Trenching assembly
First Claim
1. A trenching assembly comprising:
- a frame that extends along a longitudinal axis;
a hood assembly having a surface-engaging member and defining a cavity;
a linkage assembly interconnecting the frame and the hood assembly and comprising a first hydraulic cylinder, in which the linkage assembly is pivotable adjacent the frame about a horizontal axis; and
in which the hood assembly is pivotable relative to the linkage assembly about a first hood axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame; and
a rotatable blade at least partially positioned within the cavity, in which the blade is vertically positionable relative to the hood assembly.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A trenching assembly used to cut a narrow trench in the ground surface. The trenching assembly comprises an attachment frame connected to a hood assembly via a linkage assembly. The attachment frame may be attached to the rear end of a work machine. A rotatable blade is disposed within a cavity defined by the hood assembly. The hood assembly may rotate about two different axes relative to the linkage assembly, and the linkage assembly may rotate about two different axes relative to the attachment frame. The trenching assembly uses a pair of accumulators to hydraulically rotate the linkage assembly about a horizontal axis relative to the frame in response changes in depth of the ground surface being cut by the blade. The linkage assembly may be hydraulically rotated using the accumulators without input from the operator.
115 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A trenching assembly comprising:
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a frame that extends along a longitudinal axis; a hood assembly having a surface-engaging member and defining a cavity; a linkage assembly interconnecting the frame and the hood assembly and comprising a first hydraulic cylinder, in which the linkage assembly is pivotable adjacent the frame about a horizontal axis; and
in which the hood assembly is pivotable relative to the linkage assembly about a first hood axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame; anda rotatable blade at least partially positioned within the cavity, in which the blade is vertically positionable relative to the hood assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for cutting a narrow trench in a direction of travel using a rotatable blade attached to a frame via a linkage assembly, wherein the rotatable blade is disposed within a cavity defined by a hood assembly having a surface-engaging member, the method comprising:
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positioning the surface-engaging member on the surface adjacent the blade; adjusting a vertical position of the blade relative to the surface engaging member to achieve the desired trench depth; rotating the blade to cut a trench; translating the frame in the direction of travel; and pivoting the hood assembly relative the linkage assembly about an axis parallel to the direction of travel. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification