US2418041A - Earth moving scraper - Google Patents

Description

Mirth 25, 1947. E, ER 5 2,418,041

EARTH MOVING SCRAIBR Filed April 4, 1945.

29 [ammo MEYER T50 Jl POPPE 5W away/1 Patented T 25, it?

'NITED STATES PAT EARTH MOVING SCBAPER Edward Meyer, Sioux Falls, and Ted J. Poppe,

Parker, S. Dak.; said Poppe Meyer assignor to said Application April 4, 1945, Serial No. 586,490

This invention relates to improvements in cable operated earth moving scrapers, and in particular to a method and apparatus fofretrieving and replacing sliding sheave blocks and control cables which have become displaced as by the breakage of control cables.

The structure of certain machines of this type includes an open topped inclined channel-or guideway in which sliding and fixed sheave blocks are located. Control cable's, generally of steel, pass over the sheaves in these blocks for the 'purpose of operating the movable parts of the machine. F

Large forces aretransmitted and applied by these cables and they occasionally break. When such breakage occurs the sliding sheave blocks with the usual tools.

We have devised a simplified method and apparatus for returning the sliding, sheave blocks and the steel cables thereon back to" their normal position in a very small time 'and substantially' without any expenditure of manual labor in the operation, a

It is accordingly a primary object of our invention to provide an improved methodand apparatus for retrieving and replacingdisplaced; units of a mechanism including sliding, sheave,

blocks and the sheaves and cables thereon.

It is another object of our invention to utilize certain relative motions between normally operating elements of a flereible, cable operated device to retrieve and return other elements to their normal operatin position'when'displaced therefrom.

It is another major object of our invention to provide an attachment for earth moving cable operated machines which is operable to return elements of the cable system to normal position when displaced therefrom. a

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away illustrating an embodiment of our invention applied to a machine of the general type with which it is adapted to be used.

Figure 2 isan enlarged view of a part of Figure 1 showing our device arranged for retrieving a sheave block.

GClaims. (Cl. 37- 126) Figure is a partial sectional view along line 3- -3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The machine shown in Figure 1 is one embody ing a control cable arrangement similar to that shown in the Le Tourneau Patent No. 2,288,629 and a lift control mechanism similar to that to the upper and front part of the beam l2. The

scraper is supported at its rear end by wheels M. The front part of the scraper is attached by a pivoted connection If: to front wheels 16 on a gooseneck unit 11. A tripod frame having a pair of legs l8 and a front leg l9 joined at their upper ends is fastened at its lower ends to the unit I! as shown. A bracket 20 is fastened to,,the top of the beam l2 and the frame I3 at their juncture, the bracket having spaced walls 2| and 22 as shown in Figure 3, there beinga push bar 23 having a sliding movement within the bracket 20 and longitudinally of, the scraper. At its front end the push bar 23 has apivoted connection to the,

tripod formed by the legs I8 and I 9. The sliding movement of the push bar within the bracket 20 may be facilitated by a pair of rollers 24 and 25 journalled for rotation on the walls 2i and 22 and engaging horizontally extending flanges formed inany suitable manner, for example, by recesses in the side walls of the push bar 23 as illustrated in Figure 3.

A sheave 28 is also journalled for rotation between the walls 2| and 22 of the bracket 20 as shown, having a horizontal shaft 29 passing through the walls. At its rear end the push bar 23 has asheave 30 journalled about a horizontal shaft 3i. A flexible steel control cable 32 is mstened at one end to a fitting 33 on the top of the bracket 20. The cable 32 passes backward, around the sheave 30, then forward. over the sheave 28, and through a sheave 34 fastened to th goosencck i! to a power operated device such as a Windlass on the tractor or other device (not shown) which pulls the scraper by means of a draw bar 35 or the like. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, when the cable 32 is pulled it moves the push bar 23 forward through the bracket 22, thus separating the bracket and the top of the tripod so that the scraper is lifted out of contact with the ground, as in the V position in which it is shown in Figured. A release of the tension in the cable 32 results in the lowering of the scraper until it rests upon the ground, and the push bar, bracket, and tripod are moved to substantially the relative positions shown in Figure 2. It is to be understood that more than one sheave 30 may be used and that a sheave may be mounted on the bracket to obtain a powerincreasing arrangement to lift the weight of the scraper. but t e arrangementshown is sufllcient to the illustration of the application of our invention, as will be apparent. It is also to be understood that our invention is equally applicable to the arrangement shown in the afore said Patent 2,288,629 whereinthe'pushbar is pivotally attached to the juncture of the 'wish-" bone frame and the inclined beam, and has sliding engagement with the tripod extending upward from the gooseneck, since as will be described, th operation of our invention results from the separation'of said juncture and tripod when the scraper is lifted from the ground.

