HIGH SPEED RUNWAY SNOWBLOWER

Abstract

A snowblower for removing snow from a paved surface, such as roadways and airport runways. The snowblower includes a blower assembly having a blower housing that encloses a pair of rotating side augers and a rotating impeller. The blower housing includes an upper hood. The upper hood is angled from a trailing edge to a leading edge such that the angled upper hood provides enhanced visibility of the operator of the snowblower. Each of the side augers is driven by a hydrostatic drive motor that is positioned above the upper hood to remove the drive motors from within the open interior of the blower housing. The drive motors are driven from a power source separate from the power source used to rotate the impeller. The lower, leading edge of the blower housing includes a V-shaped lower edge to further enhance the direction of snow into the blower housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/438,466 filed on Feb. 1, 2011.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure generally relates to a high speed snowblower. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a high speed runway snowblower that includes a pair of augers positioned on opposite sides of a center impeller that allows the snowblower to remove snow from a paved surface, such as a roadway, or runway at relatively high speeds.

High speed snowblowers are particularly useful in clearing long stretches of pavement, such as an airport runway. In a typical application, multiple plows or rotating brooms are used to direct snow toward the side of a runway. A snowblowing machine is then used to move the piled snow away from the runway and onto the infield of the airfield.

Presently, plows and brooms can be operated at speeds much higher than the speed at which currently available truck-mounted snowblowers can remove the snow from the runway. Thus, the snowblowing equipment is the limiting factor for the amount of time needed to remove snow from a runway.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally relates to a snowblower for removing snow from paved surfaces, such as roads, or runways. The snowblower of the present disclosure includes a blower assembly having a pair of rotating side augers that direct snow toward a center impeller. The center impeller rotates and throws snow into a volute assembly which then directs snow out of a discharge chute.

The blower assembly includes a blower housing that defines an open interior defined at a top end by an upper hood extending between a pair of sidewalls. The upper hood defines the top edge of the blower housing and extends from a leading edge to a trailing edge. When installed on the blower assembly, the upper hood of the present disclosure decreases in height from the trailing edge to the leading edge to provide enhanced visibility for the driver of the vehicle to which the blower assembly is mounted.

Each of the side augers is driven by a hydrostatic drive motor. In accordance with the disclosure, the hydrostatic drive motor for each of the side augers is positioned outside of the open interior defined by the blower housing and thus above the upper hood. By moving the hydrostatic drive motors for each of the side augers outside of the open interior of the blower housing, the blower assembly reduces the amount of snow that is thrown into contact with the hydrostatic drive motors.

The lower leading edge of the blower assembly is V-shaped and each side is angled from one of the sidewalls to a center apex. The V-shaped lower leading edge of the blower assembly further directs snow toward the rotating center impeller.

The center impeller is driven by an auxiliary diesel engine contained on the drive vehicle. The auxiliary diesel engine provides power for only the center impeller while a separate diesel chassis engine on the vehicle provides the hydraulic pressure to drive each of the vertical side augers.

A back plate contained within the blower housing is angled toward the center impeller to further direct snow toward the center impeller.

Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a truck including a truck-mounted blower assembly of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the truck and blower assembly;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the blower assembly removed from the truck;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the blower assembly;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the blower assembly;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the blower assembly with the series of snow guards removed to illustrate the configuration of the side augers; and

FIG. 7 is a section view of the blower assembly illustrating the configuration of the two different types of auger blades on each of the side augers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a snowblower 10 that includes a high speed blower assembly 12 mounted to the front end of a vehicle or truck 14. The vehicle 14 includes a cab 16 positioned above the blower assembly 12 such that the driver of the vehicle 14 can view the pavement being cleared of snow. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cab 16 is positioned at the front end of the vehicle 14 to provide the operator with the adequate viewing position to direct the snowblower 10 as needed.

