Adjustable Snow Plow With Extender Wings For Variable Width
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current snow removal technologies require multiple snow plows of varying sizes to accommodate different areas, leading to increased costs and residual snow displacement issues, which complicates access and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable snow plow with extender wings and a center unit, featuring a square channel and mounting brackets, allowing for adjustable width and angle configurations to accommodate various surfaces, including sidewalks and parking lots, with optional side containment plates for efficient snow collection and displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple snow plows of varying sizes are used to accommodate different areas, then the ability to handle various sized jobs is improved, but the cost and complexity of equipment inventory increases
Solution Approach 1:
The snow plow is divided into a center unit and detachable extender wings that can be independently attached or removed. This segmentation allows the plow to be reconfigured for different widths by attaching only the necessary extender wings, eliminating the need to maintain multiple complete plow units in inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The plow width is made dynamically adjustable through the mounting bracket system that allows extender wings to be attached at different positions and configurations. This dynamic reconfigurability enables a single plow unit to adapt to various job sizes, replacing the need for multiple fixed-size plows.
2Productivity
If straight blade plows are used to displace snow to the side, then snow removal speed is improved, but residual snow displacement causes additional access problems
Solution Approach 1:
The extender wings are connected to the center unit through square channels that create a unified containment structure. This merging of components forms a continuous barrier that captures and transports snow without lateral displacement, eliminating residual snow piles while maintaining efficient snow removal.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of allowing snow to be displaced to the side (which creates harmful residual piles), the containment structure converts this lateral movement into beneficial forward transport. The extender wings guide snow along the direction of travel, transforming the potentially harmful side-displacement effect into useful snow containment and transport.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If containment plows are used to capture and transport snow, then residual snow displacement is reduced, but the complexity of the plow structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The containment structure is segmented into a center unit and separate extender wings that can be independently managed. This segmentation simplifies the overall structure compared to a fully integrated containment plow, as components can be attached only when containment functionality is needed, reducing structural complexity while maintaining the benefit of reduced residual snow displacement.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable snow plow having a center unit; at least one extender wing; a square channel connected to said center unit; at least one mounting bracket connected to said center unit wherein the at least one extender wing is connected to the center unit via the square channel, and the mounting bracket is selectably attachable to a vehicle.The adjustable snow plow is able to vary the width of the plow blade so as to accommodate a number of different locations for which snow may need to be removed. The adjustable plow may be a straight blade plow, or a partially straight blade plow that allows for the user of the adjustable plow to dictate in which direction the desired snow is displaced.