Claims
- 1. An excavating and loading system comprising in combination:
- a vehicle including a frame and means supporting the frame of the vehicle for movement over a surface;
- excavating wheel means for forming an excavation and including opposed end plates and a plurality of digging buckets extending substantially continuously between the end plates and located immediately adjacent one another to define the entire circumference of the excavating wheel, each digging bucket having a cutting edge which extends to a stationary wall and a wall mounted for pivotal movement from a material receiving position to a material dumping position, said excavating wheel means being wider than the vehicle;
- supporting and housing means on the vehicle supporting from the frame and supporting said excavating wheel means cantilever in the front of the vehicle for rotation about an axis extending at an acute angle with respect to the direction of travel of the system, the supporting and housing means engaging the excavating wheel means adjacent one of the end plates thereof;
- a plurality of digging teeth mounted on the opposite end plate of the excavating wheel means;
- means for selectively varying the relative vertical positioning of said excavating wheel means with respect to said frame whereby said excavating wheel means can be selectively raised or lowered to excavate at various depths;
- drive means for rotating the excavating wheel means so that the digging buckets follow a circular path;
- said one end plate and said opposite end plate of the excavating wheel means therefore defining circular paths including a forward portion and a rearward portion, respectively, positioned farther apart than the maximum width of the remainder of the excavating and loading system whereby the system is adapted to travel in its own excavation;
- means located within the margins of the excavating wheel means and responsive to rotation thereof for positively positioning the movable wall of each digging bucket in the material dumping position when the bucket is in the upper and rearward portion of the path; and
- conveyor means mounted on the vehicle entirely behind the excavating wheel means for movement around a course including a relatively low portion positioned to receive material from the digging buckets of the excavating wheel means and a relatively high material dumping portion located rearwardly on the vehicle.
- 2. The excavating and loading system of claim 1 wherein said excavating wheel means in cylindrical and is rotated about its axis, and wherein the supporting and housing means includes shaft means extending into the excavating wheel means and defining said axis.
- 3. The excavating and loading system of claim 1 wherein the drive means includes motor means mounted within the excavating wheel means for rotating the excavating wheel means, and power supply means extending through the supporting and housing means to the motor means.
- 4. The excavating and loading system of claim 1 wherein the bucket wall positioning means functions to positively pivot the movable walls of each digging bucket to the material dumping position during the first portion of the rotation of the excavating wheel means and to positively pivot the movable wall to the material receiving position during a subsequent portion.
- 5. The excavating and loading system of claim 1 wherein said supporting and housing means is positioned entirely behind said wheel means.
- 6. An excavating and loading system comprising in combination:
- a vehicle;
- means supporting the vehicle for movement over a surface;
- excavating wheel means for forming an excavation including opposed end plates and a plurality of digging buckets each having a cutting edge which extends to a stationary wall and a wall mounted for pivotal movement from a material receiving position to a material dumping position;
- means extending from said vehicle for supporting the excavating wheel means on the vehicle whereby the excavating wheel means is positioned in the front of the vehicle for rotating about an axis extending at an acute angle with respect to the direction of travel of the system;
- said supporting means having a portion engaging said excavating wheel means adjacent one and plate thereof;
- a plurality of digging teeth mounted on the opposite end plate of the excavating wheel means;
- means for selectively varying the relative vertical positioning of said excavating wheel means and said vehicle whereby said excavating wheel means can be selectively raised or lowered to excavate at various depths;
- drive means for rotating the excavating wheel means so that the digging buckets follow a circular path;
- said one end plate and said opposite end plate of the excavating wheel means therefore defining circular paths including a forward portion an a rearward portion, respectively, positioned farther apart than the maximum width of the remainder of the excavating and loading system whereby the system is adapted to travel in its own excavation;
- means located within the margins of the excavating wheel means and responsive to rotation thereof for positively positioning a movable wall and a material dumping position when the bucket is in the upper and rearward portion of the path;
- conveyor means mounted on the vehicle entirely behind the excavating wheel assembly for movement around a course including a relatively low portion positioned to receive material from the digging buckets of the excavating wheel means and a relatively high discharge position located rearwardly on the vehicle.
- 7. The excavating and loading system of claim 6 wherein said excavating wheel means is cylindrical and is rotated about its axis, and wherein the supporting and housing means includes axle means extending into the excavating wheel means and defining said axis.
- 8. The excavating and loading system of claim 6 wherein the drive means includes motor means mounted within the excavating wheel means for rotating the excavating wheel means, and power supply means extending through the supporting and housing means to the motor means.
- 9. The excavating and loading system of claim 6 wherein the bucket wall positioning means functions to positively pivot the movable wall of each digging bucket to the material dumping position during a first portion of the rotation of the excavating wheel means and to positively pivot the movable wall to the material receiving position during a subsequent portion.
