Swivel working vehicle

Details Swivel working vehicle Swivel working vehicle

1999-02-19

2001-09-18

Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)

Motor vehicles

Special driving device

Portable track

C180S089100, C305S171000, C037S410000, C037S466000, C212S195000, C414S719000, C414S687000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06290009

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a construction of traveling devices of a swivel working vehicle like a crawler hydraulic shovel.
2. Related Art
Conventional arts about a form of a crawler for a crawler traveling device have been shown in Japanese Laid Open Gazettes Nos. Hei 8-53079, Hei 8-58647, 72759, Hei 8-85480, Hei 8-85482, Hei 8-91256, Hei 8-99656 and Hei 8-104262, for example.
A conventional crawler hydraulic shovel that is utilized as a swivel working vehicle is shown in
FIG. 5. A
swivel body F′ is provided with a back-hoe including a bucket
4
and is mounted above left and right traveling devices K′. A rear end of swivel body F′, when swivelled so as to be directed substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the traveling devices K′, projects outwardly beyond the respective outer edge of the traveling device K′.
When the conventional swivel vehicle is carried by a small dump truck T, i.e., one of 2 or 4 capacity tonnage which can be driven by a common licensed driver to an excavating site, it is placed on a bed
2
of the dump truck T, as shown in
FIG. 5
, so that the swivel body F′ is swivelled so as to direct the bucket
4
substantially perpendicularly to the traveling direction of the machine body. In this condition, a balance weight W
1
on the rear end of the swivel body F′ projects outwardly from one of the traveling devices K′.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the swivel body F′ is loaded with the balance weight W
1
so that with respect to core metal projections
1
a
′ of one of crawlers
1
′ a balanced point P′ is defined. Thus, a part of the swivel body F′ toward the balance weight W
1
is balanced against the other part thereof toward the bucket
4
along balanced point P′.
In this construction, a distance b
1
between the balanced point P′ and the center of gravity of the balance weight W
1
is set longer than a distance a
1
between the balanced point P′ and the center of gravity of the bucket
4
, so that the weight balance between the part toward the bucket
4
and the part toward the balance weight W
1
is maintained with the balance weight W
1
being relatively light. The relationship between distances a
1
and b
1
, and balance weight W
1
and the weight of the swivel working machine toward the bucket, stabilizes the vehicle when it operates in the condition that the swivel body F′ is swivelled so as to direct the back-hoe including the bucket
4
substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the traveling devices K′, while the width between the traveling devices K′ is small enough to fit on the bed
2
of the dump truck T.
On the other hand, a swivel working vehicle as shown in
FIG. 3
has a small swivelling capacity and is constructed such that a rear portion of a swivel body F is formed into a circular shape and is disposed within a lateral width that extends between the outer edges of the traveling devices K. In this construction, the rear portion of the swivel body F does not project beyond the traveling devices K. However, when the swivel body F is swivelled so as to direct the back-hoe thereon including a bucket
4
substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the traveling devices K, it may become unbalanced due to the heavy weight of the bucket
4
and a bucket arm
5
against the balance weight W
2
. If the swivel body F becomes unbalanced, the machine body is apt to tilt toward the bucket
4
, thereby causing the vehicle in operation to tumble or the vehicle placed on the bed
2
of the dump truck T to fall. Thus, the swivel working vehicle shown in
FIG. 3
requires the balance weight W
2
thereof to be considerably heavier than the balance weight W
1
of the swivel body F′ in
FIG. 5
to prevent it from tumbling toward the bucket
4
.
The conventional small swivel working vehicle shown in
FIG. 3
that is provided with the balance weight W
2
, which is heavier than the balance weight W
1
, swivels and operates more advantageously in comparison with the vehicle shown in FIG.
5
. However, it may not operate as well as an excavation working vehicle and is more expensive due to the weight of its balance weight W
2
.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a swivel working vehicle with a small circular swivelling capacity as shown in
FIG. 3
is designed to prevent it from tumbling toward a bucket
4
when the back-hoe including the bucket
4
is swivelled so as to be directed substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the traveling devices K′. The swivel working vehicle of the present invention includes a lighter balance weight W
2
and core metal projections
1
a
of a crawler
1
that define a point P that is the point at which the side toward the bucket
4
of the working mechanism and the side toward the balance weight W
2
are balanced. The core metal projections
1
a
are offset toward a lateral edge, i.e., the furthermost outer edge of the crawler with respect to a center of rotation of the swivel body, of crawler
1
as much as possible, thereby reducing a distance a
2
between the core metal projections
1
a
and the center of gravity of the bucket
4
and increasing a distance b
2
between the core metal projections
1
a
and the center of gravity of the balance weight W
2
.
Also, in the present invention, the lugs are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler
1
into such shapes as to prevent eccentric abrasion of the lugs, to make the left and right crawlers replaceable with each other and to ease sweeping of contaminating soils between the lugs while the core metal projections
1
a
are formed outwardly eccentrically on the crawler
1
.


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