EXCAVATOR ATTACHMENT

Abstract

An excavator attachment is provided which has a support structure and an excavation bucket. The support structure has a rear frame, a first side frame and a second side frame. The first side frame and the second side frame are attached to opposed ends of the rear frame. A first guide track is attached to the first side frame and a second guide track is attached to the second side frame. The first guide track is positioned parallel and opposite to the second guide track. Excavation bucket is positioned between the first side frame and the second side frame. The excavation bucket has at least one guide on each side of the bucket. The guides are adapted to travel in the first guide track and the second guide track. A winch that has a cable is attached to the support structure. The cable is connected to the excavation bucket and the winch is used to move the excavation bucket vertically up and down. A connect assembly is positioned on the rear frame for connection to a coupler of an excavator.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present application relates generally to an excavator attachment for use on heavy machinery.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the invention. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

When completing a large excavation, heavy machinery such as excavators are used. It is common to utilize several machines. While digging, an excavator typically moves dirt from the hole and dumps it in a secondary location where it is then moved by a second excavator or other machinery into dump trucks for removal from the site or to another location where it can later be removed. Depending upon the size of the hole being dug, the process of moving dirt from one location to another can occur multiple times before it is moved to a dump truck for removal. This can be time consuming and requires the use of multiple drivers and machines. What is needed is a way of limiting the numbers of heavy machinery required for large excavations.

BRIEF SUMMARY

There is provided an excavator attachment. The excavator attachment has a support structure in which an excavation bucket is positioned. The support structure has a rear frame, a first side frame and a second side frame. The first side frame and the second side frame is attached to opposed ends of the rear frame. A first guide track is attached to the first side frame and a second guide track is attached to the second side frame. The first guide track is positioned parallel to and opposite to the second guide track, The excavation bucket is positioned between the first side frame and the second side frame and has at least one guide on each side of the bucket. The guides are adapted to travel in the first guide track and the second guide track. A winch is provided that has a cable. The winch is attached to the support structure and the cable is connected to the excavation bucket such that the winch is used to move the excavation bucket vertically up and down. A connect assembly is attached to the rear frame for connection to a coupler of an excavator.

In one embodiment, the support structure has feet for supporting the support structure on a ground surface. The feet provide for greater stability of support structure while excavator attachment is in use.

In another embodiment, the first guide track and the second guide track each comprise a pair of rails between which the guides travel. The pair of rails has a top end and a bottom end. While the rails may be parallel to each other, it may be beneficial for the rails to be spaced apart from each other such that there is a greater distance between the bottom ends than the top ends. It may also be beneficial to provide a stop at the top end of the rails for preventing the guides from traveling beyond the top end of the pair of rails.

In another embodiment, the winch may be powered hydraulically or electrically.

In another embodiment, the connect assembly is positioned centrally on the rear support frame and adjacent a bottom edge of the rear support frame. Preferably, connect assembly is a quick connect that connects to a quick coupler on an excavator.

In another embodiment, each of the guides on the excavator bucket is at least two rollers in parallel spaced relation to each other.

There is also provided an excavator attachment. The excavator attachment has a support structure in which an excavation bucket is positioned. The support structure has a rear frame, a first side frame and a second side frame. The first side frame and the second side frame is attached to opposed ends of the rear frame. A first guide track is attached to the first side frame and a second guide track is attached to the second side frame. The first guide track is positioned parallel to and opposite to the second guide track. The excavation bucket is positioned between the first side frame and the second side frame and has at least one guide on each side of the bucket corresponding to the first side frame and the second side frame. The guides are adapted to travel in the first guide track and the second guide track. A mechanism for moving the excavation bucket vertically upwards and downwards is provided. The mechanism has a drive shaft that is connected to the support structure such that the drive shaft rotates independently of the support structure. The drive shaft is positioned above the excavation bucket as it sits within the support structure. The drive shaft has at least one spool that is connected to the drive shaft such that rotation of the drive shaft causes rotation of the at least one spool. Each of the at least one spools has a cable with each cable having a first end and a second end. The first end of the cable is connected to the excavation bucket and the second end of the cable is connected to and wound around the spool. A drive is connected to the drive shaft such that activation of the drive causes rotation of the drive shaft in a first direction causing downwards movement of the excavation bucket and rotation in a second direction causing upwards movement of the excavation bucket. A connect assembly is attached to the rear frame for connection to a coupler of an excavator.

