Implement Draft Frame

The present invention relates to a draft frame and more specifically relates to a draft frame for coupling an implement to a forward location of a lawn and garden tractor so as to be towed by the latter.

It is common to provide a lawn and garden tractor with some sort of mounting frame or bracket located at the forward end thereof and to couple implements to the frame by means of draft links or members. While much has been done to design these links or members such that they may be easily and quickly connected and disconnected, there still remains the problems that some draft link or member designs include various pieces which an operator must keep account of when not in use and must separately connect when in use and that some draft link or member designs include arrangements which are difficult to install because parts must be supported by hand while attempting to align mounting holes thereof with holes in the mounting frame or brackets.

According to the present invention, there is provided an improved draft frame and more specifically there is provided a draft frame for connecting an implement to a lawn and garden tractor.

A broad object of the invention is to provide a draft frame by which an implement may be easily and quickly connected to and disconnected from a towing vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a draft frame which is normally assembled to form a unitary piece.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a draft frame constructed such that it may be supported by the hitch frame during the alignment of mounting holes of the draft frame with holes in the mounting frame.

These and other objects will become apparent from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is a right front perspective view of a tractor implement combination embodying a draft frame constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the draft frame connected to mounting brackets at the front of the tractor.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the draft frame disconnected from the mounting brackets.

FIG. 4 is a view showing one of the spring loaded pins carried by the draft frame.

Referring now to FIG. 1, therein is shown a tractor designated generally by the reference numeral 10. As illustrated, the tractor 10 includes a main frame 12 having a pair of plate-like brackets 14 fixed thereto in depending relationship at a forward location thereof. Suspended from the frame 12 is an implement 16, here shown as a mower having a deck or housing 18. The mower is attached to the tractor through means including a pair of rear draft links 20 (only the right link being shown) pivotally connected between structure provided at the rear of the deck 18 and the frame 12. Connected between a pair of spaced brackets 22, that are fixed to the front side of the deck 18, and the pair of brackets 14 is a draft frame 24 that constitutes the present invention.

The draft frame 24 includes a pair of laterally spaced draft links or arms 26 having their rear ends respectively pivotally connected to the pair of brackets 22 by means of a pair of spring loaded J-shaped pins 28 carried by the brackets 22, and having their front ends respectively pivotally carried on stub shafts 30 fixed to and projecting inwardly from a pair of circular plates 32. The plates 32 form part of a forward connection member of the frame 24, the connection member further including a transverse rod 34 having opposite end portions 36 respectively projecting centrally through and being fixed to the pair of plates 32. When the draft frame 24 is installed, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rod end portions 36 are respectively received in complimentary bearing portions of a pair of forwardly opening receptacles 38 respectively formed in the pair of plate-like brackets 14. The circular plates 32 are respectively embracingly engaged with inner surface portions of and fixed to the brackets 14 through means of a pair of spring-loaded pins 40 respectively forming part of a pair of pin assemblies 42 fixed to inner surfaces of the pair of circular plates. A lever 43 is fixed to one end of the rod 34 for aiding in aligning the apertures in the brackets 14 and plates 32 for reception of the pins 40.

As can best be seen in FIG. 4, each pin assembly 42 includes a housing 44 having one of the pins 40 projecting through an inner wall 46 thereof and biased in the direction of the associated circular plate 32 through means of a coil compression spring 48 acting between the wall 46 and a projection 50 that is fixed to the pin 40 and extends into an L-shaped notch 52 formed in the housing 44. The notch 52 includes a first leg 54 which extends parallel to the length of the pin 40 and a second leg 56 which extends crosswise to the length of the pin 40, the leg 54 extending between the associated plate 32 and the leg 56 whereby the pin 40 may be locked in a retracted position, such as that in FIG. 4, by first pulling on the pin 40 to move the projection 50 along the leg 54 of the notch 52 and then by rotating the pin 40 to move the projection 50 in to the leg 56 of the notch 52.

In operation, once the implement 16 is positioned beneath the tractor 10 for attachment to the latter, the draft frame 24 is connected to the brackets 22 of the implement 16 by inserting the J-shaped pins 28 through the holes provided in the brackets 22 and the rear ends of the draft links 26. The pins 28 then establish a pivot axis about which the frame 24 may be swung vertically the extent necessary for disposing the transverse rod 34 just forwardly of the receptacles 38 whereupon the draft frame 24 is pushed rearwardly to dispose the rod 34 in the receptacles.

All of this time, the pins 40 will have been in retracted positions, as shown in FIG. 3, and the draft frame 24 is then fixed to the brackets 14 by releasing the pins 40 and using the lever 43 to rotate the rod 34 in the receptacles 38 to bring the aperatures in the plates 32 into alignment with those in the brackets 14 whereupon the springs 48 acting on the pins 40 will move the latter into the aligned aperatures.

The above procedure is reversed when disconnecting the draft frame 24 from the tractor 10.