SNOW BLADE ATTACHMENT

Abstract

A snow plow with a drag blade attachment having a snow curl member has the advantage of being able to both plow and back drag snow from a surface without either structure interfering with operation of the other. The drag blade has a pair of brackets fixed to the drag blade and a front edge for back dragging and scraping snow from the surface. A snow curl member is attached to a back edge of the drag blade to help curl dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow. The pair of brackets are hingedly attached to the pair of skid mounts so the drag blade pivots about the pair of skid feet mounts to self-adjust the front edge of the drag blade relative to the surface to prevent blade hop and interference with the snow plow during forward operation of the snow plow.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drag blade attachment for snow plows that is removably mounted to the snow plow on hinges using skid feet mounts to provide a drag blade that automatically adjusts to the correct position relative to a surface without interfering with forward operation of the snow plow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Snow plows of various sizes and shapes for pushing snow are well-known from the prior art. It is also known that these same plows may be used for pulling or dragging snow by rigidly affixing a second blade or a drag blade to the snow plow. Adding a drag blade to a snow plow will increase the efficiency of the snow plow, as well as permit removal of snow in confined areas, such as occasions where snow needs pulled back away from a structure.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,040 to Schultz discloses one such snow plow having a second blade rigidly attached to the back side of the plow to act as a drag blade for pulling snow. U.S. Published Pat. App. Nos. 2004/0006898 and 2005/0150140 also illustrate this same concept where a drag blade is rigidly fixed to the back of a snow plow. In these instances, or in any other application where the drag blade is rigidly affixed to a snow plow, the drag blade does not allow the snow plow to manipulate varying contours and/or surfaces. Only to the extent the plow blade itself is tiltable will a rigidly fixed drag blade not interfere with forward plowing. Still, a tiltable plow blade may not offer the required flexibility for the plow to navigate abrupt surface changes, such as where the blade traverses a curb or other abrupt drop-off in the surface being plowed. Therefore, there is a need for a plow having a drag blade that does not interfere with the plow blade so that the plow blade stays in continual contact with the surface to be plowed during forward operation of the plow.

Rigidly affixing a drag blade to a plow not only reduces the flexibility of the plow to push snow from a surface but also to drag snow from a surface. For example, when rigidly attached to the plow, a drag blade has a fixed angle relative to the ground. This angle is only adjustable to the extent the plow is tiltable. Even so, a tiltable plow may not offer the necessary flexibility to alter the angle of the drag blade relative to the surfaces being plowed, which may result in excessive blade hop. Therefore, there is a need for a drag blade that pivotally attaches to the snow plow and self-adjusts its attack angle with respect to the surface or ground to prevent blade hop.

Although drag blades exist in the prior art, they do not account for or take into consideration the snow buildup and accumulation behind the plow when dragging snow from a surface. Therefore, there is a need to provide a snow curl member to manage the snow being dragged up by curling the snow backwards away from the snow plow as opposed to spilling over the top of the plow.

Even where a drag blade is pivotally attached to the plow, there still remains a need to provide a drag blade that is pivotally and removably mounted to the plow as an attachment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,752 to Snyder shows a blade pivotally attached to the plow; however, the blade is not removably mounted to the plow and thus would not serve as an attachment. Therefore, there is a need to provide a drag blade that is both pivotally and removably mounted as an attachment to the plow.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art.

It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide a snow plow having a drag blade attachment removably and hingedly mounted to the snow plow by way of the skid feet mounts.

Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a snow plow having a drag blade attachment that self-adjusts its attack angle with respect to the ground to prevent blade hop.

A further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a snow plow having a drag blade attachment with a snow curl member for curling snow backwards away from the snow plow.

Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a snow plow having a drag blade attachment that does not interfere or hinder forward plowing.

One or more of these and/or other objects, features or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a snow plow having the structure and advantage of being able to both plow and back drag snow from a surface without either structure interfering with operation of the other structure is disclosed. The snow plow has a drag blade having a snow curl member operatively attached to the drag blade to help curl dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow. The drag blade is pivotally attached to the snow plow so that the drag blade pivots to self-adjust the drag blade relative to the surface to prevent blade hop and interference with the snow plow during forward operation of the snow plow. In the preferred form, a pair of brackets are fixed to the drag blade, the pair of brackets are hingedly attached to a pair of skid feet mounts on the snow plow blade, a stem is pivotally attached to the pair of brackets on the drag blade, the stem is held within the pair of skid feet mounts on the snow plow blade, the stem is removably attached to the skid feet mounts using a hitch pin, and a front edge of the drag blade is pivotally positioned relative to the surface using gravity and snow accumulation on the drag blade for dragging and scraping snow from the surface.

