Patent Application
20060070758
This disclosure relates generally to an adjusting system, and more particularly to an adjusting system for a component of a work machine.
Motor graders are typically used to perform displacement, distribution and leveling of material, such as soil. Generally, a motor grader includes a tractor unit coupled to a grader group via a tow bar assembly. The grader group includes a blade assembly having a grader blade, as well as a mounting assembly with retainers. The blade assembly is positioned in the retainers such that the grader blade is supported by the mounting assembly. Wear strips are provided between the retainers and the blade assembly to facilitate the retention of the grader blade in the assembly, while allowing sliding movement of the blade assembly with respect to the retainers. The tractor unit moves the blade assembly over the ground, so that the grader blade engages with the material, such as soil, so as to displace, distribute or level the soil.
During use of the motor grader, the grader blade is tipped and sideshifted to manipulate the material as discussed above. With such use, the wear strips tend to erode, thus loosening the retention of the grader blade and allowing unintended motion between the grader blade and mounting assembly. A loose grader blade inhibits the accurate displacement, distribution and leveling of the material.
To overcome this problem, shims are installed to fill gaps caused by the erosion of the wear strips. However, using shims is work intensive, and thus increases the maintenance cost of the motor grader.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,370 (the '370 patent) discloses a mounting assembly for a motor grader including V-shaped retainers fitted with wear strips. Engagement portions of a blade assembly engage the wear strips to secure the blade assembly to the mounting assembly. The '370 patent requires the use of shims to fill gaps caused by erosion of the wear strips. Operators must continually add or remove shims to the mounting assembly as the wear strips erode or when replacing the wear strips. Adding to the complexity of the device, each wear strip must be secured to the retainer with a retainer clip.
The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for securing a blade assembly to a mounting assembly that avoids some or all of the shortcomings in the prior art.
In accordance with one disclosed exemplary embodiment, a mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a machine may include a first retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly and a second retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly. The first retainer assembly may include an adjusting assembly configured to reposition the first retainer assembly with respect to the blade assembly in at least two directions.
According to another exemplary disclosed embodiment, a method is provided for adjustably securing a blade assembly to a machine. The method includes retaining a first portion of the blade assembly in a first retaining cavity, retaining a second portion of the blade assembly in a second retaining cavity, and adjusting the retention of the first portion of the blade assembly in the first retaining cavity in at least two directions.
A method for adjustably securing a blade assembly to a machine may include retaining a first portion of the blade assembly in a first retaining cavity. Retaining a second portion of the blade assembly in a second retaining cavity and adjusting the retention of the first portion of the blade assembly in the first retaining cavity with at least one adjusting member. Also identifying an amount of adjustment of the retention of the first portion based on movement of a visual indicator associated with the adjusting member.
According to yet another disclosed embodiment, a mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a motor grader may include a first retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly. A plurality of wear strips adjustably engage one another. A second retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly may also be included.
According to another disclosed embodiment, a mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a machine may include a first retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly. Also included may be a second retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly. The first retainer assembly includes an adjusting means for repositioning the first retainer assembly with respect to the blade assembly in at least two directions.
a is a partial cross sectional side view of an upper retainer assembly of the mounting assembly of
b is a partial cross sectional side view of a lower retainer assembly of the mounting assembly of
a is a perspective view of the first and second wear strips of the upper retainer assembly of
b is a perspective view of a wear strip of the lower retainer assembly of
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to the figures, a motor grader is shown generally at 10 in
The blade assembly 20 and mounting assembly 24 are shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusion 65 is shaped such that two sides 90, 92 extend away from the mounting frame 60 to support a third side 94 which is nearly vertical in orientation. A fourth side 96 is directly connected to the back side 63 of mounting frame 60. Protrusion 67 is similarly constructed and situated as protrusion 65. The protrusions 65, 67 may include any other shape allowing for attachment of blade rails 62, 64 to the blade assembly 20.
The blade rails 62, 64 in this exemplary embodiment are rectangular in shape with a substantially vertical orientation. In this configuration, the blade rails 62, 64 are attached to the nearly vertical side 94 of its corresponding protrusion in any conventional manner such as welds or mechanical fasteners. The blade rails 62, 64 can take another shape, such as oval or diamond provided they can be securely attached to the protrusions 65, 67. In addition, blade rails 62, 64 may be formed integral with protrusions 65, 67.
