Tool connecting apparatus for tractors

Claim 2

Tool-connecting apparatus for mounting on a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus having co-acting lifting arms pivotally attached to the rear of the tractor for upward and downward swinging movement and extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly thereof by a transverse lifting beam, said tool-connecting apparatus being borne by the tractor solely through said lift apparatus and comprising: a. a pair of longitudinal booms respectively extending transversely outwardly at the sides of the tractor rearwardly of the front wheels and having inner ends removably attached respectively to said lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor; b. a pair of longitudinal tool-mounting bars attached respectively to said booms in parallel relationship thereto; c. a detachable, frontal tool-mounting bar extending laterally across the front of said tractor and supported by said lift apparatus; and d. means supporting the booms against rearward movement thereof with respect to the lift apparatus; whereby said toolconnecting apparatus is raised and lowered by raising and lowering said lift apparatus, permitting the tool-connecting apparatus to be attached to and detached from the tractor with ease.

Claim 3

The tool-connecting apparatus of claim 1 including a laterally extending support attached to and carried above said transverse lifting beam, and including first and second pairs of support arms, said first pair of support arms joining said support respectively to respective lifting arms to restrain rearward movement of said support, and said second pair of support arms joining said support to said respective booms to restrain downward and rearward movement thereof with respect to said lift apparatus.

Claim 4

The tool-connecting apparatus of claim 1 including an inverted U-shaped Yoke extending laterally over said tractor and having its ends joined respectively to said booms adjacent the attachment of the latter to said lifting arms, and including a pair of supporting braces respectively joining said booms at outwardly spaced points therealong to respective points along said yoke to restrain downward movement of said booms with respect to said lifting arms.

Claim 5

Tool-connecting apparatus for mounting on a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus having co-acting lifting arms pivotally attached to the rear of the tractor for upward and downward swinging movement and extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly thereof by a transverse lifting beam, said tool-connecting apparatus being borne by the tractor solely through said lift apparatus and comprising: a. a pair of detachable, logitudinal booms respectively extending transversely outwardly at the sides of the tractor rearwardly of the front wheels and having inner ends pivotally attached respectively to said lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor; b. a pair of longitudinal tool-mounting bars attached respectively to said booms in parallel relationship thereto on each side of said tractor; c. a detachable, frontal tool-mounting bar extending laterally across the front of said tractor and supported by said transverse lifting beam; d. a laterally extending support attached to and carried above said transverse lifting beam, and including first and second pairs of support arms, said first pair of support arms joining said support rigidly to said respective lifting arms to restrain rearward movement of said support, and said second pair of support arms extending laterally downwardly and rearwardly to join said support to said respective booms at outwardly spaced points therealong to restrain downward and rearward movement of said booms with respect to the lifting apparatus; e. an inverted, U-shaped yoke extending laterally over said tractor and having its ends joined respectively to said booms adjacent the attachment thereto to said lifting arms, and including a pair of supporting braces respectively joining said booms at respective outwardly spaced points therealong to respective points along said inverted U-shaped yoke spaced upwardly from its connections to said booms to restrain downward movement of said booms with respect to said tractor; whereby said tool-connecting apparatus may be raised and lowered by raising and lowering said lift apparatus, thus permitting said tool-connecting apparatus to be attached and detached from said tractor with ease.

Claim 6

Tool-connecting apparatus for mounting on a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus having co-acting lifting arms pivotally attached to the rear of the tractor for upward and downward swinging movement and extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly thereof by a transverse lifting beam, said tool-connecting apparatus being borne by the tractor solely through said lift apparatus and comprising: a. a pair of detachable, logitudinal booms respectively extending transversely outwardly at the sides of the tractor rearwardly of the front wheels and having inner ends pivotally attached respectively to said lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor; b. a pair of longitudinal tool-mounting bars attached respectively to said booms in parallel relationship thereto on each side of said tractor; c. a detachable, frontal tool-mounting bar extending laterally across the front of said tractor and supported by said transverse lifting beam; d. a laterally extending support attached to and carried above said transverse lifting beam, and including first and second pairs of support arms, said first pair of support arms joining said support rigidly to said respective lifting arms to restrain rearward movement of said support, and said second pair of support arms extending laterally downwardly and rearwardly to join said support to said respective booms at outwardly spaced points therealong to restrain downward and rearward movement of said booms with respect to the lifting apparatus; e. an inverted, U-shaped yoke extending laterally over said tractor and having its ends joined respectively to said booms adjacent the attachment thereto to said lifting arms, and including a pair of supporting braces respectively joining said booms at respective outwardly spaced points therealong to respective points along said inverted U-shaped yoke spaced upwardly from its connections to said booms to restrain downward movement of said booms with respect to said tractor; whereby said tool-connecting apparatus may be raised and lowered by raising and lowering said lift apparatus, thus permitting said tool-connecting apparatus to be attached and detached from said tractor with ease.

