connected to the support assembly to allow the lift mount assembly to be angularly adjustably connected to the support assembly. In this embodiment, adjustable connection enables the lift mount assembly to be used with a variety of different vehicles. In one specific embodiment, the adjustable connection can be formed by a tooth and groove arrangement, a pin arrangement, a bolting arrangement, a latch arrangement, or the like.




In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the lift mount assembly includes a plow blade stop designed to receive a portion of the plow blade when the plow blade is in the lifted position and/or when the support assembly is detached from the frame mount assembly and resting on the blade mount assembly. In one embodiment, the stop provides a resting surface for the plow blade and/or can be designed to assist in mounting the lift mount assembly and support assembly to and/or from the frame mount assembly. In another embodiment, the stop plate is designed to provide structural support and add rigidity to the lift mount assembly.




In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the lift mount assembly includes an adjustable lift arm. The height of the lift arm can be adjusted so as to accommodate a variety of different vehicles and/or increase the efficiency and operation of the lift mount assembly. In one embodiment, a plurality of connection locations are positioned on the legs of the lift mount assembly. The connection locations are designed to allow the lift arm to be attached at various height locations on the legs of the lift mount assembly. In one specific embodiment, connection locations include at least one opening whereby a bolt, pin or the like can be inserted there through to secure the lift arm to the legs. In still another embodiment, the lift arm is connect the lift arm in a singular angular orientation with respect to the legs. In a further embodiment, the lift arm is connect the lift arm to enable a plurality of angular orientations with respect to the legs.




In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the blade mount assembly includes a support mechanism to elevate at least a portion of the blade assembly above a ground surface when the blade mount assembly is detached from the support assembly and/or the support assembly is detached from the frame mount assembly. The support leg enables an operator to conveniently attach and/or reattach the end of the blade mount assembly to the support assembly, and/or helps to prevent damage to the support assembly and/or the blade mount assembly during the connecting and/or reconnecting of the blade mount assembly to the support assembly. In one embodiment, the support leg is movable between a support position and a non-support position. In the non-support position, the leg is raised and/or repositioned so as not to contact the ground surface during use of the snowplow blade. In the support position, the leg is lowered and/or repositioned so as to rest on the surface of the ground. In another embodiment, the support leg elevates one end of the blade mount assembly so that the blade mount assembly can be easily connected to and/or disconnected from the support assembly, and/or the support assembly can be easily connected to and/or disconnected from the frame mount assembly. In still another embodiment, the support leg is adjustably positionable to vary the elevation of the end of the blade mount assembly from the ground surface. The variable height positioning of the support leg can be accomplished in a variety of manners. In one specific embodiment, the support leg includes a plurality of openings whereby a bolt, pin or the like is positioned through the opening and secured in a portion of the blade mount assembly. The plurality of openings allow the support leg to support the end of the blade mount assembly in a variety of elevations above the ground. In another specific embodiment, the plurality of openings enables the support leg to be secured in a retracted position in multiple locations on the blade mount assembly. In another specific embodiment, the support leg is extended and/or retracted from the ground surface by a crank arrangement. In this embodiment, a crank is rotated to lower or raise the leg. Many arrangements which include the crank can be used to raise and lower the support leg. These arrangements can include rope, cord, chains, screw, teeth and/or grooves. In one preferred arrangement, the leg includes a plurality of grooves that engage rotating teeth which are rotated by the crank. In another preferred arrangement, the leg is raised and lowered by a screw-jack arrangement. In another embodiment, the support leg includes a mount flange that enables the support leg to be attached and detached from the blade mount assembly. In still another embodiment, the support leg can be stored on the lift mount assembly or support assembly when not in use. In a further embodiment, the top portion of the support leg is designed as a landing to support a stop plate that is mounted onto the support assembly or lift mount assembly. In one specific embodiment, the stop plate engages the top portion of the support leg when the support assembly is disconnected from the frame mount assembly.




In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the lift mount assembly includes one or more auxiliary lights. When the complete snowplow mount assembly is secured to a vehicle, the headlights of the vehicle may to partially or totally blocked. In such situations, auxiliary headlights should be used. The lift mount assembly is designed to enable one or more auxiliary lights to be connected to the lift mount assembly. In one embodiment, the one or more legs of the lift mount assembly includes a connector location that is designed to connect to an auxiliary light and/or mount for an auxiliary light. In a specific embodiment, the legs of the lift mount assembly include a plurality of connector locations. The plurality of connectors allows the auxiliary lights to be used in association with a wide variety of vehicles. In another specific embodiment, the connector locations are openings in the legs to allow a pin, bolt or the like to be inserted there through.




In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the blade mount assembly includes a skid plate. In one embodiment, the skid plate is secured to or near the front of the blade mount assembly. In another embodiment, the skid plate elevates at least one end of the blade mount assembly above the ground to facilitate in the attachment and/or detachment of the blade mount assembly from the support assembly, the attachment and/or detachment of the support assembly from the frame mount assembly, and/or limit or prevent damage to the frame mount assembly during operation of the snowplow. In yet another embodiment, the skid plate is adjustably secured to the blade mount assembly so that the height of at least one end of the blade mount assembly can be adjusted from the ground. In one specific embodiment, washers are used to adjust the length the skip plate. In another specific embodiment, the skid plate has a generally circular base portion.




In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the snowplow blade includes a deflector flap which extends downwardly from the top of the plow blade. The deflector flap is designed to prevent snow and other debris from being propelled forwardly at high velocities from the snowplow blade during snowplow operation. Various types of debris such as large pieces of ice, rocks and the like can be thrown at relatively high velocities from the snowplow blade during a snowplow operation. These thrown objects can result in damage to other vehicles and/or other structures during the snowplow operation. The deflector flap is designed to interfere with the path of these objects prior to leaving the snowplow blade, thereby reducing the velocity of such objects and/or deflecting such objects downwardly toward the road surface. In one embodiment, the deflector is made up of a resilient flexible material which is designed to both deflect high velocity objects and to resist wear during operation. The flexibility of the deflector prevents the deflector from shattering during operation and helps to dampen the velocity of the projected materials. In one specific embodiment, the deflector is made of a rubber material. Such a material is resilient to wear and corrosion, is flexible yet resilient enough to deflect materials being expelled from the snowplow blade. In another embodiment, the deflector can be mounted in a variety of orientations with respect to the top of the snowplow blade. In one specific embodiment, the deflector is positioned substantially perpendicular to the top edge of the snowplow blade thereby functioning as a wall to debris which are being propelled outwardly from the top section of the snowplow blade. In another specific embodiment, the deflector extends less than a third of the distance downward from the top edge of the snowplow blade. In still another specific embodiment, the deflector extends about 3-20% the total elevation of the snowplow blade. Such an orientation and size of the deflector results in the deflector only contacting a small portion of the debris being plowed and expelled by the snowplow, thereby enabling the snowplow to effectively remove the desired debris from a ground surface and to prevent high velocity debris from being propelled from the snowplow blade. In still another embodiment, the deflector is mounted to the top of the snowplow blade so that it can be easily removed and replaced. In one specific embodiment, the mount arrangement includes a bracket and bolt arrangement, or the like.




In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a snowplow mount arrangement wherein the blade mount assembly and/or the lift mount assembly can be easily connected and/or disconnected from the vehicle. In such an arrangement, a support assembly connects to both the blade mount assembly and the lift mount assembly such that the whole unit can be easily removed and/or a portion of the unit can be easily removed from the vehicle as desired. In one preferred arrangement, the simple removal of one or two bolts or pins from the support assembly disengages the blade mount assembly from the support assembly. In another embodiment, the simple removal of a few bolts or pins from the support assembly results in the detachment of both the blade mount assembly, the lift mount assembly, and the support assembly from the frame mount assembly. The components of the support assembly, lift mount assembly and blade mount assembly can be oriented so that when the components are completely removed from the frame mount assembly, they can be easily stored for later use and reattachment.




