Blade attachment with built-in air vent

Claim 1

For a tractor having an engine space at the front thereof and a fan in the engine space providing a forced flow of air through the front of the engine space, a blade attachment comprising an elongated dual-position blade mountable in a first or lowered position for stacking work wherein the blade is disposed at ground level and in a second or elevated position for clearing work wherein the blade is disposed in an elevated position substantially overlying the forward end of the engine space in blocking relation to air flow through the space, the blade comprising a front face, which has a substantially flat upper edge and a lower edge and is continuous therebetween over most of the width of said face, said front face further being continuous inwardly from the side edges thereof to generally the center thereof, said blade face having an air vent opening therethrough, which extends downwardly below the top edge of said continuous front face and is positioned in the center of the blade substantially midway between said side edges, said air vent opening being disposed substantially in the path of engine air flow to prevent overheating of the engine when the blade is in an elevated position, support structure for the blade disposed behind said front face, the support structure including parallel arms at the outer ends of the blade extending rearwardly and adapted for pivotal mounting at the trailing ends to the tractor, and means for raising the blade attachment to the elevated position into the path of air flow for the engine, the air vent opening having a plurality of spaced vertical ribs mounted therein, said ribs joined by a horizontal web to form a grille.