US1467828A

US1467828A - Machine for making ditches

Info

Publication number: US1467828A
Application number: US323837A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hans J Bentson
Original assignee: F C AUSTIN MACHINERY Co
Current assignee: F C AUSTIN MACHINERY Co
Priority date: 1919-09-15
Filing date: 1919-09-15
Publication date: 1923-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1940-09-11

Description

sem. II, w23. www@ H. J. BENTSON MACHINE FOR MAKING BITCHES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. l5 1919 Sept. N., 3923.

H. J. BENTSON MACHINE FORMAKING BITCHES vI5 Sheets-Sham. 2

Filed Sept. l5, 1919 sept. u, w23. y www H. J. BENTsoN MACHINE Fon MAKING D'ITCHES Filed sept. 15 1919 s sheets-shew s 5] 3j m w Patented Sept. lli, 19235..

Uhlll STTES atenas enterar uiuco HANS J. BENTSON, OF KENOSHA, "WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNIENTS, TO F. C. .AUSTIN MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

.'LVIACHINE FOR MAKING DTCHES.

Application led September 15, `1919. Serial No. 323,837.

To all w hom t may conce/m Be it known that I, HANS J. BnN'rsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Kenosha, Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Making Ditches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to excavating machines of that kind in which the excavating apparatus is adapted to cut a ditch having slopingr sides.

Gene-rally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novelland improved excavating machine of this general character, having a rotary wheel for cutting the ditch, and having an endless chain of buckets for taking up the loose dirt from the bottom of the ditch, as well as for driving the rotary wheel, whereby the amount of cutting donc by the buckets is reduced to a minimum, each bucket merely cutting straight ahead and downward on the breast or front end of the ditch, as the machine travels slowly forward on the surface of the ground immediately in advance or ahead of the ditch.

It is also an object to provide certain details and Jfeatures of construction and coinbinations tending to increase the general elficiency and the desirability of an excavating machine of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an excavator embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the rear end portion of said excavator.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 3 3 in Figure Q, showing the construction of the rotary digging or cutting wheel.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a modified construction of said wheel.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a body' frame 1 mounted on front steering wheels 2 and rear traction devices 3, the latte-r being preferably in the form of caterpillars of any suitable known or approved character. Said caterpillars are driven by the engine l which is mounted on the front portion of the body frame, through the medium of any suitable power-transmitting connection. The rear portion of the body frame is provided with an upwardly projecting frame 5 upon which vis mounted a transverse shaft 6, and a rearwardly and downwardly extending digging beam 7, mounted on said shaft, so that the lower end of said beam will swing up and down. A. cutting wheel is mounted on the lower end of said beam, said wheel comprising a tube 8 mounted on a shaft 9, the latter being mount-ed in bearings 10 on the beam, it being understood that said shaft may either rotate or be held stationary so that the tube rotates thereon. The periphery of the wheel is formed by rings 11, preferably of angle iron, and hub rings 12 are connected to said peripheral rings by radial spokes 13, said hub rings being rigidly spaced apart and held in fixed relation by bolts 14 suitably applied thereto. The end hubs 15 are rigidly secured to the tube and are connected together by tie rods 16 having turn-buckles 17 these rods suitably engaging the hub rings 12, and being brought nearer together at their outer ends. Annularly arranged knives 18 have their ends bolted to the hubs 15, and are also bolted to

structural members

19 and 20 suitably secured to the structure of the skeletonlike frame which constitutes the wheel.

Braces

21 and 22 are also provided to stiifen this skeleton-like frame, so that when rotated the wheel will be strong enough to withstand the strains incident to its operation in the ground. The knives 18, it will be seen, are disposed at angles to oive the ditch sloping sides, and are preferably long enough to reach to the bottom of the ditch. An endless belt 23 is carried by the rings 11 and is provided with buckets 24: that pass around the wheel between the knives or cutters 18, and this belt is also supported by sprockets on the shaft 6, whereby the rotation of the latter will drive the belt and thereby drive the rotary wheel. This shaft 6 is connected through any suitable powertransmitting mechanism with the previously mentioned engine or other source of power. The buckets are not required to do any cutting at their sides, as this is all done by the knives 18, so that the amount of cutting done by the buckets is practically reduce-d to a minimum, each bucket only cutting directly forward against the sloping breast 25 at the forward end of the ditch, whereby each bucket is mainly for the purpose lof merely carrying upward the loose dirt which falls to the bottom of the ditch. Auxiliary cutters 26 may be secured to the rings 11 to assist in cutting the bottom of the ditch, if this is necessary or desirable. As shown, the knives 18 have their ends bent inwardly at 27, so as to cut against the bottom and breast of thediteh, at opposite sides of the buckets. A transverse conveyer 28 is provided, in the usual manner, for the purpose of receiving the discharge from the buckets 24, the latter traveling upwardly and discharging their loads as they travel around the sprockets on the shaft 6, so that the excavated dirt is then discharged by the conveyer 28 at one side of the machine..