In one embodiment, two spools are connected to the drive shaft. The spools are positioned on the drive shaft such that their cables are attached to the excavation bucket at a distance equidistant from the sides of the excavation bucket corresponding to the first side frame and the second side frame.

In one embodiment, the drive used to rotate the drive shaft is a hydraulic motor.

In one embodiment, the support structure has feet for supporting the support structure on a ground surface. The feet provide for greater stability of support structure while the excavator attachment is in use.

In another embodiment, the first guide track and the second guide track each comprise a pair of rails between which the guides travel. The pair of rails has a top end and a bottom end. While the rails may be parallel to each other, it may be beneficial for the rails to be spaced apart from each other such that there is a greater distance between the bottom ends than the top ends. It may also be beneficial to provide a stop at the top end of the rails for preventing the guides from traveling beyond the top end of the pair of rails.

In another embodiment, the winch may be powered hydraulically or electrically.

In another embodiment, the connect assembly is positioned centrally on the rear support frame and adjacent a bottom edge of the rear support frame. Preferably, connect assembly is a quick connect that connects to a quick coupler on an excavator.

In another embodiment, each of the guides on the excavator bucket is at least two rollers in parallel spaced relation to each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which references are made to the following drawings, in which numerical references denote like parts. The drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiments shown.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an excavator attachment.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the excavator attachment shown in FIG. 1 with the excavation bucket lowered.

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation view of the excavator attachment shown in FIG. 1 with the excavation bucket lowered.

FIG. 4 is a left side elevation view of the excavator attachment shown in FIG. 1 with the excavation bucket lowered.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the support structure of the excavator attachment.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the support structure of the excavator attachment shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the support structure of the excavator attachment shown in FIG. 3 with a winch.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of a guide track and guide.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of a variation of an excavator attachment.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a variation of the excavator attachment shown in FIG. 9 with the excavation bucket lowered.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An excavator attachment, generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, an excavator attachment 10 has a support structure 12 made up of a rear frame 14, a first side frame 16 and a second side frame 18. The first side frame 16 and the second side frame 18 are attached to opposed ends 20 and 22, respectively, of rear frame 14. Cross support beams 13 are provided on rear frame 14. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, first side frame 16 and second side frame 18 also have cross support beams 13. Cross support beams 13 add strength to support structure 12. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a first guide track 24 is attached to an interior surface 26 of first side frame 16. A second guide track 28 is attached to an interior surface 30 of second side frame 18. First guide track 24 and second guide track 28 are positioned parallel and opposite to each other.

An excavation bucket 32 is positioned between first side frame 16 and second side frame 18. Excavation bucket 32 has at least one guide 34 on each side 35 of excavation bucket 32. Guides 34 are adapted to travel in first guide track 24 and second guide track 28. Guides 34 and first guide track 24 and second guide track 28 permit movement of excavation bucket 32 along a set path within support structure 12. In the embodiment shown, excavation bucket 32 has a lip 33 that assists in the prevention of soil or dirt from falling out of excavation bucket 32 during vertical movement.

To provide greater stability of support structure 12 while in use, feet 46 are attached to bottom of support structure 12. In the embodiment shown, feet 46 are provided on the four corners 48 of support structure 12. It will be understood that more or fewer feet 46 may be used. A person of skill in the art will understand that feet 46 must be positioned in such a way that support structure 12 will be balanced on the ground surface.

