AU633242C - Quick-locking hitch for excavator implement - Google Patents

Description

iUULJUUa IvRjil~ 6001lon 20 (1) AUSTRALIA 809ulbtlon 31 (2)

Patents Act 1990

NOTICE OF ENTITLEMENT (To be filed before acceptance) Oe. T K ENGINEERING PTY.LTD. a Victorian Company A. .7 .0522 96.10

being the applicant in respect of Application state the following:-

EarL.I Must be completed FOR ALL APPLICATIONS.

Inventor; the Actual Inventor is the managing Director of Applicant Company and has vested his right, title and interest in thelIivention and.-the ih to app 1y for' -a pat ent i n th e Appl ica nt.~ a (eg by assignment, by mesne assignment, as legal representative etc)

:1&EL2- Mustfbe completed IF THE APPLICATION IS ASSOCIATED with one or more ~~PROVISIONAL APPLICATIONS.

j'*h e person nominated for the grant of'the patent: *is: *are the cant(s) of the provisional applicainsls nth patent request form or has entitlement to m a request under Section 113 in relati to the provisional application(s) listed on the patent reque

(eg byainment, by agreement, etc)

&K ENG.JNEERING PTY.LTD. BY Our Patent Attorney JOHN L.DAVIES CO.

I 17th November .1 (Signature) (Date) (If the applicant is a Company or other legal entity, also indicate the name and standing of the awthorized signatory.) *Omit (Delete if not appropriate

N=I~ Use form P/O/008b where details for PCT, convention priority, microorganism deposit, additional or divisional appication, are required.

ll ill 11111 1lllillllllllllllllll AU9228407 llliilil illI11111 (12) PATENT ABRIDGMENT (11) Document No. AU-B-28407/92 (19) AUSTRALIAN PATENT OFFICE (10) Acceptance No. 633242 (Australian Petty Patent) (54) Title QUICK-LOCKING HITCH FOR CHANGING EXCAVATOR BUCKET International Patent Classification(s) 5 E02F 003/36 (51) (21) Application No.: 28407/92 (22) Application Date: 17.11.92 (43) Publication Date 21.01.93 Publication Date of Granted Application 21.01.93 (71) Appllcant(s) T K ENGINEERING PTY. LTD. (72) Inventor(s) MATHEUS VAN UYEN (74) Attorney or Agent JOHN L DAVIES, PO Box 436, MOUNT WAVERLEY VIC 3149 (56) Prior Art Documents AU 613025 14782/88 EO2F3/96 AU 62019/86 E02F 3/96 AU 36627/84 E02F 3/96 (57) A manually-operable, quick-locking, safety hitch for

interchangeable attachment of an excavating bucket to an

exacavator boom, has a body with two side walls (10,11)

joined by a base plate (12) to house a slide (17) which

is designed to be moved along fixed internal guides (19

an upper part (10a,10b) of each wall has two pairs

of laterally aligned boom pin attachment holes (13,13a, 14, 14a) and a lower part has a pair of side slots

and bottom slots (16) for attachment of bucket

attachment pins; the bottom slots are "blosable by slide

hook members (21,21a,21b) which releasably lock a

bucket-attachment pin into the slide (17) by manual

rotation of a threaded end of a bolt (22) in a captive

nut (23) on the slide the bolt head is retained in the slide by an end plate (24) and one end of the slide

projects through a hole in the end plate (24) and the slide (17) can then be doubly locked in the body of the /2

(11) AU-B-28407/92 -2- 633242 hitch by passing a linch pin (25) through a hole in the

projecting end of the slide.

C~m ZE)I E7)P/00/0 12 2W6191 AUSTRALIA bL outto

PatentsAct 1990

ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT

Invention Title:.. qICK-.LOC.KING HITC.H FOR EXCAVATOR T

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-

This invention relates generally to earth-moving machines and relates

in particular to a manually operable safety and quick-locking hitch for use with

links between attachment and tilting pins of an assembled excavator bucket and

arm.

