This invention relates to structures for protecting hydraulic conduits and for substantially removing the appearance of the conduits. This invention further relates to protecting hydraulic lines and cylinders on the booms of front-end loaders that have arm assemblies pivotally attached to buckets, clam shells, plows, fork lifts, bale spears and related implements.
Agricultural and construction vehicles typically employ hydraulic cylinders to power a variety of specialty implements that attach to the vehicles. For example, typical front-end loaders have a pair of arms that are raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinders, as well as implements attached to the arms that are operated by hydraulic cylinders. Some exemplary front end loaders using hydraulic lines to power hydraulic cylinders are described by U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,665 to Westendorf; U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,856 to Westendorf; U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,811 to Langenfeld et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,962 to Westendorf; U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,692 to Langenfeld et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,974 to Langenfeld et al., all incorporated herein by reference.
Hydraulic lines are required to deliver hydraulic fluid to hydraulic cylinders. Additionally, two way cylinders must be connected to hydraulic lines at two ports typically located on opposite ends of the cylinders. In order to provide hydraulic fluid to most commonly available cylinders, at least one hydraulic line is usually strung along the cylinder to connect near the rod end of the cylinder. Thus, loaders that have multiple two way cylinders to operate implements are typically required to have many (often unsightly) hydraulic lines strung along the arms of the loader as shown in
It is known in the prior art, as shown in FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,596 and
The problem of developing a guard structure for hydraulic lines is further complicated by the flexible hydraulic conduits extending along the boom. The guard structure must not interfere with the movement of the hydraulic lines at key loader arm pivot points. The required movement of the cylinders relative to one another hinders development of a single satisfactory guard structure capable of protecting numerous hydraulic lines and cylinders of a front end loader.
In addition to being subject to snagging during operation, exposed hydraulic lines also often create an unrefined appearance for the vehicle, as shown in
There have been attempts to develop guards for hydraulic lines and cylinders such as those disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,265,063 and 4,267,674 issued to Muller. However, these guards disclosed by Muller do not completely surround the hydraulic cylinders and lines. Additionally, the Muller guards do not significantly immobilize portions of the hydraulic lines adjacent to the hydraulic cylinders. The Muller guards are also fabricated from heavy sheet metal, making them expensive to fabricate, install and replace, and therefore not readily adaptable for certain applications, especially on lighter duty vehicles.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a guard structure that protects hydraulic cylinders and lines from damage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a guard structure that is lightweight and easily replaceable.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a structure that does not interfere with the movement of a boom assembly.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a guard structure that is economical to manufacture and refined in appearance.
The present invention provides an improved hydraulic cylinder and line guard. The guard protects both the hydraulic cylinder and portions of the hydraulic line while significantly removing the appearance of the hydraulic lines. While maintaining the flexibility of the hydraulic lines at pivot points, the guard inhibits the movement of the line near the cylinder thereby reducing wear on the line. The claimed invention also achieves the important objective of providing an aesthetically pleasing smooth appearance and an easily replaceable guard for hydraulic cylinders and lines.
The improved guard is achieved by utilizing a resilient guard to cover both the cylinder and the line. The guard may be formed from a single stretchable resilient tube that is deformed to enclose both the line and the cylinder, wherein a cross-section of the guard is defined primarily by combined cross sections of the cylinder adjacent to the line. The guard may also be formed from multiple interconnected resilient segments that combine to substantially enclose a hydraulic line and cylinder. The guard may further have a raised wear surface arranged in an ornamental and/or functional pattern.
These and other advantages will become apparent as this specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.
The present invention may be used with any type of actuator powered by an external source. The guard of the present invention is particularly suited for applications where the actuator and lines supplying the actuator may be damaged. The improved guard may be used with actuators in and on machinery. However, for descriptive purposes, the actuator guard will be described protecting hydraulic lines and hydraulic cylinders on a front end loader.
As shown in
The guards may substantially limit the movement of the surrounded portions of the hydraulic lines relative to the hydraulic cylinder. By limiting the movement of the hydraulic lines relative to the cylinders, the guard structures reduce the wear on the lines. A single guard may surround a hydraulic cylinder and more than one line. Although in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hydraulic lines surrounded by the guards are substantially immobile relative to the guard, a guard that allows movement of the hydraulic line is within the scope of the invention. Guards that surround many lines may substantially immobilize one or more lines while allowing relatively free movement of one or more hydraulic lines.
The cylinder and line guards 40 are preferably constructed out of a resilient material such as rubbers, urethanes, and plastics. The guards are preferably constructed from an inexpensive material to facilitate replacement if the guards should become damaged or unsightly. Materials that are move flexible than the hydraulic line are preferred in order to reduce the likelihood of the guard wearing away the hydraulic line at a wear point. Additionally, constructing the guards from low cost materials facilitates replacement and specialization of the guards based on the application for which the loader is utilized. For example, highly reflective guards may be employed if the loader is used for evening street snow removal, while extra thick guards may be employed when the loader is used for clearing brush or trees.
The guards may be constructed of a material that must be stretched to fit around the hydraulic cylinder and lines. The entire guard may be constructed of a significantly stretchable material such as rubber, or portions of the guard may be rigid while other portions are stretchable. In one embodiment of the invention, the guard is made from composite materials of varying elasticities so that certain portions of the guard are able to stretch more than others.
In addition to covering hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic lines, the guards may be used to cover hydraulic lines adjacent to other features on the loader such as the cross beam 45 between loader arms. The guards located on non-cylinder portions may be colored, textured, or ornamented similar to the guards on the hydraulic cylinders to provide a loader of refined appearance.
Although the hydraulic fitting is designed to provide a substantially leak free connection between the hydraulic line and cylinder, the quality of the connection may be degraded over time due to forces exerted upon the cylinder fitting. As shown in
A darkened loader illuminated by highly reflective hydraulic cylinder guards is shown in
The hydraulic line and cylinder guard shown in
The hydraulic line protectors may also surround portions of the loader arms. Access vents to facilitate inspection of the hydraulic lines may be incorporated into the protectors. The shape and the arrangement of the access vents may be ornamental and/or functional. Features and slots in the protectors may be adapted to be near hydraulic cylinders. The features and slots may include cut-away areas that prevent the cylinders from wearing upon the hydraulic line protectors or reinforced overhangs may be used to shield portions of the cylinders from dirt and rain.
A removable access panel may be incorporated into the hydraulic line protectors to facilitate inspection and repair of hydraulic lines. The removable access panel may also protect the hydraulic lines from foreign objects as well as dirt and debris that could corrode portions of the hydraulic lines. Similar to other features of the hydraulic line protector, the access panel may also be in an ornamental yet functional shape.
A protector may be connected to the exterior sections of a loader arm at pivot points. Because installation of the some protectors does not require the loader arms be disassembled, a variety of loaders may be retrofitted with these devices. In order to increase the number of loaders that a single design of lateral protector may be attached to, the protector may have expansion features. In addition to allowing the lateral protector to be connected to a greater variety of loader arms, the expansion features may help to prevent stretching of the lateral protector when the loader arms are operated.
The inventor contemplates several alterations and improvements to the disclosed invention. Other materials and methods of manufacture will be obvious to those of reasonable skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention. Other alterations, variations, and combinations are possible that fall within the scope of the present invention. Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize more modifications that may be made that would nonetheless fall within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the apparatus described. Instead, the scope of the present invention should be consistent with the invention claimed below.
This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 12/009,003 now abandoned, entitled “Guard structure for fluid conduits of hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic lines” and filed Jan. 16, 2008 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 12009003 | Jan 2008 | US |
Child | 12038379 | US |