It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide improvements in connection of snowplow mount assemblies to the front end of a vehicle for elevating and/or lowering a plow blade mounted on a vehicle.




Another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which reduces stresses applied to the vehicle frame and/or supporting portions of the assembly when the snowplow blade is elevated.




A further object of the present inventions is the provision of an assembly which enables quick release and/or removal of the components of the assembly from the vehicle.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which is independent of the vehicle bumper.




Still yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly in which the structure and location of the frame mount assembly relative to the bumper and/or vehicle body promotes the aesthetic value of the front end of the vehicle during non-snowplow use when the plow blade lift unit and/or the plow mount attachment are disconnected from the vehicle.




Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a frame mount assembly which is positioned behind the vehicle bumper to minimize and/or eliminate the projection of the components forwardly of the front of the bumper.




Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which has a lighter weight structure and/or which has a structural integrity to properly support a snowplow blade in an elevated and/or unelevated position and which promotes the life of the components and/or minimizes maintenance and/or replacement costs of the components of the assembly.




Another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which enables the operator to easily connect and/or disconnect various components of the assembly from the vehicle.




A further object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which enables the attachment and/or detachment of the lift mount assembly, support assembly and/or blade mount assembly in a safe, sufficient, and/or convenient manner.




It is still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of providing improvements in an assembly mountable on a vehicle for elevating and/or lowering the plow blade.




Another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which enables quick release of the support assembly from the frame mount assembly during periods of non-snowplow use of the vehicle.




Still another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which enables quick release and/or removal of snowplow components and at the same time protects against unintentionally separation of component parts during snowplow operation.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which structural location of the frame mount assembly in relation to the bumper of the vehicle promotes safety of the vehicle during non-snowplow use of the vehicle when the support assembly is removed.




Still yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which is less expensive to manufacture.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which includes a support assembly that connects to the lift mount assembly and/or the blade mount assembly to increase the simplicity of removal and/or attachment of such components to the vehicle.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an assembly which includes one or more stop plates to engage various components of the assembly when in the detached, lifted and/or retracted positions, and/or when being attached and/or detached from one another.




Another object of the present invention is the provision of a frame mount assembly which includes one or more guide flanges for easy attachment and/or detachment of one or more components from the landing.




Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a lift arm on the lift mount assembly which height can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of different vehicles.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a support leg on the lift mount assembly which elevates an end of the blade mount assembly to simplify the ease of connecting and/or disconnecting components to the vehicle and/or to prevent damage of one or more components of the assembly.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a snowplow blade deflector which deflects one or more objects being propelled from the snowplow blade during operation.




Another object of the present invention is the provision of a blade mount assembly that includes an adjustable skid plate.




Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a support leg that can easily adjust the height of at least one end a blade mount assembly and which support leg can be easily and conveniently stored during non-use.




Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a snowplow mount assembly that includes auxiliary lights mountable to the snowplow mount assembly.




Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a snowplow mount assembly which includes connectors that are easy to handle and which are biased to facilitate in the securing together of one or more components of the snowplow mount assembly.




These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken together with the accompanied drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail and illustrated in the accompanied drawings which form a part hereof and wherein





FIG. 1

is a left elevational view of the frame mount assembly in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a view of the frame mount assembly as shown in

FIG. 1

wherein the blade mount assembly is detached from the support assembly;





FIG. 3

is a view of the frame mount assembly as illustrated in

FIG. 1

wherein the support unit is detached from the housing mount assembly;





FIG. 4

is an enlarged view of

FIG. 1

illustrating the reattachment of the support assembly to the frame mount assembly;





FIG. 5

is a further enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines


5





5


in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 6

is a fragmental elevational view of the plow blade unit illustrating the stand on the blade mount assembly in a support position;





FIG. 7

is a view similar to

FIG. 6

showing the plow blade unit illustrating the stand on the blade mount assembly in a retracted position;





FIG. 8

is a detached front perspective elevation view of the frame mount assembly;





FIG. 9

is a further detached exploded front perspective view of the support assembly and lift mount assembly;





FIG. 10

is a still further detached front perspective view of the blade mount assembly without the plow blade;





FIG. 11

is a view similar to

FIG. 1

of an alternate embodiment of the frame mount assembly in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a view of the frame mount assembly as shown in

FIG. 11

wherein the blade mount assembly is detached from the support assembly;





FIG. 13

is a view of the frame mount assembly as illustrated in

FIG. 11

wherein the support unit is detached from the housing mount assembly;





FIG. 14

is a fragmental elevational enlarged view of the frame mount assembly as illustrated in

FIG. 11

wherein the frame mount assembly is secured to the support assembly;





FIG. 15

is a cross-sectional view taken along lines


15





15


in

FIG. 12

;





FIG. 16

is a detached front perspective view of the frame mount assembly in

FIG. 11

;





FIG. 17

is a further enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines


17





17


in

FIG. 12

;





FIG. 18

is a cross-sectional view taken along lines


18





18


in

FIG. 17

;





FIG. 19

is a detached front perspective view of the support assembly and lift mount assembly in

FIG. 11

; and





FIG. 20

an exploded front perspective view of the blade mount assembly in

FIG. 11

without the plow blade.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION




Referring now to the drawings wherein in the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same,

FIGS. 1-10

illustrate an improved frame mount assembly for operating a snowplow with the use of a vehicle. The frame mount assembly is suitable for use with large trucks, pick-up trucks, 4×4 vehicles, and the like for snow removal operations such as encountered in plowing driveways, parking lots, roads, etc. These snowplow blades are typically about 50-85 inches in length. For snowplow blades used in heavy duty snowplow removal such as by municipalities and government agencies for removing snow and debris from highways, the snowplow blade typically has a length of about 80-120 inches.




The frame mount assembly


20


is made up of four principal components, namely the housing mount


200


, which is secured to the frame members


32


of a vehicle


30


and positioned under and rearwardly of the vehicle bumper


34


, a support assembly


250


secured to the housing mount, blade mount assembly


40


secured to the support assembly and a lift mount assembly


310


which is also secured to the support assembly.




Referring now to

FIGS. 1-4

, blade mount assembly


40


includes a plow blade


41


having a generally longitudinally extending structural frame


42


, a scraper blade


44


which is attached to the bottom of structural frame


42


and an inwardly curved mold board


46


. For consistency of terminology as used herein, the scraper blade is the replaceable, lower edged portion of the plow blade, and the blade is the inwardly curved front face


48


of mold board


46


and the scraper blade


44


. Plow blade


41


includes a structural frame


42


, mold board


46


and scraper blade


44


.




Secured or attached to snowplow blade


41


is the A-frame


50


of blade mount assembly


40


. A-frame structure


50


is best shown in FIG.


