Leveler for cubicles

Abstract

Leveling device for cubicles (1) in a stable system for leveling and mixing bedding material in cubicles for cows, comprising a coupling device (3) for mechanically and energetically coupling to a carrier vehicle, a leveling arm (19) which is fixedly arranged on the coupling device (3) and extends into the cubicles for soil cultivation, characterized in that the leveling arm (19) is designed to be pivotable on both sides of a stable aisle, which allows the cubicles of a stable aisle to be cultivated on both sides, wherein the leveling arm (19) has a pivoting arm (4) which, by means of a support rail (16), carries a cylindrical rotor tiller (8) with at least two bearing points, wherein the rotor tiller (8) has numerous stable spikes or tines (10) perpendicular to its surface.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a leveling device for dairy cows' cubicles for leveling and processing various ice-bedding materials on the floor of the cubicles.

[0002] Lying areas in dairy cow cubicles are relatively small, separated by mesh structures, and largely adapted to the cows' body size. The floor, filled with various bedding materials and insulating against the cold, should be level, non-slip, and dry, allowing the cows to assume different lying positions and stand up safely.

[0003] The floors of the lying areas can be designed in different ways, such as with mats or various rubber coverings with a layer of bedding. Bedding materials include loose straw, sand, chopped straw, sawdust, or even long straw as a top layer, as well as other, mostly organic, variations of various materials.

[0004] Due to the constant use of the lying areas by the dairy cows, bedding materials often become contaminated, compacted and scattered outside the boxes into the stable aisles.

[0005] The necessary movements of the dairy cows in the cubicles also ensure that over time the bedding materials and contaminants accumulate in certain places in the initially level lying area, making the lying area uneven and forming solidified bedding mattresses.

[0006] This affects both the hygiene and well-being of the dairy cows. This makes it necessary to regularly loosen the cows' lying areas, level any unevenness, and mix in fresh bedding materials.

[0007] While it may still be possible to work on individual cubicles by hand, it is hardly reasonable to work on several cubicles.

[0008] Especially with a large number of cubicles in a modern barn facility, the necessary periodic leveling / processing of the bedding material for the dairy cows is hardly possible for farmers and dairy farmers without additional mechanized tools.

[0009] Therefore, various technical aids from agricultural machinery construction and patent literature have become known which are used for the processing, cleaning and leveling of cow stalls.

[0010] For example, German patent DE102012105155B4 discloses a leveling device for leveling bedding material for cubicles. This device can be coupled to a farm loader or tractor using adapted, frame-shaped mounting brackets. A motor-driven auger shaft with a tapered auger section is intended to level the bedding material of a cubicle mattress formed through use and redistribute it as a lying surface for the cows.

[0011] In order to also treat the floor section under the cubicle bars, the auger shaft is tapered in the direction of the cubicle.

[0012] However, this leveling device cannot be adjusted to different lengths of lying boxes.

[0013] Another disadvantage is that a screw shaft is installed, which usually leaves an uneven, rough lying surface and transports the bedding material to the head end of the lying box.

[0014] The leveling device described here can only be driven in one direction along the stable aisle and can only be used on one side, which means that not all boxes in a stable aisle can possibly be reached.

[0015] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a leveling device for dairy cows' cubicles that avoids the disadvantages of previously known solutions, can be used in multiple directions, such as forward and reverse, and on both sides of a stable aisle. Furthermore, the leveling device should be easily adaptable to the dimensions, particularly the length, of different cubicles and be robustly designed.

[0016] This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of the first claim in conjunction with the preamble.

[0017] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

[0018] According to the invention, a leveling device for lying boxes in a stable system for leveling and mixing bedding material for dairy cows is specified, which can be coupled to a carrier vehicle and has a leveling arm which is pivotally mounted on the ground in the working plane on both sides of the stable aisle and is designed to be usable in both directions of travel.

[0019] This makes it possible to work on both sides of the lying boxes in a stable aisle.

[0020] The leveling arm also includes a swivel arm with a cylindrical rotor cutter, which has two bearing points, on the machine side and on the box side, to stabilize the working behavior.

[0021] According to the invention, numerous stable thorns or tines are arranged on the surface of the rotary tiller to effectively level the bedding material.

[0022] Furthermore, a coupling device according to the invention is provided, which serves as a stable connection to the carrier vehicle and is designed as a rectangular base frame with various coupling elements.

[0023] The lower base frame part of the base frame is preferably formed by a stable square tube, in the middle of which two predominantly trapezoidal, solid steel plates are attached for fastening a support frame for the leveling arm with swivel arm and rotor milling machine.

[0024] According to the invention, the support frame for the swivel arm is attached to or between the steel plates and is pivotally mounted in front of the coupling device by means of a pivot axis, which allows a rotation angle of approximately 180 degrees of the leveling arm in and against the direction of travel of a carrier vehicle on both sides of a stable aisle.