The blower assembly 12 is mounted to the front end 18 of the vehicle 14 through a mechanical linkage 20 that allows the operator of the vehicle to lift the blower assembly 12 off of the ground when desired. The blower assembly 12 includes a pair of caster wheels 22 and a front, lower leading edge 30 of the blower assembly. The height of the front, lower leading edge 30 is adjustable through adjustments to the caster wheels 22.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the blower assembly 12 includes a blower housing 24 that creates an open interior 25 defined by a pair of sidewalls 26, a curved upper hood 28 and a V-shaped leading edge 30. The V-shaped leading edge 30 directs snow from the ground into the open interior 25 of the blower housing 24. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the sidewalls 26 define the width of a clearing path for the snowblower 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the clearing path is 118 inches, although other widths are contemplated.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, a pair of side augers 32 are positioned inward of each of the sidewalls 26. The pair of side augers 32 each rotate in opposite directions to direct snow toward the center of the blower assembly 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the blower assembly 12 further includes a rotating impeller 34 having a diameter of 82 inches. The impeller 34 extends through a back wall 35 of the blower housing 24 and rotates within open interior 25 of the blower assembly 12 and directs a now of snow out of a discharge chute 36. Referring back to FIG. 1, the discharge chute 36 forms part of a volute assembly 38. As shown in FIG. 3, a volute assembly 38 is rotatable to adjust the position of the discharge chute 36. The position of the discharge chute 36 can be adjusted to direct snow to either side of the snowblower vehicle at various angles relative to the snowblower 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, the impeller 34 includes four blades 40 that receive the snow and throw the snow into the discharge chute 36 and away from the snowblower 10. Although only four blades 40 are shown on the impeller 34, the impeller could also include five blades in an alternate configuration.

Referring now to FIG. 3, each of the rotating augers 32 includes a separate drive motor 42 used to rotate the auger 32. The separate drive motors 42 rotate the augers 32 using a supply of hydraulic fluid provided to the respective drive motor 42 through a supply line 43 from a power source on the vehicle. The power source used to drive the augers 32 is separate from the power source used to rotate the impeller 34. In this manner, the drive force created by the motors 42 does not draw power from the drive force required to rotate the impeller 34, unlike prior art systems in which the power used to rotate the augers 32 was taken from the same power source used to rotate the impeller 34. A hydraulic fluid return line 45 returns the hydraulic fluid to the truck, as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper hood 28 of the blower housing 24 generally extends from a leading edge 44 to a trailing edge 46. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the height of the trailing edge 46 above the ground 47 is greater than the height of the leading edge 44 such that the upper hood 28 slopes downwardly from the trailing edge 46 to the leading edge 44. As can be understood in FIG. 2, the sloped upper hood 28 provides enhanced visibility for the operator of the vehicle 14 positioned in the cab 16. Since the upper hood 28 slopes downwardly from the trailing edge 46 to the leading edge 44, the operator of the cab is provided with increased visibility of the pavement being cleared of snow as compared to an embodiment in which the leading edge 44 is at the same height as the trailing edge 46. The height of the trailing edge 46 must be at least as high as the top edge of the impeller 34, as can be seen in FIG. 5. The impeller 34 of the illustrated embodiment has a diameter of 82 inches, which is much larger than prior snowblowers. The increased diameter of the impeller increases the height of the trailing edge 46 as compared to prior snowblowers. Thus, since the height of the trailing edge 46 is fixed, the height of the leading edge 44 is decreased to provide enhanced visibility for the operator.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the impeller 34 is mounted to a center driveshaft 49 that extends into a planetary gear reduction unit 50. The planetary gear reduction unit 50 is received by a propeller shaft assembly at the front end of the vehicle (not shown) and receives power from an auxiliary diesel engine mounted on the vehicle. The auxiliary diesel engine mounted on the vehicle operates to only drive the impeller 34 through the driveshaft 49, planetary gear reduction unit 50, propeller shaft assembly, and integrated power take off/two speed transfer case assembly. As described previously, the vertical auger drive motors 42 are each hydrostatic motors that receive pressurized hydraulic fluid from the diesel engine which drives the chassis of the vehicle 14. Thus, the power source used to drive each of the augers 32 is separate from the power source used to rotate the impeller 34.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the leading edge 30 of the blower housing is defined by a pair of cutting edges 52 that each extend from one of the sidewalls 26 of the blower housing 24 to an apex 54. The cutting edges 52 contact the roadway or runway being cleaned and direct snow upward and into the open interior 25 of blower housing 24. The V-shape of the leading edge 30 helps to direct snow toward the rotating impeller 34.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, each of the hydrostatic drive motors 42 are located above the upper hood 28 such that the drive motors 42 are positioned away from the open interior 25 of the blower housing 24 which receives snow being removed from the pavement. Each of the hydrostatic drive motors 42 receives hydraulic fluid through a pressurized hydraulic supply line 43 such that the vertical side augers 32 are rotated to direct snow toward the center impeller 34. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, each of the drive motors 42 are mounted to a support block 48 that extends above the outer surface of the upper hood 28. Each of the support blocks 48 provides a secure point of attachment for the drive motor 42 such that the drive motor 42 can be positioned outside of the open interior 25.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the blower assembly 12 includes a pair of attachment hooks 56 that allow the entire blower assembly 12 to be supported on the front end of the operating vehicle 14. The gear reduction unit 50 interacts with a drive assembly of the vehicle to provide the motive force to rotate the center impeller, as described.

