Wear assembly

Abstract

A wear assembly for excavating equipment which includes a wear member and a base each with upper and lower stabilizing surfaces that are offset and at overlapping depths to reduce the overall depth of the assembly while maintaining high strength and a stable coupling. The nose and socket each includes a generally triangular-shaped front stabilizing end to provide a highly stable front connection between the nose and wear member for both vertical and side loading. The lock is movable between hold and release positions to accommodate replacing of the wear member when needed, and secured to the wear member for shipping and storage purposes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wear assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the wear assembly.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wear assembly vertically taken along the longitudinal axis.

FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of a base of the wear assembly.

FIG. 5 is a lower perspective view of the nose of the base.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the nose.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the base.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the nose.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the base.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the base taken along such section line 10-10 in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the base taken along such section line 11-11 in FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a wear member of the wear assembly.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the part of the wear member within the circle c in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a rear view of the wear member.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the wear member.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 16-16 in FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 17-17 in FIG. 14.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are each a perspective view of a lock for the wear assembly.

FIG. 20 is a front view of the lock.

FIG. 21 is a side view of the lock.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22-22 in FIG. 21.

FIGS. 23-25 are transverse cross-section views showing the incremental installation of the lock into the wear assembly with a pry tool.

FIGS. 26-29 are transverse cross-sectional views showing the incremental removal of the lock from the wear assembly with a pry tool.

FIG. 30 is an enlarged, transverse cross-sectional view of the wear assembly with the lock in the hold position in the assembly.

FIG. 30 a is an enlarged, transverse cross-sectional view of the wear member combined with the lock in the hold position.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the wear member with the lock in the release position.

FIG. 32 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view of the lock in the release position.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a wear assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a side view of the nose of the second embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a rear view of the wear member of the second embodiment.

FIG. 37 is a partial cross-sectional view taken vertically along the longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising: a front end;a rear end;a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a base fixed to the excavating equipment and has a longitudinal axis; andstabilizing surfaces near the rear end, each said stabilizing surface axially extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis to bear against a complementary surface on the base, a first of the stabilizing surfaces facing generally downward and a second of the stabilizing surfaces facing generally upward, the first and second stabilizing surfaces being laterally offset from each other.

2. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 including a plurality of the first stabilizing surfaces located outside the socket and a plurality of the second stabilizing surfaces located within the socket.

3. A wear member in accordance with claim 2 wherein the first stabilizing surfaces are transversely angled relative to each other.

4. A wear member in accordance with claim 3 wherein the second stabilizing surfaces are generally parallel to each other.

5. A wear member in accordance with claim 4 wherein one said second stabilizing surface is located along each side of the wear member.

6. A wear member in accordance with claim 5 further including an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the base.

7. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end, and a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket having a front end portion, a rear end portion and a longitudinal axis, each of the front and rear end portions including a plurality of stabilizing surfaces axially extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis to bear against complementary surfaces on the nose, two of said stabilizing surfaces in each of the front and rear end portions being transversely angled to each other.

8. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein the stabilizing surfaces in the front end portion face generally in a direction opposite to the stabilizing surfaces in the rear end portion.

9. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 further including an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

10. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end, and a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket being defined by top, bottom and side walls, the rear end having an offset portion defining a shoulder along each said side wall such that the top wall has a different rearward extension than the bottom wall.

11. A wear member in accordance with claim 10 wherein the shoulders face generally downward with the top wall extending between each of the shoulders and farther rearward than the bottom wall.

12. A wear member in accordance with claim 11 wherein the socket has a longitudinal axis, and wherein the shoulders axially extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

13. A wear member in accordance with claim 12 wherein the socket includes stabilizing surfaces that axially extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and face in a direction generally opposite to the shoulders.

14. A wear member in accordance with claim 13 wherein the wear member includes an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

15. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end, and a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket including a front end portion, a rear end portion and a longitudinal axis, and the front end portion having a generally triangular shape transverse to the longitudinal axis.

16. A wear member in accordance with claim 15 wherein the triangular front end portion of the socket is defined by stabilizing surfaces that axially extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

17. A wear member in accordance with claim 15 wherein the socket transitions from the generally triangular shape to a generally hexagonal shape transverse to the longitudinal axis.

18. A wear member in accordance with claim 17 wherein the socket transitions from the generally hexagonal shape to a generally octagonal shape transverse to the longitudinal axis.

19. A wear member in accordance with claim 15 wherein a rear end portion of the socket includes a plurality of stabilizing surfaces that extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

20. A wear member in accordance with claim 15 wherein the front end portion of the socket is defined by a generally horizontal lower surface and a pair of upper surfaces forming an inverted V-shaped configuration.

