Snow remover

Abstract

To improve functionality by driving an auger and a blower to independently rotate, thereby reducing the influence of a snow load as much as possible and to improve versatility by enabling wearing of the blower so as to rotate forward even in any rotation direction of a PTO shaft.SOLUTION: This snow remover comprises: an auger rotation mechanism 20 provided with an auger hydraulic motor 22 for rotating an auger 11 driven by an auger hydraulic pump 21; and a blower rotation mechanism 30 for transmitting rotation of one of a front PTO shaft Df and a rear PTO shaft Dr to a blower 13 to rotate it. The blower rotation mechanism 30 is configured by being provided with a reduction gear 31. A first connection part 36 for connection to the front PTO shaft Df is provided on one end side of a first shaft 33 of the reduction gear 31. A second connection part 37 for connection to the rear PTO shaft Dr is provided on one end side of a second shaft 34. The other end side of the second shaft 34 is linked to a blower rotary shaft of the blower 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a snow removal device that is connected to a tractor as one of the working machines, and more particularly to a snow removal device that utilizes the rotation of the PTO shaft of the tractor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Fig. 8, this type of snow removal device Sa is configured to include an auger 100 that is rotated to collect snow, an auger case 101 that rotatably holds the auger 100, and a blower 102 that is mounted on the auger case 101 and rotates in one direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case 101 to discharge the snow collected by the auger 100. A tractor T on which this snow removal device Sa is mounted is equipped with a front PTO shaft Df on the front side that transmits power from an engine E via a transmission Ca, and a rear PTO shaft Dr on the rear side that transmits power from the engine E via a transmission mechanism and a transmission Cb in a transmission case M.

[0003] The snow removal device Sa is mounted by positioning the auger 100 exposed from the auger case 101 so as to be exposed toward the front of the tractor T, and connecting a number of links (not shown) provided on the tractor T to the auger case 101. The auger case 101 is provided with a transmission mechanism 104 that mechanically transmits the rotation of the PTO shaft Df to the auger 100 and the blower 102 via a connecting shaft 103 and rotates in conjunction with the auger 100 and the blower 102 (for example, as described in Japanese Patent No. 4520338, etc.).

[0004] When removing snow using the tractor T connected to the snow removal device Sa, the driver drives the tractor T forward and rotates the PTO shaft Df. This causes the auger 100 and blower 102 to rotate in unison via the connecting shaft 103, causing the auger 100 to collect snow, which is then sucked up by the blower 102 and discharged from a chute (not shown).

[0005] The reason why the snow removal device Sa is mounted on the front side of the tractor T to perform snow removal is as follows: Traditionally, many tractors have had a PTO shaft only on the rear side, so in this type of tractor, the snow removal device is mounted in a position such that the auger exposed from the auger case faces toward the rear of the tractor, and when removing snow, the driver drives the snow removal device by moving the tractor in reverse (see, for example, Utility Model Registration No. 3137977, etc.). However, when connecting the snow removal device to the rear side of the tractor to perform snow removal, the driver must face backwards and move the tractor in reverse while looking behind, which makes it difficult to operate and places a heavy burden on the neck, shoulders, etc., making it difficult to work for long periods of time and resulting in poor workability. In contrast, in a tractor type that has not only a rear PTO shaft Dr on the rear side but also a front PTO shaft Df on the front side as shown in Figure 8, by connecting the snow removal device Sa to the front side, the tractor T can be moved forward and the driver can operate the snow removal device Sa while facing forward, thereby improving operability and workability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4520338 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3137977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the conventional snow removal device Sa, the rotation of the PTO shaft Df is mechanically transmitted to the auger 100 and the blower 102 via the transmission mechanism 104, and the auger 100 and the blower 102 rotate in conjunction with each other. For example, if the load of snow acting on the auger 100 becomes large, this affects the rotation of the blower 102, causing the blower 102 to lose its snow suction power, and snow may become clogged around the blower 102, forcing the device to stop operating. This phenomenon is particularly likely to occur when the torque of the PTO shaft Df is small. In addition, the blower and the auger are generally provided with shear bolts, but when the shear bolts become clogged with snow, they may break and require replacement, significantly impairing workability.