Referring now to FIG. 3, inside the blower housing the back wall 35 extends between the auger 32 and the rotating impeller 34. The back wall 35 is angled toward the impeller 34 to further direct snow toward the rotating impeller 34.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the blower assembly 12 further includes a center snow shield 60 and a pair of side snow shields 62 that are each attached to the leading edge 44 of the upper hood 28. The snow shields 60, 62 each act as deflectors to aid in retaining snow within the open interior 25 of the blower housing 24 such that the rotating impeller 34 can discharge the retained ice and snow through the discharge chute 36.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the pair of side augers 32 that each are independently rotatable by one of the drive motors 42. Each of the side augers 32 includes a center shaft 64 that rotatably extends between the upper hood 28 and a bottom wall of the blower housing 24. The center shaft 64 is generally divided into an upper portion 66 and a lower portion 68. The upper portion 66 includes an auger blade 70 while the lower portion 68 includes an auger blade 72. The upper auger blade 70 and the lower auger blade 72 have different configurations and orientations such that the upper portion 66 and the lower portion 68 of the side augers 32 perform different functions.

Specifically, the lower auger blade 72 is configured such that rotation of the side auger causes the lower auger blade 72 to direct snow upward and toward the center of the open interior 25 for discharge by the rotating impeller 34. The upper auger blades 70 have a different configuration and are designed to fling snow toward the center of the open interior and away from the upper hood 28. The function of both the upper and lower auger blades 70, 72 is to direct snow away from the sidewalls 26 and toward the center of the open interior 25. Further, both of the auger blades 70, 72 are configured to direct snow toward the rotating impeller for discharge. Since the snowblower assembly 12 of the present disclosure is typically used in clearing large runways, it is important for all of the snow from the runway to be removed during a single pass of the snowblower. Thus, the pair of rotating side augers 32 function to direct snow that may not initially be removed by the rotating impeller 34 back into contact with the rotating impeller for ultimate removal.

As described, the longitudinal shape of the bottom section of the snowblower enclosure is angular such that the snow is directed from the pavement surface to the impeller 34 located at the rear of the blower housing 24. Likewise, the snow that enters the blower housing 24 on opposite sides of the impeller 34 is directed upward and toward the center of the blower housing 24 by the side augers 32, where the snow is ingested by the impeller 34. Since the snow is handled by both the side augers 32 and the center impeller 34, some turbulence is created, and a certain amount of residual snow that does not immediately exit the snowblower enclosure through the volute assembly 38 and discharge chute 36 may otherwise be thrown out the front or sides of the snowblower enclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the center snow shield 60 and the side snow shields 62 contain errant snow inside the snowblower enclosure as it is handled by the side augers 32 and the impeller 34. The upper hood 28 is designed of a size and shape so that it contains otherwise errant snow without impeding the snow that is entering the front of the snowblower during high speed airport snow removal operation. The upper hood 28 is made from Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene material or rubber to provide the proper amount of rigidness.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the snowblower assembly 12 further includes a pair of side frame extensions 74. The side frame extensions 74 include a vertical plate 76 that is attached to a pair of support bars 78. The support bars 78 are mounted to the exterior surface of one of the sidewalls 26 to provide strength and support for the side frame extension 74. The side frame extensions 74 extend out past the leading edge 44 and function to help contain otherwise errant snow.

