Vehicular Excavating Apparatus

Abstract

A vehicular power shovel has a body on which the excavating implements are mounted by means of a rotating platform. Four arms project horizontally from the body and are movable horizontally relative to the body. Each arm consists of two longitudinal portions connected by a pivot and moved by a hydraulic jack about the normally horizontal pivot axis. Two of the arms carry idler wheels on their free ends, and the two others carry soil-engaging claws. The hinged arms permit the positions of the wheels and claws to be adapted to sloping or otherwise uneven terrain.

Description

This invention relates to power shovels and other excavating apparatus of the type disclosed, for example, in my U.S. Pats. No. 3,433,374 and No. 3,534,877, and particularly to an improvement in the supporting structure for the operating elements of the apparatus.

The known excavating apparatus has a frame or body provided with a platform rotatable about an axis which extends vertically in the normal operating condition of the apparatus. The platform carries excavating implements including a beam and an excavating tool on the beam. Two pairs of arms extend horizontally away from the body, the arms of a first pair carrying respective idler wheels, and the arms of the second pair carrying soil-engaging claws.

This invention is concerned more specifically with the adaptation of the supporting structure, that is, the arms and the soil engaging implements mounted thereon, to very irregular terrain such as steep slopes. In order to keep the axis of rotation of the platform at least approximately vertical, it is necessary that the soil engaging wheels and claws be adjustable in the direction of the axis of platform rotation when engaging an obliquely inclined slope. It is also necessary that the soil engaging implements be moved horizontally relative to the body, and the arms must therefore also be movable relative to the body in planes transverse to the afore-mentioned axis of platform rotation.

It has been attempted to attach the arm to the body for pivoting movement in respective vertical planes, and to interpose jacks or other hydraulic motors between the arms and the body of the apparatus for moving the arms in the respective planes. Because of the necessary horizontal mobility of the arms on the body, the linkages which connect a jack to the body and the associated arm become rather complex and heavy because of the forces that need to be transmitted, and it has been found difficult or even impossible to arrange the controls for the hydraulic motors in the operator's cab.

These difficulties and shortcomings of the earlier arrangement are overcome by the instant invention which divides each of the arms into two hingedly connected longitudinal portions. A first portion of each arm is secured to the body of the apparatus for movement relative thereto in a horizontal direction in the normal operating condition of the apparatus. The second portion which extends from the associated first portion away from the body is secured to the first portion by a pivot whose axis normally extends horizontally. A fluid-operated motor, such as a hydraulic jack, is interposed between the two portions of each arm for pivoting the second portion relative to the first one about the axis of the associated pivot. A simple hinge adequately connects the jack to each of the two arm portions.

Other features, additional objects, and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily be appreciated as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows vehicular excavating apparatus of the invention in fragmentary side elevation; and

FIG. 2 illustrates one half of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in top plan view without its superstructure, the other half being a mirror image of the illustrated portion.

The drawing shows only as much of a vehicular excavating apparatus of the invention as is needed for an understanding of this invention, reference being had to respective FIGS. 1 of the afore-mentioned patents for a showing of the omitted portions of the superstructure, more particularly the beam carrying the excavating shovel or bucket, and apparatus for operating the beam and bucket.

The instant drawing shows the body or chassis 1 of the apparatus on which the operator's cab 3 and other elements of the superstructure are mounted by means of a built-in platform for rotation about a normally vertical axis 2, the platform being indicated in phantom view in FIG. 2.

Two pairs of arms 4, 7 extend horizontally from the body 1, the arms 4 extending from the front of the body 1, and the arms 7 from the rear. Pivots 5 on the body secure the arms 4 to the latter for horizontal swinging movement as indicated by a double arrow 13. The free ends of the arms 4 carry soil engaging claws 6 shown in more detail in the earlier patents. Idler wheels 8 on the free ends of the arms 7 may roll on the ground about a common axis while supporting the body 1 and the elements mounted thereon, and are shown in phantom only in order not to crowd the drawing.

The arms 4 have each two longitudinal portions 4', 4" connected by a pivot pin 9 whose axis is horizontal in the illustrated normal condition of the apparatus. The arms 7 similarly consist of two longitudinal portions 7', 7" which are connected by a pivot pin 10, whose axis is normally horizontal.

The claws 6 may be moved apart and toward each other, as may be needed during operation of the apparatus and during movement thereof between work sites by pivoting the arm portions 4' on the pivots 5. The wheels 8 may be similarly moved to increase or decrease the track width by shifting the arm portions 7' along a normally horizontal guide rail 11 on the body 1, as is described in more detail in my copending application Ser. No. 828,453, filed on May 26, 1969, and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,381 and indicated in FIG. 2 by a double arrow 12.