A winch 36 is provided that has a cable 38. Referring to FIG. 7, winch 36 is attached to support structure 12 and cable 38 is connected to excavation bucket 32. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a pair of sheaves or pulleys 40 are attached to excavation bucket 32 through which cable 38 is passed. The end 41 of cable 38 is attached to top frame 42. This provides greater stability of excavation bucket 32 during vertical movement. It will be understood that cable 38 may be connected directly to excavation bucket 32 and that a single connection or multiple connections may be used. Winch 36 is used to move excavation bucket 32 vertically from a position in which excavation bucket 32 is positioned between first side frame 16 and second side frame 18, shown in FIG. 1, to a position in which excavation bucket 32 is lowered out of support structure 12 as shown in FIG. 2 and vice versa. In the embodiment shown, winch 36 is positioned on top frame 42 of support structure 12. A person of skill will understand that winch 36 can be positioned anywhere on the exterior of support structure 12. Pulleys, not shown, may be positioned on support structure 12 to redirect cable 38 to provide vertical pull on excavation bucket 32. Winch 36 may be powered by a hand crank, not shown, hydraulically or electrically. A controller 58 may be provided for controlling winch 36 when winch is powered hydraulically or electrically.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 8, first guide track 24 and second guide track 28 are shown as consisting of a pair of rails 50 between which guides 34 with rollers 31 travel. Where rollers 31 or wheels are used, it is beneficial to have a minimum of two rollers 31 or wheels to prevent excavation bucket 32 from swinging back and forth within first guide track 24 and second guide track 28, It will, however, be understood that different methods may be used to prevent swinging of excavation bucket 32. Rails 50 have a top end 52 and a bottom end 54. Preferably, pair of rails 50 are spaced such that there is a greater distance between bottom ends 54 than top ends 52. By creating a larger opening at bottom end 54, it becomes easier for guides 34 to move back between pair of rails 50 when excavator bucket 32 is lifted back into support structure 12. A stop 56 is positioned at top end 52 of rails 50 to prevent guides 34 from traveling beyond top end 52 of rails 50. A person of skill will understand that different types of guide tracks and guides may be used and include but are not limited to tongue and groove systems and track and roller systems.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a connect assembly 44 is attached to rear frame 14 for connection to a coupler of an excavator. In the embodiment shown, connect assembly 44 is a quick connect that is commonly used for attaching different types of buckets and tools to heavy machinery. A person of skill will understand that different types of connect assemblies 44 could be used to correspond to different types of couplers used on heavy machinery. A person of skill will understand that the connect assembly 44 may be used to connect to other types of heavy machinery in addition to excavators. Connect assembly 44 is preferably positioned centrally on rear support frame 14 and adjacent a bottom edge 15 of rear support frame 14.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, when in use excavator attachment 10 is attached to an excavator coupler by connect assembly 44. The excavator is moved into position such that support structure 12 is positioned near a ledge, below which the excavation is occurring. Support structure 12 should be placed such that excavation bucket 32 can be allowed to move downwards to the area in which the excavation is occurring. Once positioned correctly, excavation bucket 32 is lowered using winch 36 until excavation bucket 32 has reached the earth below. The excavation bucket 32 is allowed to rest on the ground surface while it is filled. Filling of excavation bucket 32 may occur in a number of different ways, including but not limited to manual means (utilizing a shovel and manpower to fill the bucket) or mechanical means (use of an excavator, skid steer or other piece of equipment). Once excavation bucket 32 has been filled with the desired amount of earth, winch 36 is used to pull excavation bucket 32 upwards and back into support structure 12. During upward movement, guides 34 move into first guide track 24 and second guide track 28 through bottom ends 54 and continue upwards towards top ends 52. Winch 32 can be stopped once guides 34 have entered first guide track 26 and second guide track 28 or can continue to move excavation bucket 32 upwards until guides 34 reach stop 56. Once excavation bucket 32 is positioned back within support structure 12, excavation winch bucket 10 may be picked up and used to dump the earth contained within excavation bucket 32 into a truck or alternative location.

Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, movement of excavation bucket 32 may be accomplished through the use of mechanism 60. Mechanism 60 has a drive shaft 62 that is attached to support structure 12 above excavation bucket 32. Drive shaft 62 is connected to support structure 12 such that the drive shaft 62 rotates independently of the support structure 12. In the embodiment shown, drive shaft 62 is attached through the use of brackets 74 that connect to top frame 42 and extend upwards. Brackets 74 positions drive shaft 62 above support structure 12. In the embodiment shown, drive shaft 62 has two spools 64 connected to it such that rotation of drive shaft 62 causes rotation of spools 64. Each spool 64 has a cable 66. Each cable 66 has a first end 68 and a second end 70. First end 68 of cable is connected to the excavation bucket and second end 70 of cable 66 is connected to and wound around spool 64. A person of skill will understand that cable 66 may be a wire, a rope, a cable, a chain or any other suitable item known in the art. A drive 72 is connected to drive shaft 62 such that activation of drive 72 causes rotation of drive shaft 62 in a first direction causing downwards movement of excavation bucket 32 and rotation in a second direction causing upwards movement of excavation bucket 32. A person of skill will understand that drive 72 may be a hydraulic motor, an electric motor, a hand crank or any other device known in the art for rotating a drive shaft.

In the embodiment shown, spools 64 are connected to drive shaft 62 such that cables 66 attach to the excavation bucket at a distance equidistant from sides 34 of excavation bucket 32 corresponding to first side frame 16 and second side frame 18. A person of skill will understand that it is preferred that cable 66 be substantially vertical between spool 64 and first end 68 that is connected to excavation bucket 32.