10


. The A-frame structure


50


includes a support cross-over arm


51


having journals


52


connected to the two ends of the cross-over arm. The two journals


52


include journal holes


54


for securing A-frame


50


to the support assembly


250


. The A-frame


50


also includes two struts


56


which are connected at one end to the cross-over aim


51


and at the other end to a mount plate


58


. Mount plate


58


includes a lift bracket


60


having bracket holes


62


. The bracket holes


62


are designed to receive a rope or chain so that the blade mount assembly can be lifted and/or lowered by the lift mount assembly


310


. Mount plate


58


includes an upper portion


64


and a lower portion


68


, each of which include aligned openings


66


,


70


respectively.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, an arcuate connector bar


150


is used to interconnect the plow blade


41


to mount plate


58


. Arcuate bar


150


includes an arcuate shaped top portion


152


and two leg portions


154


attached to the top portion and extending outwardly therefrom. A support bar


156


that is secured between the two leg portions


154


to provide structural integrity to the arcuate connector bar. The arcuate connector bar also includes a mount landing


158


having an opening. The mount landing


158


is designed to be inserted between upper portion


64


and lower portion


68


of mount plate


58


. The arcuate bar is connected to the mount plate by aligning openings


66


,


70


in mounting plate


58


with opening in mount landing


158


and then inserting a bolt


162


through the holes. This connection allows the plow blade to pivot about the openings.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, the top portion


152


of arcuate bar


150


is held in a downward position by top plate


76


. Top plate


76


is secured to mid-brace


74


. Top plate


76


allows the arcuate bar to pivot from side to side about openings


66


,


70


. The back end of struts


56


include cylinder brackets


102


for mounting a cylinder


100


in bracket openings


106


by a bracket bolt


104


. The other end of cylinder


100


is secured to cylinder brackets


168


that are connected to leg portions


154


of arcuate bar


150


. The cylinders, which are mounted on each side of the A-frame, permit angling of the plow blade


41


about openings


66


,


70


so that the latitude of the plow blade


41


relative to the vehicle can be skewed to discharge snow from one side or the other of the plow blade.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, arcuate bar


150


is connected to plow blade


41


to allow the plow blade to also rotate in a forward and backward direction. At each end of leg portions


154


is a pivot opening


164


which pivotally connects to pivot trunnions


49


that are connected to the back face of the plow blade. Arcuate bar


150


includes two trunnions


160


connected to each leg portion


154


. Each trunnion


160


has a trunnion opening


162


. Plow blade


41


also includes two trunnions


170


secured to the structural frame


42


and/or curved braces


118


. Trunnions


160


,


170


provide for the mounting of spring


172


which maintains the plow blade


41


in an upward position. When scraper blade


44


engages an obstacle in the roadway, plow blade


41


pivots about arcuate bar


150


against the action of the two springs


172


which return the plow blade


41


to its normal position after passing over the obstacle. The tension of springs


172


is adjusted to a conventional manner by adjustable arms


174


threaded to trunnion


170


.




Referring again to

FIGS. 1-4

, structural frame


42


of the snowplow


41


is a conventional frame and comprising a longitudinally extending top mounting member


110


which extends the length of the snowplow, a longitudinally extending bottom mounting member


114


which similarly extends the length of the plow blade, and a plurality of transversely spaced inwardly curved braces


118


which extend between and are secured to the top and bottom mounting members


110


,


114


. Both mounting members


110


and


114


include mounting holes


112


,


116


respectively to enable the mounting members to be secured by mount bolts


120


to mold board


46


of plow blade


41


. In practice, mounting members


110


and


114


are L-shaped structures which include one leg radially extending from back surface of plow blade


41


. Braces


118


are also structurally angled components which are oriented to have an L-shaped or V-shaped cross-sectional configuration. The braces are commonly welded to both the mounting members


110


and


114


.




The mold board is a rectangular flat sheet, approximately ⅜ inches thick of ultra-high polymer or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plastic. The polyethylene material has a low coefficient of friction, relatively high resistant to abrasion, and adequate impact and yield strength to function in a snowplow environment. The mold board is formed into a curvilinear shape. As can be appreciated, the mold board


46


may be formed from other materials, such as, but not limited to hardened steel.




Scraper blade


44


has a bottom edge which is designed to contact the roadway to picking up snow in a known manner and is secured to curve braces


118


and/or bottom mounting member


114


by a scraper bracket


43


. Scraper blade


44


commonly extends on the complete longitudinal length of the bottom edge of the snowplow blade. Scraper blade


44


is commonly made of a durable rubber material or metal material.




The mold board


41


is formed to have an arcuate segment having a radius which is dependent on the size of the plow blade. For smaller plow blades, the radius of the arc is about 9-14 inches, while for larger plows, the radius of the arc is about 13-20 inches. As best shown in

FIG. 1

, the top edge of plow blade


41


extends beyond the top mounting member


110


of structural frame


42


until the plane of the inside surface of the plow blade is or is closely parallel to the ground surface G.




Attached to the top edge of plow blade


41


is a deflector flap


140


. Deflector flap


140


is secured to flap bracket


142


which in turn is secured to the top edge of plow blade


41


. Flap bracket


142


includes bracket openings


144


to allow bracket bolts


146


to secure the deflector flap


140


to the flap bracket and to secure flap bracket


142


to the top edge of plow blade


41


. Deflector flap


140


extends downwardly from the top edge of plow blade


41


and functions as a barrier to snow and other debris which are traveling along the upper inner surface of snowplow blade


41


during snowplow operation and prevents such snow and debris from being propelled from snowplow blade


41


at high velocities. The deflector flap


140


is preferably made up of a durable flexible material such as a hard rubber and/or plastic.




As shown in

FIGS. 1-4

, secured to the bottom mounting member


114


is a skid bracket


130


having a threaded bore


132


for adjustably receiving a skid plate


134


. Further details about the design and manufacture of the plow blade


41


are disclosed in Assignee's United States Letters Pat. No. 4,803,790 and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/215,812, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.




Referring now to

FIGS. 6

,


7


and


10


, the A-frame includes a stand


90


which is mounted between two parallel positioned stand flanges


80


. Stand flanges


80


are secured at one end to support cross-over arm


51


. The other ends of the two stand flanges are connected to flange braces


82


which are in turn are connected to struts


56


. A flange plate


84


secures the top end edges of the stand flanges together. Each stand flange include three flange openings


86


which are aligned to one another and are designed to mount stand


90


in a support position and a retracted position. Stand


90


includes a stand shoe


94


and a plurality of stand openings


92


to adjustably secure stand


90


to stand flange


80


. A stand pin


96


is used to secure stand


90


to stand flange


80


and a pin clip


98


is designed to be positioned in a pin opening


99


for securing stand pin


96


in a secured or locked position. Referring specifically to

FIG. 6

, stand


90


is in a support position whereby stand shoe


94


engages the ground surface G and elevates the back end of the A-frame from the ground surface. Stand


90


is positioned in the support position when the plow blade assembly


40


is to be attached and/or detached from support assembly


250


, and/or when support assembly


250


is to be attached and/or detached from the frame housing of the frame mount assembly


20


.

FIG. 7

illustrates the stand in the retracted position and is maintained in such position when the snowplow is in use. As can be appreciated, holes


86


are positioned in such a manner that stand pin


96


can be used to mount the stand in the support position and in the retracted position. As best illustrated in

FIGS. 2-4

, stand


90


, when used in conjunction with skid plate


134


supports both ends of the A-frame and the plow blade in an elevated position so that the blade mount assembly and/or support assembly can be easily attached to and/or detached from the frame housing of the frame mount assembly


20


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 1 and 8

, housing mount


200


is shown as being secured to the underside of the vehicle. As shown in

FIG. 1

, two support struts


202


are attached at one end to the vehicle frame members


32


and the other end of support strut is secured to bracket plate


218


and is secured by bolts secured within plate opening


219


. The housing mount also includes a frame plate


204


which is secured by plate bolts


206


to frame members


32


. The frame plate and support struts rigidly secure mounting bracket


210


to frame members


32


and rearwardly of bumper


34


.




