HYBRID LOAD BUCKET ASSEMBLY

• US 20190316318A1
• Filed: 04/11/2018
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: CANTU, JORGE LUIS, HALLALE, SANJEEV M., SAHAY, SATYAM, EL-ZEIN, MOHAMAD S., GUTHY, HEMA V., SHINDE, VIKAS, PORTILLO, HECTOR, PRIEGO, ISRAEL, CHAPA, DANIEL
• Granted Patent: US 11,078,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/3417 Buckets emptying by tilting E02F3/342, E02F3/345 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/3686 using adapters, i.e. additional element to mount between the coupler and the tool
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/40 Dippers; Buckets ; Grab devices, e.g. manufacturing processes for buckets, form, geometry or material of buckets devices to connect tools to arms or booms E02F3/3604; teeth therefor E02F9/28
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/401 Buckets or forks comprising, for example, shock absorbers, supports or load striking scrapers to prevent overload
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/7609 Scraper blade mounted forwardly of the tractor on a pair of pivoting arms which are linked to the sides of the tractor, e.g. bulldozers

Abstract

A hybrid bucket assembly for a work vehicle having movable loader arms includes a reinforcing structure having a first edge plate, a second edge plate and at least two support members extending from the first edge plate. The reinforcing structure is for coupling the bucket assembly to the movable loader arms. The bucket assembly includes a double-wall bucket defining a volume for carrying material. The bucket is coupled to the at least two support members of the reinforcing structure, and the bucket has a leading edge coupled between the first edge plate and the second edge plate.

Claims

1. A hybrid bucket assembly for a work vehicle having movable loader arms, the bucket assembly comprising:

a reinforcing structure having a first edge plate, a second edge plate and at least two support members extending from the first edge plate, the reinforcing structure for coupling to the movable loader arms; and

a double-wall bucket defining a volume for carrying material, the bucket coupled to the at least two support members of the reinforcing structure, the bucket having a leading edge coupled between the first edge plate and the second edge plate.

2. The bucket assembly of claim 1, further comprising a wear plate coupled between the first edge plate and the second edge plate so as to be proximate the leading edge of the bucket, and a plurality of bushings integrally formed with the double-wall bucket for receiving a mechanical fastener to couple the first edge plate to the second edge plate.

3. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the double-wall bucket is formed from a polymer-based material, and the double-wall of the bucket is filled with a fill material.

4. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, with the leading edge defined on the bottom side and the at least two support members comprise hollow tubes that extend from the first edge plate to the top side.

5. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, with the leading edge defined on the bottom side and the at least two support members each comprise a pair of rods that extends from the first edge plate to the top side.

6. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least two support members each include a mounting structure for coupling to a respective one of the movable loader arms.

7. The bucket assembly of claim 6, wherein the bucket includes at least two locator pins molded into the bucket for coupling the bucket assembly to the movable loader arms.

8. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing structure is removable for stacking the bucket within a second bucket formed from a polymer-based material.

9. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the bucket defines at least one enlarged cavity proximate at least one of the at least two support members.

10. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, with the leading edge defined on the bottom side, and the bucket further comprises a tool box defined on the bucket proximate the top side.

11. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, with the leading edge defined on the bottom side, and the bucket further comprises a plurality of removable dividers that extend within the volume of the bucket from the top side to the bottom side and are spaced apart between the lateral sides.

12. The bucket assembly of claim 1, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, and the bucket further comprises a respective wear strip coupled to each of the lateral sides to extend along the respective lateral sides.

13. A hybrid bucket assembly for a work vehicle having movable loader arms and an operator cab, the bucket assembly comprising:

a top side;

a bottom side;

lateral sides formed integrally with or coupled to opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side; and

a rear side formed integrally with or coupled to the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, the top side, the bottom side, the rear side and the lateral sides form a bucket having a volume for carrying material, and the rear side includes a translucent region that is configured to transmit light from the volume to the operator cab and to retain material within the volume.

14. The bucket assembly of claim 13, wherein the translucent region is a translucent panel coupled to the rear side that transmits the light from the volume to the operator cab.

15. The bucket assembly of claim 14, wherein an indicator is defined on the rear side adjacent to the translucent panel that indicates an amount of the material within the volume.

16. The bucket assembly of claim 13, wherein the bucket is a double-wall bucket formed from a polymer-based material.

17. A hybrid bucket assembly for a work vehicle having movable loader arms, the bucket assembly comprising:

a reinforcing structure having a first edge plate, a second edge plate, a wear plate and at least two support members extending from the first edge plate, the wear plate coupled between the first edge plate and the second edge plate, the reinforcing structure for coupling to the movable loader arms; and

a double-wall bucket formed from a polymer-based material defining a volume for carrying material, the bucket coupled to the at least two support members of the reinforcing structure, the bucket having a leading edge coupled between the first edge plate and the second edge plate so as to be proximate the wear plate.

18. The bucket assembly of claim 17, wherein the double-wall of the bucket is filled with a fill material, and a plurality of bushings are integrally formed with the double-wall bucket for receiving a mechanical fastener to couple the first edge plate to the second edge plate.

19. The bucket assembly of claim 17, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, with the leading edge defined on the bottom side and the at least two support members comprise hollow tubes that extend from the first edge plate to the top side.

20. The bucket assembly of claim 17, wherein the bucket has a top side formed integrally with an opposite bottom side, lateral sides formed integrally with opposite lateral surfaces of the bottom side and the top side, and a rear side formed integrally with the top side, the bottom side and the lateral sides, with the leading edge defined on the bottom side and the at least two support members each comprise a pair of rods that extends from the first edge plate to the top side.