[0008] Depending on the snow conditions and the surrounding environment, it may be necessary to mount the snow removal device so that the auger exposed from the auger case faces the rear of the tractor. In this case, the snow removal device is placed on the rear side of the tractor and connected to the rear PTO shaft Dr, and the driver must reverse the tractor while facing backwards and looking backwards, but it is expected that the desired snow removal work can be performed. However, although some tractors have a variable rotation direction of the rear PTO shaft, generally, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotation direction of the front PTO shaft Df when the tractor T is viewed from the rear and the rotation direction of the rear PTO shaft Dr when the tractor T is viewed from the rear are often the same. Therefore, in this case, if a blower that can be rotated in one direction when viewed from the rear of the auger case is directly connected to the rear PTO shaft Dr, it will be rotated in the other direction when viewed from the rear of the auger case, i.e., the blower will rotate in the opposite direction, and the blower will not be able to be connected to the rear PTO shaft Dr. To solve this problem, a separate mechanism for changing the direction of rotation must be provided, which increases the number of parts and the number of assembly steps, resulting in poor installation efficiency and being undesirable.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a snow removal device that can improve functionality by allowing the auger and blower to be rotated independently, thereby minimizing the impact of snow load, and that can be installed so that the rotation direction of the blower is the forward direction of one rotation direction when viewed from the rear of the auger case, regardless of the rotation direction of the PTO shaft, thereby improving versatility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the snow removal device of the present invention is a snow removal device that is connected as one of the working machines to a tractor equipped with a PTO shaft that transmits power from an engine E, and that includes an auger that is rotated to collect snow, an auger case that rotatably holds the auger, and a blower that is attached to the auger case and rotates in one forward rotation direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case to discharge the snow collected by the auger, an auger rotation mechanism provided in the auger case and including an auger hydraulic motor driven by an auger hydraulic pump operated by power of the engine E to rotate the auger; a blower rotation mechanism provided in the auger case for transmitting rotation of the PTO shaft to the blower to rotate the blower, the blower rotation mechanism is configured with a reducer attached to the auger case, the reducer being configured with a gear box attached to the auger case, a first shaft rotatably attached to the gear box, a second shaft rotatably attached to the gear box and having an axis parallel to the first shaft, and a gear transmission mechanism housed in the gear box for transmitting the rotation of the first shaft to the second shaft and reversing the rotation of the first shaft to reduce the speed; A first connection portion for connecting to the PTO shaft is provided on one end side of the first shaft of the reduction gear, a second connection portion for connecting to the PTO shaft is provided on one end side of the second shaft, and the other end side of the second shaft is linked to the blower rotating shaft of the blower.

[0011] As a result, for example, in order to rotate the blower in the forward direction, the second shaft is rotated in one direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case, and therefore the first shaft is rotated in the other direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case. When connecting the PTO shaft to the reducer of the blower rotation mechanism, either the first connection part of the first shaft of the reducer or the second connection part of the second shaft is selected and connected. This selection is made by connecting to the side that allows the blower to rotate in the forward direction, as viewed from the rear of the tractor. In this case, regardless of the rotation direction of the PTO shaft, the PTO shaft can be connected by selecting either the first connection part of the first shaft of the reducer or the second connection part of the second shaft of the reducer, so there is no need to provide a mechanism for changing the rotation direction one by one, and therefore versatility can be improved.

[0012] When snow is removed using this snow removal device, the rotation of the PTO shaft is transmitted to the blower by the blower rotation mechanism while the tractor is moving, and the auger hydraulic pump is operated and the auger hydraulic motor drives the auger rotation mechanism to rotate the auger. As a result, snow is collected by the auger, and the collected snow is sucked up and discharged by the blower. In this case, even if the load of snow acting on the auger becomes large, the blower and the auger are rotated independently by the blower rotation mechanism driven by the PTO shaft and the auger rotation mechanism equipped with the auger hydraulic motor, respectively, so that the influence of the rotation related to the auger is not reflected on the blower. Therefore, the snow suction power of the blower is reduced and snow does not get clogged in the blower, and the impact of operation stoppages and repairs due to the load is reduced, and the functionality can be improved. In particular, when the torque of the PTO shaft is small, the load on the PTO shaft is reduced, so this is extremely effective.

