US3252606A - Front end loader - Google Patents

Description

May 24, 1966 c. E. PRYOR 3,252,606

FRONT END LOADER Filed March 23, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

BY Claude E. Pryor yMwQL Attorneys May 24, 1966 Q5. PRYOR FRONT END LOADER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 23, 1964 INVENTOR.

May 24, 1966 c. E. PRYOR FRONT END LOADER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 225, 1964 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,252,606 FRONT END LOADER Claude E. Pryor, 1105 Santa Barbara Drive,

' Santa Rosa, Calif. Filed Mar. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 353,765 3 Claims. (Cl. 214140) This invention relates to earth moving equipment and more particularly to front end loaders.

Front end loaders are of course well known and generally include a tractor equipped with a rectangular, wide mouth bucket carried across the front of the tractor on the ends of arms or booms. The arms are powered to raise and lower the bucket as well as to articulate same with respect to the ends of the arms.

In general it is an object of the present invention to provide more versatile front end loading equipment.

One typical chore for conventional front end loaders is found in handling dirt piled up alongside a building. This situation frequently occurs where a trench for an underground sewer line or the like is dug alongside the building and spaced eight or ten feet out from the wall. During the trenching operation the excavated dirt is conveniently piled up against the building. After the sewer line or piping is laid in place the dirt is then removed from the side of the building and filled back into the trench. When using a front end loader, this requires reaching across the trench to first scoop up the dirt, then backing up and dumping each load into the trench.

An object of the present invention is to provide a front end loader for greatly facilitating the handling of dirt under the above circumstances.

Another problem with front end loaders of conventional design is that in picking up small piles of materials the bucket must be thrust quickly and sharply into or under the pile. Otherwise the pile will merely be moved continuously ahead of the bucket causing the bucket to chase the pile. Chasing is well known. In seeking to avoid the problem quick thrusts of the tractor are used. Considerable wear and tear is thereby occasioned in the drive train of the tractor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a front end loader arrangement whereby the need to overcome chasing is entirely eliminated.

Still another problem found in front end loaders is that of spillage of the load from the bucket caused by tipping the buckets when the booms are elevated to a high angle. This problem is significant to paving contractors and others when handling the more costly sand and gravel materials. Thus, at least one manufacturer has recognized the economic need for controlling such spillage by installing load-leveling parallelogram members coupled to the bucket and support arms to maintain loads level when raising them to high angles.

The foregoing and other problems have been readily solved by front end loading equipment according to the present invention wherein a closure member is hinged across the rear edge of the bucket and formed at its opposite edge with a grading lip. The surface of the closure member is continuous to form, with the inner surface of the bucket, a substantially continuous surface curving from the grading lip around to the scooping lip of the bucket. Thus, dirt being scraped by the grading lip during rearward movement of the tractor is rolled upwardly and curled backwardly through the mouth of the bucket where it can either be enclosed and lifted by closure of the loader or scraped a distance as may be needed to reach a trench.

Patented May 24, 1965 Other objects will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of loading apparatus according to the invention showing the equipment picking up materials in a clam-shell style movement;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 and 4, taken with FIGURE'I, show three stages of movement of the loader bucket and closure member maintained fully open whereby the lip of the closure member moves in a vertical plane for operation against walls and the like;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation view of a front end loader according to the present invention showing the bucket thereof disposed to scoop in a plane generally parallel to ground level and wherein the closure member is formed movable between open and closed positions whereby the lip of the latter sweeps downwardly and somewhat rearwardly in an arc to scoop materials toward the tractor to load the bucket;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation view similar to FIGURE 5 wherein the bucket is advanced forwardly for scooping materials in a direction parallel to the ground but spaced substantially thereabove;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation viewv showing an overfilled bucket of materials handled at moderately high elevation without need for leveling the bucket;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation view of a front end loader according to the present invention whereby the bucket and closure member coact to provide a hopperlike construction including a narrow dispensing slot extending transversely of the direction of movement of the tractor to permit the laying down of a swath of paving material of substantially uniform depth along the path; and

FIGURE 9 shows the grading lip of the closure member in position to scrape dirt from an upright wall into a trench adjacent same.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a tractor 10 is provided and equipped as a front end loader. A main frame 11 is bolted or otherwise fastened to the tractor and carries a rugged, triangularly braced front guard 12. At the rear of the tractor is a counterweight 13 for providing increased traction as well as balance. A pair of uprights 14 are located on each side of the tractor. Between their upper ends there is provided a trunnion bar 15 extending transversely of the tractor. Trunnion bar 15 supplies a relatively large bearing surface and pivotally supports the ends of a pair of rigid, box-welded steel loader arms or booms 16.

