US3904052A

US3904052A - Material handling bucket

Info

Publication number: US3904052A
Application number: US446623A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lloyd Nordstrom
Original assignee: Amcol International Corp
Current assignee: Amcol International Corp
Priority date: 1974-02-28
Filing date: 1974-02-28
Publication date: 1975-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1992-09-09

Abstract

There is provided a material handling lift bucket of the selfcleaning type for attachment to a tractor. The bucket includes a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extending generally concave interior surface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity and a gridwork is provided having a contour complimentary to the concave interior surface. Pusher means are provided for sliding the gridwork laterally over the interior surface. Thus, sticky materials are prevented from remaining in the deep pockets or cavity of the bucket.

Description

United States Patent [191 Nordstrom [4 1 Sept. 9, 1975 I MATERIAL HANDLING BUCKET [75] Inventor: Lloyd Nordstrom, Belle Fourche, S.

Dak.

22 Filed: Feb. 28, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 446,623

[52] U.S. Cl. 214/146 E; 37/1 17.5 [51] Int. Cl. EOZF 3/81 [58] Field of Search 214/145, 146 E, 510, 767; 37/1 17.5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,786,591 3/1957 Neumeister 214/510 3,407,952 10/1968 Gardner 3,750,816 8/1973 Becker 214/146 E FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 453,309 12/1927 Germany 214/146 E Primary ExaminerAlbert J. Makay Assistant ExaminerRoss Weaver Attorney, Agent, or FirmMason, Kolehmainer, Rathburn & Wyss [57] ABSTRACT There is provided a material handling lift bucket of the self-cleaning type for attachment to a tractor. The bucket includes a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extending generally concave interior surface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity and a gridwork is provided having a contour complimentary to the concave interior surface. Pusher means are provided for sliding the gridwork laterally over the interior. surface. Thus, sticky materials are prevented from remaining in the deep pockets or cavity of the bucket.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures MATERIAL HANDLING BUCKET The present invention relates to material handling lift buckets, and more particularly to a lift bucket for attachment to a tractor having means to raise and lower the bucket and means to tilt the bucket for loading, raising and dumping the contents thereof.

Difficulty has heretofore been experienced in the handling of wet, sticky materials, such as ores, in as much as they tend to stick in the deep pocket cavities of the material handling bucket. Commonly, such buckets are pounded to get the last sticky material out. Such severe pounding or beating of the bucket creates mechanical problems because of the severe treatment that the bucket must take.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved material handling lift bucket.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved self-cleaning material handling bucket.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a mterial handling lift bucket for attachment to a tractor having means to raise and lower the bucket and mean to tilt the bucket for loading, raising and dumping the contents thereof. The bucket is of the type commonly attached to the front end of a tractor as a front end loader and high lift bucket and commonly is shaped of a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extending generally concave in terior surface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a gridwork having a contour complimentary to the interior concave surface and means are provided for sliding the gridwork laterally over the surface to dislodge sticky materials.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descrip' tion and claims and from the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a material handling bucket according to the present invention, partly in broken away section;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the material loading bucket of FIG. 1 as viewed along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the material handling bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view illustrating a detail of the bucket of FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a prespective view of the gridwork of the bucket of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a material handling lift bucket including a bucket body 12 having hinge means 13, 14, 15 for attachment to

arms

16, 17, 18 of a tractor (not shown). The illustrated bucket 10 is of the type mounted at one end of the tractor and known as a front loader. Moreover, by manipulation of the

arms

16, 17, 18 through the controls of the tractor, the tractor operator can pivot the bucket 10 about its longitudinal axis throughout a wide arc, and including the scooping position illustrated in solid in FIG. 1, a lifting position with the cavity of the bucket 10 opening upwardly as indicated in phantom in FIG. 1, to a dumping position wherein the cavity of the bucket 10 opens downwardly (not shown) for dumping the contents of the bucket 10.