Referring specifically to

FIG. 8

, the two mounting brackets


210


are secured together by bracket brace


216


, arm bracket


226


, and bracket plate


218


. These three structures maintain the rigidity of the mounting brackets while supporting the other members of the frame mount assembly. Secured to the inside surface of each of the mounting brackets is a landing


220


having a C-shaped structure. Landing


220


is designed to receive a portion of the support assembly as will be described below. Landing


220


includes a lower lip


222


which angles downwardly from landing


220


. Landing


220


also includes an arm bracket which extends from the upper edge of the landing and angles upwardly from landing


220


. Extension arm


224


is supported in position by arm bracket


226


. Both arm bracket


226


and bracket plate


218


have an L-shaped configuration to provide additional rigidity to the housing mount. Preferably, bracket brace


216


, landing


220


, lip


222


extension arm


224


, arm bracket


226


, and bracket plate


218


are welded to the inner surface of the two mounting brackets


210


. Mounting bracket


210


also includes support openings


230


and


232


. Support opening


230


is designed to align with an opening in a portion of the support assembly to thereby secure the support assembly to landing


220


. Support opening


232


is designed to align with another opening in the support assembly to rigidly secure the support assembly to the housing mount. Support opening


232


includes opening supports


234


on both sides of the opening to reinforce the opening and reduce the amount of wear within the opening.




Referring to

FIGS. 1-4

and


9


, support assembly


250


includes a pair of inner legs


260


and a pair of outer legs


262


. The inner legs and outer legs are laterally spaced apart. A leg brace


264


secures each pair of inner and outer legs together. A leg flange


272


is secured to the inner side of each of the inner legs by a leg flange


272


which in turn is connected to a leg bar


274


. Leg flange


272


is welded to the inner side of the leg and leg bar


274


is preferably welded to the inner side of leg flange


272


. Inner legs and outer legs include a plurality of openings for securing the support assembly to the housing mount and to connect other components of the frame mount assembly to the support assembly. At one end of the inner leg and outer leg is a landing opening


266


. Spaced from landing opening


266


is journal opening


268


. Spaced from journal opening


268


is an upper support opening


270


. Connected to the exterior side of outer leg


262


is a pin housing


280


,


282


and


284


. Pin housing


280


includes housing openings


286


which are aligned with landing opening


266


. Pin housing


282


includes housing openings


286


which are aligned with journal opening


268


. Pin housing


284


includes housing openings


286


which are aligned with upper support openings


270


. Pin housings


280


,


282


, and


284


are designed to maintain a pin


290


within the housing. Pin


290


includes a pin stop


292


radially extending from the surface of the pin. Pin


290


also includes a pin opening


296


to receive a pin clip


294


. Pin stop


292


limits the movement of pin


290


within the pin housing so as to prevent the pin from being completely removed from the housing. Pin clip


294


is designed to secure pin


290


in the extended position whereby the end of the pin extends into landing opening, journal opening and/or upper support opening. The positioning of pin


290


within the pin housing is best illustrated in FIG.


5


.




Referring again to

FIG. 9

, there is shown the lift mount assembly


310


. Lift mount assembly


310


includes a pair of lift legs


312


laterally spaced from one another. A support bar


314


is secured between the two lift legs which in turn secures the lift legs to the inner leg and outer leg


260


,


262


of the support assembly. As illustrated in

FIG. 9

, lift leg


312


is an extension of inner leg


260


of support assembly


250


. In an alternate embodiment not shown, lift leg


312


is a separate component from inner leg


260


. As can be appreciated, when lift legs


312


are separate components from inner leg


260


, lift legs


312


can be mounted to support bar


314


in a manner that the lift legs are permanently affixed to support bar


314


with respect to inner legs


260


of the support assembly


250


, or can be adjustably positioned with respect to the inner legs so that the angular position of the lift mount assembly with respect to the vehicle and with respect to the support assembly can be adjusted.




Referring once again to

FIG. 9

, each lift leg


312


includes a plurality of leg openings


313


. Secured to one set of leg openings is a lift bar


320


. Lift bar


320


includes a pair of bar brackets


322


laterally spaced from one another. Each of the bar brackets have a bracket opening


324


. The leg openings


313


enable the lift bar


320


to be adjustably positioned vertically along the lift legs


312


. The lift bar can be designed to be secure in a single or a plurality of positions about the longitudinal axis of the lift bar. As shown in

FIGS. 1-4

, an actuator


330


is secured to the lift mount assembly. A pair of acuator brackets


316


pivotly secure the base of the acuator to support bar


314


. The piston


332


of acuator


330


is secured to lift arm


340


within bracket openings


322


by a pin, bolt or the like secured through bracket openings


324


and mount opening


346


. The end of lift arm


340


includes a lift hook


342


to secure to a rope or chain


360


.




The operation of the frame mount assembly


20


will now be described. As illustrated in

FIG. 1

, support assembly


250


is secured to housing mount


200


. Connected to the support assembly are plow blade assembly


40


and lift mount assembly


310


. As previously discussed, housing mount


200


is permanently affixed to frame members


32


of vehicle


30


. Housing mount


200


is positioned on frame members


32


such that all of the components of housing mount


200


are positioned below and rearwardly of the front end of bumper


34


. Consequently, when support assembly


250


is removed from housing mount


200


, the components of housing mount


200


cannot be seen by an individual unless the individual looks under the vehicle. Therefore, during non snowplowing months, the original aesthetic qualities of the vehicle are retained when support assembly


250


is removed from housing mount


200


.




Referring again to

FIG. 1

, frame mount assembly


20


is designed so that the components of the frame mount can be easily attached and/or detached from the vehicle in a multitude of ways. As shown in

FIG. 1

, support assembly


250


is secured in housing mount


200


. Support assembly


250


is simply secured to housing mount


200


by positioning the end of inner leg


260


onto landing


220


until landing opening


266


in inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


are aligned with support opening


230


. Once these openings are aligned, pin


290


is moved in pin housing


280


and is inserted through all the openings. Pin clip


294


is then inserted through pin opening


296


to secure the pin in position. This procedure is repeated on the other set of inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


of support assembly


250


. Support assembly


250


is then rigidly secured to the housing mount by aligning upper support opening on inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


with support opening


232


on mounting bracket


210


. Once the openings are aligned, pin


290


in pin housing


284


is moved through all the openings and pin clip


294


is used to secure pin


290


in position. Once this procedure is repeated on the other set of inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


, the support assembly


250


is rigidly secured to housing mount


200


. As can be appreciated, support assembly


250


can be easily removed from housing mount


200


by repositioning the four pins


290


in their respective pin housings of support assembly


250


thereby releasing the support assembly from housing mount


200


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 1

, lift mount assembly


310


is permanently secured to support assembly


250


due to the end of inner leg


260


of support assembly


250


being uniformly formed with the ends of lift legs


312


of lift mount assembly


310


. Consequently, when support assembly


250


is rigidly secured to housing mount


200


, the securing of the support assembly also results in the securing of the lift mount assembly to the vehicle.