According to the invention there is provided a manually-operable, safety

and quick-locking hitch for use when interchanging buckets via boom and bucket

attachment pins of an assembled excavator bucket and arm, the hitch comprising

a body having a pair of laterally-spaced, plate-like side walls with laterally aligned

boom attachment pin holes extending therethrough and laterally-aligned bucket

attachment and locking pin slots opening into respective edges of the side walls,

a bucket pin locking slide mounted within the body for movement along a

longitudinal axis with respect to and between the side walls of the body, the slide

being provided with integral bucket pin engaging and locking hook members

adapted to be moved to and fro with the slide between a locking position dosing

said bucket pin locking slots and engaging and locking a bucket locking pin within

the bucket pin locking slots and an unlocking position to open the bucket pin

locking slots and enable the bucket-locking and attachment pins to be released

from the body and the hitch, the slide being movable by rotation of a bolt with an

externally threaded portion mounted within an internally-thread-d member fixed

to the slide or an internally-threaded portion of the slide, and wherein external

additional locking means such as a linch pin placed in a hole of an 4 ternally-

projecting portion of the slide, are provided to lock and unlock the la bucket locking pin slide with respect to an end plate adapted to bear against the ends of the side walls of the hitch.

Preferably the body has a pair of spaced plate-like side walls with two

pairs of laterally-aligned boom attachment pin holes, a lower side wall portion

having a pair of side-entry bucket attachment pin slots and a pair of bottom-entry

bucket locking pin slots, the internally-threaded member being a captive nut fixed

to the slide.

mounted within the body for longitudinal movement

between the side walls and which is adapted to be moved

to and fro between a retracted or inward position so

that the pin-locking hooks engage a bucket attachment

pin placed within the bucket pin vertical retaining

slots and to retain the pin within the vertical slots

and the hitch and an extended or outer position to open

the vertical slots and release the pin from the hitch,

the slide being movable by manually rotating a bolt with

an externally threaded portion rotatably mounted within

an internally-threaded member such as a captive nut

fixed to the slide or within an internally threaded

portion of the slide.

Preferably, further and external locking means

15 such as a linch pin adpted to be placed in a hole of an

externally-projecting portion of the slide, are provided e

to lock and unlock the bucket rear pin retaining slide

with respect to an end plate adapted to bear against the

ends of side walls of the body of the hitch.

A non-limiting example of an embodiment or

practical arrangement of the invention will now be

S"described with reference to the accompanying drawings in

which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the hitch body with slide removed.

Figure 2 is a rear end view.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional assembly view,

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the slide.

Figure 5 is an invertied plan view of the assembly of Figure 3, Figure 6 is a plan view of the slide. Figure 7 is an end view of the slide.

Figure 8 is an end view of the assembled hitch

locked with locking pin.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a

manually-operable, safety and quick-locking hitch for

use with attachment and tilting links of an assembled

excavator bucket and arm, the hitch has a body formed by

a pair of spaced side walls 10, 11 of steel plate

rigidly connected by a lateral base plate to form a

slide cavity. Each side wall preferably has formed

therein two pairs of laterally-aligned, pin-receiving

holes and three laterally-aligned, pin-receiving slots

15 labelled hereinafter. The upper portion 10a, lla of

each side wall 10, 11, has two pairs of aligned

cylindrical holes surrounded by circumferential bearing

sleeves for placement therethrough of an excavator boom C

attachment pins (not shown) these holes comprise boom C

attachment front pin receiving holes 13, 13a and boom

attachment rear pin receiving holes 14, 14a. There is

also formed within a lower portion of the side walls of

the hitch body, two pairs of lower pin-receiving, half- oeo.o.

moon slots comprising a side entry slot 15 opening into

an edge of one or front end of the lower wall portions

of the side walls of the hitch body and which comprise a

bucket front attachment pin holder and a pair of bottom

entry slots 16, 16a opening into lower edges and for

holding a bucket attachment rear pin. Within the cavity between the lower portioa'. of the side walls there is preferably and removably mounted a pin-retaining slide

