NZ586004A

NZ586004A - Linkage and attachment systems for front end loaders with one arm receivable within the other

Info

Publication number: NZ586004A
Application number: NZ586004A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Daniel Webb; Craig Healey; Collin O'shaughnessy; John Healey
Original assignee: Challenge Implements Holdings Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-12-12
Filing date: 2008-12-11
Publication date: 2012-01-12
Also published as: WO2009073926A1; AU2008336263A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a boom arm (10) for a loader, such as a front end loader, constructed from an upper arm (14) and a lower arm (16). The upper arm and lower arm being of cross sections allowing one to be substantially received within the other. The upper and lower arms are substantially the same shape.

Description

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 Improved linkage and attachment systems for front end loaders Field of the invention

[001] The present invention relates to front end loader boom arrangements and in particular to level lift systems for these, and to loader attachment systems in particular those which are utilized with front end loaders.

Background of the invention

[002] Level lifting capability in relatively small front end loaders has to date been expensive to provide.

[003] Front end loaders also need to be cost effective to be attractive to potential owners and as such cannot utilize expensive front end loader attachment systems. However, there has been a long felt need to improve the effectiveness and yet keep the manufactured cost as low as possible.

[004] Any reference herein to known prior art does not, unless the contrary indication appears, constitute an admission that such prior art is commonly known by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, at the priority date of this application.

Summary of the invention

[005] The present invention provides a boom arm for a loader constructed from an upper arm and a lower arm, the upper arm and the lower arm (being of substantially the same overall shape and) being of cross sections allowing one to be substantially received within the other, wherein said upper and lower arms are of substantially the same overall shape.

[006] The arm can be of a cross section to receive the lower arm.

[007] The lower arm can be of a cross section to receive the upper arm.

[008] The upper or lower arm can be of a U- shape, inverted U-shape, L-shape, Inverted L-shape cross section, so as to receive the other arm or have same nest therein.

[009] The lower arm can include a gusset between an upper and lower portion thereof.

[010] The boom arm can include on a rearward face thereof a parking stand.

[011] A ground engaging terminus of said parking stand is located, at least during some of the time that said parking stand is retracted, within the confines of side plates or panels from which said upper boom arm and or said lower boom arm is or are constructed.

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 2

[012] The upper and lower boom arms can be pivoted at respectively upper and lower locations on a top post or a pin plate.

[013] The upper and lower boom arms can be pivoted respectively to upper and lower locations of a link member.

[014] The boom arms can be pivotally attached to the link member by means of apertured bosses which provide a pivot location which is located laterally away from the general line of extension of the boom arms.

[015] The upper and lower arms can have a chevron or boomerang shape.

[016] The upper and lower arms can be adapted to rotatably move relative to each other, so as to move one within the other.

[017] The upper and lower arms can have first ends in the vicinity of an implement mount, and seconds ends which are mountable to a mounting plate, said first ends being mounted to a link member, whereby the upper and lower arms, mounting plate, and link member form a parallel linkage.

[018] The present invention also provides a front end loader having at least two boom arms as described above.

[019] The upper boom arms can be held spaced apart by a cross member.

[020] The cross member can be located below a bend in the boom arms.

[021] The cross member can be attached to the upper boom arms by means of a saddle or saddles which is, or are, adapted to be welded to an outer surface of the upper boom arms.

[022] The lower boom arms can be held in a spaced apart relationship by means of a cross member.

[023] A crowd cylinder can be provided between an implement or an implement mount and the cross bar on the upper boom arm.

[024] The lower arms of said boom arms can be pivoted to a link member, and the implement mount or an implement can be pivotally attached to the boom arms at the same pivot point that the lower arm can be pivotally attached to the link member.

[025] The upper arms of said boom arms can be mountable to a mounting plate, wherein said link member, mounting plate, and upper and lower arms of said boom arms form a parallel linkage.

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 3 Brief description of the drawings

[026] An embodiment or embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[027] Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a front end loader;

[028] Figure 2 is a side view of the front end loader of Figure 1;

[029] Figure 3 is a part cut-away side view of the front end loader of Figure 1;

[030] Figure 4 is a side section or cut-away view of the front end loader of Figure 1 extended to maximum height after a level lift;

[031] Figure 5 is a part cut away view of the illustration of Figure 4;

[032] Figure 6 is an exploded front perspective view of the front end loader Figure 1;

[033] Figure 7 is a rear exploded perspective view of the front end loader of Figure 1;

[034] Figure 8 is a front perspective view of the boom arm and bucket arrangement

[035] Figure 9 shows the front end loader of Figure 1 on the parking stand; and

[036] Figure 10 is a close up view of the lower pivot points of the boom arms being joined to a link.