Blade mount assembly


40


is shown to be secured to support assembly


250


at a single location on each set of inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


of the support assembly. Blade mount assembly


40


is simple secured to support assembly


250


by aligning the journal holes


54


in journals


52


with journal openings


268


in inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


. Once these openings are aligned with one another, pin


290


in pin housing


282


is moved so as to pass through all the openings. Once the pin has been properly positioned, pin clip


294


is secured into pin opening


296


to secure plow blade assembly


40


to support assembly


250


. As can be appreciated, this mounting arrangement of plow blade assembly


40


to support assembly


250


allows the plow blade assembly


40


to pivot upwardly and downwardly about journal openings


268


to thereby allow the plow blade


41


to be lifted and lowered by lift mount assembly


310


. When the plow blade assembly


40


is to be detached from support assembly


250


, the two pins


290


are repositioned in pin housing


282


thereby releasing journal


52


from inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


of support assembly


250


. After support assembly


250


is secured to housing mount


200


and plow blade assembly


40


is secured to the support assembly, lift mount assembly


310


raises plow blade assembly


40


in the desired position so that plow blade


41


can effectively remove snow and other debris from a ground surface G.




Referring now to

FIGS. 2-4

, the design of the frame mount assembly


20


allows for one or more of the components of the frame mount assembly to be removed and/or secured to the vehicle. As shown in

FIG. 2

, blade mount assembly


40


is detached from the vehicle while support assembly


250


and lift mount assembly


310


remain secured to the vehicle. This arrangement may be desirable when the plow blade assembly needs to be repaired, or if the vehicle is to be used for purposes other than snowplowing. When the plow blade assembly


40


is the only component which is to be removed from the vehicle, stand


90


is positioned in the support position so that stand shoe


94


engages ground surface G. The stand is then secured in position by inserting stand pin


96


through stand opening


92


and pin clip


98


is then secured into pin openings


99


to secure the stand pin


96


within the stand opening


92


. As can be appreciated, when stand


90


is positioned in the support position, plow blade assembly


40


is secured in a rested position since the two skid plates


134


support the front of the plow blade assembly and stand


90


supports the rear of the plow blade assembly. As can be appreciated, skid plates


134


and stand


90


reduce and/or relieve the stress on pin


290


which secures journal


50


on inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


of support assembly


250


. As a result of the reduction or removal of stress, pin


290


can be easily repositioned within pin housing


282


thereby easily attaching and/or detaching journals


52


from support assembly


250


. Once pin


290


is repositioned within pin housing


282


and withdrawn from the openings, vehicle


30


can be backed up thereby separating plow blade assembly


40


from support assembly


250


. As can be appreciated, when plow blade assembly


40


needs to be reattached to support assembly


250


, the vehicle is moved toward the two journals


52


on plow blade assembly


40


until support journals are aligned with opening


268


and inner leg


260


. Once pin


290


is positioned through the openings, stand


90


is repositioned in the retracted position and the plow blade assembly can once again be used for removal of snow and debris from the ground surface.




Referring now to

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the support assembly


250


is shown as being detached from housing mount


200


. As shown in

FIG. 3

, support assembly


250


has been detached from housing mount


200


but remains attached to plow blade assembly


40


. As previously discussed, support assembly


250


can be simply removed from housing mount


200


by repositioning the four pins


290


within pin housing


280


,


284


. Once the pins have been repositioned, the vehicle can be backed up thereby causing the ends of inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


to be released from mounting bracket


210


. When support assembly


250


is completely released from housing mount


210


, rest bolt


302


on support assembly


250


engages the top of frame mount assembly


20


thereby supporting the support assembly and lift mount assembly


310


on the top of plow blade assembly


40


. As discussed above, when plow blade assembly


40


is to be detached from the vehicle, stand


90


is repositioned in the support position. As can be appreciated, when stand


90


is positioned in the support position, the stresses on pins


290


and support openings


230


and


232


of housing mount


200


are reduced or removed thereby allowing pins


290


to be easily retracted within pin housing


280


and


284


thus simplifying the detachment of support assembly


250


from housing mount


200


.




Referring now to

FIG. 4

, the configuration of landing


220


, lip


222


and extension arm


224


facilitate in the attachment and/or detachment of support assembly


250


from housing mount


200


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, when support assembly


250


is to be reconnected to housing mount


200


, vehicle


30


is moved toward the ends of inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


on support assembly


250


. As the vehicle is moved forward, the bottom edge of extension arm


224


engages the top edge of inner leg


260


. As the vehicle continues to move forward, extension arm


224


slowly guides the ends of inner leg


260


toward alignment with support openings


230


and


232


and mounting bracket


210


. As inner leg


260


moves into contact with landing


220


, support assembly


250


pivots about journal hole


54


and journals


52


of plow blade assembly


40


so as to simultaneously move support assembly


250


and lift mount assembly


310


in the proper positions. Lip


222


helps to guide the bottom edge of inner leg


260


onto the landing. Once landing opening


266


is aligned with support opening


230


, pin


290


within pin housing


280


is moved into position to thereby secure outer leg


262


and inner leg


260


on mounting bracket


210


. The upper support opening


270


on inner leg


260


and outer leg


262


will now be in alignment or in close alignment with support opening


232


so as to allow pin


290


in pin housing


284


to be easily repositioned with little or no further repositioning of support assembly


250


withing housing mount


200


. Once the four pins are secured in position, support assembly


250


, lift mount assembly


310


, and plow blade assembly


40


are once again secured to the vehicle for snowplow operations. The stand is then repositioned in the retracted position prior to snowplow operation.





FIGS. 11-20

illustrate an alternate frame mount assembly for operating a snowplow with the use of a vehicle. The frame mount assembly


400


is made up of four principal components, namely the housing mount


500


, which is secured to the frame members


452


of a vehicle


450


and positioned under and rearwardly of the vehicle bumper


454


, a support assembly


600


secured to the housing mount, blade mount assembly


700


secured to the support assembly and a lift mount assembly


900


which is also secured to the support assembly.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11-13

and


20


, blade mount assembly


700


includes a plow blade


710


which is essentially the same as plowblade


41


shown in

FIGS. 1-4

. Therefore the details of the plowblade will not be repeated in detail. Plowblade


710


a generally longitudinally extending structural frame


712


, a scraper blade


714


which is attached to the bottom of structural frame


712


and an inwardly curved mold board


716


. Secured or attached to structural frame


712


is A-frame


750


. A-frame structure


750


is best shown in FIG.


20


. The A-frame structure


750


includes a support cross-over arm


752


having journals


754


connected to the two ends of the cross-over arm. The two journals


754


include journal holes


756


for securing the A-frame to the support assembly


600


. The A-frame also includes two struts


760


which are connected at one end to the cross-over arm and at the other end to a mount plate


770


. Mount plate


770


includes a lift bracket


772


having bracket holes


774


. The bracket holes


774


are designed to receive a rope or chain so that the blade mount assembly can be lifted and/or lowered by the lift mount assembly


900


. Mount plate


770


includes an upper portion


780


and a lower portion


782


, each of which include aligned openings


784


,


786


respectively.




As shown in

FIGS. 11-13

, an arcuate connector bar


720


is used to interconnect the plow blade


710


to mount plate


770


. Arcuate bar


720


includes an arcuate shaped top portion


722


and two leg portions


724


attached to the top portion and extending outwardly therefrom. A support bar


726


that is secured between the two leg portions


724


to provide structural integrity to the arcuate connector bar. The arcuate connector


720


bar also includes a mount landing having an opening. The mount landing is designed to be inserted between upper portion


780


and lower portion


782


of mount plate


770


. The arcuate bar is connected to the mount plate by aligning openings


784


,


786


in mounting plate


770


with the opening in the mount landing and then inserting a bolt through the holes. This connection allows the plow blade to pivot about the openings.