A new method for using a snow plow blade having a pair of skid feet mounts and the structure and advantage of being able to both plow and back drag snow from a surface without either structure for both operations interfering with the operation of the other is also disclosed. The method includes providing a drag blade having a snow curl shield operatively attached to the drag blade. The method also includes connecting the drag blade to the skid feet mounts, pivoting the drag blade about the skid feed mounts, and dragging snow from the surface by adjusting the drag blade relative to the surface using gravity and snow accumulation on the drag blade. In the preferred form, the method includes the step of removing the drag blade from the skid feet mounts by releasing a hitch pin, curling dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow blade with the snow curl shield, preventing the drag blade from interfering with forward operation of the plow by pivoting the drag blade relative to the surface, stopping the drag blade from pivoting using a plurality of stop blocks attached to the snow plow, and accumulating snow on the drag blade for creating down pressure on the drag blade to drag snow from the surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed that the present invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a snow plow having a drag blade attachment with a snow curl member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the snow plow shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a back view of the snow plow shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the skid mount with stops taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5A is the side view of FIG. 2 showing operation of the drag blade with snow curl member back dragging snow.

FIG. 5B is a side view of FIG. 2 showing operation of the drag blade with snow curl member during forward plowing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention includes a number of aspects, all of which have broad and far-reaching application. One aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a snow plow having a drag blade attachment removably and hingedly mounted to the snow plow by way of the skid feet mounts. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a snow plow having a drag blade attachment that self-adjusts its attack angle with respect to the ground to prevent blade hop. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a snow plow having a drag blade attachment with a snow curl member for curling snow backwards away from the snow plow. Still another aspect of the present invention relates to a snow plow having a drag blade attachment that does not interfere or hinder forward plowing. Although specific embodiments are described herein, the present invention is not to be limited to these specific embodiments. The present invention contemplates numerous other options in the design and use of the snow plow having a drag blade attachment with a snow curl member.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the snow plow and drag blade attachment with snow curl member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a front-mounting snow plow 10 of the type that are commercially available. Often, snow plows of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 are fitted with skid feet mounts 24. During manufacture of the snow plow, these skid feet mounts 24 are typically welded to the backside of a snow plow 10 and have a housing for retaining skid feet which support the weight of the plow and control the depth of the plow during forward plowing. The present invention attaches a drag blade 16 to the snow plow blade 12 by way of the skid feet mounts 24. This is accomplished by retaining a stem 26 that is pivotally attached to the drag blade 16 within the skid feet mounts 24 using a hitch pin 28. The stem 26 is pivotally attached to the drag blade 16 by way of mounting brackets 20. Thus, by using the skid feet mounts 24 to attach the drag blade 16 to the snow plow blade 12, the drag blade is removably attached to the snow plow blade 12 and may function as an attachment to the snow plow 10. The stem 26 may be attached to the mounting brackets 20 using a type of connection that permits the drag blade 16 to pivot with respect to the stem 26. For example, a cross pin 40 may be welded between the mounting brackets 20 and pivotally attached to the stem 26 as best illustrated in FIG. 4. The stem 26 may also be welded to the cross pin 40 placed between the mounting brackets 20 where the cross pin would be rigidly fixed to the stem 26 but allowed to pivot within the mounting brackets 20 to allow the drag blade 16 to pivot about the cross pin 40.