[037] Figure 11 illustrates a perspective view of a loader system including a front end loader and bottom post;

[038] Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of the system of Figure 11;

[039] Figure 13 illustrates a rear perspective view of a portion of the system of Figure 11;

[040] Figure 14 illustrates a view similar to Figure 13 with one mounting plate of each boom arm removed;

[041] Figure 15 illustrates a forward perspective view of the rear mounting portion of the apparatus of Figure 11 and the bottom post;

[042] Figure 16 illustrates a view similar to that of Figure 15 with one mounting plate removed;

[043] Figure 17 illustrates a side view of the apparatus of Figure 16 with the loader being shown immediately prior to engaging the bottom post; Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 4

[044] Figure 18 illustrates a view similar to Figure 17 with the pins shown in their cradles or saddles with the lower pin in an unlocked condition.

[045] Figure 19 illustrates a loader and bottom post of Figure 11 in side view in an unlocked condition and supported by a parking stand;

[046] Figure 20 illustrates a view similar to Figure 19 with the loader in a locked condition;

[047] Figure 21 illustrates a lower perspective view of alternative arrangement to prevent rotation of mounting pins;

[048] Figure 22 illustrates an upper perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 21;

[049] Figure 23 illustrates a slide perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 21. Detailed description of the embodiment or embodiments

[050] Illustrated in Figures 1 to 10 is a front end loader 10 which has a vehicle mounting pin plate, (which could also be described as pin plates or a top post) 12 at its rear end to which is pivotally connected and an upper chevron shaped boom arm 14 and a lower chevron shaped boom arm 16, by upper and lower respective pivots. At their lower ends the upper and lower boom arms 14 and 16 are pivotally connected by a link member 28. The boom arms, 14 and 16, as best illustrated in Figure 6 and 7, have laterally extending bosses 34 and 36 which have apertures therethrough to receive pins to produce the pivotal connection. [051 ] The lower boom arm 16 is rotated relative to the pin plates 12 by means of a lift cylinder 18 which is also pivotally connected to the pin plates 12 at a location which is below the lower pivot point of the lower arm 16.

[052] On the upper boom arm 14 at a forward end thereof is positioned a cross bar 20 which holds adjacent boom arms 14 of the front end loader 10 in a spaced apart relationship. The cross bar 20 is attached via left and right saddles 22 which sit over the outer surface of the upper boom arms 14 and allows them to be welded thereto. This arrangement allows the upper boom arm 14 to have a generally inverted U- shape cross section along its entire length, and this in turn allows the lower boom arm 16 to nest and move therein. It will be noted that the lower boom arm 16 has a generally U-shape cross section along most of its length.

[053] The lower boom arm 16 includes side plates or gussets 40 between its upper and lower sections which provides apertures or bores therethrough for pivotal connection by a pin to the distal end of the lift cylinder 18.

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370

[054] The lower end of the lower boom arm 16 includes a welded cross bar 24 so as to maintain the distal ends thereof in a spaced apait relationship. The cross bar 24 is preferred but it will be understood that such a cross bar may well be able to be dispensed with, as it does provide a level of redundancy by virtue of the presence of the cross bar 20 on the upper boom arm 14. Notwithstanding this, an advantage of the presence of the cross bar 24 is that the rigidity of the front end loader 10 will not have to rely on the pivoted connections at the lower extremity of the boom arms 14 and 16.

[055] As best illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the upper boom arm 14 terminates in a laterally (relative to the line of extension of the boom arm 14 in this vicinity) extending boss 36 having an aperture through it so as to receive therein a pin so as to allow the link 28 to be connected via a set of upper holes therein. Whereas the lower boom arm 16 terminates in a laterally (relative to the line of extension of the boom arm 16 in this vicinity) extending boss 34 having an aperture through it so as to be aligned with the lower apertures in the link 28 so that the arm 16 and link 28 can be pinned together.