The mounting assembly 24 in
Referring to
It should be understood that the U-shaped cavities 38, 52 of the upper and lower retainer assemblies 34, 36 can take any other shape, such as curved, square or the like. In addition, the spacer member 41 can take on any shape to correspond to the shape of the wear strip housed in the cavity. The spacer member 41 may be formed as a plurality of separate members, or may be omitted in its entirety.
Referring to
As embodied in
It should be understood that outer and inner wear strips 40, 42 could be used in the lower retainer assembly 36 and that the wear strip 54 of the a lower retainer assembly 36 could be used in the upper retainer assembly 34. Alternatively, this disclosure could be practiced with both the upper and lower retainer assemblies 34, 36 including wear strips 40, 42.
It should be understood that if the spacer member 41 is omitted, setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 may be in direct contact with the wear strips 40, 42. The upper retainer assembly 34 of
Referring to
While horizontal adjusting setscrews 44, 46 are illustrated on the rear side of the mounting assembly 24 in
Each of the components described above may be fabricated from any rigid material, such as steel or cast iron. The wear strips 40, 42, and 54 may be made from a material less rigid than the material used to fabricate the retaining assemblies 34, 36 and the blade rails 62, 64.
As described above, blade rails 62, 64 interact with wear strips 40, 42, spacer member 41, and upper and lower retaining cavities 43, 45. These components may be shaped differently as long as they mate together in the manner described above.
The motor grader 10 is used primarily as a finishing tool to sculpt a surface of earth 12 to a final arrangement. The engine 28 is used to drive or power the motor grader 10 and is controlled by the operator using controls in operator cab 26.
Referring to
During operation of motor grader 10, the upper and lower retainer assemblies 34 and 36 secure the blade assembly 20 to the controllable rotatable assembly 22 of the motor grader 10. As described above, the upper blade rail 62 of the blade assembly 20 may be retained in the retaining cavity 43 formed by the wear strips 40, 42 in the upper retainer assembly 34 (
Turning the vertical and/or horizontal adjusting setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 allows for adjustment of the spacer member 41 in two directions, which repositions one or both of the wear strips 40, 42 with respect to the blade rails 62, 64. The engaging relationship between the inner and outer wear strips 40, 42 allows for the wear strips to move closer together in two directions without abutting against one another or the sides 37, 39 of U-shaped cavity 38 as the horizontal adjusting setscrews 44, 46 are turned. This compensates for any erosion in wear strips 40, 42 and ensures blade assembly 20 is rigidly secured by mounting assembly 24. The spacer member 41 assists in distributing the force of the adjusting setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 along the length of the spacer member 41. By use of the adjusting setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50, no shims are required to adjust the coupling of the blade assembly 20 to the mounting assembly 24. Thus, mounting assembly 24 rigidly and adjustably secures the blade assembly 20 to the controllable rotatable assembly 22 of the motor grader 10. End caps 74, 76, 82, 84 and corresponding end bolts 76, 78, 86, 88 prevent the wear strips from moving horizontally with the blade rails.
In addition to function setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 in adjusting the position of the wear strips, setscrews 44, 46, 48, and 50, may also function to identify the amount of wear occurring on the wear strips 40, 42. As noted above, setscrews may include visual indicators such as lines 51 to indicate an initial clamping position of the wear strip. Measuring the distance setscrews 44, 46, 48, and 50 have traveled during use from this initial clamped position may indicate the amount of wear on the wear strips 40, 42 and may be determined from the movement of line 51. Each wear strip 40, 42 has an associated predetermined amount of wear available and this wear is directly related to the travel of the setscrews 44, 46, 48, and 50. In one embodiment, once the distance the setscrews 44, 46, 48, and 50 have traveled an appropriate predetermined distance (i.e. 7.5-8 mm (0.29-0.31 inches)) as measured by the movement of lines 51, wear strips 40, 42 should be replaced.
It is understood that those portions of the first retainer assembly 34 described above as allowing for a repositioning of the first and second wear strips 40, 42 of the retainer assembly with respect to the blade assembly may be referred to as an adjusting assembly or adjusting means of the retainer assembly.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
