Mounting controls on right rear corner post of operators cab

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention is directed to mounting controls in the right rear corner post of a work vehicle.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Work vehicles are designed to perform a work operation. Many work vehicles are designed to pull a large body behind the vehicle. Examples of vehicles designed to pull a large body, include logging skidders and agricultural tractors. It has been found that an operator of a logging skidder may spend sixty (percent) of his or her time looking forward and forty (percent) of his or her time looking rearward to check the log skidding operation.

[0006] Typically the operator controls for a work vehicle are located on a forward console so the operator can easily view and access the controls during operations. In addition, in combines and other agricultural work vehicles, controls and monitors are placed on the front corner posts of the operators cab. These front corner posts may form part of the roll over protection system (ROPS). In this way the operator can easily locate the controls and monitors, as they are not out of the operator's forward line of sight.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient location for locating operator controls that are in the line of sight of an operator when operating a rear mounted work implement for dragging a body.

[0008] A work vehicle having a supporting frame and ground engaging wheels is provided with a work implement mounted to the rear portion of the work vehicle. The work implement is designed to drag a body behind the vehicle. The operation of the work vehicle is controlled from an operators cab mounted to the supporting frame. The operators cab is provided with a ROPS for protecting the operator. The ROPS is provided with four vertically extending supporting posts, left and right front supporting posts, and left and right rear supporting posts. An operators seat is located in the operators cab and is arranged diagonally to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. In the preferred embodiment, the operators seat faces both to the front and to the right side. In this embodiment, the right rear corner post is provided with at least one operator control that is in the line of sight of the operator when seated in the operators seat.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a logging skidder.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a top schematic view of an operators cab.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the right rear corner post of the operators cab.

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an off road work vehicle which in the present example is a grapple skidder 10. The grapple skidder 10 is provided with a supporting frame 12 having ground engaging means 14 for supporting and propelling the vehicle. Although the illustrated embodiment discloses a vehicle having ground engaging wheels, the present invention could also be used on track laying vehicles of either the steel tracked type or the rubber tracked type. The supporting frame 12 is provided with a front portion 16 having a front mounted stacking blade 18, and a rear portion 20 having a rear mounted grapple 22 and associated grapple linkage 24. The operation of the vehicle is controlled from an operator cab 26.

[0013] The grapple 22 and grapple linkage 24 comprise a work implement for performing a work operation. The work operation is grabbing and dragging logs behind the skidder 10. Cable skidders perform the identical work operation except that a cable and choker is used to grab the logs. In agricultural tractors the rear portion mounted work implement comprises a hitch for dragging an implement behind the tractor through a field.

[0014] The supporting frame 12 of the work vehicle defines a longitudinal center line that passes through the front portion 16 and the rear portion 20. As illustrated in FIG. 2 the operators cab 26 is provided with an operators seat 30 which is diagonal to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle. More specifically in the preferred embodiment, the seat 30 is faced forward and to the right to minimize operator neck strain and fatigue. It should be noted that in the illustrated embodiment, the seat 30 intersects the longitudinal centerline, however, the seat 30 could be diagonally arranged and offset from the line. The operator steers the vehicle by manipulating steering wheel 32 which extends upwardly and rearwardly from front console 34. Although not illustrated the front console may be provided with controls for controlling the operation of the work vehicle.

[0015] The operators cab is provided with left and right front supporting posts 36 and 38, respectively, and left and right rear supporting posts 40 and 42, respectively. These supporting posts 36-42 form part of the ROPS structure for the operators cab 26. In the preferred embodiment, operator controls 44 are mounted to the right rear post 42. In the grapple skidder 10 the operator control was part of a convenience group panel 46 having HVAC, lighting, wipers and other controls. The right rear post defines a silhouette when the operator is in the operators seat 30. The operator controls 44 are located within this silhouette so they do not interfere with the operators visibility. By locating these controls on the right rear post 42 the controls are within the operators line of sight when seated. In addition, damage to the controls is minimized by reducing their exposure. By locating the controls on the post they are more easily serviced and maintained. Furthermore, the number of controls located on the front console is reduced better facilitating their arrangement on the front console.

[0016] As discussed above, in the preferred embodiment the operators seat 30 faces right and the operator controls are mounted on the right rear corner post 42. However, the seat could also be diagonally arranged to the left and the controls mounted on the left rear corner post 40. As such, the invention should not be limited to the above described embodiments, but should be limited solely to the claims that follow: