Patent Application
20170037597
This invention relates to earthmoving equipment, and more particularly to a system for detachably securing implements to an edge of a bucket of an earth-moving vehicle.
Tractors and other material-handling vehicles were originally used primarily in construction, farming, and industry, but in recent years, they have become available in more compact configurations,
making them affordable and useful for homeowners working on do-it-yourself landscaping projects and
the like. Among the most popular configurations of these compact and sub-compact material-handling
vehicles are those which include a front-loader assembly consisting of a tiltable bucket that is supported by bucket arms pivotably carried by the vehicle and driven by hydraulic cylinders.
Various attempts have been made to increase the versatility of such vehicles by attaching implements to the front bucket. For instance, clamp-on pallet forks and trailer hitch receivers are commercially available, as are bolt-on squeegee blades. However, these devices suffer from a number of shortcomings. For instance, the clamp-on trailer hitch receivers currently on the market are not capable of supporting very heavy loads, and have been known to twist or slip laterally along the bucket under side loads. Furthermore, all or most of the available devices require that either the implements or the buckets themselves be significantly modified in some way. Accordingly, there exists a need for devices that can removably attach a variety of interchangeable implements to the buckets of earth-moving vehicles, without requiring significant modification of either the implements or the buckets, and with minimal risk of failure or displacement under high loads or side loads.
Briefly, to achieve the desired objects of the present invention in accordance with several exemplary embodiments thereof, an attachment system is provided for detachably securing a variety of interchangeable implements to an edge of a bucket of an earth-moving vehicle. The system comprises at least one clamp having two generally parallel arms that extend generally perpendicularly from opposite ends of a base member, and that cooperate with one another to define an opening for receiving the bottom front edge of a tractor bucket. An internally threaded bore extending transversely through one of the arms acts as a sleeve carrying an operating member such as a screw or a bolt for maintaining the bucket edge within the opening between the first and second arms. A bore extending through the base member receives a fastener for removably coupling the implement to the clamp.
In the illustrated examples, the attachment system includes at least three clamps structured as described above, with one clamp secured to each of the opposite ends of the bucket edge, and one clamp located in the middle of the edge. Each of the two end clamps may rest against a side wall of the bucket to minimize sliding. In addition to the three clamps, the system may include a pair of elongated plates, each having a set of three holes alignable with the bore extending through the base member of each clamp. An attachment portion of an implement such as a trailer hitch receiver, rake, or squeegee may be sandwiched between the two plates and secured in place by a fastener such as a screw, bolt, or pin that extends through the plates, the implement attachment portion, and the base member of each clamp.
The foregoing and more specific objects and advantages of the instant invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
Turning now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to
In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment system 10 comprises a set of three identical, or substantially similar, clamps 30a, 30b, and 30c, although more or fewer clamps may be used, depending on the application. The clamps may be spaced apart at regular intervals along the entire length of the bucket edge 14, so that any forces exerted by the squeegee 12 or other implement will be distributed along the whole edge rather than at a single point. The two outermost clamps 30b and 30c are preferably positioned such that they abut the side walls 24, 26 of the bucket. Thus, the side walls 24, 26 provide extra support for the clamps 30a,b,c and prevent them from sliding laterally off the bucket edge 14.
Each clamp 30 includes two generally parallel arms 32, 34 that extend substantially perpendicularly from opposite ends of a substantially vertically oriented base member 36, and that cooperate with one another to define an opening 38 configured to receive an edge, for example the bottom edge 14, of the tractor bucket 16. A first bore 40, for instance an internally threaded bore, extends through the first arm 32 in a direction substantially parallel to the base member, forming a sleeve for carrying an operating member 42 such as, for instance, a bolt or an externally threaded screw having a end surface 44 that serves as a movable jaw. The operating member 42 may also have a transversely extending handle 46 allowing a user to rotate the member 42, causing the movable jaw 44 to move toward or away from a surface 48 of the second arm 34 that acts as a fixed jaw.
The second arm 34 may include a thickened portion or protrusion 50 that projects into the opening 38 and forms a stop wall that abuts against the cutting edge 28 of the bucket 16 and prevents the clamp 30 from being pulled off the bucket 16 when the cutting edge 28 is clasped between the fixed and movable jaws 44,48 of the clamp 30.
A second bore 52, for instance an internally threaded bore, extends through through the base member 36 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the first bore 40. The second bore 52 is configured to receive a fastener 54 such as a bolt, screw, or pin passing through an aligned hole 56 in an attachment portion 58, for example an upper edge, of an implement such as the squeegee 12. In a very basic embodiment of the invention, the implement 12 may be secured directly to the clamp with no intervening elements, but in the illustrated embodiment, the attachment portion 58 implement 12 is sandwiched between an inner elongated plate 60 and an outer elongated plate 62. Each of the plates 60 and 62 is substantially equal in length to the lower front edge 14 of the bucket 16 and includes three holes 64a,b,c, 66a,b,c, each of which is alignable with a corresponding bore 52 in each clamp 30a,b,c as well as a corresponding hole 56 in the attachment portion 56 of the implement 12. In some applications, one or both plates 60, 62 may be eliminated.
While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the illustrated embodiment, there may be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, elements, materials and components used in the practice of the invention and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operation requirements without departing from those principles. For instance, the attachment system need not be limited to use with the illustrated squeegee, rake, or trailer hitch, and may be used to fasten pallet forks, downwardly extending rods, or a variety of other implements. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.
