Snow removal system
A snow removal system includes a tool having a blade and a boom. The boom includes a first end portion connected to the blade and a second end portion configured to be releasably, pivotally mounted to a loader arm of a vehicle.
In colder climates, building owners frequently experience a buildup of snow on their roofs. In some instances, ice dams form on a lower edge of a roof when surface temperatures at the lower roof edge are significantly lower than surface temperatures at upper portions of the roof. In particular, snow on upper portions of the roof melts into water and runs down the roof. Upon reaching an unmelted or frozen bank of snow at the colder lower edge of the roof, the water backs up and can seep between shingles and leak into the structure below the roof. Moreover, even when seepage between shingles is not an issue, such as in metal-roofed storage buildings or agricultural barns, the growing weight of the snow and ice on the roof can jeopardize the structural integrity of the building. Accordingly, ice dams and/or excessive snow build-up can cause considerable damage to the roof and structure of a home or storage building.
While proper insulation and ventilation in the roof structure helps to prevent ice dams, owners are also advised to remove the snow from the roof. Such preventive steps are wise because once an ice dam has formed, professional help is typically necessary to remove the ice dam, which is commonly followed by costly structural repairs.
Among other do-it-yourself remedies to prevent ice dams or to alleviate large volumes of snow from accumulating on a roof, a snow rake is sometimes used to remove snow from the roof. In use, a homeowner or worker stands on the ground and uses a long handled rake to pull snow off the roof. However, this task is physically demanding and does not adequately enable the worker to safely access the roof on the upper levels of a house. In some instances, footing can be treacherous below the area in which the snow rake is to be used. Alternatively, standing on the roof to remove snow or ice can be even more dangerous. Accordingly, when addressing an ice dam and/or removing snow from a roof, a large amount of painstaking labor occurs under difficult conditions. These conventional techniques also are unable to address the larger volumes of snow and/or ice that accumulate on bigger storage buildings and/or barns. In these situations, the manual technique of using a hand-held snow rake is simply inadequate to meet the demands.
Accordingly, conventional techniques of removing snow from a roof leave much to be desired.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and together with the description serve to explain principles of embodiments. Other embodiments and many of the intended advantages of embodiments will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts.
In the following Detailed Description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments of the present disclosure that may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “leading,” “trailing,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a snow removal system that enables mechanized removal of snow from a roof without placing undue stress on the roof. In one embodiment, a snow removal system includes a snow removal tool, such as a snow rake, mounted on an end portion of a loader arm of self-propelled vehicle. Upon positioning the vehicle adjacent a building and maneuvering the loader arm, the snow rake is positioned for a raking movement along a roof of the building. In one embodiment, the snow rake includes a blade portion supported by a boom and an end of the boom is pivotally movable relative to the end portion of the loader arm. This pivotal connection enables the snow rake to rest on the roof without the loader arm exerting any significant forces on the roof beyond the gravitational forces acting on the snow rake. In other words, other than the weight of the snow rake resting on the roof, the action of the snow removal system exerts no substantial force on the roof. Accordingly, upon moving the vehicle and/or maneuvering the loader arm relative to the vehicle, the snow rake is pulled downward along the roof to remove snow from the roof without placing unnecessary stress on the roof.
These embodiments, and additional embodiments, are described in detail in association with
In some instances, the building 80 is a home while in other instances, building 80 is an agricultural barn, a storage building, or other large structure having a sloped roof 82. The roof 82 may be a shingled roof or a non-shingled roof, such as a metal sheet structure. In other instances, building 80 has a flat roof 82.
In one embodiment, self-propelled vehicle 30 comprises a wheeled loader vehicle, as shown in
As further shown in
As further shown in
In one embodiment, boom 51 includes a first boom segment 60 and second boom segment 66 in which second boom segment 66 is selectively longitudinally movable into different positions relative to first boom segment 60. In this way, boom 51 has a selectively variable length to accommodate reaching roofs of different heights and/or different orientations. In one aspect, first boom segment 60 defines an elongate structure including a first end 62 and a second end 64 with second end 64 defining a sleeve portion 65, as shown in
In other embodiments, boom 51 comprises a single arm or link having a non-adjustable length.