A pair of connector pin support plates 17 are welded to both sides of each boom between the ends. Plates 17 are pivotally connected to the extensible end of a doubleacting hydraulic ram 19 by means of pins 18. Ram 19 is operated by suitable controls and valve means 21 controlling the fiow of fluid thereto through hoses 22. The lower end of ram 19 is pivotally anchored by a pin 23 extending through a mounting pad 24 and the end of the ram cylinder.

By suitably operating controls 21, ram 19 is actuated to raise and lower booms 16. A corresponding simultaneously actuated hydraulic ram is located on the reverse side of tractor 10 to aid in the boom movement. Accordingly, booms 16 are movable between lowered and raised positions as shown in the drawings by retracting or extending rams 19.

Means are provided for articulated movement of a rectangular, open mouth bucket 25 carried across the front of the tractor. Thus, bucket 25 is pivotally supported upon the ends of both booms 16. On each boom, a shackle pin 26 is journaled through the sides of a bracket 27 and the boom ends. Brackets 27 are elongated and at their upper ends each carries a second shackle pin 28 disposed to pivotally connect the extensible end of an articulating ram 29. The opposite end of each ram 29' tangular mouth comprised of parallel side edges 32,. 33,;

a rear edge 34, and a front edge 35. All edges 3235 are reinforced by a band of material 36 attached thereto. Edge 35 is formed and adapted to provide a scooping lip for digging into materials to be handled, such as dirt and the like.

By suitable controls 37 an operator of the front end loading equipment is able to articulate the bucket to move the plane defined by the rim of the mouth to selectively slant the plane forwardly or rearwardly from a' vertical plane as shown'respectively in FIGURES l and 5, merely by respectively extending or retracting ram means 29. The extent of projection of ram 25 and freedom of articulated movement of the bucket is suflicient to dispose grading lip 43 well below scooping lip 35 as in FIGURE 9;

A convex scoop shaped closure member 38 is hinged to the rear edge 34 of bucket 25. The ends 39, 41 are formed of flat sheet material of substantial thickness to provide rigidity. The edges 42 are formed to close jaw like to either a slightly overlapping relation or, if desired, into contact with the edges 32, 33 of bucket 25.

Closure member 38 is co-extensive with the mouth of bucket 25 and thereby encloses the contents of same, and more, to permit overfilling of the-bucket. The transverse edge 43 of closure member 38' provides a grading or scraping lip movable toward the tractor to close upon the mouth of bucket 25. Closure member 38 is hinged from Thus, as shown in'FIGURE 9 dirt or other materials 50 being scraped will, upon reversing the tractor, be rolled upwardly and folded backwardly into the mouth of the bucket. At this position the material may be further carried over into a trench 51. Or, if desired, it can be enclosed Within the bucket for transporting same elsewhere merely by extending ram 44.

Means serving to open and close member 38 upon bucket 25 includes a double-acting hydraulicram 44 pivot ally coupled by a pin 45 journaled in a bracket 46 welded to the back of closure member 38. The other end of ram 45 is pivotally supported by pin 47 carried on the end of a triangularly shaped mounting bracket 48 welded to extend outwardly sufficiently from the back side of bucket 25 to permit extension of ram 44 to firmly close lip 43 to lip 35. Suitable conventional double-acting ram controls disposed near controls 21, 37 are utilized to operate ram 44 in a double-acting manner via hoses 49" and thereby open and close same.

As shown in sequence in FIGURES 6, 7, [and 8, it will be readily evident that the bucket and closure member, when closed together, are further supported to be movable to a position disposing a plane defined generally by the rim of bucket 25 to a generally vertical orientation. Fluid pressure means, such as ram 44, is then further operable to slightly open the closure member 25 so as to space the respective lips 35, 43 to form a narrow dispensing the rear edge of the rim of the bucket, the opposite edge of the closure member being smooth to form a grading slot 52 therebetween. Slot 52 is coextensive with lips 35, 43 and extends transversely of the path of movement completely enclosed envelope 53 (FIGURE 7), except for the slot 52. The inside surfaces of bucket 25 and closure member 38 slant downwardly at a relatively high angle 54, 55 toward the dispensing slot to feed the entire contents of the envelope 53 to slot 52 for even distribution therefrom to provide a uniform depth of paving materials, for example, along the path of tractor It From the foregoing it will be readily evident that there has been provided herein a highly versatile front end loader having the distinct advantages pointed out above.

