Expanding and contracting implements
US6901728B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 10, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jun 7, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 10, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA01D34/661
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
For transportability, wide machinery such as disk and cycle-bar mowers are often detached from the tractor on which they are used, and loaded onto a truck or trailer. A new method is to make these wide machines retractable such that their width is no wider than allowed for transport on public roads, yet extendable to increase the efficiency of the time and horsepower used to accomplish the intended task, such as mowing. To permit the extension and retraction of a machine such as a mower, a tool-bar is mounted parallel to the tractor's axles. It is stationary with respect to the tractor. A sliding tool-bar is mounted next to and parallel with the stationary tool-bar. A hydraulic cylinder, affixed to the stationary tool bar and the sliding tool-bar, causes the sliding tool-bar to slide in a direction parallel with the stationary tool-bar. The machine is affixed to the sliding tool-bar, so it can be extended and retracted with the sliding toolbar. Multiple sliding tool-bars are also possible, permitting the machine to extend to either side of the tractor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.