As shown in

FIGS. 11-13

, the top portion


722


of arcuate bar


720


is held in a downward position by top plate


788


. Top plate


788


is mounted on mid-brace


790


. Mid-brace


790


adds structural support to the A-frame. Top plate


788


allows the arcuate bar to pivot from side to side about openings


784


,


786


. The back end of struts


760


include cylinder brackets


792


for mounting a cylinder


798


in bracket openings


794


by a bracket bolt


796


. The other end of cylinder


798


is secured to cylinder brackets


730


that are connected to leg portions


724


of arcuate bar


720


. The cylinders, which are mounted on each side of the A-frame, permit angling of the plow blade


710


about openings


784


,


786


.




Arcuate bar


720


is connected to plow blade


710


to allow the plow blade to also rotate in a forward and backward direction. Arcuate bar


720


includes two trunnions


732


connected to each leg portion


724


. Each trunnion


732


has a trunnion opening


734


. Plow blade


710


also includes two trunnions


736


secured to the structural frame


712


and/or curved braces


738


. Trunnions


732


,


736


provide for the mounting of spring


740


which maintains the plow blade in an upward position. When scraper blade


714


engages an obstacle in the roadway, plow blade


710


pivots about arcuate bar


720


against the action of the springs


740


which return the plow blade to its normal position after passing over the obstacle. The tension of springs


740


is adjusted to a conventional manner by adjustable arms threaded to trunnion


736


.




Referring again to

FIGS. 11-13

, structural frame


712


is a conventional frame and comprising a longitudinally extending to mounting member


742


which extends the length of the snowplow, a longitudinally extending bottom mounting member


744


which similarly extends the length of the plow blade, and a plurality of transversely spaced inwardly curved braces


738


which extend between and are secured to the top and bottom mounting members


742


,


744


. Both mounting members


742


and


744


include mounting holes to enable the mounting members to be secured by mount bolts


746


.




Scraper blade


714


has a bottom edge which is designed to contact the roadway for picking up snow in a known manner and is secured to curve braces


744


and/or a bottom mounting member by a scraper bracket. Scraper blade


44


extends on the complete longitudinal length of the bottom edge of the snowplow blade.




Attached to the top edge of plow blade


710


is a deflector flap


800


. Deflector flap


800


is secured to flap bracket


802


which in turn is secured to the top edge of plow blade


710


. Flap bracket


802


includes bracket openings


804


to allow bracket bolts


806


to secure the deflector flap


800


to the flap bracket and to secure flap bracket


802


to the top edge of plow blade


710


. Deflector flap


800


extends downwardly from the top edge of plow blade


710


and functions as a barrier to snow and other debris which are traveling along the upper inner surface of snowplow blade


710


during snowplow operation and prevents such snow and debris from being propelled from snowplow blade


710


at high velocities.




As shown in

FIGS. 11-13

,


17


and


18


, secured to the bottom mounting member


744


is a skid bracket


810


for adjustably receiving a skid plate


812


. Skid plate


812


includes a circular base plate


814


designed to contact ground surface G during the operation of the snowplow. Base plate edge


815


is angled upwardly to facilitate the movement of base plate along this ground surface. Skid plate


812


includes a rod


816


secured to base plate


814


and which secures to skid bracket


810


. Washers


818


are used to adjust the height of skid plate


812


. The washers


818


include a central opening to fit around


816


. A sleeve


817


is also positioned around rod


816


and defines the lowest position of the skid plate. As shown in

FIG. 17

, washers are positioned between sleeve


817


and skid bracket


810


. Washers


818


are also positioned between sleeve


817


and plate flange


819


. Washers are added or subtracted from rod


816


to adjust the height of the skid plate.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11-13

and


20


, a stand


850


can be connected to the A-frame. A stand flange


860


is secured to the bottom side of one of the struts


760


The end


862


of stand flange


860


includes a cylindrical section


864


and an adbutment section


866


. The cylindrical section includes several openings


868


. Stand


850


includes a bottom leg


870


having a base plate


872


. Bottom leg


870


is partially received in stand cylinder


874


and moves therein. A crank mechanism


876


is secured to the top of cylinder


874


. The crank mechanism is designed to move bottom leg into and out of cylinder


874


to adjust the height of the stand. A crank arm


878


having a handle


880


is secured to the crank mechanism. The crank mechanism can use a variety of arrangements to move the bottom leg. One type of arrangement is a screw drive. A connection flange


890


is secured to the outer surface of cylindrical section


864


. The connection flange includes a cylindrical end


892


having a circular opening which is designed to receive cylindrical section


864


of stand flange


860


when stand is to be mounted on the A-frame. A pin


894


secured to connection flange


890


by chain


896


is inserted through opening


898


in cylindrical end


892


and through aligned openings


868


of cylindrical section


864


to secure stand


850


to the A-frame


750


. As shown in

FIGS. 13 and 14

. When stand


850


is not in use, stand


850


is stored on support assembly


600


and/on lift mount assembly


900


as illustrated in FIG.


11


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11-16

, housing mount


500


is shown as being secured to the underside of the vehicle. As shown in

FIGS. 11-13

, two support struts


510


are attached at one end to the vehicle frame members


452


and the other end of support strut is secured to bracket plate


520


and is secured by bolts secured within plate opening


522


. The housing mount also includes a frame plate


530


which is secured by plate bolts


532


to frame members


452


. The frame plate and support struts rigidly secure mounting bracket


540


via bolts


544


in openings


542


to the frame members and rearwardly of the bumper.




Referring specifically to

FIG. 16

, the two mounting brackets


540


are secured together by bracket brace


550


, arm bracket


552


, and bracket plate


520


. These three structures maintain the rigidity of the mounting brackets while supporting the other members of the frame mount assembly. Formed under arm bracket


552


and bracket plate


520


is a connection region


560


. Connection region


560


is designed to receive a portion of the support assembly. Connection region


560


includes a lower lip


562


which angles downwardly. Connection region


560


also includes an arm


564


which extends from a wall surface


566


angles upwardly from this wall surface. Arm


564


is supported in position by arm bracket


552


. Both arm bracket


552


and bracket plate


520


have an L-shaped configuration to provide additional rigidity to the housing mount. Preferably, bracket brace


550


, arm


564


, wall


566


, arm bracket


552


, and bracket plate


520


are welded to the inner surface of the two mounting brackets


540


. Mounting bracket


540


also includes support openings


570


and


572


. Support opening


570


is designed to align with an opening in a portion of the support assembly to thereby secure the support assembly to connection region


560


. Support opening


572


is designed to align with another opening in the support assembly to rigidly secure the support assembly to the housing mount. Support opening


572


includes opening supports


574


on both sides of the opening to reinforce the opening and reduce the amount of wear within the opening.




Referring to

FIGS. 11-13

and


19


, support assembly


600


includes a pair of inner legs


610


and a pair of outer legs


612


. The inner legs and outer legs are laterally spaced apart. A leg brace


614


secures each pair of inner and outer legs together. A leg flange


620


is secured to the inner side of each of the inner legs which in turn is connected to a leg bar


622


. Leg flange


620


is welded to the inner side of the leg and leg bar


622


is preferably welded to the inner side of leg flange


620


. Inner legs and outer legs include a plurality of openings for securing the support assembly to the housing mount and to connect other components of the frame mount assembly to the support assembly. At one end of the inner leg and outer leg is a landing opening


630


. Spaced from landing opening


630


is journal opening


632


. Spaced from journal opening


632


is an upper support opening


634


. Connected to the exterior side of outer leg


612


is a pin housing


640


,


642


and


644


. Pin housing


640


includes housing opening


646


which are aligned with opening


630


. Pin housing


642


includes housing opening


648


which are aligned with journal openings


632


. Pin housing


644


includes housing openings


650


which are aligned with upper support openings


634


. Pin housings


640


,


642


, and


644


are designed to maintain a pin


652


within the housing. Pin


652


includes a pin handle


654


radially extending from the end of the pin. Pin


652


is biased in a lock position by a spring


656


. Pin handle


654


limits the movement of pin


652


within the pin housing. The positioning of pin


652


within the pin housing is best illustrated in FIG.


