AU676715B2 - Hide puller - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3,2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

*4*e Name of Applicant: ACLIS PTY LTD 9 9* 9 Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Application No: ANTHONY McGREGOR SIMS K(EN "Av DEF" Lae I. /Atu I ly,:, Fee, 59FtineSfel Q7e1;1V-- ,A~dl~d, Soth Awuztrali3 5000G "HIDE PULLER" PL 8471 dated 23rd April 1993.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to the Applicant.

This invention relates to a puller which is capable of pulling a hide from a carcass, for example a hide of leather from the carcass of a beef animal.

Hide pullers are in common use, and conventionally a power drum is carried on a carriage provided with rollers which are movable in vertical channel guides, and the carriage is moved upwardly along the guides by means of a two stage ram. This is deemed necessary because of the extent of vertical pull applied to a hide, and the overall height of a hide puller is likely to exceec the available height within an abattoir building.

Thart are two difficult problems which occur with the conventional hide puller, the first being that the two stage ram is a piece of complex equipment which requires excessive maintenance, and even when properly maintain~u there is a jerk applied to an off loader platform being elevated by the ram as it changes from the first to the second stage. This is uncomfortable and results in some operator fatigue.

The second problem is associated with the rollers on the carriage which engage the flanges of vertical channels, because the nature of hide pulling is associated with release of fatty material from the carcass, and the fatty material which encounters the flanges is rolled by the rollers onto the surfaces of the flanges and cleaning is tedious and difficult.

20 The main object of this invention is to overcome the abovementioned difficulties and in an embodiment of this invention there are provided a pair of circular section rods spaced from one another and arranged as vertical guide means, and these rods are slidably engaged by ram cylinders the ends of which contain both annular scrapers and seals, the ram cylinders carrying a carriage extending between them, and being either elevated or lowered over the rods, By utilising double acting but single stage ram cylinders, the scrapers on the ends of the cylinders have the function of continuously wiping the rod surfaces clean and thereby facilitating removal of any adhering fat or other organic material, and provide protection for the seals. Furthermore, a two stage cylinder is not only complex but its end plates and mountings occupy more space than is required for the ram arrangement mountings of this invention, so that the single stage rams of this invention are only marginally longer than the prior art assemblies, and can usually be inserted below the roof of an abattoir building without need for vertical extensions of the roof, An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder with reference to, and is illustrated in, the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 shows prior art which is associated with conventional hide pullers; Fig 2 shows a hide puller with its component parts in exploded view, according to the invention; Fig 3 is a section taken on plane 3-3-3-3 of Fig 2, showing the hide 15 puller in its assembled form, and drawn to a larger scale; and Fig 4 is a frag,?entary section illustrating the details of the scraper ring, seals and piston, drawn to a still larger scale.

Referring firstly to the prior art depicted in Fig 1, a hide puller is provided with a rectangular frame 10 which has a pair of spaced vertical channels 1 the 20 inner surfaces of the flanges of which are engaged by rollers 12 of a carriage *see 13. The carriage 13 carries on it a power drum 14 and a pair of outwardly o extending forks 15 support two platforms, one being an operator's platform 16 and the other an assistant's platform 17.

Elevation is effected by at least one double acting two stage ram 18 assembly wherein an inner ram 19 is slidable in the lower ram portion and a piston rod 20 is slidable in the upper end of the inner ram 19. The problems which are encountered with the conventional hide puller, as said above, I comprise the rolling of organic material on the inner surfaces of the flanges of the vertical channels 11 by the rollers 12 in their continued operation.

Furthermore the ram 18 is a complex assembly difficult to maintain, and even when properly maintained there is usually a jerking motion as the ram terminates its first stage and commences its second, or vice versa. It is with the object of overcoming these difficulties that the invention illustrated in Figs 2, 3 and 4 was developed.

Referring to Figs 2, 3 and 4, a frame 25 is an assembly which comprises a base plate 26 and a top plate 27, the two plates being joined together by a pair of circular section rods 28. The rods extend vertically and are spaced to be parallel with one another and function as vertical guides, being engaged by end o"i sleeves 29 of respective ram cylinders 30. The end sleeves 29 contain seals 31 0gee 9 9 in a conventional manner to seal against the outer surfaces of the rods 28, and oo.o also scraper surfaces, in this embodiment being scraper rings 32 which scrape 15 deposited fat or dirt from the piston rods. Inner guide surfaces 33 guide the end sleeves 29 for slidable movement. Between the ends of the rods 28, and fastened to the rods, there are respective pistons 35 also containing seals 36.

9. A carriage 39 is clamped by carriage clamps 40 to the two ram cylinders and the carriage carries on it a power drum 41, forks 42 which support the 20 platforms 43 and 44, and also a prodder which is conventional and therefore not shown.

It will be seen that the invention is exceedingly simple, simplifying the construction from that shown in Fig 1, and that in operation the full movement of the platforms 43 and 44 is likely to be smooth without jerks occurring as in the conventional arrangement of Fig 2, and further that cleaning is greatly simplified since the scrapers 32 in the end sleeves 29 function continually scraping the surfaces of the rods 28.

Claims (7)

1. A hide puller capable of pulling a hide from the carcass of an animal, comprising a pair of circular section rods extending vertically as guides and spaced laterally from each other, and a respective piston intermediate the ends of each rod and fast with respect thereto, respective ram cylinders surrounding the rods and having end sleeves sealably and slidably engaging the rods, each ram cylinder having an internal surface sealably and slidably engaging a said piston, and a carriage extending between and coupled to said cylinders.

2. A hide puller according to claim 1 wherein said carriage comprises outstanding frame members carrying a pair of operator platforms thereon.

3. A hide puller according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said carriage comprises a power drum. 15

4. A hide puller according to any preceding claim further comprising a scraper surface in each said end sleeve.

5. A hide puller according to claim 4 wherein each said .scraper surface is a surface of a scraper ring in a said end sleeve.

6. A hide puller according to claim 5 wherein each said end 20 sleeve contains a bush which slidably engages a said rod, and a seal which sealably engages said rod.

7. A hide puller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 26th day of April, 1994 ACLIS PTY LTD By its Patent Attorney (EN- MADBERN. eoA,) ABSTRACT A hide puller capable of pulling a hide from the carcass of an animal comprises a pair of fixed, spaced circular section rods (28) which extend vertically and are surrounded by respective ram cylinders (30) which co- operate with pistons (35) on the rods a carriage (39) between the ram cylinders (30) carrying operator platforms (43, 44); and scraper surfaces (32) in end sleeves (29) which scrape the outer surfaces of the rods as (28) the cylinders are driven up and down. et... t *t *o~ 0 •go•