[0013] In addition, the auger rotation mechanism uses a hydraulic motor to drive the auger, and when an excessive load is applied, a relief valve is generally provided in the hydraulic circuit, and this relief valve opens to allow the oil to escape, making it easy to deal with the excessive load. Furthermore, when dealing with excessive loads using a mechanical system with a shear bolt, if the shear bolt breaks, it must be replaced, but the replacement work becomes extremely troublesome and complicated when removing snow in a cold environment. However, with a hydraulic motor, there is no need to replace the shear bolt, so this troublesome and complicated replacement work is eliminated.

[0014] If necessary, when the tractor is equipped with a front PTO shaft on the front side and a rear PTO shaft on the rear side which rotates in the same direction as the front PTO shaft when viewed from the rear of the tractor, either the first connection part of the first shaft or the second connection part of the second shaft is formed so as to be connectable to the front PTO shaft, and the other of the first connection part of the first shaft or the second connection part of the second shaft is formed so as to be connectable to the rear PTO shaft.

[0015] As a result, when removing snow, the snow removal device can be selected to be mounted on the front side of the tractor (hereinafter referred to as "front mounting") or on the rear side of the tractor (hereinafter referred to as "rear mounting"). Each case will be explained below. Here, for example, in order to rotate the blower in the forward direction, the second shaft is rotated in one direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case, and therefore the first shaft is rotated in the other direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case, and a case will be explained in which the front PTO shaft and the rear PTO shaft rotate in the other direction as viewed from the rear of the tractor.

[0016] <When mounting on the front> The auger is mounted by positioning the auger exposed from the auger case so that it faces the front of the tractor, and connecting multiple links provided on the tractor to the auger case. Then, the front PTO shaft is connected to the first connection part of the first shaft of the reduction gear via, for example, a connecting shaft. As a result, the front PTO shaft rotates in the other direction as seen from the rear of the tractor, the first shaft of the reduction gear rotates in the other direction as seen from the rear of the tractor, and the second shaft rotates in one direction as seen from the rear of the auger case, so that the second shaft rotates the blower in the forward direction.

[0017] <For rear mounting> Depending on the conditions of snow accumulation and the surrounding environment, it may be necessary to mount the snow removal device on the rear side. In this case, the auger exposed from the auger case is positioned so as to be exposed toward the rear of the tractor, and multiple links provided on the tractor are connected to the auger case to mount the device. Then, the rear PTO shaft is connected to the second connection part of the second shaft of the reduction gear via, for example, a connecting shaft. As a result, the rear PTO shaft rotates in the other direction as seen from the rear of the tractor, but the second shaft of the reduction gear rotates in one direction as seen from the rear of the auger case, so the second shaft rotates the blower in the forward direction. In this case, the first shaft simply rotates idly. When using this snow removal device to remove snow, the tractor is reversed, so the driver must reverse the tractor while facing backwards and looking backwards, but the desired snow removal work can be performed.

[0018] In addition, as necessary, the first connection portion of the first shaft and the second connection portion of the second shaft are configured with a spline shaft protruding from the gear box and are detachably provided on the reducer, and are configured with a cover that covers either the first connection portion of the first shaft or the second connection portion of the second shaft when either one is in use.

[0019] As a result, whether the front PTO shaft is connected to the first connection part of the first shaft or the rear PTO shaft is connected to the second connection part of the second shaft, the spline that forms the first connection part of the first shaft and the spline that forms the second connection part of the second shaft rotate synchronously, but because the spline on the side to which the PTO shaft is not connected is covered, it is possible to prevent situations such as the spline colliding with something and being damaged. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, the auger and the blower are rotated independently by the blower rotation mechanism and the auger rotation mechanism, respectively, so that the influence of the rotation related to the auger is not reflected in the blower, and therefore the influence of the load of snow can be reduced as much as possible, improving functionality. Also, since the PTO shaft can be connected so that the rotation direction of the blower is the forward direction of one rotation direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case regardless of the rotation direction of the PTO shaft, versatility can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1A is a side view showing a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention attached to the front side of a tractor, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a snow removal device attached to the rear side of a tractor. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear side. [Diagram 3] 1 is a front perspective view showing a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 2 is a rear view showing an auger case to which a blower rotation mechanism of a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, together with an enlarged view of a main portion of the blower rotation mechanism. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a blower rotation mechanism of a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its drive system mounted on the front side of a tractor. FIG. [Figure 7]1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its drive system mounted on the rear side of a tractor. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional snow removal device together with its drive system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A snow removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same components as those described above will be denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figures 1 to 7, there are various types of tractors to which a snow removal device S according to the embodiment can be connected, but the tractor T described here has a chassis 1, a front connection section 3 consisting of multiple links 2 to which various working machines such as a shovel are connected, and a rear connection section 5 consisting of multiple links 4 for connecting a working machine such as a rake. On the front side, a front PTO shaft Df is provided which transmits the power of the engine E via a transmission Ca, while on the rear side, a rear PTO shaft Dr is provided which transmits the power of the engine E via a transmission mechanism in a transmission case M and a transmission Cb. The snow removal device S according to the embodiment is connected to the front connection section 3 or the rear connection section 5 as one of the working machines of the tractor T.

