Excavator Landscape Rake

• US 20080307681A1
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: William Duane Mcneil
• Original Assignee: William Duane Mcneil
• Inventors: McNeil, William Duane
• Application Number:
  US12/137,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/405
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/815 Blades; Levelling or scarifying tools E02F3/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/962 Mounting of implements directly on tools already attached to the machine E02F3/404 and E02F3/8152 take precedence

Abstract

A landscape rake attachment for an excavation machine. An exemplary attachment may have a grasping plate with a back surface sized to rest against a teeth edge of the machine bucket and a front surface to make contact with a machine thumb. An anti-slip plate may extend along a top edge of the grasping plate with a width greater than the depth of the grasping plate. A finger mounting plate may be coupled to a lower edge of the grasping plate and extend horizontally from each side of the lower edge. A plurality of fingers may be coupled to the finger mounting plate and extending downward from the finger mounting plate.

Claims

1. An attachment for an excavator with a machine bucket and an actuating thumb comprising:

a grasping plate with a back surface sized to rest against a teeth edge of the machine bucket, and a front surface sized to make contact with the actuating thumb;

an anti-slip plate extending along a top edge of the grasping plate with a width greater than a depth of the grasping plate;

a finger mounting plate coupled to a lower edge of the grasping plate; and

a plurality of fingers coupled to the finger mounting plate and extending downward from the finger mounting plate.

2. An attachment of claim 1, wherein the grasping plate is angled between about 15 and 75 degrees from a plane of the plurality of fingers and a plane of the grasping plate.

3. An attachment of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustable mounting bracket coupling the grasping plate to the finger mounting plate wherein the adjustable mounting plate provides rotation of the finger mounting plate about an axis running lengthwise along a top edge of the finger plate.

4. An attachment of claim 3, wherein the adjustable mounting bracket coupling the grasping plate to the finger mounting plate is spring ratcheted.

5. An attachment of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustable mounting bracket coupling the grasping plate to the finger mounting plate wherein the adjustable mounting plate provides rotation of the finger mounting plate about an axis running longitudinally with the plurality of fingers.

6. An attachment of claim 5, wherein the adjustable mounting bracket coupling the grasping plate to the finger mounting plate is spring ratcheted.

7. An attachment of claim 1, wherein the grasping plate has an undulating surface with groves running perpendicular to the direction on a plane of the plurality of the fingers.

8. An attachment of claim 1, wherein the anti-slip plate extends from a top edge of the grasping plate in a rearward direction perpendicular to the grasping plate.

9. An attachment of claim 1, wherein the finger mounting plate has a bottom portion extending downward and parallel with the plurality of fingers, and a top portion extending forward in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of fingers.

10. An attachment of claim 9, wherein a horizontal raising plate couples a side edge of the finger mounting plate, a side edge of the grasping plate, and a side edge of the anti-slip plate.

11. A method for using an attachment with an excavator having a machine bucket and an actuating thumb comprising the actions of:

positioning a teeth edge of the machine bucket against a back surface of a grasping plate;

positioning the actuating thumb onto a front surface of the grasping plate;

pressing the grasping plate between the machine bucket and the actuating thumb;

extending an arm of the excavator; and

retracting the arm in a manner that causes a plurality of fingers extending from a finger mounting plate coupled to the grasping plate to scrape an excavation surface.

12. A method for using an attachment of claim 11, further comprising the actions of:

releasing the actuating thumb from the front surface of the grasping plate;

removing the teeth edge of the machine bucket from against the back surface of the grasping plate; and

excavating soil with the machine bucket.

13. A method for using an attachment of claim 11, further comprising the actions of:

adjusting an angle of rotation of the finger mounting plate about an axis running lengthwise along a top edge of the finger plate via an adjustable mounting bracket coupling the grasping plate to the finger mounting plate.

14. A method for using an attachment of claim 13, wherein adjusting the angle of rotation involves utilizing a spring ratcheted system.

15. A method for using an attachment of claim 11, further comprising actions of:

adjusting an angle of rotation of the finger mounting plate about an axis running longitudinally with the plurality of the fingers.

16. A method for using an attachment of claim 15, wherein adjusting the angle of rotation involves utilizing a spring ratcheted system.

17. A method for using an attachment of claim 11, wherein the grasping plate has an undulating surface with grooves running perpendicular to the direction of a plane of the plurality of the fingers and the action of pressing the grasping plate between the machine bucket and actuating thumb causes teeth on the actuating thumb to be positioned within the grooves.

18. A method for using an attachment of claim 11, wherein an anti-slip plate extends from a top edge of the grasping plate in a rearward direction perpendicular to the grasping plate.

19. A method for using an attachment of claim 12, further comprising actions of:

allowing the attachment to rest in an upright position on a kickstand.

20. A method for attaching an attachment with an excavator having a machine bucket and actuating thumb consisting essentially of the actions of:

positioning a teeth edge of the machine bucket against a back surface of a grasping plate;

positioning the actuating thumb onto a front surface of the grasping plate; and

pressing the grasping plate between the machine bucket and actuating thumb.