Four wheel drive, skid steer snow vehicle with snow plow blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10472783-B2
Application number	US-201615058243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2016
Priority date	Mar 2, 2016
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A snow plow is pivotally mounted to a tractor by a compound mount allowing for multiple blade positions. The mount has an inner portion pivotally mounted about a first horizontal axis to the front of the tractor and an outer portion pivotally mounted about a vertical axis to the inner portion. The plow blade is pivotally mounted about a second horizontal axis to the outer portion. Deicer nozzles spray liquid and a spreader distributes salt and other materials in front of the front wheels of the tractor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A four wheel drive, skid steer vehicle for plowing snow on a supporting surface with the vehicle including a vehicle frame having a front end and a rear end and further having a first side and a second side extending between said front end and said rear end, a first pair of wheels mounted to the first side of the vehicle frame with one of the first pair located at the front end and one of said first pair located at the rear end of the vehicle frame, a second pair of wheels mounted to the second side of the vehicle frame with one of the second pair located at the front end and one of the second pair located at the rear end of the vehicle frame with the first pair of wheels and the second pair of wheels supporting the vehicle frame atop a supporting surface, a source of hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic pumping unit in fluid communication with the source of hydraulic fluid and controls operatively connected to the hydraulic pumping unit to control rotation of the first pair of wheels independent of the second pair of wheels and rotation of the second pair of wheels independent of the first pair of wheels; wherein the improvement comprises:
a snow plow blade movably mounted to the front end of said vehicle frame;
blade mounting means mounting said snow plow blade to the front end of the vehicle frame and operative to move said blade to multiple positions including a down position locking the blade against the supporting surface to plow snow, a float position to allow the blade to float upward and downward, an upward transport position positioning the blade apart from the supporting surface, a first angle position to push the snow toward said first side of said vehicle frame, a second angle position to push the snow toward said second side of said vehicle frame, a pitch hydraulic cylinder at the front end of the vehicle for controlling pitch of the snow plow blade; and
a yaw hydraulic cylinder at the front end of the vehicle for controlling yaw of the snow plow blade;
wherein the hydraulic pumping unit is in fluid communication with wheel motors that rotate the wheels and with the pitch and yaw hydraulic cylinders.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , comprising a spreader system including a rotating spreader wheel mounted to the front end of the vehicle frame to dispense salt downwardly in front of the first pair and second pair of wheels, the rotating spreader wheel being driven by an axle positioned between the front end of the vehicle frame and the snow plow blade.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , comprising work lights mounted on the front end of the vehicle and facing forward and on the rear end of the vehicle and facing rearward.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , comprising a spray system including at least one nozzle connected to a liquid storage tank and mounted to the front end of the vehicle frame to spray liquid downwardly in front of the first pair of wheels and second pair of wheels.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , comprising a hand-held spray wand in fluid communication with the liquid storage tank.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , the blade mounting means includes a mount with a proximal end portion pivotably mounted about a first horizontal axis to the front end of the vehicle frame and a distal end portion pivotably mounted about a second horizontal axis to the snow plow blade.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of valves, each valve of the plurality of valves being in fluid communication with the hydraulic pumping unit, the plurality of valves allowing an operator to independently control at least: (i) rotation of the first pair of wheels, (ii) rotation of the second pair of wheels, (iii) actuation of the pitch hydraulic cylinder, and (iv) actuation of the yaw hydraulic cylinder.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , comprising:
a control panel mounted at the rear end of the vehicle frame; and
a standing platform cantilevered from the rear end of the vehicle frame and configured to allow the operator to stand thereon and operate the control panel, each of the first pair of wheels, the second pair of wheels, and the control panel being positioned forward of the standing platform.

9. A four wheel drive, skid steer vehicle for plowing snow on a supporting surface with the vehicle including a vehicle frame having a front end and a rear end and further having a first side and a second side extending between the front end and the rear end, a first pair of wheels mounted to the first side of the vehicle frame with one of the first pair located at the front end and one of the first pair located at the rear end of the vehicle frame, a second pair of wheels mounted to the second side of the vehicle frame with one of the second pair located at the front end and one of the second pair located at the rear end of the vehicle frame with the first pair of wheels and the second pair of wheels supporting the vehicle frame atop a supporting surface, a source of hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic pumping unit in fluid communication with the source of hydraulic fluid, and controls operatively connected to the hydraulic pumping unit to control rotation of said first pair of wheels independent of the second pair of wheels and rotation of the second pair of wheels independent of the first pair of wheels, wherein the improvement comprises:
a snow plow blade movably mounted to the front end of the vehicle frame, said blade having a concave surface extending across said front end and further having a bottom edge contactable with the supporting surface across said front end;
a spray system including a liquid storage tank and nozzles connected to said tank and mounted to the front end of the vehicle frame to spray liquid downwardly against snow and ice on the supporting surface; and,
a spreader system including a salt hopper and deflector mounted to the front end of the vehicle frame to dispense salt downwardly in front of the first pair and second pair of wheels to provide traction against snow and ice on said supporting surface.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 and further comprising:
blade mounting means mounting said snow plow blade to the front end of said vehicle frame and operative to move the blade to multiple positions including a down position locating the blade against the supporting surface to plow snow, a float position to allow the blade to float upward and downward, an upward transport position locating the blade apart from the supporting surface, a first angle position to push the snow toward the first side of the vehicle frame, a second angle position to push the snow toward the second side of the vehicle frame.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein:
said blade mounting means includes a blade mount with a proximal end portion pivotably mounted about a first horizontal axis to the front end of said vehicle frame and including a distal end portion pivotably mounted about a second horizontal axis to said blade, said proximal end portion is pivotably connected about a vertical axis to said distal end portion allowing said distal end portion to separately pivot about said vertical axis toward the first side and toward the second side of the vehicle frame, said blade mount further includes a yaw hydraulic cylinder in fluid communication with the source of said hydraulic fluid and connected to said distal end portion and said proximal end portion to pivot said distal end portion relative to said proximal end portion separately moving said blade at an angle relative to the first side of said vehicle frame and moving said blade at an angle relative to the second side of the vehicle frame, said blade mount further having a pitch hydraulic cylinder in fluid communication with said source of said hydraulic fluid and connected to s

Assignees

• The Toro Co

Inventors

• Rich Thomas M

Classifications

• E01H5/062

  by scraper blades displaceable for shock-absorbing purposes · CPC title

• E01H5/061 Primary

  by scraper blades · CPC title

• E01H10/007

  Mobile apparatus specially adapted for preparing or applying liquid or semi-liquid thawing material or spreading granular material on wintry roads · CPC title