GB2362149A

GB2362149A - Hook attachment for digger buckets

Info

Publication number: GB2362149A
Application number: GB0107968A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter John Guscott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-30
Filing date: 2001-03-30
Publication date: 2001-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-30
Also published as: GB0107968D0; GB0007608D0; GB2362149B

Abstract

A hook attachment for mounting over an edge of a digger bucket comprises upper 12 and lower 11 jaws, a spring-loaded locking pin and a hook attachment 25. The locking pin is retained within a housing 15 mounted on the upper jaw, passes through corresponding apertures in the upper and lower jaws and the edge of the bucket and is locked in position by cotter pin 17. Support plates 28, 29 on either side of the assembly have cut-outs 31, 32 to receive the edge of the bucket. To prevent twisting movement of the attachment the support plates can be rotated on threaded stems to abut teeth on the bucket, and are locked in place using fasteners 32. The attachment may be fitted to a bucket having a wear strip instead of teeth, and the internal surfaces of the jaws may be shaped to suit. For buckets with rear strips the support plates may be replaced by threaded bolts which engage tapped holes in the wear plates.

Description

2362149 ATTACHMENTS FOR DIGGER BUCKETS

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to attachments for digger buckets.

The buckets of diggers used for carrying out civil engineering and other operations normally have projecting teeth and it is not unknown for a digger operator to use the bucket on the front of his digger or excavator as a carrying device for heavy objects, such as manhole covers, by balancing an object to be carried on one or more of the bucket teeth.

The carrying of heavy objects in this way is hazardous and in European Patent Specification No. 0 911450 there is described an attachment for mounting on a digger bucket having projecting teeth, the attachment comprising a jaw which can be fitted over an edge of the bucket, a hook assembly with which an object to be carried can be engaged, and load transfer means whereby a significant proportion of the weight of the object engaged with the hook assembly is applied to the bucket teeth.

The attachment described in said European patent specification is ideally suited for attachment to the front buckets of the majority of diggers but is not suitable for attachment to the rear

2 buckets of some diggers or for attachment to the buckets of large earthmoving equipment.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of attachment for mounting on a bucket.

Summa!y of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided an attachment for mounting on a digger bucket, said attachment comprising a jaw which can be fitted over an edge of the bucket, a locking pin for passage through a hole formed in the bucket adjacent the edge thereof, a hook assembly with which an object to be carried can be engaged, and means for preventing movement of the jaw relative to the edge of the bucket additional to the locking pin.

The additional means for preventing movement of the jaw relative to the edge of the bucket may comprise support plates on either side of the jaw for abutment with teeth on the bucket. The support plates may be so mounted on the jaw that the spacing between the support plates can be adjusted. The support plates are preferably formed with V-shaped cut-outs to receive the edge of the bucket.

Some digger operators remove the teeth from the edges of the buckets and, in place of the teeth, they fit replaceable wear strips which extend along the edge of a bucket. The additional 3 means for preventing movement of the jaw relative to the edge of the bucket may thus alternatively comprise means for engagement with a wear strip. The means for engagement with a wear strip may comprise a threaded bolt for engagement in a tapped aperture in the wear plate.

The jaw preferably comprises upper and lower jaw elements and the locking pin is preferably contained within a cylindrical housing mounted on the upper jaw element. The upper jaw element is preferably reinforced by means of a strengthening plate, or by making the upper jaw element of increased thickness in the vicinity of the cylindrical housing. The locking pin may be held in position within the cylindrical housing by means of a fixing fastened by means of a chain to the strengthening plate. The cylindrical housing may be secured directly to the upper jaw element in line with an opening in the upper jaw element through which the locking pin is arranged to pass. The cylindrical housing may alternatively be attached to a lever pivotally mounted on the upper jaw element to facilitate movement of the locking pin into a position clear of the space between the upper and lower jaw elements.

Brief Description of the Drawinn

The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a perspective view of an attachment for mounting on the rear bucket of a digger or on a bucket of an earth-moving excavator.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

4 As shown in the drawing, the attachment includes a jaw assembly 10 which is produced as a steel forging and includes a lower jaw element 11 which is spaced from and parallel to an upper jaw element 12. The inside of the junction between the two jaw elements 11 and 12 has an inclined surface, as indicated at 13, so that, when the jaw assembly 10 is fitted over the edge of a digger or excavator bucket, the edge of the bucket (not shown) will fit as far as possible between the two jaw elements 11 and 12. A taper 14 is provided at the leading end of the upper jaw element 12 and serves as a guide to facilitate fitment of the attachment over the edge of the bucket.

An opening is formed in the lower jaw element 11 in register with a corresponding opening in the upper jaw element 12 and a locking pin is retained within a cylindrical housing 15 welded to the upper jaw element 12 in line with the opening therein.

A hole is drilled in the bucket at a position spaced inwardly from the edge of the bucket at a position midway between a pair of projecting teeth on the bucket. This hole is arranged to register with the openings in the upper and lower jaw elements 12 and 11 to receive the stem of the locking pin and hold the attachment in engagement in engagement with the bucket. A transverse rod 16 is secured to the upper end of the stem of the locking pin and is received in a pair of diametrically opposed slots in the cylindrical housing 15. The locking pin is held in its locked position by means of a cotter pin 17 which extends at right angles to the transverse rod 16 and passes through a pair of diametrically opposed bores in the cylindrical housing 15. The cotter pin 17 is attached by a chain 18 to an apertured lug 19 at one end of a strengthening plate 20 welded to the upper surface of the upper jaw element 12 and acting as a reinforcement for the upper jaw element 12.