[0023] Also, although some tractors have a variable rotation direction of the rear PTO shaft Dr, in the tractor T of the type described here, the rotation direction of the front PTO shaft Df when viewed from the rear of the tractor T and the rotation direction of the rear PTO shaft Dr when viewed from the rear of the tractor T are generally set to the same direction (the other rotation direction Rb when viewed from the rear of the tractor T). In this tractor T, the front PTO shaft Df receives the rotation of the engine E via a transmission Ca, but the rotation speed is fixed, for example, set to 1000 RPM. On the other hand, the rear PTO shaft Dr receives the rotation of the engine E via a transmission mechanism in a transmission case M, so the rotation speed is variable, and is set to multiple stages, for example, 540 RPM, 750 RPM, 1000 RPM, etc.

[0024] A connecting shaft 10 is connected to the front PTO shaft Df and rear PTO shaft Dr of the snow removal device S. Both ends of the connecting shaft 10 are formed with a well-known universal joint structure, with one end connected to the front PTO shaft Df or the rear PTO shaft Dr and the other end connected to a blower rotation mechanism 30, which will be described later.

[0025] 1 to 7, snow removal device S is configured to include an auger 11 that is rotated to collect snow, an auger case 12 that rotatably holds the auger 11, and a blower 13 that is provided in the auger case 12 and rotated in a forward direction, that is, one rotation direction Ra, as viewed from the rear of the auger case 12, to discharge the snow collected by the auger 11. A connection portion 14 is formed on the rear side of the auger case 12 and is connected to multiple (three in this embodiment) links 2 of the front connection portion 3 or multiple (three in this embodiment) links 4 of the rear connection portion 5. As a result, the auger case 12 is attached to the front side of the tractor T with the auger 11 exposed from the auger case 12 positioned so that it is exposed toward the front of the tractor T ("front-mounted" shown in Figure 1(A) described below), or is connected to the rear side of the tractor T with the auger 11 exposed from the auger case 12 positioned so that it is exposed toward the rear of the tractor T ("rear-mounted" shown in Figure 1(B) described below).

[0026] The auger 11 includes a main shaft 15 extending along the width direction of the tractor T, and a spiral blade 11a and a spiral blade 11b fixed to the left and right sides of the main shaft 15 with the center as a boundary. The auger 11 rotates in one direction around the main shaft 15 to collect snow at the center of the main shaft 15. The auger case 12 rotatably supports both ends of the main shaft 15 of the auger 11, and has an intake port 16 and a discharge port 17 that open at a position corresponding to the center of the main shaft 15 of the auger 11 and suck in snow. A chute 18 that discharges snow is protruding from the discharge port 17. Reference numeral 19 denotes a variable device equipped with an electric motor that changes the angle of the chute. The auger case 12 is rotatable around the axle direction of the tractor T as its axis, and is swingable up and down relative to the links 2 and 4, and its posture relative to the ground can be adjusted by an actuator (not shown).

[0027] The blower 13 is provided inside the suction port 16 of the auger case 12, and sucks in the accumulated snow from the suction port 16 and discharges it from the discharge port 17. As shown in Fig. 5, the blower 13 has a blower rotating shaft 13a journaled on the auger case 12, and is provided with blades 13b at the tip end thereof for taking in snow.

