Deere + Company

Other

Edward T Kaczmarczyk

Roger A Noyes

Rory Rae

Bruce Kevin Fryk

Daniel R Fuzzen

Bennie Joe Vaughn

Mervin P Kizlyk

Paul G Aucoin

Lyle V Norris

James A Allen

Ronald Lee Jurek

An operator enclosure for an agricultural tractor has a rollover protective structure (ROPS) in which the front side of the ROPS extends upward above the left, right and rear sides of the ROPS and terminates at a front upper cross member extending laterally between left and right front upright corner members. A roof pan is placed at the top of the ROPS that has a generally horizontal top panel at about the same height as the front upper cross member. The top panel of the roof curves downward to form left, right and rear side panels extending downward from the top panel to the height of the upper members of the ROPS along the left, right and rear sides. There is no front panel on the roof extending downward from the top panel. The windshield is extended upward into what had previously been the front panel of the roof. This improves the front upward visibility, an feature particularly useful in operating a front end loader on the tractor.

Operator enclosure for an agricultural tractor

A grapple is constructed for quick attachment to and detachment from holders of an implement carrier. The implement holders of the implement carrier are also designed for quick attachment to and detachment from an implement, such as a loader bucket, to be selectively used in conjunction with the grapple or alone. The grapple has provision for parking it in an attitude ready for attachment to the implement holders when the grapple is not needed for grasping the material being handled.

Parkable grapple having quick attachment to loader holder

A tube clamp includes a cylindrical resilient plastic body containing an axial mounting hole and having four tube receptacles arranged with a first pair on one side of the axis and with a second pair being respectively located in diametrically opposite locations from the first pair. Each receptacle includes an entryway leading to a tube-receiving portion defined by a cylindrical wall sized for snugly receiving a given tube and into which the tube may be snap-fit and retained without the use of fasteners. When shipping a tube bundle for use on equipment provided with hydraulic cylinders, as many clamps are used along the length of the bundle as are necessary to keep the tubes separated one from another, these same clamps being used to mount the clamps to structure of the equipment by inserting mounting bolts through the clamp mounting holes.

Tube clamp for bundling a set of tubes for shipment and for mounting

A tractor-mounted loader includes a yoke member having legs joined by a bight member that carries a latch that is L-shaped in cross section and is pivotally mounted for movement between a closed position, wherein a first leg of the latch extends generally horizontally above and is engaged with a front-end weight bracket of the tractor carrying the loader, and an open position wherein the first leg is located in a generally upright position forwardly of the bracket. A control rod extends along one of the legs of the yoke member and has its forward end connected to the latch so that rearward and forward shifting of the rod respectively moves the latch to and from its closed position. A cylindrical lock member is adjustably threaded onto the rear end of the rod and is received for movement along a slot provided in the a rear portion of the one yoke member leg and is dimensioned for fitting closely in an enlarged rear end portion of the slot to establish a locked condition in the rod which corresponds to the closed position of the latch. A necked down intermediate section of the lock member is movable into register with the slot to permit the latch rod to be moved forwardly to place the latch in its open position.

Control system for latch that secures loader yoke member to tractor

A tractor-mounted loader has a quick coupler mounted to forward ends of the boom arms thereof. The quick coupler includes a pair of attachment holders having their lower ends respectively pivotally connected to the pair of arms and selectively pivotable by a pair of attachment tilt cylinders. An attachment in the form of a bucket includes a pair of connecting brackets including pins engageable by recesses in the upper ends of the holders and receptacles for receiving coupler elements carried by the holders. A pair of latch mechanisms are respectively carried by the pair of brackets and include spring-loaded latch pins which normally assume a latch position blocking passage of the coupler elements to or from the receptacles but which include ramp surfaces that cooperate with ramp surfaces of the coupler elements to cause the pins to be automatically moved from their latch positions to permit passage of the coupler elements into the receptacles during mounting of the attachment to the attachment holders. The latch pins may be manually moved to an unlatch position from which they are automatically released by being contacted by wedges carried by the holders when the latter are moved to a position disposing the coupler elements free of the receptacles during detachment of the attachment from the holders. An alternate embodiment shows the coupler elements formed by the mounting brackets and the receptacles formed by the holders with the latch mechanisms being mounted to the holders.

Mounting structure for a loader attachment

A loader mounting arrangement includes a pair of mounting frames secured to the opposite sides of the tractor frame for receiving the lower ends of the loader mast posts. Each bracket includes a transversely extending pin for receiving a C-shaped forwardly opening front portion of the mast post. The rear of the mounting frame opens upwardly to guide the aft portion of the mast post end as the mast post is rocked downwardly about the axis of the rod. Projecting pin-receiving bushings in the aft portion of the mast post end are received within mating upwardly opening pockets in the mounting frame. The bushings are positively forced into the pockets by operating the boom lift cylinders with the loader attachment on the ground to assure alignment of the mast post end and the bracket. With the bushings forced downwardly into the fully seated position within the pockets, hole in the bracket are aligned with the bushing bores, and a locking pin is easily inserted to secure the mast post to the tractor.

Loader mounting

Quick coupling structure which is selectively connectible to a loader attachment and includes a spring-loaded latching pin located on the attachment and easily viewed from the operator station. A pin-contacting member located on the loader boom arm automatically releases the pin allowing it to move to a locking position as the attachment is rocked about a pivotal axis by an attachment cylinder. An alternate interchangeable coupling structure is provided which may be utilized on the attachment when a quick coupler is not needed, and the pivot points for the attachment remain the same with either the quick coupler or the alternate coupling attached. An attachment holder utilized with the quick coupler may be eliminated when the alternate coupling structure is connected to the attachment.

A quick attachment holder for connecting an attachment to the boom arms of a loader includes right-hand and left-hand end portions connected by a semi-rigid cross tube, without additional structural cross members. A pin connection of the holder end portions to the tube causes the left- and right-hand end portions to generally move together while permitting several degrees of relative rotational movement between end portions to aid in the reconnection of the attachment even when there is slight misalignment between the holder and the attachment. The cross tube is located on the pivot center of the holder so that only torque loads are applied to the tube. The pin connection will shear if the tube is accidentally over-torqued, and individual components of the holder are replaceable.

Carrier frame for a quick coupler

A method and apparatus for quickly mounting a loader on a tractor which eliminates need for loose connecting pins or bolts and tools. A pair of slotted brackets include sliding wedge blocks which automatically secure the mast post pins in position during mounting. The mast post pins are moved into the slots, and then the forward portion of the loader frame is rotated upwardly about the axis of the pins to engage forward mounting structure. The tractor is then driven forward to slide the mast post pins into the respective slotted brackets. Thereafter, the boom cylinders are actuated to rock the loader frame about the forward mounting structure and move the mast post pins into vertically disposed portions of the slots and to permit the wedge blocks to slide into their latching positions. A handle operated cam arrangement moves the block away from the slot portion for dismounting the loader. The slots are angled to help break the loader frame away from the brackets during dismounting without requiring excessive load drag. Pivoting hose support structure and a forwardly projecting hose bracket assembly minimize hydraulic hose length and reduce hose routing problems both during loading and mounting/dismounting operations.

Growing community of inventors

Welland, Canada

Edward T Kaczmarczyk