The locking pin is spring-loaded into its locking position, in which it passes through the hole drilled in the bucket and into the opening formed in the lower jaw element 11, so as to hold the attachment securely in position on the edge of the bucket. When, however, the cotter pin 17 is pulled out of the diametrically opposed bores in the cylindrical housing 15, the transverse rod 16 can be pulled outwardly along the slots in the housing 15 to move the tip of the stem of the locking pin into its retracted position, in which it is clear of the hole drilled in the bucket, so that the attachment can be removed from the bucket. Stop means (not shown) is contained within the housing 15 to prevent removal of the locking pin completely from the housing 15.

The junction between the two jaw elements 11 and 12 of the jaw assembly 10 includes a pair of aligned cylindrical portions 21 and 22 which receive a steel pin 23 which passes through the eye 24 of a hook assembly 25. The eye 24 is positioned between the two cylindrical portions 21 and 22. Thus, when the attachment is fitted to the edge of the bucket, an object to be lifted can be engaged by the hook assembly 25 so that movement of the bucket will serve to effect lifting of the object.

6 The steel pin 23 is held in position within the aligned bores of the cylindrical portions 21 and 22 by means of a lynch pin 26 and washer 27 (at the end of the pin 23 visible in the drawing) and by means of a washer (not shown) welded to the other end of the steel pin 23.

Support plates 28 and 29 are provided at either side of the jaw assembly 10 and each support plate 28, 29 includes a Vshaped cut-out 30, 31 so positioned that, when the attachment is mounted on the bucket, the cutouts 30, 31 receive the edge of the bucket as a close fit. Each support plate 28, 29 includes a threaded stem (not shown) which fits in a correspondingly threaded bore formed in the jaw assembly so that, by rotation of the support plates 28 and 29 relative to the jaw assembly 10 about the axes of the respective stems, the spacing between the support plates 28, 29 can be adjusted so that, when the attachment is mounted on the bucket, the support plates 28 and 29 will be positioned in abutting engagement with teeth on the edge of the bucket to prevent any twisting movement of the attachment relative to the bucket. When the support plates 28 and 29 are in the required positions, they will be fixed against rotational movement relative to the jaw assembly 10 by locking fasteners 32, one of which is shown in the drawing.

The attachment will thus be fixed securely on the edge of the bucket so that, when an object is to be lifted by means of the bucket, it can be engaged by means of the hook assembly 25.

7 Numerous modifications to the specific construction shown in the drawing may be made. For example, as opposed to providing a strengthening plate 20, the end portion of the upper jaw element 12 may be of increased thickness. As shown, the cylindrical housing 15 is secured directly to the upper jaw element 12 but, in a modified arrangement, the cylindrical housing 15, is secured to a lever pivotally mounted on the upper jaw element 12 so that the user can ensure that the locking pin is moved into a position well clear of the space between the two jaw elements 11 and 12 when fitting the attachment to the edge of the bucket.

The attachment shown in the drawing is for use with a digger bucket having projecting teeth. Some digger operators, however, remove the projecting teeth and fit a replaceable wear strip along the edge of the digger bucket. Thus, when the attachment is for use with a bucket fitted with a wear strip, the internal surfaces of the upper and lower jaw elements 11 and 12 will be shaped to receive the wear strip and edge of the bucket and a spacing collar may be provided. The locking pin passes through the bore of the spacing collar which is positioned on top of the lower jaw element 11 adjacent the free end thereof.

When the attachment is for use with a digger bucket fitted with a rear strip, the spacer plates 28 and 29 will be replaced by a threaded bolt which is arranged to engage in a tapped hole in the wear strip to provide means additional to the locking pin for holding the attachment in position on the edge of the bucket, which may be either a front bucket or a rear bucket.

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Claims

Claims:-

1. An attachment for mounting on a digger bucket, said attachment comprising a jaw which can be fitted over an edge of the bucket, a locking pin for passage through a hole formed in the bucket adjacent the edge thereof, a hook assembly with which an object to be carried can be engaged, and means for preventing movement of the jaw relative to the edge of the bucket additional to the locking pin.

2. An attachment as claimed in Claim 1, in which the additional means for preventing movement of the jaw relative to the edge of the bucket comprises support plates on either side of the jaw for abutment with teeth on the bucket.

3. An attachment as claimed in Claim 2, in which the support plates are so mounted on the jaw that the spacing between the support plates can be adjusted.

4. An attachment as claimed in Claim 3, in which the support plates are formed with V-shaped cut-outs to receive the edge of the bucket.

5. An attachment as claimed in Claim 1, in which the additional means for preventing movement of the jaw relative to the edge of the bucket comprises means for engagement with a wear stri p.

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6. An attachment as claimed in Claim 5, in which the means for engagement with a wear strip comprises a threaded bolt for engagement in a tapped aperture in the wear plate.

7. An attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the jaw comprises upper and lower jaw elements and the locking pin is contained within a cylindrical housing mounted on the upper jaw element.

8. An attachment as claimed in Claim 7, in which the upper jaw element is reinforced by means of a strengthening plate, or by making the upper jaw element of increased thickness in the vicinity of the cylindrical housing.

9. An attachment as claimed in Claim 8, in which the locking pin is held in position within the cylindrical housing by means of a fixing fastened by means of a chain to the strengthening plate.

10. An attachment as claimed in Claim 9, in which the cylindrical housing is secured directly to the upper jaw element in line with an opening in the upper jaw element through which the locking pin is arranged to pass.

11. An attachment as claimed in Claim 9, in which the cylindrical housing is attached to a lever pivotally mounted on the upper jaw element to facilitate movement of the locking pin into a position clear of the space between the upper and lower jaw elements.

12. An attachment for mounting on a bucket, said attachment being constructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.