[0028] The snow removal device S is provided with an auger rotation mechanism 20 which is provided in the auger case 12 and has an auger hydraulic motor 22 which is driven by an auger hydraulic pump 21 operated by the power of the engine E to rotate the auger 11, and a blower rotation mechanism 30 which is provided in the auger case 12 and transmits the rotation of the PTO shaft to the blower 13 via the connecting shaft 10 to rotate the blower 13.

[0029] In detail, the auger rotation mechanism 20 is configured to include an auger hydraulic motor 22 provided on one outer side end of the auger case 12, and a chain transmission mechanism 23 provided between the rotating shaft of the auger hydraulic motor 22 and one end of the main rotating shaft 15 of the auger 11. The chain transmission mechanism 23 is configured from a main sprocket 23a provided on the rotating shaft of the auger hydraulic motor 22, a driven sprocket 23b provided on one end of the main rotating shaft 15 of the auger 11, and an endless chain 23c stretched between the main sprocket 23a and the driven sprocket 23b.

[0030] The auger hydraulic pump 21 that drives the auger hydraulic motor 22 is composed of a gear pump and is provided on the chassis 1. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, it is operated by the power of the engine E via a transmission (not shown) in the transmission case M. The chassis 1 is also equipped with an oil tank 24 that supplies oil to the auger hydraulic pump 21. Reference numeral 25 denotes an auger oil feed pipe that extends from the oil tank 24 to the auger hydraulic pump 21, reference numeral 26 denotes an auger oil supply line that supplies oil from the auger hydraulic pump 21 to the auger hydraulic motor 22, and reference numeral 27 denotes an auger oil discharge line that discharges oil from the auger hydraulic motor 22. Reference numeral 28 denotes a pressure stabilization line that is installed between the auger oil supply line 26 and the auger oil discharge line 27 and that flows oil from the auger oil discharge line 27 to the auger oil supply line 26 through a one-way valve when the auger hydraulic pump 21 is stopped, thereby stabilizing the pressure. In addition, the auger oil supply pipe 26 is connected to a relief pipe (not shown) equipped with a relief valve that releases oil to the oil tank 24 when the load on the auger hydraulic motor 22 exceeds a predetermined value.

[0031] The blower rotation mechanism 30 is configured to include a reducer 31 attached to the back side of the auger case 12. The reducer 31 is configured to include a gear box 32 attached to the auger case 12, a first shaft 33 rotatably attached to the gear box 32, a second shaft 34 rotatably attached to the gear box 32 and having an axis parallel to the first shaft 33, and a gear transmission mechanism 35 housed in the gear box 32, which transmits the rotation of the first shaft 33 to the second shaft 34 and reverses the rotation of the first shaft 33 to reduce the speed. In this embodiment, the gear transmission mechanism 35 is made up of a combination of spur gears and is set to a gear ratio that reduces the rotation of the first shaft 33 to 2 / 3, for example.

[0032] Further, one end of the first shaft 33 of the reduction gear 31 is provided with a first connection portion 36 for connection to the PTO shaft, and one end of the second shaft 34 is provided with a second connection portion 37 for connection to the PTO shaft. The other end of the second shaft 34 is linked to the blower rotating shaft 13a of the blower 13. In detail, one end of the connecting shaft 10 is connected to the front PTO shaft Df or the rear PTO shaft Dr, while the other end is connected to the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 of the reduction gear 31 or the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34. The other end of the connecting shaft 10 is formed with a female spline (not shown), and the first connection portion 36 and the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 are formed with male spline shafts of the same shape and size that protrude from the gear box 32 and mesh with the female spline of the connecting shaft 10.

[0033] For this reason, the front PTO shaft Df can be connected to both the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 and the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 via the connecting shaft 10, and the rear PTO shaft Dr can be connected to both the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 and the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 via the connecting shaft 10. However, in this case, due to the relationship in the rotational direction, the front PTO shaft Df is connected to the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 via the connecting shaft 10, and the rear PTO shaft Dr is connected to the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 via the connecting shaft 10.

[0034] 5 to 7, in the embodiment, a cup-shaped cover 40 is provided which is detachably attached to the reducer 31 and covers either the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 or the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 when either one of them is in use. Therefore, in either case, when the front PTO shaft Df is connected to the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 or when the rear PTO shaft Dr is connected to the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34, the spline shaft which is the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 and the spline shaft which is the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 rotate synchronously, but since the spline on the side where the PTO shaft is not connected is covered with the cover 40, it is possible to prevent a situation where the spline shaft hits something and is damaged.

