Tank-mounting attachment for agricultural tractor

Claim 2

An attachment for mounting a pair of tanks along the sides of a tractor having a pair of side frame members, the apparatus comprising: an elongated toolbar; a pair of brackets mounted on the toolbar and releasably secured to the side frame members for suspending the toolbar beneath the tractor in transverse relation thereto; and a pair of tank-mounting subframes each including a socket member removably positioned over one end of the toolbar, a plurality of spaced brace means extending upwardly and outwardly from the sides of the socket member, a U-shaped member having its legs secured to the brace member and extending toward the tractor side frame member, plate means interconnecting the ends of the legs of the U-shaped member and releasably secured to the tractor side frame member, and an elongated transversely arcuate cradle member having its sides secured to the legs of the U-shaped member and an intermediate portion secured to the top of the socket member.

Claim 3

The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the toolbar is of rectangular construction and the socket members are of rectangular construction whereby the socket members are prevented from rotation on the toolbars and the cradle members are maintained in an upright position.

Claim 4

The apparatus set forth in claim 2 wherein the plurality of brace means on each of the socket members include a pair of spaced inner and outer brace members secured intermediate their ends to the bottom of the socket member and have their outer ends extending upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions from the bottom of the socket member.

Claim 5

The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein a pair of flexible straps have their opposite ends anchored to the legs of each of the U-shaped members, the straps being adjustable in length and adapted to firmly secure a tank within each of the cradle members.

Claim 6

The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein the legs of the U-shaped members are provided with a plurality of apertures, at least one end of each of the flexible straps is provided with a threaded rod which extends through one of the apertures, and nut means on the end of the threaded rods serve to vary the length of the flexible straps.

Claim 7

In combinAtion, a tractor having a pair of side frame members and front and rear wheels, an elongated transversely extending toolbar suspended from the side frame members intermediate the front and rear wheels, a socket member positioned over each end of the toolbar, an elongated cradle member carried by each socket member and extending generally parallel thereto, means for releasably securing the cradle to the tractor side frame members to prevent accidental removal of the socket members from over the ends of the toolbar, a tank carried by each cradle, and means for securing the tanks within the cradles.

Claim 8

In combinAtion, a tractor having a pair of side frame members and front and rear wheels, an elongated transversely extending toolbar suspended from the side frame members intermediate the front and rear wheels, a socket member positioned over each end of the toolbar, an elongated cradle member carried by each socket member and extending generally parallel thereto, means for releasably securing the cradle to the tractor side frame members to prevent accidental removal of the socket members from over the ends of the toolbar, a tank carried by each cradle, and means for securing the tanks within the cradles.

Claim 9

The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein a plurality of brace means extend upwardly and outwardly from each side of the socket members, an elongated side bar is secured to the outer ends of the brace means on each side of each socket member, each of the side bars extend generally parallel to and is positioned above and to one side of one of the socket members, and each of the cradle members includes an elongated transversely arcuate and upwardly open tank-supporting plate which has its sides secured to a pair of said side bars and an intermediate portion secured to the top of the corresponding socket member.

Claim 10

The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein the means for releasably securing the cradle members to the tractor side frame members includes bracket means secured to and interconnecting the inner ends of each pair of side bars, and each of the bracket means is releasably secured to one of the tractor side frame members.

Claim 11

The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein the means for releasably securing the tanks within the cradles includes a pair of flexible straps for each tank, the straps having their ends anchored to the side bars, and at least one end of each strap is adjustably anchored to afford adjustment in the effective length of the straps.

Claim 12

In combination, a tractor having front and rear wheels and a main frame including a pair of side frame members, an elongated transversely extending toolbar positioned beneath the tractor main frame intermediate the front and rear wheels, a pair of spaced right-angle brackets each having a horizontal leg secured to the toolbar and a vertical leg extending upwardly alongside one of the side frame members, bolt means extending through the vertical legs of the brackets and the side frame members to releasably secure the brackets to the side frame members whereby the toolbar is suspended from the tractor main frame, a socket member positioned over each end of the toolbar, a plurality of brace members extending upwardly and outwardly from each side of the socket members, an elongated side bar secured to the outer ends of the brace members on each side of each socket member and extending generally parallel to the toolbar, an elongated flat bracket secured to and interconnecting the inner ends of each pair of side bars and positioned adjacent the vertical legs of the right-angle brackets, a plurality of apertures provided in each of the flat brackets positioned to receive the heads of the bolt means securing the right-angle brackets to the side frame members whereby the flat brackets can abut against the vertical legs of the right-angle brackets, additional bolt means extending through the flat brackets and side frame members to releasably secure the flat brackets to the side frame members, a pair of elongated transversely arcuate cradle members each having its sides secured to a pair of the side bars and an intermediate portion secured to the top of the corresponding socket member, a tank positioned in each cradle member, and means for releasably securing each tank in its respective cradle member.

Claim 13

In combination, a tractor having front and rear wheels and a main frame including a pair of side frame members, an elongated transversely extending toolbar positioned beneath the tractor main frame intermediate the front and rear wheels, a pair of spaced right-angle brackets each having a horizontal leg secured to the toolbar and a vertical leg extending upwardly alongside one of the side frame members, bolt means extending through the vertical legs of the brackets and the side frame members to releasably secure the brackets to the side frame members whereby the toolbar is suspended from the tractor main frame, a socket member positioned over each end of the toolbar, a plurality of brace members extending upwardly and outwardly from each side of the socket members, an elongated side bar secured to the outer ends of the brace members on each side of each socket member and extending generally parallel to the toolbar, an elongated flat bracket secured to and interconnecting the inner ends of each pair of side bars and positioned adjacent the vertical legs of the right-angle brackets, a plurality of apertures provided in each of the flat brackets positioned to receive the heads of the bolt means securing the right-angle brackets to the side frame members whereby the flat brackets can abut against the vertical legs of the right-angle brackets, additional bolt means extending through the flat brackets and side frame members to releasably secure the flat brackets to the side frame members, a pair of elongated transversely arcuate cradle members each having its sides secured to a pair of the side bars and an intermediate portion secured to the top of the corresponding socket member, a tank positioned in each cradle member, and means for releasably securing each tank in its respective cradle member.