Claims
- 1. An earth moving attachment for a tractor having a forward direction of movement and a substantially horizontal base plane on which the tractor sits, said attachment providing angular adjustment of a ground-engaging means such as a blade or bucket, the attachment comprising:
- (a) a frame attached to the tractor;
- (b) two generally forwardly extending arms pivotally mounted on the frame, one on each side of the tractor;
- (c) means for pivoting each of the arms in a fore and aft plane;
- (d) two independently telescoping members, one extending forwardly and downwardly from and supported by each of the arms;
- (e) means for extending and retracting each of the telescoping members directly forwardly and rearwardly when the ground-engaging means is in a ground-engaging position, wherein the telescoping members are extendable and retractable together or independently with respect to the arms; and
- (f) forward ground-engaging means entirely supported by the telescoping members and attached to the telescoping members by joint means for allowing the ground-engaging means to skew in a generally horizontal plane when one telescoping member is extended further than the other.
- 2. The attachment of claim 1 wherein each telescoping member comprises a telescoping section which fits along the arm and telescopes in relation thereto, and a dogleg section extending forwardly and downwardly from the end of the telecoping section and mounting the ground-engaging means, and further comprising extension means, each mounted between the telescoping member and the ground-engaging means and being substantially parallel to and spaced from the dogleg section, and being operable to extend and retract to cause the ground-engaging means to tip forward and back, and also having joint means between the end of the extension means and the ground-engaging means to allow the ground-engaging means to skew.
- 3. The attachment of claim 1 wherein each telescoping member has a loose fit with respect to its associated arm, the loose fit allowing for accommodation of the foreshortened lateral spacing of the ends of the telescoping members when the ground-engaging means is at a skewed angle.
- 4. A materials handling attachment for a tractor, the tractor having a body supported above the ground and a front end, comprising:
- two forwardly extending arms, one on each side of the body, and pivotally carried by the body;
- lifting power means for pivoting the arms, each in a fore and after extending upright plane;
- a pair of telescoping members, telescopingly engaged by the arms, extending generally forwardly and having respective spaced apart front ends;
- telescoping power means for extending and retracting each telescoping member independently in generally linear telescoping action with respect to the arms; and
- a generally transversely extending tool entirely supported by and spanning the telescoping members and pivotably connected to the telescoping members adjacent their front ends so that in operation, when the tool is close to the ground and when the telescoping members are extended unequally, the tool is skewed with respect to the tractor front end.
- 5. The materials handling attachment of claim 4 wherein the telescoping members at least in part extend generally forwardly and downwardly from the arms.
- 6. The materials handling attachment of claim 4 wherein the telescoping engagement of the telescoping members with the arms is such as to maintain the telescoping members in substantially constant alignment with the arms, and the engagement permits sufficient misalignment of the telescoping members with the arms to accommodate foreshortening of lateral spacing between the front ends of the telescoping members caused by skewing of the tool.
- 7. The materials handling attachment of claim 4 wherein the connection of the tool to the telescoping members includes means permitting pivoting of the tool about a transverse axis, and further including tipping power means effective between the telescoping members and the tool for tipping the tool about said transverse axis.
- 8. The materials handling attachment of claim 4 wherein the connection of the tool to one of the telescoping members includes means for permitting relative translatory motion between the tool and said one of the telescoping members, and including tilt power means effective between the tool and the telescoping member for selectively controlling said translatory motion, so that, in operation, with the tool close to the ground, the tool may be tilted in a generally upright plane relative to the tractor, pivoting about the forward end of the other telescoping member.
- 9. The materials handling attachment of claim 8 wherein the arms are connected so as to move pivotably in unison so that tilting of the tool relative to the tractor is controlled entirely by said tilt power means.
- 10. The materials handling attachment of claim 8 wherein the tool has a rear wall and the means for permitting relative translatory motion includes an arcuate track carried by the wall and defining an arc and the arc is centered approximately on the connection of the tool to the other telescoping member.