With further reference to
In one embodiment, via frame portion 54 at the first end 62 of first boom segment 60, boom 51 is pivotally connected directly to the mount plate 42 at distal end 43 of loader arm assembly 41, as shown in
Other pivotal mounting arrangements between a boom of a snow removal tool and a loader arm assembly are later described in association with
As shown in
With the blade 52 and boom 51 positioned as shown in
However, with gravitational forces acting on boom 51 and with snow (S) resisting the movement of blade 52, upon the pulling movement of distal end 43 of loader arm assembly 41 (represented by directional arrow P) the pivotal connection 56 enables mount plate 42 to pivot away from frame portion 54 at first end 62 of boom 51, as shown in
To complete a path of removing snow S off roof 82, the operator continues to maneuver the distal end 43 of loader arm assembly 41 and/or vehicle 30 away from building 80 to pull blade 52 down roof 82 until the path is substantially clear of snow. In one embodiment, upon blade 52 passing beyond the lower edge of roof 82, the first end 62 of boom 51 pivots back into releasable contact with mount plate 42 at distal end 42 of loader arm assembly 41. Next, a position of the loader arm assembly 41 and/or vehicle 30 is manipulated to align blade 52 and boom 51 for removing more snow from roof 82.
In some embodiments, just prior to blade 52 reaching a lower edge 83 of roof 82, the operator maneuvers the distal end 43 of loader arm assembly 41 (such as via tilting mount plate 42) to cause mount plate 42 to re-engage frame portion 54 (at first end 62 of first boom segment 60 of boom 51) and thereby support and control the elevational position of boom 51. In other words, rather than simply letting the blade 52 drop off edge 83 of roof 82 due to gravitational forces, the loader arm assembly 41 is manipulated to reassert direct control over the elevational position of boom 51 prior to removing blade 52 from roof 82.
It will be understood that the vehicle 30 shown in
It will be understood that other types of structures can be used to provide a boom having a permanently fixed length or one with a selectively adjustable length.
Accordingly, as shown in
As further shown in
Boom assembly 150 including mount mechanism 180 provides a quick way to connect and disconnect the boom 151 relative to loader arm assembly 141 while still providing a pivoting mechanism at the end of boom 151 that enables the loader arm assembly 141 to pull boom 151 (generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of boom 151) without exerting any significant forces through boom 151 onto a roof (e.g. roof 82 in
In other embodiments, the mount plate 142 of loader arm assembly 141, the mount mechanism 180, frame portion 190, and frame portion 154 can take shapes and configurations other than that shown in
In this arrangement, mounting frame 154 partially overlaps mount frame 203 to establish an area of releasable contact between those respective elements. Moreover, in this arrangement, the point of pivotal connection between end 153 of boom 151 and frame 203 of mount mechanism 200 is located at an upper portion of the area of releasable contact (i.e. the area of partial overlap) between the respective frame portions 154, 203.
It will be understood that in other embodiments the pivotal connection 156 is located elsewhere such as at upper portion 210 of mount frame 203 such that upper portion 210 is connected to an intermediate portion (between upper portion 155 and lower portion 157) of frame portion 154. In this arrangement, the boom 150 is still capable of freely pivoting away from mount plate 142 (at distal end 143) of loader arm assembly 141 when pulling a blade (e.g. blade 52) along roof 82 to prevent the loader arm assembly 141 from exerting undue stress on roof 82. Accordingly, in some embodiments, pivotal connection 156 is located at the upper portion of either one of the two portions making releasable contact (e.g. frame portion 154 of boom 150 and mount frame 203) but not at the upper portion of both of the two portions (e.g. frame portion 154 of boom 150 and mount frame 203) making releasable contact.
It will be understood that the snow removal system of the present disclosure is not limited to the blade 252 shown in
Embodiment of the present disclosure provide a snow removal system that enables mechanized removal of snow from a roof of a building without placing undue stress on the roof.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that this present disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A snow removal tool comprising:
- a blade; and
- a boom including a first end portion connected to the blade and a second end portion configured to be releasably, pivotally mounted to a loader arm of a vehicle.
2. The snow removal tool of claim 1, comprising:
- a mounting plate interposed between the second end portion of the boom and the loader arm, wherein the mounting plate is releasably mounted relative to the loader arm and the second end portion of the boom is pivotally connected to the mounting plate.
3. The snow removal tool of claim 2, wherein the mounting plate includes an upper portion and a lower portion, and the second end portion of the boom is pivotally connected to the upper portion of the mounting plate.