[056] The pin plates 12 (with spaced pin connection apertures for the upper and lower boom arms 14 and 16), the lower boom arm 16, link 28 (with its spaced connection aperture for the upper and lower boom arms 14 and 16), and upper boom arm 14, when assembled together by four respective pins, form a parallel linkage. This enables the bucket 31 or alternate implement or an implement mount to be utilized, to produce a level lifting arrangement, whereby when the lift cylinder 18 is extended, the front end loader 10 will level lift the bucket 31 from the position illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 to the position illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

[057] As best illustrated in Figure 1, a crowd cylinder 32 is pivotally connected to the cross bar 20 and to the bucket 31 in via a bracket 42. By this means, at whatever position the crowd cylinder is extended to, the bucket 31 will maintain this orientation relative to the vehicle on which the loader 10 is mounted. It must be pointed out that the crowd cylinder 32 does not need to change its extension state for the bucket 31 to be lifted in a parallel fashion.

[058] It will be noted from Figures 6 and 7 that the bucket 31 is linked to the boom arm assembly via the boss 34 on the lower boom arm 16 and the lower holes in the link 28 and via the pin 43, which provides the rotation point for the bucket 31.

[059] It will also be noted from the Figures that at the lower end of the lower boom arm 16 is rotatably attached a parking stand 26 which is illustrated in the fully extended condition in Figure 9. When the parking stand 26 is deployed, by being moved from its parked or retracted condition parallel to the lower boom arm 16, to the extended condition illustrated in Figure 9, Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 6 then together with the weight of a bucket 31 or other implement this combination will place the front end loader 10 in an equilibrium condition, allowing it to be disconnected from the vehicle or tractor or re-connected thereto.

[060] The gusset plates 40, at the bend in the lower arm 16, provides a "housing" into which the ground engaging end of the parking stand 26 can sit when in the fully retracted condition, as is illustrated in Figure 1. Additionally or as an alternative, the ground engaging end of the parking stand 26 can hide or sit within the surrounds of the side plates or panels and or gussets of upper boom arm 14. This helps to protect and confine the ground engaging end of the parking stand 26.

[061] By providing the lower boom arm 16 with a U shape cross section and the upper boom arm with an inverted U shape cross section will allow cables and hoses to be earned within the confines of boom arm assembly, if desired.

[062] The nesting capability, being the ability of one to be substantially received within the other, of the upper and lower boom arms 14 and 16 can be achieved by several means. For example the upper boom arm can receive the lower boom arm as is described above, or the lower boom arm can receive the upper boom arm. This can be achieved by one of the upper or lower arm being of a U- shape, inverted U-shape, L-shape, or inverted L-shape in cross section.

[063] Other shapes, with a downwardly or upwardly opening bight, such as H-shaped cross section, or C or I shaped, if rotated through 90°, can also be used.

[064] The above described embodiments dispense with many parts such as cranks, linkages, bell cranks and other components from front end loaders which do not embody this invention. This invention also can result in a reduction in number of different sized pins and the quantity of pins used in a front end loader. This means that the embodiments of the present invention should take less time to manufacture and should be cheaper as they are composed of less parts. Further, manufacturers can maintain a lesser inventory of spare parts.

[065] Another advantage of the above embodiment is the ability to have a mechanical level lift loader with the use of a single crowd cylinder, therefore allowing less hoses and fittings to be used and procuring a loader that is lighter than a traditional mechanical level lift loader.

[066] By also utilizing a single crowd cylinder there is a resultant increase in vision and safety for an operator.

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 7

[067] Illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 is a front end loader 100 the construction of which is described above with respect to the loader 10 of Figures 1 to 10. The loader 100 has some features which are different to the loader 10, and these will be described below.

[068] Illustrated in Figure 11 are two bottom posts 120 on which the bifurcated rear end of the front loader 100 will be mounted. The bottom posts 120 are mounted by any appropriate means to a tractor or other vehicle in an appropriate spaced relationship with each other so as to receive the bifurcated rear end of the front end loader 100. The post 120 will be described in more detail later.

[069] Each side of the rear of the front end loader 100 has two mounting straps or mounting plates 140 which receive a pin 160 for pivotally mounting an upper boom arm 101 and a pin 180 for pivotally mounting the lower boom arm 102. At the lower end of the mounting plates 140, as will be described in more detail later, is a closed mounting slot 200 to receive a pin 220 which pivotally attaches a rear collar 240 of lift cylinder 260, as shown in the illustration of Figure 11.