On thetop'of, the beam 12 and substantially parallel thereto, the scraper has an open topped channel including a, pair of vertical side walls of which only one is shown, identified by the reference number 38, the other-being removed to show the" disposition of the sheaves and cables therebetween. At the rear of the aforesaid channel,

are located a pair of fixed mountings 39 and 40 having sheaves 4|. 42 and 43 rotatably mounted thereon. form guideways for them, are a pair of sliding sheavebloc'ks 44 and 45, each having rotatable sheaves therein. A main pull cable 46 having its front end attached to' a power driven Windlass or,

the like on the tractor or other device. passes through and around the sheave blocks 44 and 45 and the sheaves 4|, 42. and 43, serving to pull the sheave blocks down. :the incl ne of theguideway formed by the wal1s 38, whereby cables 41 and 48 attached to the sliding blocks, operate to pull the tailgate .49 forward and the apron 50 upwards' The operation of the cable and sheave arrange- Between the spaced walls 38, which merit described is' similar to that described and shown in Figure 2 of the aforesaid Patent 2,288,629 andiis well known to those skilled in the art. r I

It occasionally happens that one or more of the is generally a-tension in the cables passing over aforesaid cab es breaks. When this occurs there the sheaves 4| to 43 to and from the sheaves in the sliding blocks 44 and 45, and the sliding blocks will slide downwardly and to the left as viewed in Figures 1 and 2. This res lts in a jamming of the sliding blocks 44 and 45, together with the loosened cable. within the guideway between the walls 38. Heretofore, in order to retrieve the sliding sheave blocks and cable. wh ch are heavy, greasy. and dirty, at least an hour of hard manual labor has been required. By the'use of our invention, the manual labor is substantially eliminated and the time necessary has been reduced to a negligible amount. I

. As best shown in the enlarged view of Figure 2, where the cables between the walls 38 are not illustrated in. order to s mplify the showing. slid ing sheave blocks 44 and 45 have hooks 5| and 52 fastened to'- them as shown in the drawings.

One of the legs I8 of the tripod on the gooseneck H has a series of s milar hooks 53, 54. etc. An-

other similar hook 55 is attached to the sheave block 30,-on the bottom portion as shown. A pulley- 56 rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis is mounted on a gusset plate 51 or the like attached to the tripod near the top thereof.

A flexible steel cable 58 normally has one end hooked over the hook 55, then passes over the pulley 56 and downward'to the lowermost hook 53 on the leg 18. Suitable means are provided on the ends of the cable to permit it to be hooked in this manner. When the scraper is operating normally the cable 58 is in the above described location, being stored in such position so that it is available for immediate use without threading it through the pulley 56. It will be foundconvenient to have a spring attached to the cable .between one end and the hook at that end, so

' that there willbe no slack in the'cable when storedl Y Now when one of the control cables breaks and Y the sheave blocks slide downas described before, the cable' 58 is brought into operation; The upper end of the cable is unhooked from 55 and placed over the hook 52 on the sheave block 45. In order to do this the other end of'the cable must be unhooked from the lowermost hook on the leg. I 8.

Cable 32 is slackened so that the scraper rests upon thejground and the push bar 23 moves back to the relative position shown in Figure 2., After placing one end of the cableover the hook 52 the cable is pulled tight and the other end placed over the hook on leg l8 nearest to that end. No

spring is used to take the slack out of the cable, as when it is merely stored. With both ends of the cable hooked as described the cable 32 is U wound on the Windlass again so that the scraper.

is lifted from the ground and the push bar 23 moved forwardto separate the bracket 20 and the top of the tripod. As this operation proceeds.

the cable 58 will pull theysheave block with its:v

attached cables upwardly andto the right as viewed in Figuresl and 2. If the sheave block 45' has not been returned'to its proper position by one such operation it is .held in place While the scraper is lowered to the ground again. Now the 7 end of cable 58 is moved to a lower hook on the leg I8; After this the scraper is raised from the ground again as described before, moving the In order to keep from moving the block 45. too far block 45 farther upward and to the right.

its movement must be observed andthe raising of the scraper stopped at the proper point; Aften the sheave block 45 is retrieved in this manner. it is fastened in its proper place and the sheave block 44 is retrieved in the same manner; After they have both been retrieved the cable 58 is un-. 1

hooked and returned to its storage position; out of the way, and any necessary repair to the cables passing through the sheave blocks may be proceeded with;