To keep the arm portions 4', 4" in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the pivot pin 9, and to provide a rigid bearing for the pivot pin,two approximately sector-shaped, upright plates 14 are welded to the arm portion 4' of each arm 4 and guidingly receive an inner end of the arm portion 4" therebetween. Analogous guide plates 15 are welded to the arm portions 7'. A row of openings 16 is arranged in the plates 14 in a circular arc about the axis of the pivot pin 9, and analogous openings 17 are provided in the plates 15. The openings 16, 17 may be aligned with single bores in the arm portions 4", 7" for passage of an arresting pin which holds the arm portions in a fixed angular relationship, the bores of the arm portions 4", 7" being obscured in the drawing, and the arresting pins not being installed in the illustrated condition of the apparatus.

The two longitudinal portions of the arms 4, 7 may be pivoted relative to each other about the pivot pins 9, 10 by means of hydraulic jacks 18, 19 whose cylinders are hingedly fastened to the plates 14, 15, and thereby to the arm portions 4', 7',by means of brackets 20, 22 and whose piston rods are hingedly attached to brackets 21, 23 fixed on the arms 4", 7" in such a manner that a line connecting the hinge axes of each jack is spaced from the axis of the associated pivot pins 9, 10.

Two sector-shaped guide plates 24 are welded to the free end of each arm portion 4" in such a manner that they flare downwardly. A pivot pin 25 horizontally connecting the narrow top ends of the plates 24 carries a supporting column 26 on soil-engaging claw 6. The spacing of the guide plates 24 is not significantly greater than the corresponding dimension of the supporting column 26 for precise guidance of the latter. The weight of the claw 6 normally causes the column 26 to seek a vertical position, but an arresting pin inserted in openings 27 of the plates 24 and passing through an aligned bore (not shown) in the column 26 permit the claw 6 to be fixed relative to the arm portion 4" in several angular positions.

The non-illustrated parts of the apparatus, conventional in themselves, include an engine on the operator's cab 3, a pressure pump coupled to the engine, and pressure and return lines connecting the pump and the hydraulic motors. The hydraulic equipment is controlled by the operator by means of valves in the cab 3 opening and closing the pressure and return lines and connecting them to the two compartments in the cylinder of each motor on opposite sides of the non-illustrated piston, and by conventional engine controls.

The arms 4, 7 may thus be moved apart to provide a broad base for operation of the non-illustrated shovel or bucket, and the arm portions 4", 7" may be pivoted in respective vertically extending planes until the body 1 is at least approximately horizontal and the axis 2 at least approximately vertical. If an extended period of operation is foreseen, the arm portions 4", 7" and the claws 6 may be secured in their respective angular positions relative to the supporting elements by means of arresting pins in the openings 16, 17, 27, whereupon the hydraulic motors 18, 19 may be deenergized. The arresting pins are also used during transportation of the excavating apparatus to and from a work site by means of a towing vehicle, and under similar conditions when the engine on the cab 3 is not otherwise needed.

The arms 4, 7 move as respective units with the associated hydraulic motors 18, 19 about the pivots 5 and along the guide rails 11. The relative positions of the motors and the arm portions thus are not affected by movement in the directions of the arrows 12, 13. Simple pivots may secure the two principal elements of each motor to the respective arm portions.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicular excavating apparatus having a body, a platform rotatable on said body about an axis which extends vertically in the normal operating condition of said apparatus, said platform carrying excavating implements, two pairs of elongated arms extending horizontally away from said body in said condition, an idler wheel on each arm of a first pair, and a soil-engaging claw on each arm of the second pair, the improvement which comprises:

a. each of said arms having a first longitudinal portion and a second longitudinal portion;

b. securing means securing each of said first portions to said body for movement relative thereto in a horizontal direction in said condition, said second portions extending from the associated first portions away from said body;

c. pivot means securing each second portion to the associated first portion, said pivot means having a substantially horizontal axis in said condition; and

d. a fluid operated motor operatively interposed between said portions of each arm for pivoting said second portion relative to said first portion about the axis of the associated pivot means.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, two guide members fixedly fastened on at least one of said first longitudinal portions and movably receiving a part of the associated second longitudinal portion therebetween, said guide members being formed with respective openings aligned in the direction of the axis of the associated pivot means for passage of an arresting pin through said openings and through a corresponding opening in said second longitudinal portion.

3. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said associated pivot means including a pivot pin secured in said plate members, the plate members being each formed with a plurality of said openings arranged in a row in an arc centered in the axis of said associated pivot means.

4. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, two guide members fixedly fastened on at least one of said second longitudinal portions of an arm of said second pair, a support member on the claw associated with said last-mentioned arm, said support member being movably received between said guide members and pivotally fastened to the same for movement in a normally vertical plane.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 4, said guide members being approximately sector shaped and flaring downwardly from the axis of pivoting movement of said support member.

6. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 5, the spacing of said guide members from each other being not significantly greater than the corresponding dimension of the support member received therebetween.

7. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, the securing means securing the first portions of the arms in one of said pairs including pivot means having an axis approximately parallel to the axis of rotation of said platform.

8. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, the securing means securing the first portions of the arms in one of said pairs including guide means guiding the secured arms for linear movement in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of said platform.