Specifically, as the snowblower vehicle moves in a forward direction on a snow-filled runway, there is a natural tendency for some of the snow to otherwise get pushed to the sides of the blower assembly. In addition, a certain amount of snow being handled by the side augers and the center impeller has a tendency to be pushed forward and out of the blower housing. The pair of side frame extensions 74 function to increase the physical volume of the snow that can be held within the open interior 25 of the blower housing to keep snow contained within the blower housing to be processed by the rotating impeller. The front frame extensions 74 can be easily removed by maintenance personnel if desired. As described above, the upper hood 28, the center and side snow shields 60, 62 and the side frame extensions 74 work together to contain snow within the interior 25 of the blower housing while the snow blower is traveling in a forward direction, thereby increasing overall performance and reducing the amount of residual snow that is left on the runway surface during the snow removal operation. We claim:

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted snowblower assembly for removing snow from pavement, comprising:

a blower housing having a pair of spaced sidewalls and an upper hood extending between the sidewalls to define an open interior that receives snow to be removed;

a rotating impeller extending through a back wall of the blower housing and into the open interior to receive the snow to be removed,

wherein the upper hood has a width defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the upper hood is downwardly declined from the trailing edge to the leading edge.

2. The snowblower of claim 1 wherein the height of the trailing edge of the upper hood above a ground surface is approximately equal to a diameter of the impeller when the snowblower assembly is supported on the ground surface.

3. The snowblower of claim 2 wherein the height of the leading edge of the upper hood above the ground surface is less than the diameter of the impeller when the snowblower assembly is supported on the ground surface.

4. The snowblower of claim 1 wherein the blower housing includes a leading edge extending between the pair of sidewalls, wherein the leading edge has a generally V-shape having an apex positioned between the two sidewalls.

5. The snowblower of claim 1 wherein the width of the upper hood between the leading edge and the trailing edge is approximately constant.

6. The snowblower of claim 1 further comprising:

a pair of side augers mounted within the open interior on opposite sides of the rotating impeller; and

a pair of drive motors each coupled to one of the side augers, wherein the drive motors are operable to rotate one of the side augers.

7. The snowblower of claim 6 wherein the drive motors are each mounted above the upper hood and outside of the open interior of the blower housing.

8. The snowblower of claim 1 further comprising a pair of side frame extensions each attached to one of the sidewalls, wherein each of the side frame extensions extends past the leading edge of the blower housing.

9. A vehicle-mounted snowblower assembly for removing snow from pavement, comprising:

a blower housing having a pair of spaced sidewalls and an upper hood extending between the sidewalls to define between an open interior that receives snow to be removed;

a rotating impeller extending through a back wall of the blower housing and into the open interior to receive the snow to be removed;

a pair of side augers mounted within the open interior on opposite sides of the rotating impeller; and

a pair of drive motors each coupled to one of the side augers, each of the drive motors being positioned above the upper hood and outside of the open interior of the blower housing.

10. The snowblower of claim 9 wherein each of the drive motors are driven by a power source different from the power source that rotates the impeller.

11. The snowblower of claim 9 further comprising a pair of side frame extensions each attached to one of the sidewalls, wherein each of the side frame extensions extends past the leading edge of the blower housing.

12. The snowblower of claim 9 wherein the blower housing includes a leading edge extending between the pair of sidewalls, wherein the leading edge has a generally V-shape having an apex positioned between the two sidewalls.

13. The snowblower of claim 9 wherein the upper hood has a width defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the upper hood is downwardly declined from the trailing edge to the leading edge.

14. The snowblower of claim 13 wherein the height of the trailing edge of the upper hood above a ground surface is approximately equal to a diameter of the impeller when the snowblower assembly is supported on the ground surface.

15. The snowblower of claim 14 wherein the height of the leading edge of the upper hood above the ground surface is less than the diameter of the impeller when the snowblower assembly is supported on the ground surface.

16. A snowblower for removing snow from pavement, comprising:

a vehicle;

a blower assembly mounted to the vehicle, the blower assembly including a blower housing having a pair of spaced sidewalls and an upper hood extending between the sidewalls to define an open interior that receives the snow to be removed;

a rotating impeller extending through a back wall of the blower housing and into the open interior to receive the snow to be removed;

a pair of spaced side augers mounted within the open interior on opposite sides of the rotating impeller; and

a pair of drive motors each coupled to one of the side augers, each of the drive motors being operable to rotate one of the side augers, wherein the pair of drive motors are each mounted above the upper hood and outside of the open interior of the blower housing.

17. The snowblower of claim 16 wherein the upper hood has a width defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the upper hood is downwardly declined from the trailing edge to the leading edge.

18. The snowblower of claim 16 wherein the height of the trailing edge of the upper hood above a ground surface is approximately equal to a diameter of the impeller when the snowblower assembly is supported on the ground surface.

19. The snowblower of claim 18 wherein the height of the leading edge of the upper hood above the ground surface is less than the diameter of the impeller when the snowblower assembly is supported on the ground surface.