21. A wear member in accordance with claim 15 wherein the wear member includes an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

22. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end, a top side, a bottom side, and a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket having a front end portion, a rear end portion and a longitudinal axis, the front end portion including a first surface extending substantially across the width of the front end portion along one of the top or bottom sides, and a pair of second surfaces facing in a direction generally opposite to the first surface, the second surfaces being inclined relative to each other to reduce the spacing of outer corners in the socket along the other of the top and bottom sides.

23. A wear member in accordance with claim 22 wherein the first and second surfaces each axially extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

24. A wear member in accordance with claim 23 wherein the first surface extends generally along the bottom side of the wear member.

25. A wear member in accordance with claim 24 wherein the second surfaces are generally planar.

26. A wear member in accordance with claim 24 wherein the wear member includes an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

27. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end, a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, a through-hole in communication with the socket, and a lock integrally connected in the through-hole for movement between a hold position where the lock can secure the wear member to the nose and a release position where the wear member can be released from the nose, the lock and the through-hole being cooperatively structured to releasably retain the lock in each of said hold and release positions irrespective of the receipt of the nose in the socket.

28. A wear member in accordance with claim 27 wherein lock is secured in the through-hole for pivotal movement about a pivot axis.

29. A wear member in accordance with claim 28 wherein the pivot axis extends generally in an axial direction.

30. A wear member in accordance with claim 27 wherein the lock is free of a threaded adjustment for movement between the hold and release positions.

31. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end defining a narrow front edge for penetrating into the ground, a rear end, a socket defined by top, bottom and side walls that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment to define an excavating tooth, a through-hole in communication with the socket, and a lock received in the through-hole for pivotal movement between a hold position where the lock secures the wear member to the nose and a release position where the wear member can be released from the nose, wherein the pivotal axis extends generally in an axial direction.

32. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end, and a socket defined by an upper surface, a lower surface, a front surface and side surfaces, and that opens in the rear end to receive a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket having a longitudinal axis and a front end with stabilizing surfaces facing generally in opposite directions, wherein each of the stabilizing surfaces axially extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and the upper surface converges toward the lower surface through the front end.

33. A wear member in accordance with claim 32 further including an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

34. A wear member for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end and a socket that opens in the rear end for receiving a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket including a main portion having an upper side and a lower side each including a central facet and two opposite side facets each inclined to the corresponding central facet, the upper central facet having a width that expands in a rearward direction, and the lower central facet having a width that narrows in a rearward direction.

35. A wear member in accordance with claim 34 further including an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

36. A wear member for attachments to excavating equipment comprising a front end, a rear end and a socket that opens in the rear end for receiving a nose fixed to the excavating equipment, the socket including a front stabilizing end and a main portion, the main portion having a forward portion that generally defines a hexagonal cross section and a rearward portion that generally defines an octagonal cross section.

37. A wear member in accordance with claim 36 further including an opening for receiving a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

38. A wear assembly for excavating equipment comprising: a base fixed to the excavating equipment;a wear member including a front end, a rear end, a socket that opens in the rear end to receive a base fixed to the excavating equipment and has a longitudinal axis, and stabilizing surfaces near the rear end, each said stabilizing surface axially extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis to bear against a complementary surface on the base, a first of the stabilizing surfaces facing generally downward and a second of the stabilizing surfaces facing generally upward, the first and second stabilizing surfaces being laterally offset from each other; anda lock to releasably secure the wear member to the base.

39. A lock for attaching a wear member to a base fixed to excavating equipment, the lock comprising: a first end having a first latch formation for securing the lock in a hold position where the wear member is secured to the base and a second latch formation for securing the lock in a release position where the wear member can be released from the base; anda second end defining a pivot member that cooperates with a corresponding pivot member formed on the wear member for pivotal movement of the lock between the hold and release positions.

40. A lock in accordance with claim 39 further including a front wall and a rear wall extending between the first and second ends, the front wall being adapted to oppose a base wall and the rear wall being adapted to oppose a wear member wall to prevent release of the wear member from the base when the lock is in the hold position.

41. A method of shipping an excavating wear assembly, the method comprising providing a lock, providing a wear member having a socket adapted to receive a nose fixed to excavating equipment and a through-hole in communication with the socket for receiving the lock, inserting the lock into the through-hole such that the lock is releasably retained in the opening with the insertion of the nose into the socket, and shipping the wear member with the lock retained in the through-hole.