By the use of our method and apparatus the retrieving of the sheave blocks is made a simple and quick powered operation rather than the awkward time-consuming manual operation as scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than'by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Whatis claimed and desired to be secured by v United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an earth-moving implement; a scraper one leg said tripod, a hook on said pushbar adjacent its free end, a hook on each said sheave block, a pulley adjacent the top of said having a wheeled support at one end and adapted to rest upon the ground at the other end; loadingand unloading meanson saidscraper; means for operating said loading and unloading-means comprising a combination of guideways, sliding sheave blocks and a cable running through said blocks; lifting means for said other end of said scraper, pivotally attached to said scraper and 7 having a portion operableto swing away from i said scraper and said combination when lifting said other end; and means constructed'and arranged to connect the sliding blocks of said com- }"bination temporarily .to said portion, for relative imovement in the same direction with respect to said scraper as said'portion-when said portion swings away from said scraper, to shift said slid- 120 2. In an earth-moving implement, a scraper ing blocks when'jammed in said, guideways.

passing through said pulley on each end for engaging any of said hooks,'whereby one end of said cable is attachable to said hooks on said leg, and the other end of said cable may be attached alternately either to the hook on said push bar or to a hook on one of said sheave blocks.

4. The method of retrieving the sliding sheave tripod, anda cable and having means .blocks'and cable's'whic'h'slide in a guideway ofa cable operated load moving apparatus wherein one part of said apparatus-is movablewith re-, spect to the guideway', comprising connecting said movable part ofsaid apparatus to one oi.

said sheave blocks by a connection extending substantially in linewith'the normal direction of having a wheeled support at one end and adapted to rest upon the ground at the other end; a first tripod structure fixed to the top oi said scraper and including an inclinedbeam; an inclined guideway supported by said beam;-. loading and unloading devices on said scraperymeans for actuating said'loadingand unloading devices comprising a combination of sliding sheave blocks and cableswithinsaid guideway; a second tripod structure pivotally attached at a base thereoftof said scraper at the said other end; means having a pivoted connection with the top of one of said tripod structures and a sliding connection with the top of the other of said tripod structures;

means operable to drive said last mentioned means to separate the tops'of said tripod structures whereby the said otherend of saidscraper is lifted, from the ground; and a cable adapted to be temporarily connected at one end to eitheroi said sliding sheave blocksand at the other end to the apex of saidsecond tripod, whereby movement of the apex of said second tripod with gespect to said firsttripod structure will shift the sliding sheave block to which'it is connected towards the apex of said first tripod structure.

3. In an earth moving apparatus wherein a scraper unit is operated by control cables passing through and around a system including slid-J ing sheave blocks having sliding motion in a guideway afflxed to the top of said scraper unit and wherein one end of said scraper unit is raised from the ground by rotating a tripod frame which is pivotally'attached at a base portion thereof to said one end of said unit, there 'being a push bar having pivoted engagement at one end with the top or the tripod and sliding engagement along its length inv a bracket on the top or said guideway and poweroperated means to actuate the push bar and rotate the tripod about its pivot; a series or books along f cable means connected atone end a and passing around said sheave so as movement of said sheave blocks, and applying power. to said movable part to shift it and thereby pull the 'sheave block to its normal position in the guideway. a I

5. A' pulley block'retriever for use with a cable operated, load moving framework pivotally connected to I way for a a'gooseneck unit and providing a guidepulley block comprising a bracket supported by said framework; a'push bar supported at one end from said gooseneck unit and slidingly connected to said bracket; a'sheave journalled at the free end of saidpush bar; power operated to said bracket to move said push bar relative tosaid bracket; cable securing and guiding means carried by said gooseneck unit; and a'second cable operably associated with said cable securing and guidingmeans and havadapted for attachment to a jammed, out-of-position pulley block disposed in said guideway torestore said pulley block to its normal working position upon said relative movement of said push bar and bracket.

6. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein saidcable securing and guiding means comprises a hook on said gooseneck unit for receiving said other end of said second cable and a second sheave journalled on said gooseneck unit and arranged to direct the run of said second cable between said one end of said cable and said secondsheave in a direction substantially parallel to said guideway.

EDWARD MEYER.

TED J. POPPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,288,629 Le Tourneau July 7, 1942 2,288,630 Le Tourneau July "I, 1942

Images