The beam y7 is adapted to be raised and lowered, and for this purpose any suitable, known or approved arrangement can be employed, such as the screw 29 which is operated at its lower end by suitable connection with said engine, and which extends through a threaded nut or sleeve 30, the latter being swiveled on the beam 7 in any suitable manner, whereby rotation4 of said screw will raise and lower the ,digging beam.

AS shown in Fig. 4t, the tube 8 is provided with extra hubs 31, and with this arrangement shorter knives 32 can be applied to the wheel, as shown, or to one side, so that either one ,or both sides of the ditch will be inclined at an angle more nearly perpendicular.` The knives 82 employedat either one side or both sides as substitutes for the previously mentioned knives 18 can extend tov the bottom of the ditch, if desired, and be shaped at their ends like the knives 18, or they may be shorter and not extend to the bottom of the ditch (see the knives in Fig. 4f), depending upon circumstances and the requirements of actual practice. But the full equipment includes knives 18 which can be secured to the hub 15 as previously explained to cut a wide ditch when such is desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the construction is such, as shown in either F ig. 3 or Fig. 4i, that the rotary wheel cuts the ditch, forming the latter with inclined sides, while the buckets have less work to do than in other constructions in which they do all of the cutting, as in some trenching machines,and with the arrangement shown and described serve principally to carry upward the loose dirt which falls to the bottomof the ditch.

lVhat I claim as my invention is z- 1. In an excavator for making a ditch, a body" frame mounted to travel 'on the surface of the ground ahead of the ditch, a beam rextending downward and rearward and mounted to-swing up and down at the rear of said body frame, a wheel mountved to rotate at the lower end of said beam and provided with instrumentalities for cutting'the sides and also the transverse bottom of a ditch having sloping sides, an endless belt arranged for driving said wheel, a

Laer/,eas

series of buckets on said belt and operating within the depth of said cutting instrumentalities to take up the loose dirt from the bottom of the ditch, traction means for propeiling the body frame forward, and power rnsmitting connections for driving said 2. A struct-ure as specified in claim 1, said instrumentalities comprising cutters which extend straight from the hubs of the wheel to the bottom of the ditch and operate on the sides of the ditch a distance away from each side of said series of buckets.

3. A structure as specified in claim l, said wheel comprising a rotary tube with hubs thereon, a shaft in said tube, rings to support said belt, and means to connect lthe hubs with said rings to form a stiff skeleton frame, with said instrumentalities disposed at angles on the sides of said frame to form the sloping sides of the ditch.

t. A structure as specified in claim l, said instrumentalities reaching to the bottom of the ditch, and extending inward toward the bucket on the bottom of the ditch, so that said buckets only cut directly forward and f upward on the breast of the ditch.-

5. A structure as specified in claim l, said wheel comprising outer rings, and a central rotary member having main and supplementary sets of hubs mounted thereon and adapted to be respectively connected with Said outer rings by cutting instrumentalitie's to vai-y the angle of the line of cut.

6. The improved excavator, as set forth in claim 1, in combination Awith means to raise and lower said beam, substantially as shown and described.

7. 1n an excavator for making a ditch, the combination of traction means to move the excavator forward, a wheel, means to support the wheel for up-and-down movenient, cutting means on the sides of the wheel to form a ditch with inclined Sides, horizontally disposed cutting means on the wheel to form the bottom of the ditch, so that the wheel itself cuts both the sides and the bottom of the flaring ditch, a belt to drive the wheel, and buckets on said belt to scoop up the loose dirt cut away from the sides and bottom and breast of the ditch by said cutting means as the excavator moves slowly forward.l

8. A structure as specified in claim 7, said cutting means comprising knives extending downwardly at an angle to the bottom of the ditch and then horizontally toward said buckets.

9. A structure as specified in claim 7, said wheel vhaving auxiliary cutters forming a part of said horizontally disposed cutting means and serving to assist the knives in forming the bottom of the ditch.

10. A structure as specified in claim 7, said cutting means comprising knives, said Wheel having an axial tube formed with hubs secured to said knives, a cylindric supporting member extending through said tube, and means to support the Wheel on the tube, and rods and turn-buckles to connect said hubs together and hold them against outward displacement on said tube.

11. In an excavator for making ditches, the combination of a rotary Wheel, knives extending from the center of the Wheel to 10 points on a circle some distance from the periphery of the wheel, a belt for rotating said Wheel, buckets on said belt to travel around the periphery of thev Wheel and scoop up the loose dirt from the ditch, and -15 auxiliary cutters on said Wheel, said buckets and cutters also extending to said circle.

HANS J. BEN'DSON.