The present invention relates to an adjustable-capacity bucket for backhoe or loader.
According to the prior art, buckets for backhoes or loaders applied to excavators, earth-movers or machines for moving materials in general have a structure that has a constant and non-modifiable capacity.
The main drawback that is observed with conventional buckets for backhoes or loaders is that since their capacity is not modifiable, machines with different capacities are needed for each individual different requirement.
This drawback entails cost burdens arising from the need to have multiple machines available, with considerable waste of time during work when a machine that is different from the one being used is needed due to suspension of work, the request for the appropriate machine, the wait for its delivery on site, and its installation.
These drawbacks have been overcome with the adjustable-capacity bucket for backhoe or loader according to the present invention.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a bucket for backhoe or loader that allows to adjust, on site and easily, its loading capacity according to the various requirements.
For this purpose, the present invention consists of an adjustable-capacity bucket for backhoe or loader, which is constituted partly by a fixed structure and partly by one or more movable members, which can slide on the fixed structure by means of adapted devices for mutual movement, so as to be able to adjust the width of the bucket and accordingly its capacity with simple operations.
To achieve the intended aim, according to a preferred embodiment, the adapted devices are constituted by pistons fixed both to the fixed structure and to the movable members so as to actuate their mutual movement.
In order to assist the pistons that actuate the movement of the movable members, sliding guides are arranged parallel to the direction of actuation of the pistons.
The fixed structure is substantially C-shaped and constitutes a rigid external member inside which one or more complementary movable members slide.
Some of the many advantages that are achieved with the present invention are the following.
The main advantage of the present invention is the great cost saving that is achieved by virtue of the possibility to deal with different needs by means of a single tool, by adjusting the breadth of the bucket, which allows to even double, and more than double, the loading capacity with a single machine.
A further advantage is the adaptability of the bucket even during work without unnecessarily wasting time. For example, to produce an excavation with a required cross-section and a width of 80 cm, it is possible to use a 60-cm bucket extended by 10 cm on each side. If a block or a loose shoulder is encountered during excavation, in order to widen the excavation it is not necessary to stop work to replace the bucket, but it is sufficient to actuate the widening of the bucket, deal with the critical situation, and then reduce again the width of the bucket in order to continue regularly with the excavation with required cross-section.
The fact that the structure of the bucket for backhoe or loader according to the invention is heavier than conventional ones is not a drawback, because the machine to which it is applied is always very heavy and the difference related to the weight of the bucket is not decisive. If deemed appropriate, it is always possible to ballast the machine additionally when it is necessary to move heavier loads.
All of the advantages cited above and others will become apparent from the description of the following figures, which are provided merely by way of non-limiting example and wherein:
In the various figures, similar elements have been designated by the same reference numerals.
In
The pins for fixing to the excavator pass through the holes 11 and 12.
According to the invention, a fixed structure 17 is connected rigidly to the frame 10, is substantially C-shaped and is preferably obtained by means of a solid and/or box-like bent metal plate, in order to give it great rigidity and strength.
The movable members, which are suitable to slide within the fixed structure 17, allow to vary the loading capacity of the bucket by virtue of their sliding. The movable members also are preferably provided by means of a metal plate bent into a C-shape and their external contour is complementary to the internal contour of the fixed structure 17.
The movable members are connected to the fixed structure 17 by means of actuators constituted for example by pistons, where the term “piston” is used to designate the assembly constituted by a cylinder, a piston and the corresponding rod.
According to a particular example of embodiment, the internal movable members are two, 13 and 14, and are shown individually in
The pistons, which are two in the example of
The wings 18 and 19 have different contours or shapes so as to allow both the coupling of the stem of the corresponding piston and leave free the space for the movement of the opposite stem and the coupling of the corresponding two sliding guides.
In the illustrated example, there are two sliding guides for each movable member, respectively 20 and 21 for the movable member 13 and 22 and 23 for the movable member 14.
Holes 30 and 31 for the passage of the guides 20 and 21 are provided on the wing 18 of the movable member 13, and holes 32 and 33 for the passage of the guides 22 and 23 are formed on the wing 19 of the movable member 14. Similar corresponding holes 40, 41, 42, 43 are provided on the fixed structure 17, which is shown in
The side view of
Likewise,
The two pistons 15 and 16 are visible in the top view of
The rear view of
The same reference signs already used for the backhoe bucket have been adopted, with the only addition of a prime sign.
The pistons are connected to the excavator by means of supply or hydraulic lines.
The field of the present invention also includes an embodiment with a different number of sliding guides and/or pistons, a different arrangement or size thereof, and regardless of the way in which they are actuated, for example hydraulic or oleo pistons, pneumatic pistons, electric pistons, et cetera.
These characteristics in fact depend on the requirements of the market, of manufacture and of use, and on the size of the backhoe bucket or loader bucket. Furthermore, variations that have a different number of movable members and can be widened for example telescopically or in concertina fashion are understood to be also included.
Finally, the pistons can be replaced with other movement tools, such as chains, worm screws, belts or the like, anchored to the fixed structure and to the movable members.
The present invention includes all the detail variations and modifications that might be obvious to the person skilled in the art and are not beyond the scope of the present invention but are understood to be included within the scope of the claims that follow.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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GE2003A0015 | Feb 2003 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2004/001793 | 2/24/2004 | WO | 00 | 6/12/2006 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2004/076752 | 9/10/2004 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20060230648 A1 | Oct 2006 | US |