The present disclosure relates to an adapter bracket for attaching ballast weights.
A working vehicle such as an agricultural tractor may be used as a source of tractive power and/or power take-off (PTO) power. When work implements are attached or mounted to one end of the tractor, it may be necessary to mount ballast weights at the other end of the tractor. In the case of a tractor configured as a front end loader, a bucket or other attachment is used to push or lift various objects. Ballast weights should be mounted at the rear of the tractor are recommended for more stable and productive use of the front end loader.
One type of ballast is in the form of wheel weights which are attached to the rear wheels, typically radially within the wheel rim. Another type of ballast is fluid, such as calcium chloride or other suitable fluid, which is injected into the inner tubes within the rear tires. A further type of ballast is a ballast assembly which is carried by a pair of lower lift arms on a 3 point hitch assembly at the rear of the tractor. Examples of such ballast assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,319 (Denby et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,404 (Schultz), which are each assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. Although advantageous for counter-balancing a load on a front end loader of a tractor, a ballast assembly as described above which is carried by the lower lift arms of a 3 point hitch assembly may interfere with use of the drawbar and/or PTO shaft at the rear of the tractor. What is needed is a simple mechanism for mounting weights on a rear hitch of a tractor.
Accordingly, an aspect of this disclosure is to provide a mechanism for mounting weights on a rear of a tractor. A drawbar support or hitch frame includes brackets for coupling to hydraulic cylinders. Each bracket includes left and right mounting members having a slot formed therebetween for removably receiving an end of the cylinder. A weight adapter includes a lug which extends from a flange 46. The lug is removably receivable by the bracket, and the flange is adapted to engage and support a weight. A coupling bore extends through the lug. Bracket bores extend through the bracket. A coupling pin is insertable through the coupling bore and the bracket bores to releasably hold the adapter in the bracket. A pin bore extends vertically through the weight adapter. A further coupling pin is removably insertable through the pin bore, and is adapted to engage a weight which is mounted on the weight adapter. A lip 52 projects from the flange, and is adapted to be received by a groove formed in the weight. The lip may project upwardly. The flange also includes a slot which may be rectangular and which opens in a rearward direction. The left and right mounting members each have a convex surface. The flange has a concave forward facing left surface and a concave forward facing right surface. The left and right surfaces mate with the corresponding convex surfaces of the mounting members. The result is a mechanism which mounts weights to the hitch cylinder bracket of a tractor rear hitch.
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The result is a weight support bracket which permits ballast to be attached to the rear of a tractor, yet at the same time retains functionality for different tractor configurations, specifically the attachment of the hitch lift cylinders. This bracket can be used on tractors having a rear hitch assembly and, more particularly, on tractors where a rear weight assembly is desired to be mounted on a three-point hitch assembly.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations that incorporate one or more of the features of the present disclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.