Because the drag blade 16 uses the skid feet mounts to attach to the snow plow blade 12, no additional hardware is required to attach the drag blade 16 to the snow plow blade 12. Also, because the drag blade 16 uses the skid feet mounts 24 to attach to the snow plow blade 12, the attachment and removal process requires but a few steps and minimal time and effort. For example, to attach the drag blade 16 to the snow plow blade 12, the hitch pin 28 is removed from the stem 26, and the stem 26 is inserted into the skid feet mount 24. To retain the stem 26 within the skid feet mount 24, the hitch pin 28 is reinserted into the stem 26. In this way, the hitch pin 28 prevents the stem 26 from being pulled out of skid feet mount 24. Removal of the drag blade 16 from the snow plow blade 12 is equally simple and requires very little effort and only a few steps. For example, the drag blade 16 is removed from the snow plow blade 12 by removing the hitch pin 28 from the stem 26 and pulling the stem 26 out of the skid feet mount 24. Thus, in this manner, the drag blade 16 is capable of being removably attached and pivotally attached to the snow plow blade 12 and removed from the snow plow blade 12 when not in use or needed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drag blade 16 has mounting brackets 20 attached to it. The drag blade 16 and the mounting brackets 20 could be constructed as a unitary piece or may also be constructed by welding or bolting the mounting bracket 20 to the drag blade 16. The drag blade 16 has a front edge 22 and an opposite, back edge 23. The front edge 22 is the scraping edge or the edge used to scrape snow from the surface 14, as best illustrated by FIG. 5A. FIG. 2 also shows a snow curl member 18 attached to the drag blade 16. The snow curl member 18 has a first edge and a second parallel edge 36. The first edge 34 of the snow curl member 18 is attached to the back edge 23 of the drag blade 16. The snow curl member 18 may be attached to the drag blade 16 using rivets, pins, or bolts. The snow curl member 18 has a concave surface 38 which acts to curl snow backwards when dragging snow backwards with the drag blade 16. The snow curl member 18 may be constructed of a material sufficiently rigid to support the weight of the snow being curled backwards. For example, the snow curl member 18 may be constructed of a sufficiently stiff and rigid plastic or the same material used to construct the drag blade 16, such as lightweight, high-strength steel.

As shown in FIG. 3, together, the drag blade 16 and the snow curl member 18 make up a planar member with an upward concave surface 38 having the width of the snowplow blade 12 and a height sufficient for curling snow backwards away from the snow plow blade 12 when dragging snow. Because the drag blade 16 is free to pivot about the stem 26, a stop block 30 is positioned behind and between the drag blade 16 and the snow plow blade 12 as best illustrated in FIG. 4. Thus, the drag blade 16 is free to pivot about the stem 26 until stopped by a stop block 30. The stop block 30 is positioned on the back side of the snow plow blade 12 and may be welded, bolted, or riveted to the snow plow blade 12. In the preferred form, stop block 30 is attached to each skid feet mount 24. Alternatively, multiple stop blocks 30 could be positioned and welded across the back side of the snow plow blade 12 to stop the drag blade 16 at an optimal drag angle 32, where this angle 32 is defined by the point at which the drag blade 16 begins to experience blade hop due to its relative angle with respect to the surface 14.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the drag blade in operation. Specifically, FIG. 5A shows the drag blade 16 being used to drag snow backwards during a process often referred to as back dragging. Because the drag blade 16 is free to pivot about the stem 26, the drag blade 16 operates under force of gravity or the downward force of snow accumulating on the drag blade 16. For example, when back dragging snow, the drag blade 16, by the force of gravity, snow accumulating on the drag blade and the drag forces generated by contact between the front edge 22 and the surface 14, pivots the drag blade 16 clockwise until stopped at the optimal drag angle by stop block 30. The angle at which the stop block 30 stops the drag blade 16 from further pivoting is considered an optimal angle or the angle at which the drag forces between the front edge 22 of the drag blade 16 and the surface 14 do not cause the drag blade 16 to hop. As the drag blade 16 drags snow from off of the surface 14, the snow is forced upward and caught by the snow curl member 18. The snow curl member 18 uses the concave surface 38 to curl the snow backwards away from the snow plow blade 12. Thus, the snow curl member 18 prevents snow from accumulating on the back side of the snow plow blade 12 or passing over the top of the snow plow blade 12 when dragging snow backwards. FIG. 5A shows this seamless transition of the snow being scraped from off the surface 14 using the drag blade 16 to the snow curl member 18 being curled backwards away from the snow plow blade 12.

FIG. 5B shows the operation of the drag blade 16 during forward plowing. Importantly, because the drag blade 16 is pivotally attached to the stem 26, the drag blade 16 is allowed to pivot counter clockwise away from or with the contour of the surface 14 so as not to interfere with the snow plow blade 12 during forward operation of the plow. In this way, the drag blade 16 is able to follow the surface 14 thereby allowing the snow plow blade 12 to stay in contact with the surface 14. The surface 14 in FIG. 5B has a downward slope to show the advantage of the hinged drag blade during forward plowing. Because the height of the surface 14 is higher behind the snow plow blade 12 than in front of the snow plow blade 12, the drag blade 16 must be able to accommodate the change in slope in the surface 14 or else interfere with the ability of the snow plow blade 12 to remain in contact with the surface 14. As could be seen from FIG. 5B, if the drag blade 16 were rigidly fixed to the snow plow blade 12, the drag blade would cause the snow plow blade 12 to be lifted off of the surface 14 anytime the surface 14 was higher at the front edge 22 of the drag blade 16 than the snow plow blade 12. One example where this might occur is where the snow plow blade is forward plowing snow and passes over top a curb or a sudden drop off in the surface 14 thereby requiring the drag blade 16 to pivot counter clockwise so the snow plow blade 12 will remain in contact with surface 14.

