Backhoe finishing attachment

Details Backhoe finishing attachment Backhoe finishing attachment

2002-05-02

2004-11-16

Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3673)

Excavating

Combined or convertible

With scraper

C037S443000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06817121

ABSTRACT:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings,
FIGS. 1-8
show a backhoe finishing attachment
10
and associated apparatus. Turning to
FIG. 1
, conventional excavating equipment like a backhoe
14
removes earth to form an excavation. By way of definition, horizontal means parallel to the surface plane S of the earth prior to excavation and vertical means perpendicular to the surface plane S of the earth prior to excavation. In addition, relating to the backhoe bucket BB, horizontal includes parallel to the aperture plane E of the backhoe bucket BB with the backhoe bucket BB rotated towards the backhoe boom B and parallel to the surface S of the earth prior to excavation. Further, relating to the backhoe bucket BB, vertical includes parallel to the left side and right side, RS of the backhoe bucket.
Typically, a backhoe
14
has an appended boom B with a detachable bucket BB at the end of the boom B. Via the cutting and holding ability of the backhoe bucket BB, a backhoe
14
removes earth and forms walls
12
. Typically, the resulting walls
12
of the excavation have an inward curve towards the bottom. The curved walls
12
arise from the lowering and rotating of the boom B during digging and the fact that the earth engaging side EE of the bucket has a pivoting limit when fully opened. Since shoring and earthforms typically require straight walls
12
to attain maximum load bearing capacity, conventionally crews must manually remove the remaining wall earth to straighten the vertical excavation walls
12
.
The present invention as shown in
FIG. 2
, remedies the curved walls
12
with the backhoe finishing attachment
10
shown attached to a backhoe bucket BB. The backhoe bucket BB typically has prongs T near its earth engaging side EE and linkage L at its boom attachment side BA. An aperture E to accept earth and provide an opening to the bucket interior I extends between the prongs T and the linkage L. Typically when not in use, the backhoe bucket BB rests upon the surface S near the excavation.
FIG. 2
shows the preferred embodiment of the present invention bolted to the right side RS and left side of the backhoe bucket BB. The boom B and bucket BB are positioned to straighten the vertical wall
12
with the blade
16
of the present invention.
The backhoe finishing attachment
10
appears in
FIG. 3
apart from the backhoe bucket BB and has a blade
16
, a right beam
26
, and a left beam
38
with the blade
16
attached to the two beams forming a substantially U-shape. In a preferred embodiment, the blade
16
of steel has a generally symmetric rectangular shape generally oriented vertically, a cutting edge
18
, a top end
20
, a left end
22
, and a right end
24
. The cutting edge
18
is typically the sharpened lower long edge of the blade
16
. The blade
16
and the cutting edge
18
extend beneath the left and right beams
26
,
38
. In an alternate embodiment, the cutting edge
18
has one or more teeth
52
as shown in the embodiment of FIG.
6
. The top end
20
is the upper long end of the blade
16
opposite the cutting edge
18
. Looking between the beams
26
,
38
towards the blade
16
, the short end of the blade
16
towards the left is the left end
22
and opposite the left end
22
is the right end
24
of the blade
16
. In a preferred embodiment, the left end
22
of the blade
16
is joined to the left beam
38
and the right end
24
of the blade
16
is joined to the right beam
26
.
Again looking towards the blade
16
, the beam towards the left is the left beam
38
and opposite the left beam
38
is the right beam
26
. In a preferred embodiment, the left beam
38
and the right beam
26
have a generally symmetric rectangular shape of substantially greater length than width, a top end
40
,
28
and a bottom end
42
,
30
opposite said top end
40
,
28
, respectively. Alternative embodiments may incorporate any structurally sound cross section. The left beam
38
has a front end
44
at the blade
16
and a rear end
46
away from the blade
16
. The right beam
26
has a front end
32
at the blade
16
and a rear end
34
away from the blade
16
. In the preferred embodiment, the blade
16
is welded to the beams
26
,
38
but may be connected with any conventional method of metal joining in alternative embodiments, including but not limited to bolts and pins. In a preferred embodiment, the front end
44
of each the left beam
38
and right beam
26
is welded to the blade
16
.
In a preferred embodiment, each the left beam
38
and the right beam
26
have one or more regularly spaced holes
54
to attach each beam
38
,
26
to the left side and right side RS of the backhoe bucket BB respectively. In the preferred embodiment, the spacing of the holes
54
allows use of hand tools to tighten mechanical fasteners such as bolts or pins and further deters bending of the beam
38
. Alternate embodiments, press the backhoe finishing attachment
10
into shape from a single piece of steel or other structurally sound material.
In an alternative embodiment, the blade
16
has a substantially semi-circular shape akin to a hand shovel oriented vertically, a cutting edge
18
, a top end
20
, a left end
22
, and a right end
24
. The cutting edge
18
is typically the sharpened lower curved edge of the blade
16
although the top end
20
may be utilized for cutting when required. In the identified alternative embodiment, the blade
16
and the cutting edge
18
extend beneath the left and right beams
26
,
38
. The top end
20
is the substantially straight long edge of the blade
16
opposite the cutting edge
18
. In a preferred embodiment, the left end
22
of the blade
16
is welded to the left beam
38
and the right end
24
of the blade
16
is welded to the right beam
26
.
FIG. 4
illustrates the backhoe finishing attachment
10
installed on a backhoe bucket BB. The backhoe finishing attachment
10
typically fits outside the backhoe bucket BB and along the sides including the left side and RS of the backhoe bucket BB. The right beam
26
positions the blade
16
away from the linkage L and ahead of the backhoe bucket BB. The right beam
26
extends towards the prongs T or earth engaging side EE of the backhoe bucket BB along the right side RS of the backhoe bucket BB. Matching the holes
54
in the right beam
26
to the holes
54
in the right side RS of the backhoe bucket BB, the right beam
26
is bolted by one or more bolts
56
to the right side RS of the backhoe bucket BB. As the left beam
38
and the left side of the backhoe bucket BB are symmetric to the right beam
26
and the right side RS of the backhoe bucket BB, the left beam
38
bolts to the left side of the backhoe bucket BB as described for the right beam
26
. In alternative embodiments, the left beam
38
and the right beam
26
may be welded to their respective sides of the backhoe bucket BB. In further alternative embodiments, the left beam
38
and the right beam
26
may be joined to the their respective sides of the backhoe bucket BB by an adhesive or with a hook and latching mechanism. In a still further alternative embodiment, the left beam
38
and the right beam
26
join their respective sides, the left side and RS of the backhoe bucket BB through magnetic attraction.
FIG. 5
shows an alternative embodiment for the backhoe finishing attachment
10
. Replacing the beams
26
,
38
described in
FIGS. 3 & 4
are plates of steel which connect the blade
16
to the backhoe bucket BB. In a preferred form of this alternative embodiment, the right beam
26
and the left beam
38
have a straight end on the top that runs from the left and right ends
22
,
24
of the blade
16
across the length of the right beam
26
and the left beam
38
. Furthermore, the right beam
26
and the left beam
38
each preferably contain three or more holes
54
with at least one hole
54
offset from the remaining holes
54
, but may contain one or more holes and still function. The preferred generally triangular arrangement
62
of the holes
54
in each beam
26

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Backhoe finishing attachment does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Backhoe finishing attachment, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Backhoe finishing attachment will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3358414