Claim 7

A tool-connecting apparatus for mounting on a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus having co-acting lifting arms pivotally attached to the rear of the tractor for upward and downward swinging movement and extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly of the tractor by a transverse lifting beam, the tool-connecting apparatus being borne by the tractor solely through the lift apparatus and comprising: a. a pair of detachable, longitudinal booms extending transversely outwardly from, and connected to, the lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor; b. a pair of longitudinal, tool-mounting bars attached respectively to, and in parallel relationship with, the booms on each side of the tractor; c. a transversely extending support attached to and carried above the transverse lifting beam, and means supporting the latter support against rearward movement with respect to the hydraulically-actuated lifting arms; and d. a pair of supporting straps, each connected upwardly one end to a respective boom and extending upwaardly and forwardly for pivotal attachment to the transversely extending support, the latter attachment permitting each boom and its associated strap to swing about a generally vertical axis through said attachment whereby the tool-connecting apparatus may be raised and loweRed by raising and lowering the hydraulically-actuated lifting arms, thus permitting the tool-connecting apparatus to be attached to and detached from the tractor with ease, and whereby the booms may be swung outwardly from the tractor to permit the tractor to pass therebetween.

Claim 8

A tool-connecting apparatus for mounting on a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus having co-acting lifting arms pivotally attached to the rear of the tractor for upward and downward swinging movement and extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly of the tractor by a transverse lifting beam, the tool-connecting apparatus being borne by the tractor solely through the lift apparatus and comprising: a. a pair of detachable, longitudinal booms extending transversely outwardly from, and connected to, the lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor; b. a pair of longitudinal, tool-mounting bars attached respectively to, and in parallel relationship with, the booms on each side of the tractor; c. a transversely extending support attached to and carried above the transverse lifting beam, and means supporting the latter support against rearward movement with respect to the hydraulically-actuated lifting arms; and d. a pair of supporting straps, each connected upwardly one end to a respective boom and extending upwaardly and forwardly for pivotal attachment to the transversely extending support, the latter attachment permitting each boom and its associated strap to swing about a generally vertical axis through said attachment whereby the tool-connecting apparatus may be raised and loweRed by raising and lowering the hydraulically-actuated lifting arms, thus permitting the tool-connecting apparatus to be attached to and detached from the tractor with ease, and whereby the booms may be swung outwardly from the tractor to permit the tractor to pass therebetween.

Claim 9

The tool-connecting apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second pair of support arms are strong metal straps pivotally connected to the laterally extending support so as to permit each strap and the boom to which it is connected to swing, when otherwise unrestrained, about a generally vertical axis passing through the connection of the strap to the laterally extending support, whereby the booms may be swung out of the way of the tractor when the tool-connecting apparatus is detached from th tractor.

Claim 10

The tool-connecting apparatus according to claim 6 wherein each metal strap is rigidly connected at its lower, rearward end to a boom, and wherein the pivotal connection of the forward end of the strap to the transverse support permits the strap and attached boom to swing about the last-mentioned pivotal attachment.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said straps, and their connections to the booms and transverse support, are sufficiently strong to support the weight of the booms and associated tool bars and tools when the booms are otherwise unsupported.

Claim 12

In combination: a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus, and a tool-connecting apparatus for mounting to the lift apparatus, the lift apparatus comprising co-acting lifting arms extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly of the tractor by a transverse lifting beam, the lifting arms being pivotally attached at their rearward ends to the tractor frame, the lift apparatus including a pair of forwardly extending hydraulic cylinders means supporting the booms joined at their rearward ends to the tractor, each cylinder having a piston extending forwardly thereof and a pair of generally forwardly extending and diverging links each pivotally mounted at one end to the piston, one of the links being pivotally connected to the tractor frame and the other link being pivotally attached to an adjacent lifting arm, the links and cylinder being oriented with respect to the lifting arm such that the axis of force generated by the piston and cylinder passes within the oblique angle between the links, whereby forward force generated by the piston and cylinder causes the divergent ends of the links to separate, raising the associated lifting arm; the tool-connecting apparatus comprising a pair of transversely extending, longitudinal booms removably attached respectively to the lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor and means supporting the booms against downward and rearward movement with respect to the lifting arms, and a pair of longitudinal tool-mounting bars attached respectively to, and in parallel relationship to, the booms.

Claim 13

In combination: a tractor provided with a hydraulically-actuated lift apparatus, and a tool-connecting apparatus for mounting to the lift apparatus, the lift apparatus comprising co-acting lifting arms extending forwardly along the sides of the tractor and joined forwardly of the tractor by a transverse lifting beam, the lifting arms being pivotally attached at their rearward ends to the tractor frame, the lift apparatus including a pair of forwardly extending hydraulic cylinders means supporting the booms joined at their rearward ends to the tractor, each cylinder having a piston extending forwardly thereof and a pair of generally forwardly extending and diverging links each pivotally mounted at one end to the piston, one of the links being pivotally connected to the tractor frame and the other link being pivotally attached to an adjacent lifting arm, the links and cylinder being oriented with respect to the lifting arm such that the axis of force generated by the piston and cylinder passes within the oblique angle between the links, whereby forward force generated by the piston and cylinder causes the divergent ends of the links to separate, raising the associated lifting arm; the tool-connecting apparatus comprising a pair of transversely extending, longitudinal booms removably attached respectively to the lifting arms intermediate the length of the tractor and means supporting the booms against downward and rearward movement with respect to the lifting arms, and a pair of longitudinal tool-mounting bars attached respectively to, and in parallel relationship to, the booms.

Claim 14

The tool-connecting apparatus of claim 5 wherein the pair of supporting straps are respectively pivotally connected at their one ends to the respective booms so as to permit the booms to swing horizontally about said connection when otherwise unrestrained.