Material or article handling – Vertically swinging load support – Shovel or fork type
Patent
1988-06-10
1989-11-21
Spar, Robert J.
Material or article handling
Vertically swinging load support
Shovel or fork type
294 93, 2941031, 403322, E02F 900
Patent
active
048818674
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to construction machines and more particularly although not exclusively to hydraulic excavators or backhoes.
Excavators or backhoes when used for the removal of rock are normally fitted with hydraulic or pneumatic hammers which first break up the material so that it can be subsequently cleared with a bucket. This procedure however requires that the hammer and bucket be fitted alternately to the excavator and the swapping operation can take as long as 40 minutes with those machines which require the removal of the hinge pins normally connecting the hammer or bucket to the arm.
It is an object of this invention to ameliorate this disadvantage and accordingly a hitch assembly is disclosed for mounting onto the articulated arm of a hydraulic excavator or backhoe or the like and comprising remotely operable means for releasibly grasping the hinge pins of a bucket, rock hammer or other device whereby such implements can be quickly and easily interchanged without removal of said pins.
The currently preferred embodiment of this invention will now be described with reference to the attached illustrations in which:
FIG. 1 shows a conventional mounting for a rock hammer on a hydraulic excavator,
FIGS. 2 and 3 show side and end views of a hitch assembly according to this invention which may be fitted between the hammer and articulated arm of the excavator of FIG. 1.
Referring first to FIG. 1 a hydraulic excavator is indicated generally by the numeral 1 and has a rock hammer 2 mounted in the conventional manner onto the end of the articulated arm 3. The mounting arrangement comprises two parallel hinge or pivot pins 4 and 5 which allow the hammer to be directed at any required angle by the hydraulic ram 7. Although not shown a bucket or other implement could similarly be mounted in place of the hammer 2. With such conventional equipment however this requires the manual removal of each of the pivot pins 4 and 5 before the hammer can be detached from the arm and their subsequent refitting in order to mount another implement in place. The operation is therefore time consuming and laborious and adds significantly to equipment costs on jobs where the change over must be repeated a number of times.
The currently preferred hitch assembly according to this invention comprises a housing with side and end plates 8 and 9 which enclose a hydraulically operable slide mechanism 10 as will be described later. The upper portion of the housing includes two sets of aligned bushings 11 and 12 which are adapted to receive the aforementioned pivot pins 4 and 5. The hitch is thus mountable directly onto the excavator arm in place of the hammer or bucket. The lower portion of the hitch includes a pair of oppositely directed jaws 13 and 14. One of these jaws 13 is fixed and the other is movable in the directions indicated by arrow "A". With this jaw 14 withdrawn inwardly the lower portion of the hitch is thus able to be fitted between the parallel pivot pins of a bucket or hammer. The relative positions and size of these pins 15 and 16 in relation to the jaws 13 and 14 is shown in FIG. 2. In actual use however these pins 15 and 16 would extend through the upper portion of the hammer or bucket assembly. Subsequent outward displacement of the jaw 14 then serves to lock the hitch in place between the pins as shown in FIG. 2.
With this embodiment the displacement of jaw 14 is obtained by means of a slide plate 17 located within the hitch housing. This plate is activated by means of a ram 18 which may be powered directly from the hydraulic system of the excavator. The plate moves within guides formed by ribs 19 along each side of the housing and directly below the plate there is an aperture 20. The jaw 14 is affixed to the plate 17 and extends down through the aperture 20.
The hydraulic circuit for the ram 18 preferably includes a valve assembly to insure that the jaw cannot be withdrawn from the pin 15 until a positive release is required. This is accomplished by means of a one way valve 21 which prevents hydraulic fluid on
REFERENCES:
patent: 3964622 (1976-06-01), Blair
patent: 3985249 (1976-10-01), Aker et al.
patent: 4442912 (1984-04-01), Vette
patent: 4480955 (1984-11-01), Andrews et al.
Essex Stuart A.
Essex Wendy P.
Spar Robert J.
Underwood Donald W.
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