[070] The pin 220 has two eccentric or egg-shaped flanges 500 attached to it. In a hole (not illustrated) which is spaced from the axis of the pin 220 through the flanges 500 a bolt 280 can be received. In the unlocked condition the bolt 280 also passes through two aligned bolt holes 300 in the mounting plates 140 (as illustrated in Figure 12). Whereas, in the locked condition the bolt 280 will pass through bolt holes 301 and holes 400 in the bottom posts 120. [071 ] As can be seen in both Figure 11 and Figure 12 the bottom post 120 has upper cradles 320 and 340 to receive and support the inboard and outboard ends respectively of the pins 160.

[072] The inboard and outboard ends of the pin 180 can also be received inside cradles 360 on the outboard side of post 120 and cradles 380 on the inboard side, however it will be readily understood this is only a preference and that only the upper cradles 320 and 340 are required to mount the loader 100 onto the bottom post 120.

[073] As can be clearly seen from the illustrations of Figures 12, 13 and 14 the closed slot 200 is of a chevron or boomerang shape and has a forward portion 201 which is generally horizontal. It will also be seen that the rearward portion 202 is inclined at an angle to the horizontal and has its rearward end uppermost whilst its forward end is at the same level as the forward portion 201.

[074] The holes 300 and 301 respectively allow the pin 280, in this case a bolt 280, to be inserted. The holes 300 will keep the pin 220 in the "unlocked" end of the apertures 200, Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 8 namely the forward portion 201. However when the loader 100 is attached to the bottom post 120 the holes 301 together with holes 400 will hold the pin 220 in the locked condition as illustrated in Figure 20

[075] The bottom post 120 also includes an open slot 420 which in the forward portion has a generally horizontal landing 440 which coincides (when loader 100 and post 120 are assembled together) in alignment with the forward portion 201 of closed slot 200 and a rearwardly upwardly directed inclined portion 460 which corresponds with the inclined rearward portion 202 of aperture 200 .

[076] Once the pins 160 have been placed in the cradles 340 and 320 and the pin 220 is located on the landing 420, the lift cylinder 260 can then be actuated so as to push the pin 220 to the left of the page of Figure 18 until such time as the pin 220 has reached the rearward most ends of the inclined slots 460 on the bottom post 120 and the inclined rearward portion 202 on mounting plates 140.

[077] At this point the egg shaped flanges 500 can be rotated so that the holes therethrough can be aligned with the holes 400 and 301, to thus allow bolt 280 to pass through them. This secures the pin 220 into the position as illustrated in Figure 20 thus locking the loader 100 to the bottom post 120.

[078] In this condition the mounting plates 140 act as a tension strap preventing the pin 220 from moving from the locked to the unlocked or unlockable condition.

[079] To remove a loader 100 from engagement with a bottom post 120, the operator will position the bucket and the parking stand 103 so as to rest both on a ground level whereupon the operator can release the nut 281 used to secure the bolt 280 and thus remove the bolt 280. The retraction of the lift cylinder 260 will cause the pin 220 to move to the forward portion 201 of closed slot 200 in the mounting plates 140 and thus to the horizontal landing 420 on bottom post 120, whereby the pin 220 can be secured in this unlocked condition as illustrated in Figure 19 by placing the bolt 280 through the respective apertures 300.

[080] At this point with the pin 220 still on the landing 420 the crowd cylinder 600 is retracted thus causing the rear end of the front end loader 100 to be lifted in a vertical direction thus taking the pins 160 off their respective saddles 320 and 340 and the pin 220 off the landing 440. Once in this condition the cylinders 260 and 600 are locked, allowing all hoses to be disconnected from the vehicle and the vehicle retracted together with bottom post 120.

[081] As can be best seen from Figures 17 and 18 the pins 160 and 180 preferably include flat faces 161 and 181 respectively. As the mounting plates 140 have apertures through Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 9 them of the same shape this will prevent the pins 160 and 180 from rotating relative to the mounting plates 140.

[082] With respect to the egg shaped flanges 500 on each pin 220, one of these is welded to the pin 220 so that once the bolt 280 passes through apertures 301 and apertures 300 the pin 220 is not able to rotate relative to the mounting plates 140, A handle can be provided on the flanges 500, to enable the operator to rotate them as desired so as to align the respective bolt holes.

