Adjustable earth-moving attachment for a vehicle

• US 4,802,293 A
• Filed: 11/20/1987
• Issued: 02/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raymond H. Smith
• Original Assignee: Raymond H. Smith
• Inventors: Smith, Raymond H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, Eugene H.
• Application Number:
  US07/123,608
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 37/108 R, 37/108 A, 37/110, 37/268, 37/269, 37/273, 37/274, 37/276, 37/285, 37/287, 37/219, 37/221, 172/786, 172/787, 172/799.5, 172/155, 172/169, 172/188, 172/191, 172/201
• US Class Current: 37/381
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/7627 with the scraper blade adjustable relative to the frame about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/223 for back-filling in association with trench excavators E02F5/12

Abstract

An earth-moving attachment for use with a vehicle includes a pair of earth-moving blade assemblies mounted on a main beam. The earth-moving blade assemblies are adapted to be independently movable in several planes with respect to each other and with respect to the main beam so that a plurality of earth-working operations can be performed, and the attachment is amenable for use in conjunction with a wide variety of terrains. The blade assemblies are mounted and designed to efficiently transfer forces with the main beam.

Claims

1. An earth-moving attachment for a vehicle comprising:

a main frame assembly which includes a main frame-to-vehicle attaching means adapted to be mounted on the vehicle, a main beam connected at one end thereof to said main frame-to-vehicle attaching means and extending outwardly therefrom to have the longitudinal centerline thereof aligned with the direction of movement of the vehicle along a path;

a pair of earth-moving blade assemblies which can be movably mounted on said main beam, each earth-moving blade assembly including

a blade for moving earth in a predetermined direction with respect to the path,

an inner edge on said blade locatable adjacent to said main beam,

an outer edge on said blade,

a first blade-to-main beam attaching means attaching said blade to said main beam,

a second blade-to-main frame attaching means attaching said blade to said main beam,

said first blade-to-main beam attaching means including means for adjusting the height of said blade above the path and means for adjusting the position of the inner edge of said blade with respect to said main beam longitudinal centerline, and

said second blade-to-main beam attaching means including means for adjusting the position of the outer edge of said blade with respect to said main beam longitudinal centerline.

2. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 1 wherein said first blade-to-main frame attaching means includes means to adjust the position of said blade in at least two planes.

3. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 2 wherein said first blade-to-main frame attaching means includes means to vary the angular relationship of said blade with respect to the blade in the other earth-moving blade assembly in one plane of said at least two planes.

4. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 3 wherein said second blade-to-main frame attaching means includes means for adjusting the angular relationship of said blade with respect to the blade in the other earth-moving blade assembly in said one plane.

5. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 4 wherein said one plane includes a line which is parallel to the path of travel of the vehicle, and the other plane of said at least two planes is oriented at an angle with respect to said one plane.

6. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 5 wherein said first blade-to-main frame attaching means includes means for spacing the inner edge of said blade apart from the inner edge of the blade in the other earth-moving blade assembly along the longitudinal centerline of said main beam.

7. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 5 wherein said first blade-to-main frame attaching means height adjusting means includes a beam means mountable on said main beam and means for mounting said beam means on said main beam in a manner such that said beam means is movable along the longitudinal centerline of said main beam.

8. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 7 wherein said bracket means includes means for moving said blade in said other plane of said at least two planes.

9. The earth-moving attachment in claim 8 further including a slider mounted on said main beam and each of said earth-moving blade assemblies further includes an adjustable means for connecting said slider to the outer edge of said blade included in said each earth-moving blade assembly.

10. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 9 wherein said adjustable means includes a hydraulic cylinder.

11. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 10 wherein each earth-moving blade assembly further includes a blade-support arm beam mounted on said blade for attachment to said hydraulic cylinder, and a cylinder-to-slider attaching means on said hydraulic cylinder attachable to said slider.

12. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 11 wherein said cylinder-to-slider attaching means includes means for adjusting the angular position of said hydraulic cylinder with respect to said blade and with respect to said main beam, and each earth-moving blade assembly further includes a cylinder-to-support arm beam attaching means associated with said hydraulic cylinder and having means for adjusting the angular position of said hydraulic cylinder with respect to said blade and with respect to said main beam.

13. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 12 wherein said hydraulic cylinder includes a rod that is extendable out of said hydraulic cylinder.

14. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 13 wherein said main frame-to-vehicle attaching means includes a cross tongue which is oriented to extend transversely to the longitudinal centerline of said main beam.

15. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 14 wherein said main frame-to-vehicle attaching means includes a vertical mast mounted on said cross tongue.

16. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 15 wherein said main beam is located to extend along the central axis of the path of travel of the vehicle.

17. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 1 wherein the inner edge of said blade is stepped.

18. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 17 wherein said blade further includes brace means.

19. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 18 wherein said blade further includes an appended blade.

20. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 19 wherein said blade further includes a skid.

21. The earth-moving attachment defined in claim 20 wherein said blade further includes means attaching said skid thereto, said skid attaching means including means for varying the orientation of said skid with respect to said blade.

22. In combination:

a vehicle adapted to move along a predetermined path;

a main frame assembly which includes a main frame-to-vehicle attaching means adapted to be mounted on one end of said vehicle, and a main beam connected at one end thereof to said main frame-to-vehicle attaching means and oriented to have the longitudinal centerline thereof aligned with the predetermined path;

a pair of earth-moving blades which can be movably mounted on said main beam, each of said earth-moving blades having an inner edge and an outer edge and each of said earth-moving blades being adapted to move earth in a predetermined direction with respect to said path;

blade-to-main beam connecting means attaching said blade inner and said blade outer edges to said main beam in a manner such that said blades and said main beam form a closed polygon with each of said blades extending along one side of said polygon and said main beam extending along a diagonal of said polygon; and

said blade-to-main beam attaching means including a blade position adjustment means associated with each blade for varying the orientation of each blade in at least two planes with respect to said main beam, each of said blade position adjustment means being adapted to vary the orientation of the blade associated therewith separately and independently of the other blade whereby the orientation of each blade with respect to the path can be varied in a plurality of planes.

23. The combination defined in claim 22 wherein said main beam is mounted in cantilever fashion on said main frame-to-vehicle attaching means.

24. The combination defined in claim 23 wherein the longitudinal centerline of said main beam is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the path.

25. The combination defined in claim 22 wherein a portion of said main beam extends along one side of said polygon.

26. The combination defined in claim 22 wherein all of the angles included between the sides of said polygon are different from each other.

27. The combination defined in claim 22 wherein all of the sides of said polygon lie in planes that are different from each other.