Snow groomer with a variable snowchamber tiller assembly

Abstract

A snow tiller ( 10 ) suitable for grooming ski hills, trails, or other areas, provides an adjustable snow housing assembly. A snow chamber ( 70 ) is formed between a ground shaping element ( 48 ) that has a rotatable drum ( 50 ) and a trailing finishing element ( 62 ) that is supported by a trailing bar bracket ( 84, 110, 130 ). The shape and/or volume of the snow chamber ( 70 ) can be adjusted by activating a finisher positioning mechanism ( 72 ), such as a hydraulic cylinder, to pivot the trailing bar bracket ( 84, 110, 130 ). A pair of connecting bars ( 98 and 100 ) from a pivot point about which the trailing bar bracket ( 84, 110, 130 ) pivots in an arc with respect to the snow surface, thus providing for precise positional control of the snow chamber ( 70 ).

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A tiller assembly for shaping a surface, comprising: 
 a main frame;    a ground shaping element carried by the main frame;    a finishing element supported by the main frame and arranged to trail behind the ground shaping element over the surface, wherein a chamber having a volume is formed between the ground shaping element and the finishing element;    a bracket secured to the finishing element; and    a driven member connected between the main frame and the bracket that moves the bracket in an arc with respect to the surface to thereby change the volume of the chamber.    
     
     
         2 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the driven member causes the bracket to pivot about a point spaced from the bracket.  
     
     
         3 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a pivot arm supported by the main frame, wherein the bracket is connected to the pivot arm and pivots with respect to the pivot arm.  
     
     
         4 . The tiller assembly of  claim 3 , further comprising a connector having one end pivotally connected to the bracket and another end pivotally connected to the pivot arm.  
     
     
         5 . The tiller assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the driven member is movable between a first position and a second position thereby swinging the bracket with respect to the pivot arm.  
     
     
         6 . The tiller assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the connector includes a pair of connecting rods both arranged to pivot about pivot axes substantially parallel to the ground shaping element.  
     
     
         7 . The tiller assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the connector includes a pair of connecting rods aligned with the driven member.  
     
     
         8 . The tiller assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the connector includes a pair of connecting rods connected between the bracket and the pivot arm with four pivot points arranged to define a trapezoid.  
     
     
         9 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes an arch shaped rod.  
     
     
         10 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes a bar spaced from and substantially parallel to a top surface of the finishing element.  
     
     
         11 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a connector disposed between the bracket and the driven member.  
     
     
         12 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes a pair of side walls and a pivot member extending therebetween, wherein the driven member is pivotally attached to the pivot member.  
     
     
         13 . The tiller assembly of  claim 12 , further comprising a connector disposed between the pivot member of the bracket and the driven member.  
     
     
         14 . The tiller assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the connector includes a pair of connecting rods and the pivot member includes a pair of pivot pins, each connecting rod pivotally connected between a pivot pin and the driven member.  
     
     
         15 . The tiller assembly of  claim 14 , wherein each connecting rod has opposed ends, the ends arranged to define a trapezoid.  
     
     
         16 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a trailing bar connected to the finishing element, wherein the bracket is coupled to the trailing bar.  
     
     
         17 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of brackets and a plurality of driven members.  
     
     
         18 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a power connection on the frame for connection to a power source, the power connection attached to the driven member.  
     
     
         19 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the driven member is a hydraulic cylinder.  
     
     
         20 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller in communication with the driven member that controls movement of the driven member and thereby controls the volume of the chamber.  
     
     
         21 . The tiller assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the controller includes a hydraulic system connected to the driven member.  
     
     
         22 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the ground shaping element includes a rotatable drum with cutting teeth.  
     
     
         23 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the tiller assembly is a snow tiller and the ground shaping element is a rotatable drum with a cover.  
     
     
         24 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the finishing element is a flexible mat with finishing formations that create a texture in the surface.  
     
     
         25 . The tiller assembly of  claim 1 , in combination with a vehicle.  
     
     
         26 . The tiller assembly of  claim 25 , wherein the vehicle is a tracked vehicle and the tiller is a snow tiller.  
     
     
         27 . A tiller assembly for shaping a surface, comprising 
 a main frame;    a ground shaping element carried by the main frame, wherein the ground shaping element has a longitudinal axis;    a finishing element supported by the main frame and arranged to trail behind the ground shaping element over the surface, wherein a chamber having a volume is formed between the ground shaping element and the finishing element;    a pivot arm extending outward from the ground shaping element;    a bracket secured to the finishing element;    a pivoting connector pivotally attached between the bracket and the pivot arm; and    a driven member connected between the main frame and the bracket that causes the bracket to pivot with respect to the pivot arm to thereby change the volume of the chamber.    
     
     
         28 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the pivoting connector includes a pair of connecting rods.  
     
     
         29 . The tiller assembly of  claim 28 , wherein the connecting rods are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.  
     
     
         30 . The tiller assembly of  claim 28 , wherein each connecting rod has a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends of adjacent connecting rods are spaced apart at a first distance and the second ends of adjacent connecting rods are spaced apart at a second distance different from the first distance.  
     
     
         31 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the bracket includes an arch shaped rod.  
     
     
         32 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the bracket includes a generally horizontal bar and a pair of support legs that space the bar from the finishing element, the driven member being attached to the bar.  
     
     
         33 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , further comprising a trailing bar connected to the finishing element, wherein the bracket is coupled to the trailing bar.  
     
     
         34 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , further comprising a power connection on the frame for connection to a power source, the power connection attached to the driven member.  
     
     
         35 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the driven member is a hydraulic cylinder.  
     
     
         36 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , further comprising a controller in communication with the driven member that controls movement of the driven member and controls the volume of the chamber.  
     
     
         37 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the finishing element is a flexible mat with finishing formations that create a texture in the surface.  
     
     
         38 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , further comprising a plurality of brackets and a plurality of driven members.  
     
     
         39 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the tiller assembly is a snow tiller and the ground shaping element is a rotatable drum with a cover.  
     
     
         40 . The tiller assembly of  claim 27 , in combination with a vehicle.  
     
     
         41 . The tiller assembly of  claim 40 , wherein the vehicle is a tracked vehicle and the tiller is a snow tiller.  
     
     
         42 . A method of working the surface of the ground, comprising: 
 providing a tiller assembly having a ground shaping element and a finishing element with a chamber defined therebetween, wherein the finishing element is supported by a bracket;    tilting the finishing element to change the volume of the chamber by moving the bracket in an arc with respect to the surface of the ground;    operating the ground shaping element to grind the surface; and    driving the tiller assembly across the surface to drag the finishing element over the surface and provide a finished texture to the ground.    
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein tilting the finishing element includes driving a hydraulic cylinder by selectively energizing a hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic cylinder.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein tilting the finishing element includes moving the bracket about a pivot point spaced from the bracket.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein driving the tiller includes towing the tiller assembly from a vehicle.