U.S. patent application number 11/655950 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-24 for adapter for cutting tooth.
Invention is credited to Laurent Denis.
Application Number | 20080172912 11/655950 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39639869 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080172912 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Denis; Laurent |
July 24, 2008 |
Adapter for cutting tooth
Abstract
An adapter for use in mounting a cutting tooth onto a mounting
block. The adapter has two opposed sides with a first groove on one
side for receiving a leading portion of the mounting block and a
second groove on the other side opposite the one side for receiving
a portion of the cutting tooth. The first and second grooves are
aligned. The adapter has a fastening hole there through in the
grooves, the hole transverse to the sides of the adapter. The
fastening hole is used in fastening the tooth to the mounting block
with the adapter sandwiched between the tooth and mounting
block.
Inventors: |
Denis; Laurent; (Roxton
Falls, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JACK PAAVILA
BOX 1151
ALEXANDRIA
KOC IA0
omitted
|
Family ID: |
39639869 |
Appl. No.: |
11/655950 |
Filed: |
January 22, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
37/452 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02F 9/2825 20130101;
E02F 9/2866 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
37/452 |
International
Class: |
E02F 9/28 20060101
E02F009/28 |
Claims
1. An adapter for use in mounting a cutting tooth onto a mounting
block, the adapter having two opposed sides with a first groove on
one side for receiving a leading portion of the mounting block and
a second groove on the other side opposite the one side for
receiving a portion of the cutting tooth, the first and second
grooves aligned; the adapter having a fastening hole there through
in the grooves, the hole transverse to the sides, for use in
fastening the tooth to the mounting block with the adapter
sandwiched between.
2. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adapter has opposed
top and bottom ends, the grooves extending over the length of the
adapter between its ends.
3. An adapter as claimed in claim 2 wherein the second groove
tapers from the top end to the bottom end.
4. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adapter is made of
steel having a hardness ranging between 25 and 35 RC.
5. An adapter as claimed in claim 2 wherein the adapter is made of
steel having a hardness ranging between 25 and 35 RC.
6. An adapter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the adapter is made of
steel having a hardness ranging between 25 and 35 RC.
7. A cutting tooth mounting assembly for a cutter having a
cylindrical cutting head, the assembly having a mounting block with
a bottom side for mounting against the surface of the cutting head
and a front side; a plate-like cutting tooth having a mounting
portion with a flat side and a cutting portion bent from one end of
the mounting portion terminating in a cutting edge; an adapter
having two opposed sides with a first groove on one side adapted to
snugly receive a front portion of the block with the front side of
the block against the bottom of the first groove and a second
groove on the other side opposite the one side to snugly receive
part of the mounting portion of the tooth with its flat side
against the bottom of the second shallow groove; the grooves
aligned to align the flat side of the tooth with the front side of
the block; and a mounting bolt holding the tooth securely against
the adapter and the adapter securely against the mounting
block.
8. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the block has
a step extending forwardly from the bottom of the front side of the
block toward the front of the bottom side, the mounting portion of
the cutting tooth, and the adapter, resting on the step.
9. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein there is a
stop on the step spaced from the front side of the block, the
mounting portion of the cutting tooth and the adapter snug between
the stop and the front side of the block.
10. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the adapter
has opposed top and bottom ends, the grooves extending over the
length of the adapter between its ends.
11. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the adapter
has opposed top and bottom ends, the grooves extending over the
length of the adapter between its ends.
12. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the width of
the tooth tapers from its cutting edge to its other end and the
second groove in the adapter also tapers from the top to the
bottom.
13. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the width of
the tooth tapers from its cutting edge to its other end and the
second shallow groove in the adapter also tapers from the top to
the bottom.
14. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the hardness
of the adapter is substantially less than the hardness of the
mounting block and the cutting tooth.
15. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hardness
of the adapter is substantially less than the hardness of the
mounting block and the cutting tooth.
16. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the hardness
of the adapter is between 25 and 35 RC; the hardness of the cutting
tooth is between 45 and 47 RC and the hardness of the mounting
block is between 40 and 42 RC.
17. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hardness
of the adapter is between 25 and 35 RC; the hardness of the cutting
tooth is between 45 and 47 RC and the hardness of the mounting
block is between 40 and 42 RC.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] This invention is directed toward an adapter for use in
mounting a cutting tooth used on a rotating cutting head. The
invention is also directed toward a cutting tooth mounting assembly
for use on a rotating cutting head.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Rotating cutting heads, such as heads on brush cutters, have
a plurality of cutting teeth mounted over the surface of the head.
Each tooth is detachably mounted on a mounting block which block in
turn is fixedly mounted on the surface of the cylindrical head of
the cutter. The tooth is normally fixed by a bolt directly to the
block so it can be easily replaced if damaged or broken. The
cutting heads often operate in an environment where rocks or
boulders are present and these rocks or boulders are frequently hit
by the cutting head. These hits can severely damage the cutting
teeth and/or the mounting blocks on the head. The damaged teeth are
relatively expensive to replace and the mounting blocks, if
damaged, are even more expensive to replace since they are normally
welded onto the drum.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an
adapter which can be mounted between the tooth and the mounting
block when mounting the tooth on the block. The adapter is
relatively inexpensive and is made of material allowing it to
deform more readily than the tooth or block if the assembly strikes
a rock or similar hard object. If a rock is struck, it is more
likely that the softer adapter will be damaged or deformed rather
than the harder tooth or mounting block and the inexpensive adapter
can be readily replaced.
[0006] It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a
tooth mounting The front side 13 of the mounting block 3 is located
within the first groove 65 of the adapter 51 against the web 69.
The cutting tooth 27 is then mounted on the front of the adapter 51
with the side walls 79 of the second groove 67 adjacent the sides
41 of the tooth 27 when the tooth is mounted in the second groove
67. The back 33 of the mounting portion 29 of the tooth is against
the web 69. The bottom end edge 35 of the tooth 27 rests on the
step 11 to align its hole 39 with the other holes 71, 21. Both the
adapter 51 and the tooth 27 are located between the stop rib 15 on
the step 11 of the block 3 and the front side 13 of the block.
[0007] In the assembled mounting, a bolt 83 is passed from the
block through the aligned holes and into the threaded hole 55 on
the tooth to securely join the adapter and tooth onto the block.
When the tooth 27 is mounted on the block 3, via the adapter 51,
the cutting portion 31 of the tooth extends slightly above the
block and the adapter. The adapter 51 aligns the tooth 27 with the
front side 13 of the mounting block.
[0008] The adapter 51 is made of slightly softer material than the
material the tooth 27 and mounting block 3 are made of. The adapter
51 can be made of 44W, ASTM-A36, AISI 4140 or C-1020 steel having a
hardness of between 25-35 RC. The tooth 27 is normally made of A2,
A8 or 5160 steel heat treated to a hardness of 45-47 RC. The block
3 is made of high carbon steel such as Scandia High-Tuff or Scandia
100 having a hardness of 40-42 RC.
[0009] If the assembled mounting on the cutter head hits a rock or
boulder during operation of the head, the softer adapter will often
deform before the tooth or the block are damaged. The cutting tooth
may be slightly displaced when the adapter is deformed but would
still be operational though not as efficiently. The deformed
adapter can be easily replaced. The replacement adapter correctly
realigns the cutting tooth with the mounting block for maximum
efficiency. The adapters are relatively inexpensive compared to the
teeth or the block so considerable savings can be achieved by the
using the adapters without lowering the efficiency of the machine.
assembly for mounting cutting teeth on a cutter head which mounting
assembly reduces damage to the teeth and blocks during operation
and reduces the operating cost of the machine. The mounting
assembly has a mounting block fixedly mountable on the cylindrical
surface of a brush cutter drum, the mounting block having a front
side. A thin adapter is detachably mounted on the front side of the
block and a cutting tooth is detachably mounted against the
adapter, the adapter aligning the tooth with the front side of the
block. The tooth is fastened to the block with a bolt, the bolt
passing through the adapter.
[0010] The adapter is formed on one side to securely fit on the
front of the mounting block over its front side and on its other
side to securely position the tooth so it is aligned with the front
side of the block adjacent to but not against the front side of the
block. The adapter, made of softer material than the cutting tooth
or the block, is more likely to be damaged than the tooth or the
block if the tooth hits something during operation of the machine.
The adapter is however easily replaced if damaged.