[0035] Therefore, when snow removal device S according to the embodiment is attached to a tractor T to remove snow, the snow removal device S can be selected to be mounted on the front side of the tractor T (hereinafter referred to as "front mounting") or on the rear side of the tractor T (hereinafter referred to as "rear mounting"). Each case will be explained below.

[0036] <When mounting on the front> As shown in Fig. 1(A) and Fig. 6, the auger 11 exposed from the auger case 12 is arranged to be exposed toward the front of the tractor T, and the multiple links 2 provided on the tractor T are connected to the auger case 12 to mount the tractor T. Then, the front PTO shaft Df is connected to the first connection portion 36 of the first shaft 33 of the reduction gear 31 via the connecting shaft 10. As a result, the front PTO shaft Df rotates in the other rotation direction Rb as viewed from the rear of the tractor T (viewed from A in Fig. 6), the first shaft 33 of the reduction gear 31 rotates in the other rotation direction Rb as viewed from the rear of the tractor T (viewed from A in Fig. 6), and the second shaft 34 rotates in one rotation direction Ra as viewed from the rear of the auger case 12 (viewed from A in Fig. 6), so that the second shaft 34 rotates the blower 13 in the forward direction.

[0037] In detail, when snow is removed by the snow removal device S, the auger hydraulic pump 21 is operated while the tractor T is moving, the auger hydraulic motor 22 drives the auger rotation mechanism 20 to rotate the auger 11, and the rotation of the PTO shaft is transmitted to the blower 13 by the blower rotation mechanism 30 to rotate the blower 13. As a result, snow is collected by the auger 11, and the collected snow is sucked and discharged by the blower 13. In this case, even if the load of snow acting on the auger 11 becomes large, for example, the auger 11 and the blower 13 are rotated independently by the auger rotation mechanism 20 equipped with the auger hydraulic motor 22 and the blower rotation mechanism 30 by the PTO shaft, respectively, so that the influence of the rotation related to the auger 11 is not reflected on the blower 13. Therefore, the snow suction power of the blower 13 decreases and the situation where snow gets clogged at the blower 13 is eliminated, and the influence of operation stoppages and repairs due to the load is reduced, thereby improving functionality. This is particularly effective when the torque of the PTO shaft is small, as it reduces the burden on the PTO shaft.

[0038] Furthermore, the auger rotation mechanism 20 drives the auger 11 with the auger hydraulic motor 22, and when an excessive load is applied, a relief valve is generally provided in the hydraulic circuit, and this relief valve opens to allow the oil to escape, making it easy to deal with the excessive load. Furthermore, when dealing with excessive loads using a mechanical system with a shear bolt, if the shear bolt breaks, it must be replaced, but the replacement work becomes extremely troublesome and complicated in the cold environment in which snow is removed. However, with a hydraulic motor, there is no need to replace the shear bolt, so this troublesome and complicated replacement work is eliminated.

[0039] <For rear mounting> Depending on the conditions of snow accumulation and the surrounding environment, the snow removal device S may be desired to be mounted on the rear side. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1(B) and FIG. 7, the auger 11 exposed from the auger case 12 is arranged to be exposed toward the rear of the tractor T, and the multiple links 4 provided on the tractor T are connected to the auger case 12 to mount the snow removal device S. Then, the rear PTO shaft Dr is connected to the second connection portion 37 of the second shaft 34 of the reduction gear 31 via, for example, the connecting shaft 10. As a result, the rear PTO shaft Dr rotates in the other rotation direction Rb as viewed from the rear of the tractor T (viewed as A in FIG. 7), but the second shaft 34 of the reduction gear 31 rotates in one rotation direction Ra as viewed from the rear of the auger case 12 (it rotates in the other rotation direction Rb as viewed from the rear of the tractor T and in front of the auger case 12 (viewed as A in FIG. 7)), so the second shaft 34 rotates the blower 13 forward. In this case, the first shaft 33 simply rotates idly. When snow is removed using this snow removal device S, the tractor T is driven in reverse, so the driver must face backwards while driving the tractor T backwards, but the driver can still perform the desired snow removal work. Other functions and effects are the same as those described above.