4. The snow removal tool of claim 3, wherein the second end portion of the boom includes an upper portion and a lower portion, and the pivotal connection is located at the upper portion of the second end portion of the boom.
5. The snow removal tool of claim 2, wherein the pivotal connection between the mounting plate and the second end portion of the boom is located at an upper portion of an area of releasable contact between the mounting plate and the second end portion of the boom.
6. The snow removal tool of claim 1, wherein the arm has a selectively variable length.
7. The snow removal tool of claim 1, wherein the blade includes an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and a pair of discs mounted at opposite ends of the lower edge, wherein the wheels protrude beyond the lower edge.
8. The snow removal tool of claim 1, wherein the blade is oriented at angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the elongate arm, wherein at least the lower edge of the blade is lower than the first end of the boom.
9. A snow removal system including:
- a self-propelled loader vehicle including a first boom assembly;
- a snow removal tool including: a blade; and a second boom assembly including: an elongate arm having a first end and a second end connected to the blade; and a mounting element releasably mounted to the first boom assembly, wherein the mounting element is hingedly connected to the first end of the elongate arm at an upper portion of an area of releasable contact between the first end of the elongate arm and the mounting element.
10. The snow removal system of claim 9, wherein the elongate arm is movable into at least two positions relative to the mounting element, including:
- a first position in which the first end of the elongate arm releasably engages the mounting element; and
- a second position in which the first end of the elongate arm is capable of free pivotal motion, via the hinged connection, relative to the mounting element.
11. The snow removal system of claim 9, wherein the first boom assembly of the loader vehicle includes a first end operably coupled relative to the loader vehicle and a second end configured to releasably mount the mounting element of the second boom assembly, wherein the first boom assembly includes at least one link and a lift mechanism to cause the second end of the first boom assembly to selectively move into different orientations for movably positioning the second boom assembly relative to a roof structure.
12. The snow removal system of claim 9, wherein the mounting element includes an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the hinged connection between the first end of the elongate arm and the mounting plate is located at the upper portion of the mounting plate.
13. The snow removal system of claim 12, wherein the first end of the elongate arm includes a first end and a second end, and wherein the hinged connection is located at an upper portion of the first end of the elongate arm.
14. The snow removal system of claim 9, wherein the second boom assembly has a selectively variable length.
15. The snow removal system of claim 1, wherein the blade includes an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and a pair of slidable elements mounted at opposite ends of the lower edge and protruding at least partially outward beyond the lower edge.
16. A method of removing snow from a roof comprising:
- supporting, via a loader arm of a self-propelled vehicle, a boom of a tool in a generally elevated position by releasable engagement of a first end of the boom against an end of the loader arm;
- aligning, via the loader arm, the boom generally parallel to, and spaced apart from, a roof surface to position a blade of the tool on the roof surface; and
- pulling the first end of the boom, via the loader arm, to pull the blade generally downward along the roof surface to move snow while simultaneously enabling the first end of boom to pivot away, via a pivotal connection, from the end of the loader arm during the pulling.
17. The method of claim 16, comprising:
- arranging the boom to include an elongate arm and a mounting element, the elongate arm having a first end and a second end with the blade connected to the second end, wherein the mounting element is pivotally connected to the first end of the elongate arm;
- releasably mounting the mounting element on the end of the loader arm to cause the first end of the elongate arm of the boom to be pivotally movable between: a first position of releasable engagement relative to the mounting element and the end of the loader arm; and a second position in which a portion of the first end of the arm is pivotally spaced apart from the mounting element and the end of the loader arm.
18. The method of claim 17, comprising:
- locating the pivotal connection between the mounting element and the first end of the elongate arm at an upper portion of the contact area of releasable engagement therebetween.
19. The method of claim 17, comprising:
- locating the pivotal connection at an upper portion of the mounting element and at an upper portion of the first end of the elongate arm to define a hinged relationship between the mounting element and the first end of the elongate arm of the boom.
20. The method of claim 16, comprising:
- providing the boom with a selectively variable length.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 7, 2011
Publication Date: May 9, 2013
Inventor: Corbin Fehr (Morris, MN)
Application Number: 13/373,166
International Classification: E01H 5/00 (20060101); E01H 6/00 (20060101); E01H 4/00 (20060101);