[0025] According to the invention, the arrangement of an extension attachment is provided for the rotor milling machine, which is designed to be insertable and fastenable into a flange bearing at the box-side end of the rotor milling machine (bearing point).

[0026] This allows the working range of the rotary tiller to be extended to other box sizes.

[0027] A support rail firmly connected to a stable swivel arm serves to stabilize the position of the rotary tiller.

[0028] The invention will now be explained by means of embodiments and the Fig. 1 to 3 are explained in more detail.

[0029] They show: Fig. 1: the leveling device 1 according to the invention with the leveling arm 19 in working position, Fig. 2: the front view of the levelling device 1 with the coupling device 3, Fig. 3: the coupling device 3 with swivel arm 4, vertically in rest position.

[0030] The Fig. The embodiment shown in Figure 1 shows the leveling device according to the invention for cow cubicles 1 in section, in working position with lowered leveling arm 19.

[0031] The two main components of the leveling device 1 are the coupling device 3 for coupling to a carrier vehicle and the pivoting leveling arm 19.

[0032] A carrier vehicle here refers to the farm loaders or wheel loaders frequently used in agricultural operations, which have corresponding modules for coupling various attachments as aids in agricultural technology.

[0033] For example, the carrier vehicle also provides electrical connections, hydraulic connections and associated control units and switches for the accessories to be attached to the machines.

[0034] Accordingly, the coupling device 3 has a rectangular, stable metallic base frame 3, the larger, lower base frame part 11 of which is preferably designed as a square steel tube, to which various coupling elements 7, 12, 13 are attached.

[0035] In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 shows a coupling hook 7 at each outer end of the lower base frame part 11 for locking the base frame 3 to the carrier vehicle. However, additional coupling hooks of a different design can also be provided if necessary.

[0036] The base frame 3 offers the possibility of mounting different coupling hooks 7, since the mounting and coupling of the leveling device 1 to a carrier vehicle / wheel loader varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

[0037] According to the invention, the complete leveling device 1 hangs on the base frame 3, wherein in the middle of the lower base frame part 11 a rotation axis 14 is provided as a vertical pivot point, to which a support frame 15 for the pivot arm 4 is fastened.

[0038] This allows the leveling arm 19 with the rotary tiller 8 to be pivoted left and right in the direction of travel and backwards.

[0039] The fastening of the support frame 15 in the middle of the lower base frame part 11 of the base frame 3 is preferably carried out by two steel plates 20 which are welded to the base frame part 11 designed as a square tube.

[0040] The support frame 15 is then pivotally mounted by means of a pivot pin 14, which is guided through corresponding openings in the two steel plates 20.

[0041] Furthermore, holes / openings 13 are provided for receiving and locking stabilizing bolts 18 when the support frame 15 pivots to the other side of the stable aisle. The rubber buffers, also located on the lower base frame part 11, are intended to dampen the pivoting movement of the support frame 15 with the leveling arm 19 against hard impacts ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

[0042] The leveling arm 19 is attached to the support frame 15 by means of steel plates 21 ( Fig. 2) and has a pivot bearing. The pivot bearing of the steel plates 21 forms a vertical bearing point to the base frame 3 and allows the raising and lowering of the swivel arm 4.

[0043] Furthermore, the steel plates 21 form the holder and linkage for the hydraulic cylinder 2 for operating the swivel arm 4 with the rotary cutter 8.

[0044] As mentioned, the two stabilizing bolts 18 designed as iron pins located opposite each other at the ends of the lower base frame part 11 have the function of falling into the holes / openings 13 provided for this purpose and locking into place when the support frame 15 with the leveling arm 19 is pivoted.

[0045] This tightens and locks the support frame 15 to the base frame part 11.

[0046] According to the invention, this ensures stable operation and fixation of the leveling arm 19 with the coupling device 3 on the carrier vehicle.

[0047] The levelling arm 19 comprises, in addition to its attachment to the pivoting support frame 15 and thus to the base frames 11 and 3, also the pivoting arm 4 and the assemblies 6 and 8 extending into the lying boxes ( Fig. 1).

[0048] The rotary cutter 8 for processing and leveling the floors of the lying areas is firmly integrated into a stable support rail 16 and is held in a stable position by several holding eyes, preferably firmly welded to the support rail 16.

[0049] The hydraulic motor 5, which is also held by the support rail 16 for the rotary drive of the rotary cutter 8, is coupled to the oil motor / hydraulic system of the carrier vehicle via hydraulic hoses 17 and is also controlled via the carrier vehicle ( Fig. 1).

