Tractor Roll Bar Winch Crane for Implement Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Farm vehicles, such as tractors, face difficulties in lifting and attaching heavy equipment due to the cumbersome and obtrusive nature of existing solutions, which can be hazardous for a single user and require complex maneuvers.
Innovation Solution
A power winch equipment crane system with a pivotable U-shaped support bar attached to the tractor roll bar, featuring a power winch and hinge members for easy pivoting between vertical and horizontal positions, allowing for safe and convenient lifting and attachment of heavy equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a barn hoist is used to lift implements, then lifting capability is provided, but the system becomes complicated and limiting in positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lifting function from a complex barn hoist system and integrates it directly into the tractor via a power winch mounted on the roll bar. This eliminates the need for external hoist structures while maintaining the lifting capability, thereby reducing system complexity and improving positioning flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The power winch system serves multiple functions: it provides lifting capability, enables positioning of implements, and integrates with the existing tractor roll bar structure. This multi-functionality replaces the need for separate barn hoist systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining operational capabilities.
2Productivity
If a quick hitch is installed on the tractor, then attachment speed is improved, but the arrangement becomes cumbersome and obtrusive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the quick hitch attachment mechanism with the power winch lifting system into a single integrated operation. The power winch not only lifts implements but also facilitates quick attachment by positioning implements precisely, merging lifting and attachment functions into one coordinated system that reduces overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The power winch acts as an intermediary between the tractor and implements, providing both lifting force and precise positioning. This intermediary function eliminates the need for separate quick hitch mechanisms while achieving rapid attachment, thereby reducing arrangement complexity without sacrificing productivity.
3Device complexity
If heavy implements are lifted by hand, then no additional equipment is needed, but user injury risk increases and maneuvering becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The power winch system enables a single user to safely handle heavy implements through automated mechanical assistance. The system serves itself by using the tractor's existing power source and roll bar structure, eliminating the need for additional complex equipment while significantly reducing user injury risk through powered lifting rather than manual handling.
4Device complexity
If implements are positioned for attachment without assistance, then no lifting equipment is required, but the process requires relatively long time and complex maneuvers
Solution Approach 1:
The power winch performs preliminary positioning of implements before final attachment to the tractor. By pre-lifting and pre-positioning implements close to the attachment point, the system reduces the time and complexity of the final attachment maneuvers, achieving rapid connection while maintaining equipment simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A power hoist equipment crane system to be used with a tractor roll bar, the system including a pivotable support bar configured to be substantially U-shaped having two side portions and a middle portion connecting the two side portions, a cable support member provided to the pivotable support bar and configured to support a cable from a hoist, and bracket assemblies provided respectively proximate each end of the pivotable support bar and configured to couple the pivotable support bar to the tractor roll bar in a pivoting arrangement, the bracket assemblies configured such that the pivotable support bar is pivotable between a substantially vertical stowed position when not in use, and a substantially horizontal use position in which the cable support member is positioned at a point spaced back from the tractor so as to be located over an implement that is attachable to the tractor.