Any use herein of any terms describing an interaction between elements is not meant to limit the interaction to direct interaction between the subject elements, and may also include indirect interaction between the elements such as through secondary or intermediary structure unless specifically stated otherwise.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements. In addition, the term “excavator” is used with express or implicit reference to any type of machinery used for dirt or material removal.

It will be apparent that changes may be made to the illustrative embodiments, while falling within the scope of the invention. As such, the scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples and drawings described above, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. An excavator attachment, comprising: a support structure having a rear frame, a first side frame and a second side frame, the first side frame and the second side frame being attached to opposed ends of the rear frame;a first guide track attached to the first side frame and a second guide track attached to the second side frame, the first guide track being positioned parallel and opposite to the second guide track;an excavation bucket positioned between the first side frame and the second side frame, the excavation bucket having at least one guide on each side of the bucket corresponding to the first side frame and the second side frame, the guides being adapted to travel in the first guide track and the second guide track;a winch having a cable, the winch being attached to the support structure and the cable being connected to the excavation bucket such that the winch is used to move the excavation bucket vertically up and down; anda connect assembly attached to the rear frame for connection to a coupler of an excavator.

2. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein the support structure has feet for supporting the support structure on a ground surface.

3. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein the first guide track and the second guide track each comprise a pair of rails between which the guides travel, the pair of rails having a top end and a bottom end.

4. The excavator attachment of claim 3 wherein the pair of rails are spaced apart from each other such that there is a greater distance between the bottom ends than the top ends.

5. The excavator attachment of claim 3 wherein the pair of rails have a stop at the top end for preventing the guides from traveling beyond the top end of the pair of rails.

6. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein the winch is powered hydraulically.

7. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein the winch is powered electrically.

8. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein the connect assembly is positioned centrally on the rear support frame and adjacent a bottom edge of the rear support frame.

9. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein each of the guides on the excavator bucket are at least two rollers in parallel spaced relation to each other.

10. The excavator attachment of claim 1 wherein the connect assembly is a quick connect.

11. An excavator attachment, comprising: a support structure having a rear frame, a side frame and a second side frame, the first side frame and the second side frame being attached to opposed ends of the rear frame;a first guide track attached to the first side frame and a second guide track attached to the second side frame, the first guide track being positioned parallel and opposite to the second guide track;an excavation bucket positioned between the first side frame and the second side frame, the excavation bucket having at least one guide on each side of the bucket corresponding to the first side frame and the second side frame, the guides being adapted to travel in the first guide track and the second guide track;a mechanism for moving the excavation bucket vertically upwards and downwards, the mechanism having a drive shaft connected to the support structure such that the drive shaft rotates independently of the support structure, the drive shaft being positioned above the excavation bucket, the drive shaft having at least one spool connected to the drive shaft such that rotation of the drive shaft causes rotation of the at least one spool, each of the at least one spools having a cable, each cable having a first end and a second end, the first end of the cable being connected to the excavation bucket and the second end of the cable being connected and wound around the spool, a drive connected to the drive shaft such that activation of the drive causes rotation of the drive shaft in a first direction causing downwards movement of the excavation bucket and rotation in a second direction causing upwards movement of the excavation bucket; anda connect assembly attached to the rear frame for connection to a coupler of an excavator.

12. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein two spools are connected to the drive shaft, the spools being positioned such that their cables attach to the excavation bucket at a distance equidistant from the sides of the excavation bucket corresponding to the first side frame and the second side frame.

13. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein the drive is a hydraulic motor.

14. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein the support structure has feet for supporting the support structure on a ground surface.

15. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein the first guide track and the second guide track each comprise a pair of rails between which the guides travel, the pair of rails having a top end and a bottom end.

16. The excavator attachment of claim 15 wherein the pair of rails are spaced apart from each other such that there is a greater distance between the bottom ends than the top ends.

17. The excavator attachment of claim 15 wherein the pair of rails have a stop at the top end for preventing the guides from traveling beyond the top end of the pair of rails.

18. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein the connect assembly is positioned centrally on the rear support frame and adjacent a bottom edge of the rear support frame.

19. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein each of the guides on the excavator bucket are at least two rollers in parallel spaced relation to each other.

20. The excavator attachment of claim 11 wherein the connect assembly is a quick connect.