[083] Illustrated in Figures 21 to 23 is an alternative mechanism to prevent the relative rotation of the pins 160 and 180 relative to the saddles 320, 340 and 360, 380. This is done by means of castings 700 and 720, which as can be seen from Figure 22 and Figure 23 have a flattened aperture 730 which matches the shape of the pins 160 and 180. The castings 700 and 720 also have flanges 740 and 760 on either side of the apertures 730 but in the case of casting 700 the angle between the flanges 740 and 760 is greater than the angle between the flanges 740 and 760 on the casting 720. This is because the respective shapes of the cradles are different whereby the surfaces 740 and 760 on casting 700 respectively abut surfaces 701 and 702 on cradles 320 and 340 whereas on cradles 360 and 380 surfaces 721 and 722 respectively abut flanges 740 and 760 to thereby prevent rotation of the pins 160 and 180 relative to the bottom post 120.

[084] While the above embodiment of Figures 11 to 23 has a boom arm which provides level lift or constant angle lift from an upper and lower boom arm arrangement, which provides a parallel linkage system, other arrangements can be utilised with the latter described invention including boom arms which utilise level lift or constant angle lift links such as that described in pending PCT/AU2007/000990, which is incorporated herein by reference with respect to those types of boom arm arrangements to provide level lifting or constant angle lifting.

[085] The embodiments of the invention described with respect to Figures 11 to 23, does not require a level to constant angle lift system to be present on the loader. This is a preference. The attachment system described in Figures 11 to 23 can be implemented on a loader which does not have a constant angle lift mechanism, if so desired. It would mean that the pin 180, link 28 (from Figure 1) and the lower arm 102 need not be present.

[086] The inventions included in the above described embodiments are applicable to single boom arm loaders, such as front or rear mounted excavators etc. notwithstanding that the above described embodiments show only twin boom arm arrangements of loaders.

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370

[087] Where ever it is used, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of "consisting only of. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear.

[088] It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

[089] While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments and examples are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all modifications which would be obvious to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 11

Claims

1. A boom arm for a loader constructed from an upper arm and a lower arm, said upper arm and said lower arm being of cross sections allowing one to be substantially received within the other, wherein said upper and lower arms are of substantially the same overall shape.

2. A boom arm as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper arm is of a cross section to receive said lower arm.

3. A boom arm as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower arm is of a cross section to receive said upper arm.

4. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein one of said upper or lower arm is of a U- shape, inverted U-shape, L-shape, Inverted L-shape cross section, H shaped cross section.

5. A boom arm as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said lower arm includes a gusset between an upper and lower portion thereof.

6. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said boom arm includes, on a rearward face thereof, a parking stand.

7. A boom arm as claimed in claim 6, wherein a ground engaging terminus of said parking stand is located, at least during some of the time that said parking stand is retracted, within the confines of side plates or panels from which said upper boom arm and or said lower boom arm is or are constructed.

8. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and lower boom arms are pivoted at respectively upper and lower locations on a top post or pin plate.

9. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and lower boom arms are pivoted respectively to upper and lower locations of a link member,

10. A boom arm as claimed in claim 9, wherein said boom arms are pivotally attached to said link member by means of apertured bosses which provide a pivot location which is located laterally away from the general line of extension of said boom arms.

11. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and lower arms have a chevron or boomerang shape.

12. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper and lower arms are adapted to rotatably move relative to each other, so as to move one within the other. Received at IPONZ 9 December 2011 C08370 12

13. A boom arm as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper and lower arms have first ends in the vicinity of an implement mount, and seconds ends which are mountable to a mounting plate, said first ends being mounted to a link member, whereby the upper and lower arms, mounting plate, and link member form a parallel linkage.

14. A front end loader having at least two boom arms as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A front end loader as claimed in claim 14, wherein said upper boom arms are held spaced apart by a cross member.

16. A front end loader as claimed in claim 15, wherein said cross member is located below a bend in said boom arms.

17. A front end loader as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein said cross member is attached to said upper boom arms by means of a saddle or saddles which is or are adapted to be welded to an outer surface of said upper boom arms.

18. A front end loader as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 17 wherein said lower boom arms are held in a spaced apart relationship by means of a cross member.

19. A front end loader as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein a crowd cylinder is provided between an implement and or implement mount and cross bar on said upper boom arm.

20. A front end loader as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein lower arms of said boom arms are pivoted to a link member, and wherein an implement mount or an implement are pivotally attached to said boom arms at the same pivot point that said lower arm of one of said boom arms is pivotally attached to said link member.

21. A front end loader as claimed in claim 20, wherein the upper arms of said boom arms are mountable to a mounting plate, wherein said link member, mounting plate, and upper and lower arms of said boom arms form a parallel linkage.