Crust-breakers

Claim 2

A crust-breaker unit for ready assembly in or disassembly from a vehicle having front and rear wheels which comprises a crust-breaking tool, a rigid supporting member adapted to be secured to the under side of said vehicle at positions adjacent said wheels thereof and an arm construction interconnecting said tool and said supporting member, said tool consisting of a freely rotatable wheel having breaker pins projecting radially outwards therefrom, said arm construction comprising first and second link arms and a pressure medium cylinder having at one end its piston rod connected to said first link arm and its other end connected to said supporting member, said cylinder being actuable to cause pivoting of said link arms about respective first and second stationary link points thereof forming additional connections with said supporting member at positions remote from said tool, said pivoting being in a vertical plane transversely of the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in which said unit is designed to be assembled whereby the tool can be swung from an inactive position close to the side of the vehicle to an outwardly swung working position and vice-versa.

Claim 3

The unit according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member is formed from thick, heavy metal plate.

Claim 4

The unit according to claim 1, wherein the first stationary link point is located adjacent a longitudinal edge of the supporting member and substantially at the level of the latter while the second stationary link point is located at a somewhat higher level and laterally inside said first stationary link point.

Claim 5

The unit according to claim 1, wherein the wheel of the crust-breaking tool is mounted for free rotation in a bearing which at a lower joint point is connected to an end of the first link arm and at an upper joint point to an end of the second link arm.

Claim 6

The unit according to claim 4, wherein the connection of the piston rod with the first link arm is between the connections of that arm with the bearing and with the supporting member respectively.

Claim 7

The unit according to claim 4, wherein the second link arm is replaced by a second pressure medium cylinder having its piston rod connected to the upper joint point while the other end is connected to the second stationary link point.

Claim 8

A crust-breaker assembly which comprises a vehicle having front and rear wheels, a crust-breaking tool, an arm construction and a rigid supporting member, said tool consisting of a freely rotatable wheel having breaker pins projecting radially outwards therefrom and being connected by said arm construction to said rigid supporting member which is secured at the under side of said vehicle adjacent its front and rear wheels, said arm construction comprising first and second link arms and a pressure medium cylinder having at one end its piston rod connected to said first link arm and its other end connected to said supporting member, said cylinder being actuable to cause pivoting of said link arms about respective first and second stationary link points thereof forming additional connections with said supporting member remote from the tool, said pivoting being in a vertical plane transversely of the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to bring about swinging of said tool from an inactive position close to the side of the vehicle to an outwardly swung working position and vice-versa and the disposition of said supporting member relative to said vehicle providing said tool with a low-lying attack point for its breaking force and enabling the load to be transferred directly to said front and rear wheels of said vehicle.

Claim 9

A crust-breaker assembly which comprises a vehicle having front and rear wheels, a crust-breaking tool, an arm construction and a rigid supporting member, said tool consisting of a freely rotatable wheel having breaker pins projecting radially outwards therefrom and being connected by said arm construction to said rigid supporting member which is secured at the under side of said vehicle adjacent its front and rear wheels, said arm construction comprising first and second link arms and a pressure medium cylinder having at one end its piston rod connected to said first link arm and its other end connected to said supporting member, said cylinder being actuable to cause pivoting of said link arms about respective first and second stationary link points thereof forming additional connections with said supporting member remote from the tool, said pivoting being in a vertical plane transversely of the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to bring about swinging of said tool from an inactive position close to the side of the vehicle to an outwardly swung working position and vice-versa and the disposition of said supporting member relative to said vehicle providing said tool with a low-lying attack point for its breaking force and enabling the load to be transferred directly to said front and rear wheels of said vehicle.

Claim 10

The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the supporting member is formed from thick, heavy metal plate.

Claim 11

The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the supporting member is detachably secured at the under side of the vehicle permitting joint disassembly from the latter of said member, the arm construction and the crust-breaking tool constituting a crust-breaker unit.

Claim 12

The assembly according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle is a tractor.

Claim 13

The assembly according to claim 9, wherein the supporting member forms an extra reinforcing frame for the vehicle and confers a low-lying centre of gravity on the latter.

Claim 14

The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the first stationary link point is located adjacent a longitudinal edge of the supporting member and substantially at the level of the latter while the second stationary link point is located at a somewhat higher level and laterally inside said first stationary link point.

Claim 15

The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the wheel of the crust-breaking tool is mounted for free rotation in a bearing which at a lower joint point is connected to an end of the first link arm and at an upper joint point to an end of the second link arm.

Claim 16

The assembly according to claim 13, wherein the connection of the piston rod with the first link arm is between the connections of that arm with the bearing and with the supporting member respectively.

Claim 17

The assembly according to claim 13, wherein the second link arm is replaced by a second pressure medium cylinder having its piston rod connected to the upper joint point while the other end is connected to the second stationary link point.