The bucket body 12 is horizontally elongated having a laterally extending generally concave interior surface 12A closed at its ends as at 128 to define a bucket cavity 20. The interior surface 12A isof uniform cross section throughout its lateral length and terminates along one longitudinal end into an outwardly or downwardly flared spade or scoop 21.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a-gridwork 25 formed of spaced interconnecting

lateral bars

26, 27, 28 and 29 and transverse bars 30 also having a laterally extending generally concave exterior surface complimentary to the surface of the bucket body 12 and extending over a portion of the surface 12A of the bucket body 12.

Means are provided for sliding the gridwork 25 laterally back and forth over the interior surface 12A of the bucket thereby to remove sticky materials which may have lodged in deep pocket portions of the bucket cavity 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the gridwork 25 is guided for lateral sliding movement by a plurality of guide pins 32 fixed to the bucket body 12 and extending through guide slots 33 in the end ones of the

lateral bars

26, 29. Hydraulic pusher means including a double acting hydraulic cylinder 35 is provided, and includes a piston rod 35A connected to the gridwork 25 by a connecting pin 37 movable through a slot 38 in the bucket body 12.

It will be understood that to clean the bucket 20 of materials which may have lodged within the bucket, it is merely necessary to actuate the hydraulic cylinder 35 and slide the gridwork 25 laterally across the interior surface 12A of the bucket 20, thereby dislodging all materials from the interior surface of the bucket.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to a single embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that numerous other modifications and embodiments will be devised by those skilled in the art which will fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A material handling lift bucket for attachment to a tractor having means to raise and lower the bucket and means to tilt the bucket for loading, raising, and dumping the contents thereof, said bucket comprising:

a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extending generally concave interior surface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity;

hinge means on said bucket body adapting said bucket for attachment to a tractor;

a gridwork comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel vertical members having a contour complimentary to said concave interior surface and mounted for lateral horizontal displacement in contact with said surface;

said gridwork including one or more horizontal members interconnecting said vertical members;

pin and slot connector means for interconnecting said gridwork and bucket body at a plurality of spaced apart locations for supporting said gridwork for reciprocal limited lateral horizontal movement on said bucket body between said closed ends;

pusher means for pushing said gridwork laterally to one side of said bucket body along said surface thereof.

2. A material handling lift bucket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface is of uniform cross section throughout the lateral length of said bucket.

3. A material handling lift bucket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pusher means including hydraulic means interconnecting said bucket body and said gridwork for sliding said gridwork laterally over said surface.

4. The lift bucket of claim 1 wherein said gridwork includes a pair of said horizontal members interconnecting the upper and lower ends of said vertical members and wherein said pin and slot connector means includes slots aligned with said pair of horizontal members.

cal members of said gridwork.

Claims

1. A material handling lift bucket for attachment to a tractor having means to raise and lower the bucket and means to tilt the bucket for loading, raising, and dumping the contents thereof, said bucket comprising: a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extending generally concave interior surface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity; hinge means on said bucket body adapting said bucket for attachment to a tractor; a gridwork comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel vertical members having a contour complimentary to said concave interior surface and mounted for lateral horizontal displacement in contact with said surface; said gridwork including one or more horizontal members interconnecting said vertical members; pin and slot connector means for interconnecting said gridwork and bucket body at a plurality of spaced apart locations for supporting said gridwork for reciprocal limited lateral horizontal movement on said bucket body between said closed ends; pusher means for pushing said gridwork laterally to one side of said bucket body along said surface thereof.

5. The lift bucket of claim 4 wherein said pusher means includes fluid cylinder means interconnected between said bucket body a gridwork spaced at a level between said pair of horizontal members.

6. The lift bucket of claim 1 wherein said pin and slot connector means is dimensioned to provide limited relative lateral horizontal movement of said gridwork on said bucket body in an amount whereby said vertical members move to clear a space on said interior surface at least as great as the spacing between adjacent vertical members of said gridwork.