15


. As shown in

FIG. 15

, pin


652


in housing


642


is in the retracted position and pins


652


in housings


640


and


644


are in the lock position. Pins are biased in lock position by spring


656


. The pins


652


include a pin stop


658


which protrudes from the surface of the pin. Pin stop


658


limits the movement of pin


652


within housings


640


,


642


and


644


. Pin stop


658


also limits the positioning of spring


656


on the pin.




As best shown in

FIG. 15

, pin housings


640


,


642


, and


644


include a front face


660


, and back face


662


, and two side faces


664


,


666


. Front face


660


include two openings, a pin opening


668


and a pin head opening


670


. Pin opening


668


is sized to allow pin


652


to move through the opening. Pin head opening is sized to allow a pin head leg


655


to pass through the opening. When the pin head leg


655


is in pin opening


670


, pin


652


is in the locked position, and also prevents rotation of pin


652


in the housing. When pin


652


is to be moved in the retracted or unlocked position, pin head leg


655


is retracted from pin head opening


670


. The pin can be maintained in the unlocked position by rotating pin


652


until pin head leg


655


is not aligned with pin head opening


670


. When the pin is in the unlocked position, spring


656


is in a compressed position. When the pin is to be returned to the locked position, pin


652


is rotated until pin head leg


655


realigns with pin head opening


670


and then inserted through the opening. Pin handles


654


facilitated in the moving of the pins between the unlocked and locked positions.




Referring again to

FIG. 15

, the end position of support assembly


600


includes a positioning flange


680


. Positioning flange


680


is attached to outer leg


612


and angles upwardly and outwardly there from. Positioning flange


680


is designed to facilitate in orienting this positioning of supporting assembly


600


in frame mount housing


500


when connecting these two assemblies together position flange


680


is specifically designed to adjust the lateral orientation of the support assembly within the frame mount assembly.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11-14

, support assembly includes a guide lip


682


. Like positioning flange


680


, guide lip


682


facilitates in orienting the supporting assembly in the frame mount assembly when the two assemblies are connected together. Guide lip


682


is specifically designed to adjust the vertical orientation of the support assembly within the frame mount assembly.




Referring to

FIG. 15

, support assembly


600


includes a stop flange


684


secured to inner leg


610


. Stop flange


684


limits the amount of the support assembly which can be received by the frame mount assembly when connecting together the two assemblies. Stop flange


684


is designed to minimize damage to the vehicle and to components of the snowplow mount assembly. Stop flange


684


includes an opening


686


which can receive a rubber tap or the like.




Referring again to

FIGS. 11-13

and


19


, there is shown the lift mount assembly


900


. Lift mount assembly


900


includes a pair of lift legs


910


laterally spaced from one another. A support bar


920


is secured between the two lift legs which in turn secures the lift legs to the inner leg and outer leg


610


,


612


of support assembly


600


. As illustrated in

FIG. 19

, lift leg


910


is an extension of inner leg


610


of support assembly


600


. In an alternate embodiment not shown, lift leg


910


is a separate component from inner leg


610


. As can be appreciated, when lift legs


910


are separate components from inner leg


610


, lift legs


910


can be mounted to support bar


920


in a manner that the lift legs are permanently affixed to support bar


920


with respect to inner legs


610


of support assembly


600


, or can be adjustably positioned with respect to the inner legs so that the angular position of the lift mount assembly with respect to the vehicle and with respect to the support assembly can be adjusted.




As shown in

FIG. 19

, a support flange


922


is secured to the outer side of lift legs


910


and is also secured to support bar


920


. Support flange


922


adds support and rigidity to the lift legs.




Referring again to

FIG. 19

, each lift leg


910


includes a plurality of leg openings


930


. The leg opens are designed to connect auxiliary light flanges


932


to the lift legs


910


. The auxiliary light flanges


932


connect auxiliary lights


934


to the lift mount assembly. The plurality of leg openings


930


enable the height of the auxiliary lights


934


to be adjusted for various types of vehicles. The auxiliary light flanges are secured to lift legs


910


by bolts


936


. Secured between lift legs


910


is a lift bar


940


. Lift bar


940


includes a pair of bar brackets


942


laterally spaced from one another. Each of the bar brackets has a bracket opening


944


. The lift bar can be designed to be secure in a single or a plurality of positions about the longitudinal axis of the lift bar. If the lift bar is securable in a plurality of positions, the lift bar is then designed to be connected to one or more of the openings


930


.




As shown in

FIGS. 11-13

, an actuator


950


is secured to the lift mount assembly. A pair of actuator brackets


952


each having an opening


953


to pivotally secure the base of the actuator to support bar


920


. The piston


954


of actuator


950


is secured to lift arm


960


within bracket openings


944


by a pin, bolt or the like secured through bracket openings


944


and mount opening


956


. The end


962


of lift arm


960


includes a lift hook


964


to secure to a rope or chain


970


. Chain


970


is secured to blade mount assembly by connecting the chain to lift bracket


772


on mount plate


770


.




Referring to

FIG. 19

, one end of support bar


920


includes a mount bracket


980


for support stand


850


. The mount bracket


980


includes a cylindrical end


982


which can be inserted into connection flange


890


of the support stand as shown in FIG.


11


. This cylindrical end


982


includes openings


984


to receive pin


894


when securing the support stand for storage to the lift mount assembly.




The operation of frame mount assembly


400


is similar to the operation of frame mount assembly


20


, thus will not be further described.




The invention has been described with reference to preferred and alternate embodiments. Modifications and alterations will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the detailed discussion of the invention provided for herein. This invention is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A mounting apparatus for supporting a snowplow blade on a vehicle, the vehicle having a frame and a bumper, said mounting apparatus being comprised of:a frame mount assembly, a support assembly, and a blade mount assembly; said frame mount assembly configured to be affixed to the frame of the vehicle, and said frame mount assembly including at least one connection arrangement adapted to be positioned beneath and behind the bumper of the vehicle; said support assembly being detachably connected to said at least one connection arrangement of said frame mount assembly, and said support assembly including at least one bumper plate spaced from an end of said support assembly to terminate further movement of said support assembly toward said frame mount assembly during the connection of said support assembly to said frame mount assembly; and, said blade mount assembly being adapted to detachably connect to said support assembly.
  • 2. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said connection arrangement includes a guide section adapted to guide at least a portion of said support assembly within said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 3. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said connection arrangement includes a landing adapted to at least partially receive at least a portion of said support assembly when said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 4. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein a portion of said landing includes an angular lip to guide at least a portion of said support assembly within said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 5. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein a guide section is positioned at least closely adjacent to said landing, said guide section adapted to guide at least a portion of said support assembly to said landing as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 6. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said frame mount assembly includes a plurality of connection arrangements, at least two connection arrangements connect said support assembly to said frame mount assembly.
  • 7. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein at least one connection arrangement is position in said landing, and at least one connection arrangement is spaced from said landing.
  • 8. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said landing includes a plurality of inner surfaces, said inner surfaces forming complimentary surfaces with a plurality of outer surfaces of said support assembly when at least a portion of said support assembly is connected in said landing.
  • 9. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said support assembly includes at least one positioning flange adapted to at least partially orient at least a portion of said support assembly in said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 10. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said support assembly includes at least one connector to secure said blade mount assembly to said support assembly.
  • 11. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said blade mount assembly includes a leg support to elevate at least one end of said blade mount assembly from the ground when said blade mount assembly is detached from said vehicle.
  • 12. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 11, including a lift mount assembly secured to said support assembly.
  • 13. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said lift mount assembly includes first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
  • 14. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 13, including a snowplow blade connected to said blade mount assembly, said snowplow blade including a deflector flap secured to a top edge of said plow blade and extending downwardly from said top edge.
  • 15. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said guide section includes a plurality of surfaces angularly oriented with respect to one another.
  • 16. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said support assembly includes at least one positioning flange adapted to at least partially orient at least a portion of said support assembly in said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 17. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said support assembly includes at least one connector to secure said blade mount assembly to said support assembly.
  • 18. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said blade mount assembly includes a leg support to elevate at least one end of said blade mount assembly from the ground when said blade mount assembly is detached from said vehicle.
  • 19. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein said blade mount assembly includes at least one connector to connect to a support assembly, said support assembly attachable to said vehicle.
  • 20. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a lift mount assembly secured to said support assembly.
  • 21. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a snowplow blade connected to said blade mount assembly, said snowplow blade including a deflector flap secured to a top edge of said plow blade and extending downwardly from said top edge.
  • 22. The assembly as defined in claim 20, wherein said lift mount assembly includes first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
  • 23. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said landing includes a plurality of inner surfaces, said inner surfaces forming complimentary surfaces with a plurality of outer surfaces of said support assembly when at least a portion of said support assembly is connected in said landing.
  • 24. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said connection arrangement includes a landing adapted to at least partially receive at least a portion of said support assembly when said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 25. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein a portion of said landing includes an angular lip to guide at least a portion of said support assembly within said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 26. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein a guide section is positioned at least closely adjacent to said landing, said guide section adapted to guide at least a portion of said support assembly to said landing as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 27. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein a guide section is positioned at least closely adjacent to said landing, said guide section adapted to guide at least a portion of said support assembly to said landing as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 28. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein said frame mount assembly includes a plurality of connection arrangements, at least two connection arrangements connect said support assembly to said frame mount assembly.
  • 29. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 28, wherein at least one connection arrangement is position in said landing, and at least one connection arrangement is spaced from said landing.
  • 30. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein said landing includes a plurality of inner surfaces, said inner surfaces forming complimentary surfaces with a plurality of outer surfaces of said support assembly when at least a portion of said support assembly is connected in said landing.
  • 31. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein said support assembly includes at least one positioning flange adapted to at least partially orient at least a portion of said support assembly in said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 32. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein said support assembly includes at least one connector to secure said blade mount assembly to said support assembly.
  • 33. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein said blade mount assembly includes a leg support to elevate at least one end of said blade mount assembly from the ground when said blade mount assembly is detached from said vehicle.
  • 34. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, including a lift mount assembly secured to said support assembly.
  • 35. The assembly as defined in claim 34, wherein said lift mount assembly includes first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
  • 36. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 24, including a snowplow blade connected to said blade mount assembly, said snowplow blade including a deflector flap secured to a top edge of said plow blade and extending downwardly from said top edge.
  • 37. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame mount assembly includes a plurality of connection arrangements, at least two connection arrangements connect said support assembly to said fra me mount assembly.
  • 38. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 37, wherein said support assembly includes an end portion and a mid-section portion, said support assembly connected to said frame mount assembly at said end portion and said mid-section portion.
  • 39. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said support assembly includes at least one positioning flange adapted to at least partially orient at least a portion of said support assembly in said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly.
  • 40. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said support assembly includes at least one connector to secure said blade mount assembly to said support assembly.
  • 41. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said blade mount assembly includes a leg support to elevate at least one end of said blade mount assembly from the ground when said blade mount assembly is detached from said vehicle.
  • 42. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein said leg support adjustably elevates said at least one end of said blade mount assembly from the ground.
  • 43. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein said leg support is positionable between a retracted non-supporting position an d a n extended supporting position.
  • 44. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a lift mount assembly secured to said support assembly.
  • 45. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 46, wherein said lift mount assembly is permanently rigidly connected to said support assembly.
  • 46. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 44, wherein said lift mount assembly includes at least one auxiliary light connector adapted to connect an auxiliary light to said lift mount assembly.
  • 47. The assembly as defined in claim 44, wherein said lift mount assembly includes first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
  • 48. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a snowplow blade connected to said blade mount assembly, said snowplow blade including a deflector flap secured to a top edge of said plow blade and extending downwardly from said top edge.
  • 49. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said connection arrangement includes at least one connector biased in a secured position.
  • 50. The mounting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said blade mount assembly includes a skid plate to contact a surface extending subjacent said blade mount assembly, said skid plate being adjustably extendable toward said surface.
  • 51. A mounting apparatus for supporting a snowplow blade on a vehicle, the vehicle having a frame and a bumper, said mounting apparatus being comprised of:a frame mount assembly, a support assembly, a blade mount assembly, and a lift mount assembly; said frame mount assembly configured to be affixed to the frame of the vehicle, and said frame mount assembly including at least one connection arrangement adapted to be positioned beneath and behind the bumper of the vehicle; said support assembly being detachably connected to said at least one connection arrangement of said frame mount assembly; said blade mount assembly being detachably connected to said support assembly; and, said lift mount assembly being secured to said support assembly and including first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
  • 52. A mounting apparatus for supporting a snowplow blade on a vehicle, the vehicle having a frame and a bumper, said mounting apparatus being comprised of:a frame mount assembly, a support assembly, a blade mount assembly, and a lift mount assembly; said frame mount assembly configured to be affixed to the frame of the vehicle, and said frame mount assembly including at least one connection arrangement adapted to be positioned beneath and behind the bumper of the vehicle; said support assembly being detachably connected to said at least one connection arrangement of said frame mount assembly; said blade mount assembly being adapted to detachably connect to said support assembly; said connection arrangement including a guide section adapted to guide at least a portion of said support assembly within said connection arrangement as said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly; and, said lift mount assembly being secured to said support assembly and including first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
  • 53. A mounting apparatus for supporting a snowplow blade on a vehicle, the vehicle having a frame and a bumper, said mounting apparatus being comprised of:a frame mount assembly, a support assembly, a blade mount assembly, and a lift mount assembly; said frame mount assembly configured to be affixed to the frame of the vehicle, and said frame mount assembly including at least one connection arrangement adapted to be positioned beneath and behind the bumper of the vehicle; said support assembly being detachably connected to said at least one connection arrangement of said frame mount assembly; said blade mount assembly being adapted to detachably connect to said support assembly; said connection arrangement including a landing adapted to at least partially receive at least a portion of said support assembly when said support assembly is connected to said frame mount assembly; and, said lift mount assembly being secured to said support assembly and including first and second extension legs, said legs including a plurality of connector positions to adjustably position the height of a lift bar connected to said legs.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,828,449; 4,236,329; 4,279,084; 5,036,608; and 5,075,988 and are incorporated by reference herein so as to detail prior snow blade mounting devices known in the art. Assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,353,287; 3,365,456; 3,432,947; 3,650,054; 3,706,144; 4,528,762; 4,803,790; 4,845,866; and 5,088,215; and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/215,812 filed Dec. 18, 1998 are also incorporated herein by reference to illustrate various snowplow blade designs and snowplow blade support units.

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