LOADER BUCKET WITH POSITIVE ENDWARD EJECTOR

• US 3,750,816 A
• Filed: 10/04/1971
• Issued: 08/07/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gene J. Becker
• Original Assignee: Gene J. Becker
• Inventors: Becker, Gene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pulfrey, Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crowder, Clifford D.
• Application Number:
  US05/188,682
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 214/767,14GE,82,510,514 74/242.8 37/118
• US Class Current: 414/704
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/401 Buckets or forks comprising, for example, shock absorbers, supports or load striking scrapers to prevent overload

Abstract

A loader bucket mountable on a tractor or similar movable vehicle, the loader bucket comprising an elongate scoop without end-walls and an ejector-assembly having a finite degree of longitudinally movable relationship with the scoop. The ejectorassembly includes an upright ejector-plate within the scoop and adapted to positively eject a load of grain, snow, or the like, from one of the open endward terminii of the scoop, the ejectorassembly being longitudinally motivatable through an annular chain connected to sprockets at the respective scoop terminii, at least one of the sprockets being actuatable hydraulically.

Claims

1. A loader bucket with positive endward ejector and comprising:

A. An elongate scoop comprising a finite length elongate bottomwall and an elongate upright back-wall of coextensive longitudinal length with the bottom-wall and in material sustaining interconnected relationship therewith whereby the scoop has two open endward terminii defined solely by the finite lengths of the attached bottom-wall and back-wall, said back-wall having an elongate horizontal upper edge providing the scoop longitudinal upper-end and said bottom-wall having an elongate forward extremity providing the scoop leading-end, said scoop having on the forward side an elongate loadable receptacle portion defined by the bottom-wall and back-wall and extending longitudinally between the scoop'"'"''"'"'s two open endward terminii and also extending between the scoop upper-end and the leading-end thereof, said scoop having an external side separated from said receptacle portion by the interconnected bottom-wall and backwall whereby a portion of the scoop external side includes the elongate backside of the back-wall;

B. An elongate rail of substantially uniform cross-sectional size and shape and positioned remote of the scoop receptacle portion, said elongate rail being so attached to the scoop respective endward terminii with mounting brackets that said rail provides a track means lying substantially parallel to and wholly spatially separated from the scoop longitudinal upperend;

C. An ejector-assembly including an upright ejector-plate that is positioned within the scoop receptacle portion substantially at right angles to the bottom-wall and the back-wall of the scoop, said upright ejector-assembly including a rearwardly extending collar portion slidably associated with the elongate rail track means and longitudinally slidably movable between the respective endward mounting brackets as limiting-means, whereby the said ejector-plate is longitudinally movable for substantially the entire longitudinal distance between the scoop two endward open terminii to eject a load from an endward terminus of the scoop receptacle portion; and

D. Motivation-means to cause said slidably attached ejectorassembly including the ejector-plate to travel to the two open endward terminii of the scoop, said motivation-means comprising a pair of rotatable sprockets attached to the scoop and disposed at substantially co-elevation on the back-wall backside adjacent to the respective scoop endward terminii, and further comprising an elongate endless multi-link chain actuatably connected to both sprockets whereby the annular chain has two substantially parallel horizontal elongate segments spanning the intersprockets distance including an upper segment and a lower segment, and said ejector-assembly being connected to the upper elongate segment of the chain with a lug attached to and depending from the said longitudinally slidable collar.

2. The loader bucket of claim 1 wherein the elongate rail is of regular rectangular cross-sectional size along the length thereof;

wherein the ejector-assembly collar is of rectangular cross-sectional shape, said rectangular collar being internally provided with rollers whereby the ejector-assembly is rollably slidably associated along the rail;

wherein the motivation-means sprockets are rotatable on both angular directions;

wherein the ejector-assembly lug is interposed in series along the upper segment of an elongate oval chain between a pair of links thereof to reduce interference between the lug and sprockets;

wherein the back-wall backside is provided with a vertically adjustable block positioned betwEen the two chain segments to maintain tension upon the lower elongate chain segment; and

wherein there is a liquid-actuatable rotary motor operatively connected to at least one of said sprockets, the rotor component of said motor being capable of being selectably forceably driven in both angular directions whereby the annular chain and attached ejector-assembly are capable of being positively forceably driven toward either selected open end of the scoop.

3. The loader bucket of claim 1 wherein the motivation-means sprockets are rotatable in both angular directions;

and wherein there is a liquid-actuatable rotary motor operatively connected to at least one of said sprockets, the rotor component of said motor being capable of being selectably forceably driven in both angular directions whereby the annular chain and attached ejector-assembly are capable of being positively forceably driven toward either selected open end of the scoop, the said liquid-actuatable motor having a maximum appliable torque to supplement the limiting-means.

4. The loader bucket apparatus of claim 1 wherein the collar member surrounds said rail and is internally provided with rollers whereby the ejector-assembly is rollably slidably associated along the rail track means;

and wherein at least one of said mounting brackets is removably attached to the rail track means to permit temporary disconnection of the ejector-assembly from the apparatus.