Telescopic Drawbar for Snow Removal Trailer Length Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Snow removal trailers face challenges in being coupled to towing vehicles with varying container dimensions and hitch positions, leading to collision risks and mechanical stress due to existing drawbar designs.

Innovation Solution

A telescopic drawbar with adjustable length and locking mechanism, allowing the drawbar to extend for snow removal and shorten for transport, along with pivoting means to manage angular positions, minimizes collision risks and mechanical stress while maintaining efficient snow clearing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the drawbar length is increased to allow lateral offset and oblique orientation of the snow removal trailer, then the risk of collision with the towing vehicle is reduced, but the overall length of the vehicle assembly increases beyond road regulations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision risk reductionVSAvoiddrawbar length

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The drawbar is made telescopic with adjustable length, allowing it to dynamically change between a longer configuration during snow removal operations (reducing collision risk) and a shorter configuration for transport (complying with road regulations). The locking mechanism ensures stability at each adjusted length.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If a fixed-length drawbar is used, then the structure is simple and stable, but it cannot adapt to towing vehicles with varying container dimensions and hitch positions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with different towing vehiclesVSAvoiddrawbar structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The drawbar incorporates a telescopic mechanism with multiple lockable positions, enabling it to adapt its length to match different towing vehicle configurations while maintaining structural stability through the locking system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The drawbar is divided into telescopic sections that can extend or retract independently, allowing flexible adjustment to various lengths required for different towing vehicles with varying container dimensions and hitch positions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If the drawbar allows frequent length adjustments, then adaptability to different towing vehicles is improved, but the locking mechanism experiences increased mechanical stress and wear

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrawbar length adjustmentVSAvoidlocking mechanism durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The locking mechanism is designed to securely lock the drawbar at each adjusted position, distributing mechanical stress across multiple locking points rather than requiring constant adjustment. The robust locking system minimizes wear during actual use at fixed lengths.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The locking mechanism includes stress-distributing features that cushion and absorb mechanical loads before they can cause damage to the locking components, extending the durability of the adjustment system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP4036312B1Snow-removal trailer with length-adjustable drawbar

Publication Date: 2023.09.27 SOVIAR

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AI summary

A pivoting snowplow trailer intended to be towed by a tractor vehicle with a towing hitch, said snowplow trailer comprising a drawbar (9) extending along a drawbar direction (III-III) between first (9a) and second (9b) drawbar ends and fixed at its second drawbar end (9b) to the front end of a snowplow trailer chassis. The drawbar (9) is adjustable in length along the drawbar direction (III-III).