[0040] As described above, the snow removal device S according to the embodiment of the present invention can be mounted on either the front or rear of the tractor T without the need for any special device, and can be mounted reversibly, improving versatility. Also, the auger 11 and the blower 13 are rotated independently by the auger rotation mechanism 20 and the blower rotation mechanism 30, respectively, so that the influence of the rotation related to the auger 11 is not reflected on the blower 13, and therefore the influence of the load of snow can be reduced as much as possible, improving functionality.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present invention, in terms of the rotation direction, the front PTO shaft Df is connected to the first connection part 36 of the first shaft 33 via the connecting shaft 10, and the rear PTO shaft Dr is connected to the second connection part 37 of the second shaft 34 via the connecting shaft 10. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and if the condition of the rotation direction on the tractor T side is different, the connection may be changed accordingly, and appropriate changes may be made. In addition, in the description of the embodiment of the present invention, a case where the tractor T is equipped with both the front PTO shaft Df and the rear PTO shaft Dr is shown, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and it is of course possible to install and use the tractor T equipped with only the front PTO shaft Df or the tractor T equipped with only the rear PTO shaft Dr. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily make many modifications to these exemplary embodiments without substantially departing from the novel teachings and effects of the present invention, and these many modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] S Snow removal equipment T Tractor 1 Chassis 2 Links 3 Front connection 4. Links 5 Rear connection Df Front PTO shaft Dr Rear PTO shaft E-Engine Ca Transmission M transmission case Cb transmission 10 Connecting shaft 11 Ogre 11a One-sided blade 11b Other blade 12 Auger Case 13 Blower 13a Blower rotating shaft 13b Feather 14 Connection 15 Rotating Spindle 16 Intake port 17 Outlet 18 Shooter 19 Variable Device 20 Auger rotation mechanism 21 Auger hydraulic pump 22 Auger hydraulic motor 23 Chain transmission mechanism 24 Oil Tank 25 Auger oil supply pipe 26 Auger oil supply line 27 Auger oil discharge line 28 Pressure Stabilizing Pipe 30 Blower rotation mechanism 31 Reducer 32 Gearbox 33 1st axis 34 2nd axis 35 Gear transmission mechanism 36 First connection part 37 Second connection part 40 Cover

Claims

1. A snow removal device is connected as one of the working machines to a tractor having a PTO shaft that transmits engine power, the snow removal device comprising: an auger that is rotated to collect snow; an auger case that rotatably holds the auger; and a blower that is provided in the auger case and rotates in one forward direction as viewed from the rear of the auger case to discharge the snow collected by the auger. an auger rotation mechanism including an auger hydraulic motor provided in the auger case and driven by an auger hydraulic pump operated by power of the engine to rotate the auger; a blower rotation mechanism provided in the auger case for transmitting rotation of the PTO shaft to the blower to rotate the blower, the blower rotation mechanism is configured to include a reducer attached to the auger case, the reducer being configured to include a gear box attached to the auger case, a first shaft rotatably attached to the gear box, a second shaft rotatably attached to the gear box and having an axis parallel to the first shaft, and a gear transmission mechanism housed in the gear box for transmitting rotation of the first shaft to the second shaft and reversing the rotation of the first shaft to reduce speed; A snow removal device characterized in that a first connection portion for connecting to the PTO shaft is provided on one end side of the first shaft of the reduction gear, a second connection portion for connecting to the PTO shaft is provided on one end side of the second shaft, and the other end side of the second shaft is linked to the rotating shaft of the blower.

2. The snow removal device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the tractor is equipped with a front PTO shaft on the front side and a rear PTO shaft on the rear side which rotates in the same direction as the front PTO shaft when viewed from the rear of the tractor, either the first connection portion of the first shaft or the second connection portion of the second shaft is formed so as to be connectable to the front PTO shaft, and the other of the first connection portion of the first shaft or the second connection portion of the second shaft is formed so as to be connectable to the rear PTO shaft.

3. 3. The snow removal device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first connection portion of the first shaft and the second connection portion of the second shaft are formed by splined shafts protruding from the gear box, are detachably provided on the reduction gear, and are provided with a cover that covers either the first connection portion of the first shaft or the second connection portion of the second shaft when the other is in use.

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