[0050] The stability of the leveling arm 19 is further improved by the firm connection of the swivel arm 4, which is designed as a square tube, to the support rail 16, which is preferably made by two welded steel plates.

[0051] However, other known connection techniques, such as screw connections, can also be used.

[0052] The rotary tiller 8 according to the invention is preferably formed by a round steel tube with a diameter of approximately 10 cm, on the surface of which mandrels or tines 10 approximately 5 cm long and 1.6 cm thick are welded.

[0053] The thorns / tines 10 are preferably offset from one another and arranged in 4 rows.

[0054] Other arrangements of mandrels / tines 10 on the rotary tiller 8 also fall within the scope of the invention.

[0055] For optimal leveling of the cow cubicles, it is advantageous to select a direction of rotation of the rotor cutter 8 that is opposite to the direction of travel of the carrier vehicle.

[0056] According to the invention, the milling shaft of the rotor milling machine 8 has at least two fixed bearing points in connection with the support rail 16.

[0057] A machine-side bearing point is formed by the oil or hydraulic motor 5, for example, while the box-side bearing point at the end of the rotor milling machine 8 is designed as a conventional flange bearing 9.

[0058] The flange bearing 9 preferably has a diameter of 50 mm.

[0059] The hydraulic motor 5, controlled by the carrier vehicle, serves exclusively to drive the milling shaft of the rotary milling machine 8, while the hydraulic cylinder 2, also controlled by the carrier vehicle, is designed to raise and lower the leveling arm 19 via the pivot bearing in steel plates 21, as well as the locking via the stabilizing bolts 18.

[0060] The control of modules 2 and 5 is carried out by the carrier vehicle via a double-acting control unit, which is present on many vehicle types of a carrier vehicle.

[0061] The control unit for hydraulic cylinder 2 and hydraulic motor 5 can be designed as a 6 / 2-way valve, which enables switching between raising / lowering of the leveling arm 19 or the direction of rotation of the rotary tiller 8 for forward and reverse running.

[0062] The control unit on the carrier vehicle can be operated with a pressure switch or button at 12V operating voltage.

[0063] According to the invention, the levelling device for cubicles 1 has an arbitrarily scalable extension 6 of the rotor cutter 8 ( Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).

[0064] The extension 6 of the rotor cutter 8 is designed as an attachment 6 that can be inserted into the flange bearing 9 and also has mandrels / tines 10.

[0065] The attachment / extension 6 can be designed in different lengths and different diameters and can be mounted on the rotary cutter 8.

[0066] This allows for flexible processing of cubicles of different dimensions and levelling them completely or to a desired length.

[0067] The attachment 6 has a central shaft with a hexagonal toothing, which is designed to be inserted into the flange bearing 9 on the box-side outer end of the rotor milling machine 8 and can be locked by a grub screw.

[0068] The present invention allows in particular a quick and robust levelling and processing of lying areas for cows in lying boxes.

[0069] The various bedding materials, such as straw, sawdust, manure, etc., which partially mix to form bedding mattresses on the cows' lying areas, are leveled by the described inventive leveling device 1 and processed to improve animal hygiene.

[0070] In particular, the inventive design of the rotor cutter 8 mixes, loosens and levels the bedding in cubicles.

[0071] Due to the inventive design of the coupling device 3 with the lower base frame part 11, to which the pivotable support frame 15 is hinged, it is possible to pivot the leveling arm 19 in both directions to the left and right of the pit lane.

[0072] By pivoting to both sides, no cow cubicle remains unreachable. The leveling device 1 described can also be used advantageously when the carrier vehicle is moving forward and backward.

[0073] It is not necessary to change the direction of the carrier vehicle, since the rotary tiller 8 is not direction-dependent.

[0074] Due to the low overall height of the rotor cutter 8 with the swivel arm 4, it is advantageously possible to pass underneath the cubicle brackets.

[0075] Both the multiple bearings of the rotor cutter 8 and the arrangement of the stable support rail 16 as a frame above the rotor cutter 8 provide protection and stability when working the boxes and prevent the bedding material from flying around uncontrollably. List of reference symbols 1 leveler for cubicles 2 hydraulic cylinders (for swivel arm 4) 3 coupling device (7, 11, 12, 13), base frame 4 swivel arms, (between 3 and 8) 5 Hydraulic motor, oil motor 6 extension attachments for 8 7 Locking device, coupling hook, coupling device for carrier vehicle 8 rotor cutter / roller (steel pipe) 9 flange bearings on 8 for 6 10 thorns / prongs on 8 11 lower base frame part of 3, (square tube) 12 rubber buffers on base frame part 11 13 holes in 11 for stabilizing bolts 18 14 Rotation axis, pivot pin, vertical pivot point at 15 15 Support frame for swivel arm 4 (square tube) 16 Support rail for rotary cutter 8 17 hydraulic hoses to the carrier vehicle (wheel loader, yard loader) 18 stabilizing bolts, iron pins for insertion / locking in 13 for stabilizing 15 19 leveling arm (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17) 20 steel plates, fastening from 15 to 11 with 14 21 steel plates with pivot bearing, fastening from 4 to 15, hydraulic cylinder 2 QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 102012105155B4