- 10. In an excavating and loading system having a combination a vehicle, a main frame on the vehicle, means supporting the main frame of the vehicle for movement over a surface, excavating wheel means for forming an excavation and including opposed end plates and a plurality of digging buckets located immediately adjacent one another to define the entire circumferences on the excavating wheel and each having a cutting edge which extends to a stationary wall and a movable wall mounted for pivotal movement from a material receiving position to a material dumping position, supporting and housing means rotatably supporting the excavating wheel means from the frame whereby the excavating wheel means is positioned in front of the vehicle, means for selectively varying the ralative vertical positioning of the excavating wheel means with respect to the frame whereby the excavating wheel means can be selectively raised or lowered to excavate at various depths, drive means for rotating the excavating wheel means of that the digging buckets follow a circular path, means located within the margins of the excavating wheel means and responsive to rotation thereof for positively positioning the movable wall of each digging bucket in the material dumping position when the bucket is in the upper and rearward portion of the path, conveyor means mounted on the vehicle entirely behind the excavating wheel assembly for movement around a course including a relatively low portion positioned to receive material from the digging buckets of the excavating wheel means and a relatively high material dumping portion located rearwardly on the vehicle;
- the improvement which comprises said supporting and housing means mounting excavating wheel for rotation about an axis extending at an acute angle with respect to the direction of travel;
- said end plates of the excavating wheel means being positioned by the angular orientation of the axis of rotation of the excavating wheel means to define circular paths of rotation including a forward portion and a rearward portion, respectively, positioned farther apart than the maximum width of the remainder of the excavating and loading system whereby the system is adapted to travel in its own excavation.
- 11. The excavating and loading system of claim 10 wherein the improvement further comprises digging teeth on the forward facing end of said wheel means.
- 12. The excavating and loading system of claim 10 wherein the improvement further comprises a portion of said supporting and housing means engaging one end of said wheel means and wherein said portion is positioned entirely behind said wheel means.
- 13. The excavating and loading system of claim 10 where in said excavating wheel means is cylindrical and is rotated about its axis, and wherein the supporting and housing means includes axle means extending into the excavating wheel means and defining said axis.
- 14. The excavating and loading system of claim 10 wherein the drive means includes motor means mounted within the excavating wheel means for rotating and excavating wheel means, and power supply means extending through the supporting and housing means to the motor means.
- 15. The excavating and loading system of claim 10 wherein the bucket wall positioning means functions to positively pivot the movable wall of each digging bucket to the material dumping position during a first portion of the rotation of the excavating wheel means and to positively pivot the movable wall to the material receiving position during the subsequent portion.
- 16. An excavating and loading system comprising:
- a vehicle including a main frame and means supporting the main frame for movement over a surface;
- excavating wheel means including opposed end plates and a plurality of digging buckets each extending continuously between the end plates, said digging buckets being positioned immediately adjacent one another around the entire circumfernece of the excavating wheel means;
- each of the digging buckets of the excavating wheel means comprising a stationary wall and a movable wall mounted for pivotal movement between material receiving positions and material dumping positions;
- means supporting the excavating wheel means for rotation about a substantially horizontally disposed axis extending angularly relative to the path of travel of the vehicle;
- the angular orientation of the axis of rotation of the excavating wheel means defining circular paths of rotation of the end plates of the excavating wheel means wherein the path of rotation of one of the end plates has a laterally extending forward portion and the path of rotation of the opposite end plate has a laterally extending rearward portion;
- the laterally extending portions of the paths of rotation of the end plates spaced apart farther than the widest portion of the remainder of the excavating system so that the excavating system is adapted to travel in its own excavation;
- means responsive to rotation of the excavating wheel means for positively pivoting the movable wall of each digging bucket to the material dumping position;
- an arm extending forwardly from the frame of the vehicle on the side thereof corresponding to the end plate of the excavating wheel means having the path of rotation including the laterally extending forward portion;
- means rotatably supporting the excavating wheel means cantilever on the arm;
- means for selectively pivoting the arm about a substantially horizontally disposed axis extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the excavating wheel means and thereby varying the vertical positioning of the excavating wheel means relative to the frame of the vehicle and thereby effecting a change in the grade of the excavation; and
- conveyor means mounted on the vehicle entirely behind the excavating wheel means for receiving material excavated thereby and for transporting the material upwardly and rearwardly on the vehicle.
- 17. The excavating and loading system of claim 16 wherein the improvement further comprises digging teeth on the end of said excavating wheel means remote from said arm.
- 18. The excavating and loading system of claim 16 further including axle means extending into the excavating wheel means from said arm and defining said axis of rotation of the excavating wheel means.
- 19. The excavating and loading system of claim 16 wherein the drive means includes motor means mounted within the excavating wheel means for rotating and excavating wheel means, and power supply means extending through the arm to the motor means.
- 20. The excavating and loading system of claim 16 wherein the bucket wall pivoting means functions to positively pivot the movable wall of each digging bucket to the material dumping position during a first portion of the rotation of the excavating wheel means and to positively pivot the movable wall to the material receiving position during the subsequent portion.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of copending application, Ser. No. 435,296, filed Jan. 21, 1974, for MULTI-WHEELED EXCAVATOR AND CONVEYING SYSTEM, now Pat. No. 3,896,571, granted July 29, 1975.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
722,876 |
Sep 1931 |
FR |
632,711 |
Jun 1936 |
DD |
258,133 |
Dec 1970 |
SU |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
435296 |
Jan 1976 |
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