17 formed of twin slide plates of steel joined by a top

plate 18 adapted to slide upon fixed internal guides 19, 20, for movement within and along the lower portions of

the side walls 10, 11 of the hitch body, The slide 17

has a plurality of identical hook-like bucket pin-

locking members 21, 21a, 21b formed thereon and the

slide is adapted to be moved to and fro between a

rectracted or inward position to open bottom entry

pin-receiving slots 16, 16a and an outer or extended

position to close these slots to lock the bucket pin

into the hitch. The slide 17 is movable by hand S* rotation of a bolt 22 with an externally threaded

portion mounted within a fixed internally-threaded .me.nber such as the captive hexagonal nut 23. The shaft of the bolt passes through a hole formed or drilled in

the end plate 24 of hitch so that the head of the bolt .22 is retained behind the end plate 24. The pin- S* 20 retaining slide 17 is further lockable onto and

unlockable with respect to the bucket rear attachment

pin of the hitch by means of a linch pin 25 placed in a

hole formed in the projecting end portion of the slide

the end portion of which is adapted to project through a transverse slot in the end plate 24 which can be either

a separate loose plate or can be welded to the end edges

of each side wall of the hitch,

Claims (3)

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A manually-operable, safety and quick-locking hitch for use when

interchanging buckets via boom and bucket attachment pins of an assembled

excavator bucket and arm, the hitch comprising a body having a pair of laterally-

spaced, plate-like side walls with laterally aligned boom attachment pin holes

extending therethrough and laterally-aligned bucket attachment and locking pin

slots opening into respective edges of the side walls, a bucket pin locking slide

mounted within the body for movement along a longitudinal axis with respect to

and between the side walls of the body, the slide being provided with integral

bucket pin engaging and locking hook members adapted to be moved to and fro

with the slide between a locking position closing said bucket pin locking slots and

engaging and locking a bucket locking pin within the bucket pin locking slots and

an unlocking position to open the slots and enable the bucket-locking and

attachment pins to be released from the body and the hitch, the slide being

movable by rotation of a bolt with an externally threaded portion mounted within

an internally-threaded member fixed to the slide or an internally-threaded portion

of the slide, and wherein external additional locking means such as a linch pin

placed in a hole of an externally-projecting portion of the slide, are provided to

lock and unlock the bucket locking pin slide with respect to an end plate adapted

to bear against the ends of the side walls of the hitch.

2. The hitch according to claim 1 wherein the pair of laterally-spaced plate-

like side walls are provided with two pairs of laterally-aligned boom attachment

4 K

-6- pin holes and the lower portions of the side wall are provided with a pair of side-

entry bucket attachment pin slots and a pair of bottom-entry bucket locking pin

slots, the internally-threaded member being a captive nut fixed to the slide.

3. A hitch substantially as described herein with reference to any one or

more of the drawings.

DATED this 12th day of April, 1994.

T K ENGINEERING PTY LTD

By their Patent Attorneys:

CALLINAN LAWRIE

ABSTRACT

A manually-operable, quick-locking, safety hitch for

interchangeable attachment of an excavating bucket to an

exacavator boom, has a body with two side walls (10,11)

joined by a base plate (12) to house a slide (17) which

is designed to be moved along fixed internal guides (19

an upper part (lOa,lOb) of each wall has two pairs

of laterally aligned boom pin attachment holes (13,13a,

14,14a) and a lower part has a pair of side slots

and bottom slots (16) for attachment of bucket

attachment pins; the bottom slots are closable by slide

hook members (21,21a,21b) which releasably lock a

bucket-attachment pin into the slide (17) by manual rotation of a threaded end of a bolt (22) in a captive

nut (23) on the slide the bolt head is retained in

the slide by an end plate (24) and one end of the slide

projects through a hole in the end plate (24) and the

Sslide (17) can then be doubly locked in the body of the

hitch by passing a linch pin (25) through a hole in the

projecting end of the slide.

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