In the present invention, because the drag blade 16 is pivotally attached to the snow plow blade 12, the drag blade 16 can be used to drag snow backwards, as well as allow the snow plow blade 12 to push snow forward without interfering with or preventing the snow plow blade 12 from remaining in contact with the surface 14.

The preferred embodiment of this present invention has been set forth in the drawing and specification, and those specific terms are employed, these are used in the generically descriptive sense only and are not used for the purpose of limitation. Changes in the formed proportion of parts, as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or are rendered expedient without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A snow plow having the structure and advantage of being able to both plow and back drag snow from a surface without either structure interfering with operation of the other structure, the snow plow comprising:

a drag blade having a snow curl member operatively attached to the drag blade to help curl dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow, and

the drag blade pivotally attached to the snow plow so that the drag blade pivots to self-adjust the drag blade relative to the surface to prevent blade hop and interference with the snow plow during forward operation of the snow plow.

2. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein a pair of brackets are fixed to the drag blade.

3. The snow plow of claim 2 wherein the pair of brackets are hingedly attached to a pair of skid feet mounts on the snow plow.

4. The snow plow of claim 3 wherein a stem is pivotally attached to the pair of brackets on the drag blade using a cross pin.

5. The snow plow of claim 4 wherein the stem is held within the pair of skid feet mounts on the snow plow.

6. The snow plow of claim 5 wherein the stem is removably attached to the skid feet mounts using a hitch pin.

7. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein a front edge of the drag blade is pivotally positioned relative to the surface using gravity and snow accumulation on the drag blade for dragging and scraping snow from the surface.

8. A snow plow with a pair of skid feet mounts having the advantage of being able to both plow and back drag snow from a surface without either structure interfering with operation of the other structure, the snow plow comprising:

a drag blade having a pair of brackets fixed to the drag blade and a front edge for back dragging and scraping snow from the surface;

a snow curl member attached to a back edge of the drag blade to help curl dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow; and

the pair of brackets hingedly attached to the pair of skid feet mounts so that the drag blade pivots about the pair of skid feet mounts to self-adjust the front edge of the drag blade relative to the surface to prevent blade hop and interference with the snow plow during forward plow operation of the snow.

9. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein a plurality of stop blocks are attached to the snow plow to prevent the drag blade from pivoting past an optimal drag angle where blade hop occurs.

10. The snow plow of claim 8 wherein a stem with a hitch pin is pivotally attached to the pair of brackets on the drag blade using a cross pin.

11. The snow plow of claim 8 wherein the snow curl member has a first edge operatively attached to the back edge of the drag blade and a second parallel edge for curling dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow.

12. The snow plow of claim 11 wherein the snow curl member has a concave surface between the first edge and the second parallel edge to help curl dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow.

13. The snow plow of claim 8 wherein the front edge of the drag blade pivots upward to avoid interfering with the snow plow blade during forward operation of the snow plow.

14. The snow plow of claim 8 wherein the front edge of the drag blade pivots downward under gravity and is held in contact with the surface from downward pressure of snow accumulation on the drag blade.

15. A method for using a snow plow having a pair of skid feet mounts and the structure and advantage of being able to both plow and back drag snow from a surface without either structure interfering with the operation of the other structure, the method comprising:

providing a drag blade having a snow curl member operatively attached to the drag blade;

connecting the drag blade to the skid feet mounts;

pivoting the drag blade about the skid feed mounts; and

dragging snow from the surface by adjusting the drag blade relative to the surface using gravity and snow accumulation on the drag blade.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of removing the drag blade from the skid feet mounts by releasing a hitch pin.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of curling dragged snow backwards away from the snow plow with the snow curl member.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of preventing the drag blade from interfering with forward operation of the plow by pivoting the drag blade relative to the surface.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of stopping the drag blade from pivoting using a plurality of stop blocks attached to the snow plow.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of accumulating snow on the drag blade for creating down pressure on the drag blade.