What is claimed is: t

1. Earth moving equipment comprising a tractor, a front end loader bucket having a generally rectangular mouth, boom means supporting the bucket across the front of the tractor and means to raise and lower the front edge being formed to provide a reinforced scooping lip, acurved closure member hinged along one edge to lip disposed to scrape materials toward the tractor, the

closure member including a rectangular imperforate sheet 7 of metal bent to form an arcuate surface extending between the grading lip and the rear edge of the bucket and coextensive with both to forma substantially imperviouscontinuous surface curving from said grading lip around to said scooping lip to roll materials being scraped by the grading lip upwardly and folded backwardly through th mouth of the bucket.

2. In earth moving equipment according toclaim 1 further comprising. means whereby when said bucketv and closure member areclosed together they are supported to be movable to a position disposing the first named plane to a generally vertical orientation, said'fluid pressure means being further operable to slightly open the closure mem.

ber to space the respective lips of the bucket and closure member when in said-position to form a narrow dispensing slot therebetween co-extensive with the lips and extending transversely of the path of movement of the tractor,

in said position the insidesurfaces of both the bucket and closure member forming a completely enclosed envelope except for said slots, the surfaces of said bucket and closure member slanting downwardly at a relatively high angle toward the dispensing slot to feed the entire contents of the envelope to the slot for even distribution therefrom along said path.

3. Earth moving equipment according to' claim 2 further comprising means whereby, with the closure member fully open with respect to the bucket, and while maintaining the tractor stationary, the closure member. and bucket.

are supported who carried by the booms and articulatable with'respect thereto to move the'grading lip of the closure member substantially in a vertical plane from a raised position above the tractor downwardly to ground level to cause said grading lip and the curved'cl-osure member to wedge material away from upright walls and fold the material backwardly into the mouth of the bucket, said 010- sure member being selectively movable with or with respect to said tractor to grade materials away from the upright walls or enclose them within the bucket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,470,779 4/1949 Lankovski et al. 2l4145 3,003,265 10/1961 Lutjens 37117.5 X

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. EARTH MOVING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A TRACTOR, A FRONT END LOADER BUCKET HAVING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR MOUTH, BOOM MEANS SUPPORTING THE BUCKET ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE TRACTOR AND MEANS TO RAISE AND LOWER THE BOOM MEANS, THE BUCKET BEING ARTICULATED WITH RESPECT TO THE BOOM MEANS AND MEANS TO MOVE SAME TO BE TILTED FORWARDLY AND BACKWARDLY TO DISPOSE A PLANE DEFINED GENERALLY BY THE RIM OF THE MOUTH OF THE BUCKET TO SELECTIVELY SLANT AND PLANE BOTH FORWARDLY OR REARWARDLY FROM A VERTICAL PLANE, SAID RIM INCLUIDNG FRONT AND REAR EDGES, THE FRONT EDGE BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE A REINFORCED SCOPPIN G LIP, A CURVED CLOSURE MEMBER HINGED ALONG ONE EDGE TO THE REAR EDGE OF THE RIM OF THE BUCKET, THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER BEING SMOOTH TO FORM A GRADING LIP DISPOSED TO SCRAPE MATERIALS TOWARD THE TRACTOR, THE CLOSURE MEMBER INCLUDING A RECTANGULAR IMPERFORATE SHEET OF METAL BENT TO FORM AN ARCUATE SURFACE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE GRADING LIP AND THE REAR EDGE OF THE BUCKET AND COEXTENSIVE WITH BOTH TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERVIOUS CONTINUOUS SURFACE CURVING FROM SAID GRADING LIP AROUND TO SAID SCOOPING LIP TO ROLL MATERIALS BEING SCRAPED BY THE GRADING LIP UPWARDLY AND FOLDED BACKWARDLY THROUGH TH E MOUTH OF THE BUCKET.

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