The invention relates to tool accessories for earthwork and construction machines, and more specifically, to combined tools for operations such as scooping and gripping.
Machines such as a tractor loader backhoe, excavator, or trencher often include an articulating boom and a dipper stick connecting a moveable and rotatable tool such as a bucket or scoop to the boom. Such machines and tools are generally used for various earthwork and construction, for example, scooping operations such as digging and moving material such as dirt, gravel, or the like, and for breaking material such as concrete slabs. Other machines include an articulating boom and dipper stick having a tool for gripping and moving materials, for example, a tool having opposing and pivotable claw-like members, sometimes referred to as a grapple. A bucket type tool is generally not suitable for gripping operations and the claw tool is generally not suitable for scooping operations.
One solution has been to provide an aftermarket “thumb” accessory for mounting on the distal end of the dipper stick, adjacent the bucket. Such thumbs are typically designed to be welded to the dipper stick and therefore are not removable. Additionally, the welding may damage and generally voids the warranty on the dipper stick and boom. This solution is also not feasible for use on machines having a tool coupled to an extendable arm that telescopes from within a dipper stick sleeve. If welded to the dipper stick sleeve, the thumb is only usable when the extendable arm is in the retracted position. If welded to the extendable arm, then the thumb will prevent the extendable arm from movement to its retracted position.
The present invention may comprise one or more of the following features and combinations thereof.
An illustrative system according to the present disclosure includes a gripping accessory for a machine having a tool, for example, a bucket attached to an extendable or non-extendable arm of a dipper stick. The accessory includes a pair of grip members pivotably coupled to the distal pivot pin connecting the bucket and arm. The accessory also includes a grip linkage coupled between each grip member and the intermediate pivot coupling the extendable arm and the rotatable linkage coupled to the bucket rotation cylinder. The accessory optionally includes a support member coupled between the two grip linkages. Advantageously the accessory is removably coupled using the existing pivot joints so that no modification of the machine is required.
Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
For the purposes of promoting and understanding the principals of the invention, reference will now be made to one or more illustrative embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same.
Referring to
The prior art machine 122 includes a vehicle or carriage 26, boom 28, boom cylinder 30, dipper cylinder 32, dipper stick 34, tool cylinder 36, and extendable arm 38. The bucket 24 includes a flange 42 for coupling the bucket to the extendable arm 38. The flange 42 is coupled to the distal end 44 of the extendable arm 38 at pivot joint 46 using pivot pin 48. The bucket 24 is further coupled to the extendable arm 38 via a thrust linkage 50. The thrust linkage 50 is coupled to the flange 42 at pivot joint 52 and to a follower linkage 54 at a pivot joint 56. The follower linkage 54 is further coupled to the extendable arm 38 at a pivot joint 60 using a pivot pin 62.
The flange 42, thrust linkage 52, follower linkage 54, and distal end 44 of the extendable arm 38 form a four-bar linkage operated by the tool cylinder 36 to rotate the bucket 24. The extendable arm 38 is operable to extend and retract within housing 70 of the dipper stick 34. The dipper stick 34 is operable to rotate relative to the boom 28 using dipper cylinder 32 and the boom 28 is operable to rotate relative to the carriage 26 using boom cylinder 30. The prior art machine 122 shown in
Referring to
Referring again to
Advantageously, the grip accessory 20 is releasably coupled to the extendable arm 38 using preexisting pivot joints 46 and 60. For example, pivot pins 48 and 62 shown in
The grip members 100 and 102 are coupled to the respective one of grip linkage 104 and 106 atone of a plurality of coupling locations 118, 120, and 122. For example, in
The grip members 100 and 102 may also include friction or cutting devices, for example, teeth 128. The teeth 128 or distal ends 132 of the grip members 100 and 102 may also include replaceable inserts 130, for example, formed from harder or hardened metal than that used for the grip members 100 and 102. The material used for forming the grip members 100 and 102 and grip linkages 104 and 106 may be of the type typically used for forming bucket 24, for example, 1¼ inch or 2 inch steel.
Optionally, the grip members 100 and 102 may be curved along at least one longitudinal edge, for example, to accommodate gripping various materials, for example, railroad tie 134 shown in
As configured in
Referring to
The illustrative grip accessory 20 may also be releasably coupled as with machine 122 with a machine not having an extendable arm 38, for example, the prior art machine 80 shown in
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the foregoing drawings and description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments thereof have been show and described and that all changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter is desired to be protected.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/054,536, filed May 20, 2008, and titled THUMB ACCESSORY FOR EXTENDABLE DIPPER STICK, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61054536 | May 2008 | US |