US 12,000,100 B2
Snow-clearing trailer with secure drawbar locking
Michel Benedetti, Passy (FR)
Assigned to SOVIAR, Passy (FR)
Filed by SOVIAR, Passy (FR)
Filed on Jan. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/580,820.
Claims priority of application No. 21 00790 (FR), filed on Jan. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0235530 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. E01H 5/06 (2006.01); B62D 13/02 (2006.01)
CPC E01H 5/068 (2013.01) [B62D 13/025 (2013.01); E01H 5/067 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A snow-clearing trailer (1) intended to be towed by a towing vehicle (3) with a towing hitch (4), said snow-clearing trailer (1) having:
a chassis (5) extending longitudinally in a chassis direction (I-I) and having a snow-clearing blade (6),
at least one wheel (7a-7d) arranged so as to support the chassis (5) on the ground, an axle of said wheel (7a-7d) being selectively orientable by orientation means (8) between a first wheel position, in which an axis of the axle about which the wheel (7a-7d) rotates is perpendicular to the chassis direction (I-I), and at least a second wheel position, in which the axis of the axle about which the wheel (7a-7d) rotates makes with the chassis direction (I-I) an axle angle (A) that is different than 90°,
a drawbar (9) extending in a drawbar direction (III-III) between first (9a) and second (9b) drawbar ends,
at the first drawbar end (9a), first connection means (10) allowing a freely pivoting connection with the towing hitch (4) of the towing vehicle (3) about a first pivoting direction (IV-IV) substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the chassis direction (I-I) and the axis of the axle about which said at least one wheel (7a-7d) rotates,
wherein:
at the second drawbar end (9b), the drawbar (9) is articulated to the chassis (5) so as to pivot about a second pivoting direction (V-V) substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the chassis direction (I-I) and the axis of the axle about which said at least one wheel (7a-7d) rotates,
pivoting means (11) allow a selective pivoting movement of the chassis (5) of the trailer (1) and the drawbar (9) with respect to one another, and fixing the relative angular position (B) of the chassis (5) of the trailer (1) and of the drawbar (9), between a transport position, in which the chassis direction (I-I) and the drawbar direction (III-III) are substantially parallel, and at least one snow-clearing position, in which the chassis direction (I-I) and the drawbar direction (III-III) form a non-zero angle (B) with one another,
a drawbar locking bar (12) is provided, which has a fixed length, of which one end (12a) can be attached to the drawbar (9) and of which the other end (12b) can be attached to the chassis (5) so as to immobilize the drawbar (9) on the chassis (5) in the transport position,
wherein:
the snow-clearing trailer (1) has detection means (13), to generate an attachment signal when the drawbar locking bar (12) is attached to the drawbar (9) and to the chassis (5),
the snow-clearing trailer (1) has first disabling means (17) to disable the pivoting means (11),
the first disabling means (17) and the detection means (13) are arranged in such a way that when the detection means (13) generate an attachment signal, the first disabling means (17) prevent any actuation of the pivoting means (11).