[0011] The invention is particularly directed toward an adapter for
use in mounting a cutting tooth onto a mounting block. The adapter
has two opposed sides with a first groove on one side for receiving
a leading portion of the mounting block and a second groove on the
other side opposite the one side for receiving a portion of the
cutting tooth. The first and second grooves are aligned. The
adapter has a fastening hole there through in the grooves, the hole
transverse to the sides, for use in fastening the tooth to the
mounting block with the adapter sandwiched between.
[0012] The invention is also directed toward a cutting tooth
mounting assembly for a cutter having a cylindrical cutting head.
The mounting assembly has a mounting block with a bottom side for
mounting against the surface of the cutting head and a front side.
The mounting assembly includes a plate-like cutting tooth having a
mounting portion with a flat side and a cutting portion bent from
one end of the mounting portion terminating in a cutting edge. The
mounting assembly also has an adapter with two opposed sides, the
adapter having a first groove on one side adapted to snugly receive
a front portion of the block with the front side of the block
against the bottom of the first groove. The adapter has a second
groove on the other side opposite the one side to snugly receive
part of the mounting portion of the tooth with its flat side
against the bottom of the groove. The grooves are aligned to align
the flat side of the tooth with the front side of the block. A
mounting bolt passing through the adapter holds the tooth securely
against the adapter and the adapter securely against the mounting
block.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mounting assembly;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting
assembly looking at it from the front; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting
assembly looking at it from the back.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The mounting assembly 1 of the present invention, as shown
in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, includes a mounting block 3 having a bottom
side 5, slightly concave, by means of which it is attached to the
surface 7 of a cylindrical, rotatable, cutter head 9. The mounting
block 3 is attached, usually by welding, to the surface 7 to be
transverse to the longitudinal, rotational axis of the cylindrical
head 9. The mounting block 3 has a step 11 just above the front of
the bottom side 5 and a front side 13 extending up from the step
11. A stop rib 15 can extend up from the step 11, spaced from the
front side 13 and parallel to it. The block has a back side 17
extending up from the rear of the bottom side 5. The back side 17
can be parallel to the front side 13. A top side 19, which angles
upwardly, joins the top of back side 17 to the top of the front
side 13. A bolt hole 21 extends through the block from the back
side 17 to about the center of the front side 13. When the block 3
is mounted on the cutter head 9, the front side 13 is normally
angled forwardly.
[0017] The mounting assembly 1 includes a plate-like cutting tooth
27 having a straight, lower mounting portion 29 and an upper
cutting portion 31 bent from one end of the mounting portion 29.
The back 33 of the mounting portion 29 is flat. The free end of the
cutting portion 31 terminates in a cutting edge 35. The free end of
the mounting portion 29 terminates in a straight end edge 37. The
tooth 27 preferably tapers in width from the cutting edge 35 to the
end edge 37. A threaded mounting hole 39 extends through the
mounting portion 29, the hole 39 centered between the sides 41 of
the tooth 27 and slightly closer to the end edge 37 than to the
cutting portion 31.
[0018] The mounting assembly 1 also includes a thin, generally
rectangular, adapter 51 adapted to be placed between the tooth 27
and the mounting block 3 when the tooth is mounted on the block.
The adapter 51 has top and bottom ends 53, 55, sides 57, 59 and
front and back faces 61, 63. The top end 53 can be angled down from
the front face 61 to the back face 63, and the lower portion of the
sides 57, 59 can taper inwardly if desired. The back face 63 has a
shallow first mounting groove 65 extending between the top and
bottom ends 53, 55 sized and shaped to snugly receive the front
portion of the mounting block 3. A shallow, second mounting groove
67 on the front face 61 extends between the top and bottom ends 53,
55 sized and shaped to snugly receive the mounting portion 29 of
the tooth 27. A relatively thin web 69 separates the two mounting
grooves 65, 67. A mounting hole 71 extends through the web 69. The
mounting grooves 65, 67 are aligned and are nearly as wide as the
front and back faces 61, 63 of the adapter.
[0019] To assemble the mounting assembly 1, the mounting block 3 is
welded to the surface of the cutter head via its bottom side 5. The
adapter 51 is placed on the front portion of the mounting block 3
with the side walls 75 of the first groove 65 adjacent the sides 77
of the mounting block 3. The bottom end 55 of the adapter 51 rests
on the step 11 to align the hole 71 in the adapter with the hole 21
in the block 3.
* * * * *