- 11. The materials handling attachment of claim 10 wherein the connection of the tool to the other telescoping member includes an elongated pivot plate loosely connected to the rear wall of the tool for oscillation adjacent the wall, and wherein the means permitting translatory motion includes a slider for engaging and following the arcuate track, and wherein the elongated pivot plate and the slider are rigidly connected.
- 12. A materials handling attachment for a tractor, the tractor having a body supported above the ground and a front end, comprising:
- first and second forwardly extending arms, one on each side of the body, and pivotably carried by the body;
- lifting power means for pivoting the arms, each in a fore and after extending upright plane; and
- a transverse extending tool forwardly supported by the arms and connected to the first and second arms respectively by laterally spaced first and second connections, said tool being supported entirely by said connections, the first connection permitting only simple pivoting of the tool relative to the first arm in a generally transverse upright plane, and the second connection permitting translatory motion between the second arm and the tool in said plane and means for controlling the translatory motion so that, in operation, with the tool close to the ground, the tool may be selectively pivoted relative to the first arm in the generally transverse upright plane so as to define a variable angle of tilt of the tool relative to the tractor body.
- 13. The materials handling attachment of claim 12 wherein the first and second connections of the tool to the arms include means for permitting pivoting of the tool about an axis transverse of the tractor body and including tipping power means connected between at least one of the arms and the tool for controlling tipping of the tool about the transverse axis.
- 14. The materials handling attachment of claim 13 wherein the tool includes a rear wall and a plurality of bucket walls, said walls having a center of gravity and normally extending forward from the rear wall in a bucket mode so as to define a forwardly open bucket, and including hinge means connecting an upper portion of said bucket walls to an upper portion of the rear wall so that the bucket walls may be swung up and away from the rear wall to define a blade mode, and including means releasably securing the bucket walls relative to the rear wall for facilitating operation, selectively, in the bucket mode and, with the bucket walls swung up, the blade mode.
- 15. The materials handling attachment of claim 14 wherein the disposition of the hinge means relative to the center of gravity of the bucket walls is such that when the tool is tipped forward the tool may assume the blade mode under the action of gravity so as to facilitate securing the bucket walls relative to the rear wall in the blade mode.
- 16. A materials handling attachment for a tractor, the tractor having a body supported above the ground and a front end, comprising:
- a frame carried by the body;
- a pair of forwardly extending arms, one on each side of the tractor and pivotably carried by the frame;
- lift power means for pivoting the arms, each in a generally fore and aft upright plane;
- a pair of forwardly extending telescoping members, one extending from each of the arms and each having a telescoping portion generally aligned with and engaging an arm, and a tool carrying portion extending forwardly and downwardly with respect to the telescoping portion, the forward ends of the tool carrying portions being spaced apart;
- telescoping power means for independent extension and retraction of each of the telescoping portions relative to the arms;
- a transversely extending materials handling tool spanning and connected to the spaced apart forward ends of the tool carrying portions, the connection of one of said portions to the tool permitting translatory motion between said one of the portions and the tool and the connections of both portions permitting tipping of the tool about a transverse axis;
- tilt power means connected between one of the telescoping members and the tool for controlling the translatory motion so that in operation, with the tool close to the ground, the tool may be selectively tilted relative to the ground in a generally upright plane; and
- tipping power means extending between at least one of the telescoping members and the tool for controllably tipping the tool about the transverse axis.
- 17. The materials handling attachment of claim 16 wherein the tool includes a rear wall and the telescoping members are attached to the tool at the rear wall and the tool includes bucket walls extending generally forward from the rear wall so as to define a bucket, the bucket walls being pivotably connected to an upper portion of the rear wall so that the bucket walls may be selectively pivoted up and away from the rear wall.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/058,810, filed June 5, 1987 , now U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,811.
US Referenced Citations (23)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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58810 |
Jun 1987 |
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