Backfill device and method with rotating drum

• US 9,169,618 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brown Bag Company
• Original Assignee: Brown Bag Company
• Inventors: Brown, Stanley L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartmann, Gary
• Application Number:
  US14/267,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20150315763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 371/425
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/226 with means for processing the soil, e.g. screening belts, separators; Padding machines
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 1/028 in the ground F16L1/026 takes precedence

Abstract

A backfilling device for backfilling an open trench and padding a pipe within the trench has a lateral earth moving device and a sifting device. The backfilling device is attached to a tractor that moves the lateral earth moving device into a backfill spoil pile adjacent to the trench with the sifting device located above the trench. The lateral earth moving devices moves the backfill spoil material laterally into a rotating drum of the sifting device. Smaller particles of the backfill material fall through the rotating drum, which is also vibrating to backfill the trench and pad the pipe with backfill fines. The oversize debris in the backfill material continues to move laterally and falls out the end of the rotating drum to form a pile of large piece backfill material on the side of the trench opposite from the backfill spoil pile.

Claims

1. A backfill device for back filling a trench with backfill fines of a desired size from a pile of backfill spoil adjacent to the trench, the backfill device comprising:

a lateral earth moving device having an open front portion, and a rotating member for moving backfill spoil toward a first end of the lateral earth moving apparatus;

a sifting device located at the first end of the dirt moving apparatus, the sifting device having a rotatable drum that is open on a first side to receive backfill spoil from the lateral dirt moving apparatus, the drum being open at a second side opposite from the first side, the drum having a plurality of sifting openings between the first and second ends of the rotating drum;

a sifting device motor operably connected to the drum to cause rotation of the drum;

whereby

pieces of backfill spoil smaller than the sifting openings will fall through the sifting openings into the trench directly below the sifting device and the pieces of backfill spoil larger than the sifting openings will be moved out of the second side of the sifting device by dirt entering the sifting portion through the first side.

2. The backfill device of claim 1, wherein the rotating drum comprises a set of hoops laterally spaced apart from each other, hoops supporting a plurality of rods spanning between the hoops, and wherein the sifting openings are formed by spaces between the rods.

3. The backfill device of claim 2, wherein the sifting device motor rotates a spur gear, and further wherein the spur gear engages the rods.

4. The backfill device of claim 2 wherein the sifting device comprises idler wheels, and further wherein at least one of the hoops has an uneven circumferential surface in engagement with the idler wheels, such that rotation of the drum causes a vibratory motion of the drum as the uneven circumferential surface interacts with the idler wheels.

5. The backfill device of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning mechanism within the sifting device that includes resilient rod engaging portions to clean dirt from the rods as the sifting drum rotates.

6. The backfill device of claim 1, wherein the rotating member and the drum rotate at different speeds.

7. The backfill device of claim 1, wherein the drum further comprises a flute extending inwardly in the drum, the flute having an angled surface to urge backfill pieces toward the second side of the sifting device.

8. The backfill device of claim 1, wherein the backfill motor is a reversible hydraulic motor.

9. The backfill device of claim 1, wherein the rotatable member includes projections adapted to break apart the backfill spoil and move the backfill spoil laterally towards the first end of the lateral earth moving device.

10. The backfill device of claim 9, wherein the projections have teeth at a distal end of the projections.

11. A method of backfilling a trench and padding an object in the trench using a backfill spoil pile located adjacent to the trench, the method comprising:

providing a backfilling device attached to a tractor, the backfilling device having a lateral earth moving device and a sifting device mounted at a first end of the lateral earth moving device, the lateral earth moving device having a rotatable member, the sifting device having a rotatable drum open to receive backfill spoil from the lateral earth moving device;

positioning the tractor adjacent to the trench with the lateral earth moving device aligned with the backfill spoil pile and the rotatable drum directly above the trench;

rotating the rotatable member of the lateral earth moving device;

rotating the drum of the sifting device; and

moving the tractor to cause the rotating rotatable member to engage the backfill spoil pile, whereby a portion of the backfill spoil is moved laterally from the lateral earth moving device into the rotating drum, and whereby pieces of the portion of the backfill spoil smaller than a desired size fall through the drum into the trench and pieces of the portion of backfill spoil larger than the desired size fall out an end of the drum opposite from the lateral earth moving device on an opposite side of the trench from the backfill spoil pile.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising vibrating the rotating drum.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sifting device comprises idler wheels, and further wherein the drum comprises at least one hoop that has an uneven circumferential surface in engagement with the idler wheels, and wherein the step of vibrating the rotating drum is performed by rotating the hoop against the idler wheels.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the rotatable member and the rotating drum are rotated at different speeds.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the rotatable member includes projections adapted to break apart the backfill spoil and move the backfill spoil laterally.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the drum further comprises a flute extending inwardly in the drum, the flute having an angled surface to urge backfill pieces toward the end of the drum opposite from the lateral earth moving device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the rotating drum comprises a set of hoops laterally spaced apart from each other, the hoops supporting a plurality of rods spanning between the hoops, and wherein sifting openings are formed by spaces between the rods, and wherein a sifting device motor rotates a spur gear, and further wherein the spur gear engages the rods to cause the rotating of the drum.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sifting device further comprises a cleaning mechanism within the sifting device that includes resilient rod engaging portions to clean dirt from the rods as the sifting drum rotates.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the resilient rod engaging portions are mounted to an axle driven by a cleaning mechanism spur gear that engages and is driven by the rods.