[0010]

Claims

[1] Levelling device for cow stalls (1) in a stable for levelling and mixing bedding material in cow stalls, comprising a coupling device (3) for mechanical and energetic coupling to a carrier vehicle, a levelling arm (19) fixedly arranged on the coupling device (3) which extends into the cow stalls for soil cultivation, characterized by in that the levelling arm (19) is designed to be pivotable on both sides of a stable aisle, which allows the lying boxes of a stable aisle to be worked on both sides, wherein the levelling arm (19) has a pivoting arm (4) which, by means of a support rail (16), carries a cylindrical rotor milling cutter (8) with at least two bearing points, wherein the rotor milling cutter (8) has numerous stable spikes or tines (10) perpendicular to its surface. [2] Levelling device for cubicles (1) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the coupling device (3) is designed as a rectangular base frame (3), the lower base frame part (11) of which is designed as a stable square tube (11), in the middle of which two, predominantly trapezoidal, solid steel plates are arranged for fastening a support frame (15) for the pivot arm (4) of the rotor milling machine (8). [3] Levelling device for lying boxes (1) according to claim 2, characterized by that the support frame (15) for the swivel arm (4) is pivotally mounted on or between the steel plates (20) by means of a pivot axis (14) in front of the coupling device (3) and is designed as a square tube, which allows a rotation angle of approximately 180 degrees in and against the direction of travel of a carrier vehicle on both sides of a stable aisle. [4] Levelling device for lying boxes (1) according to claim 3, characterized bythat the swivel arm (4) is pivotally mounted vertically in the rest and working positions by means of solid steel plates fastened predominantly at right angles to the support frame (15) by means of an integrated pivot bearing (21), wherein a hydraulic cylinder (2) is arranged between the pivot bearing (21) and an articulation angle of the swivel arm (4) for lifting and lowering the swivel arm (4) into the respective rest and working positions. [5] Levelling device for lying boxes (1) according to claim 4, characterized by that the rotor milling machine (8) is fastened to the pivot arm (4) by means of a support rail (16), wherein the fastening of the rotor milling machine (8) to the support rail (16) is designed to be rotatable for rotation and takes place at at least two bearing points, and wherein a machine-side bearing point of the rotor milling machine (8) is formed by a hydraulic motor (5), and the box-side bearing point is formed by a flange bearing (9) at the opposite end of the rotor milling machine (8). [6] Levelling device for cubicles (1) according to claim 5. Characterized by that the hydraulic motor (5) is designed and arranged to drive the rotary cutter (8) and, like the rotary cutter (8), is fastened to the support rail (16) by means of axle suspension, wherein the hydraulic hoses (17) are connected to the pressure generation and control of the carrier vehicle. [7] Levelling device for cubicles (1) according to claim 6, characterized by that the rotor cutter (8) is designed as a round steel tube onto which numerous spikes or tines (10) are welded in several rows offset from one another and form a cutter shaft for processing the floor of the lying boxes. [8] Levelling device for cubicles (1) according to claim 7, characterized bythat an extension (6) for the rotor milling machine (8) is provided as an attachment (6), which is designed to be pluggable and fastenable to a flange bearing (9) at the bearing point of the rotor milling machine (8) on the lying box side. [9] Levelling device for lying boxes (1) according to claim 8, characterized by that the attachment of the extension attachment (6) to the flange bearing (9) is effected by means of a shaft with a hexagonal toothing, which is locked with a grub screw. [10] Levelling device for lying boxes (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat on the lower base frame part (11) there are arranged a plurality of locks or coupling hooks (7) for coupling the base frame (3) to a carrier vehicle, a plurality of rubber buffers (12) for shock absorption of the pivotable support frame (15) when the leveling arm (19) is pivoted, and at least two stabilizing bolts (18) designed as iron pins (18) for stable locking of the support frame (15) in a working position of the pivot arm (4) at right angles to the direction of travel. [11] Levelling device for cubicles (1) according to claim 10, characterized by that the control of the leveling device (1), in particular the hydraulic cylinder (2) for the swivel arm (4) and the hydraulic motor (5) for the rotation of the rotary tiller (8) is carried out by a double-acting control device on the carrier vehicle, which is preferably designed as a 6 / 2-way valve with 12 V switching or momentary-action, and allows the lifting / lowering of the swivel arm (4) or the forward or reverse running of the rotary tiller (8).

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