In recent years the ATV industry has become increasingly popular. As technology has advanced, more and more people are not only using them for recreation but also for the utilitarian advantages the vehicles now offer. One of the most popular forms of this exist in the snow plow industry where nearly every ATV is capable of mounting a snow plow or like implement to the vehicle for the purpose of clearing snow or performing a blade operation such as pushing sand or gravel and the like. Often times the operators of the ATV's have little or no previous knowledge or experience using these devices and since this is not necessarily meant to be the main function of the ATV or UTV there are significant problems and challenges that exist.
There are many different brands and configurations of snow plows designed specifically for ATV's and UTV's. Most all having an elongated frame structure that extents from the rearward end of the blade and then is attached to a mounting plate or bracket approximately mid-point and on the underside of the ATV. These frames generally consist of a pair of elongated tubular members and are commonly known as “push tubes” in the ATV industry, as their name would imply, as the structure used in conjunction with a vehicle to move the implement. The push tubes are able to pivot at the connection point of the ATV for the purpose of raising and lowering the front end of the plow assembly by a lifting device, such as an electric winch mounted on the front end of the ATV. A cable or rope from the winch is connected just behind the rear of the plow blade and is used to facilitate the lifting and lowering of the plow. Other means of lifting and lowering the blade include, hydraulics and other type of electric motors. Regardless the means of lifting, nearly all the plows attached to ATV's and UTV's are challenged with minimal vertical distance between the underside of the ATV and the push tubes. Given the size and stature of most ATV's, it is crucial that the operator raise the plow blade to maximum height when not in plowing mode. This allows for the most distance from the blade to the ground and creates a more favorable condition when backing the ATV or traveling forward any distance.
When the plow is raised by the ATV operator, by winch or other means, the minimal vertical distance can cause the operator to easily “over-raise” or “over-wind” the lifting mechanism causing the push tubes to contact the underside of the ATV with unnecessary and excessive force. This negative condition puts the entire plowing system under pressure, but most particularly the winch cable.
The electric winch mechanism was one of the first modern methods used to raise and lower the blade and is still the most often used today. The problem most often associated with the winch and snow plow combination is the breaking of the winch cable. One factor that can be attributed to the breaking of the winch cables is the over-raising and over winding of the winch during the blade raising procedure. The problem exists where the operator of the ATV does not know exactly when to release the inward operation of the winch control mechanism and consequently the push tubes, attached to the plow blade and connected to the underside of the ATV, will be pulled up into the underside of the vehicle. With no further vertical distance remaining, the push tubes are compressed to the underside while the winch cable or rope is then stretched to the breaking point. Often times the operator will be doing what is referred to in the industry as “ramping up” the snow. This requires the operator to incrementally raise the blade or wind-in the winch cable while the ATV is moving and engaged in the plowing procedure. It is extremely difficult for the operator to determine just how much lift remains creating a perfect opportunity to once again overstress the system by raising the plow higher than the push tubes will allow. During the plowing procedure, this same scenario is played out over and over continually placing undo pressure on the entire plowing system and winch cable. Even over a short period of time the cable or material on the winch drum becomes weak and will eventually break. A great many operators report multiple cable breaks in a single plowing session. The repair can be both difficult and frustrating, especially in cold snowy conditions.
To address the problem of broken winch cables, many operators began using a variety of alternative materials to replace or to splice in front of the winch cable. Synthetic rope has gained popularity for its ease of repair when broken however, the operator is still left with the same dilemma of not knowing exactly when to abort the raise procedure on the lifting device. Yet others use rubber stops to put on the winch cable to cushion the impact of over-winding the winch during the lifting procedure. This method may have some positive attributes however the operator is still left with the same dilemma and in some cases this device can be counterproductive as it tends to shorten the lift span.
As it relates more generally to ATV's with plows, inventions such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,021 B2, slack rope and lift control for use with plow, refers to a limiter switch operatively in association with a frame and winch used to control the raise and lowering functions of a working implement. This disclosure relates to mechanisms and systems that function to stop the flow of current to the winch when a certain height threshold is reached. The present disclosure differs in that a switch or a detection device is used to detect similar condition, however does not rely on mechanical arrangements to interact with the winch or lifting device.
Other inventions disclose sophisticated detection and interface systems such as Patent Application US 2015/0105974 A1, Snow Plow Blade Detection and Compensation System, refers more generally to larger vehicles and plows and more specifically to an integrated system comprising a complex touchscreen with voice and gesture recognition capability. Further, this system has an extensive focus on tracking and recording vehicle behavior and conditions.
Still other inventions in the form of additional lights are provided to increase visibility and define certain areas of the plow system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,380 B1, Lighted Blade Guides for a Snow Plow, discloses elongated plow corner markers in the form of lights. The present invention will disclose an alert light capable of being positioned on the forward end of the ATV or plow system for the primary purpose of providing signal to the operator as it pertains to a certain condition of the plow system. In this form, the small in stature light of the present invention, is versatile and mobile and can be adaptable to operator preference as it relates to his viewing location. Further, the alert light of the present invention, is enabled and disabled by and through a detection device that is in direct association with the plow system and lifting device. Therefore, the alert light could be secured on the corner of a plow or atop a pedestal for the purpose of providing an alert signal to the operator however, to function as a corner marker would be a bi-product of one preferred embodiment of the present invention.