US2515384A - Attachment for bulldozer blades - Google Patents

Description

y 1950 T. w. VON CARNOP 2,515,384

ATTACHMENT FOR BULLDOZER BLADES Filed 001;. 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F moms w.vo- CARNOP INVENTOR.

ATTORN E Y5 1950 1-. w. VON CARNOP 2,515,384

ATTACHMENT FOR BULLDOZER BLADES Filed Oct. 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 65 64 INVENT R.

52 :2 Fl 5 6 ATTORNEYS Patented July 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE c.5153 ATTACHMENT FOB nuunozaa names Thomas W. Van Carnop, nu City, Wash.

Application mm 1, 1m, Serial No. 101,718

2 Claims. (01. 214-140) 1 My present invention relates to the art of earth moving machines and, more particularly to an attachment for bulldozer blades.

There are many forms of excavation still bein done 'by relative crude means, very often hand labor being resorted to. This is occasioned by the fact that we have in general usage two types of earth-moving equipment, one with an adjustable blade which actually pushes the earth along the surface. of the ground. This type is represented by the bulldozer and the various forms cradjustable blade scrapers. The second type of equipment is distinctly a carrying operation. Originally the wheeled scraper was used for this purpose, but this has been largely supplanted by the various forms of carryalls and the like, which of themselves pick up dirt after the order of the old horse-drawn wheeled scraper, and can be used to transport the same for considerable distances.

In between these two forms of earth moving equipment there is a specific need for equipment that can be used to dig material and to pick up the same and carry it, or to carry material that of necessity has been loosened by a heavy bulldozer blade or scarifler. My invention falls in this third group of earth moving machines.

My attachment for bulldozers provides an auxiliary digging blade with supporting end walls, but uses the mold board of the bulldozer as a backing member for the substantially horizontal cutting blade. Means are further provided for holding my attachment in operating position and then for selectively dumping the same.

The principal object of my present invention is, therefore, to provide an attachment for bulldozers which will extend theirfleld of operation and permit them to work in very restricted places and to be able to carry out of such places material loosened therein.

A further object of my invention is to provide, as a single unit, an attachment that can be quickly and securely applied to a standard bulldozer which will greatly increase its usefulness.

A further object of my present invention is to provide an earth carrying means for use in conjunction with abulldozer which provides in effeet a dumpable bucket mounted on the lower portion of the bulldozer moldboard so that material loaded therein will dump by gravity when the restraining means is released.

A further object of my present invention is to provide means whereby a bulldozer working in a narrow out can load material and back out with the same and, if desired to spread the same evenly over a surface, this can be achieved.

A further object of my present invention is to provide means whereby material can be picked up in one part of a tract of ground, transported to another and there spread out evenly over the ground.

A further object of my present invention is to provide restraining and securing means for my dumpable bucket which can be easily secured to a bulldozer blade and which will not aiifect its workability when the bucket arrangement is disconnected from the bulldozer.

A further object of my present invention is to have a unit which, acting in operation with the moldboard of the bulldozer, will provide means for carrying materials of considerable weight from one point to another, or lower them from a height to the ground level or to pick them up from the ground level and raise them a reasonable height.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and the disclosure in the drawings or may be comprehended or are inherent in the device. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my attachment in full line perspective with a conventional type of suitable bulldozer for use therewith, shown in dashed and dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing my earth carrying attachment in its dumping position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing my earth carrying attachment for bulldozers in its locked position ready for use;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view from the point of view taken from a rear side position showing all the elements making up my bulldozer attachment;

Fig. 5 is a vertical, cross-sectional view through my attachment and showing a bulldozer blade in dashed line relief; and

Fig. -6 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing a special digging tooth adapted for use with my device.

Referring to the drawings throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, the numeral Ill designates the main or bottom plate of my device. This I prefer to form with a sharpened working edge, as H, and to bend the metal back on itself as indicated at l2, so as to give real strength and rigidity to the plate and to give it adequate strength for penetration into firm ground. This construction is probably best illustrated in Figure 5, where it will be noted that the entire plate is shown together with its point, as though made from a single piece of material. This is a desirable form of constructioh;"- However, if it is desirable from the standpoint of 3 economy in material, the beveled pointed section, and asmuch more as necessary for strength, may be made of the better grade of steel, while the balance of plate l may be of cheaper steel which is still suitable for the service to be rendered.

Attention is invited to the fact that plate I0 is positioned substantially at the bottom of the mold board 1 4 of the bulldozer and extends forward in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the bottom frame member of the bulldozer.

Secured to each end of plate iii are end plates 16 and i1. These plates are secured, preferably by welding thereto, to the ends of plate i0 and the rearward extending edges of-plates i6 and I1, as H and 20, respectively, are curved soas to fit snugly into the curved face of the bulldozer blade of moldboard l4. In order to give rigidity to the structure, I' provide inwardly extending plates or angle members 22 and 23 secured substantially normal or at right angles to plates l6 and I! respectively, and to be further secured to the inner edge 25 of plate i0, as by welding thereto.

Secured to the back of plates 22 and 23 I provide stiffeners 21 and 28. These are preferably welded to plates 22 and 23 and have their back surfaces or edges,-29 and 80 respectively, curved similarly to the curved edges l9 and of plates i6 and i1, so that they. too will come into snug engagement with the mold board of the bulldozer.

With the arrangement as described, it will be noted that abutment against the moldboard of the bulldozer by my device is secured by the edges of the plates, namely the edges I 9 and 20 of plates i6 and H, the edges 29'and 30 of plates 21 and 28,

and the edge of plate i0. When so arranged, it has been found that packing of soil or materials behind my unit and between it and the moldboard of the bulldozer will be cut through by the high pressure per unit area Of the limited surfaces provided by these plate edges, so that we will at all times have a metal-to-metal bearing and the seating of the device in its operating position can be easily effected, even though the soil conditions under which the machine is operating would normally tend to pack considerably and prevent this snug engagement were it not for the reduction of area provided by the plate edges.

In order to position my attachmentflrmly in operable position on the bulldozer blade, or moldboard, I provide end mounting plates 3i and 32. These are adapted to be secured, as by a plurality of bolts 34, to the end plate 36 of the bulldozer blade assembly. Plates 3i and 32 carry journals to accept the pivot pins 88 which normally are secured to end plates l6 and I! of my attachment and extend through plates 3| and 32 and are secured in rotatable bearings therein and locked in place by suitable washers and nuts.

In order to selectively secure my attachment in operating position on the bulldozer blade assembly, I provide end bearing members 4|! and 4|, and central bearing members 42 and 43, all of which serve as journals for rod 45. These brackets may be secured to the bulldozer in any desired manner although it has been found generally most convenient to merely weld the same in place. Shaft 45 has fixedly secured to it latch members 41 and 48. These members are provided with the plate engaging faces 50, which are formed as part of a hook arrangement on each of the outboard ends of members 41 and 48. These faces are adapted to engage plates 22 and 23 of my attachment.

At their opposite ends, latch members 41 and 40 are provided with spring centering means at 52, so as to hold in operating position springs", which in turn rest on the side bars of the bulldozer assembly. These springs normally urge the Method of operation My device can be most satisfactorily used under those conditions where it is so diflicult to use the existing or conventional equipment. ticularly relates to digging foundations, digging out basements under buildings that have already been constructed, and in many other types of work where it is necessary to head the machine into the work space, load it, and back it out with its load. While my machine will work under many other conditions, this is a particularly satisfying use.

Normally my device is secured to .the ordinary bulldozer blade assembly, by securing end plates 3| and 82 in place by bolts 34, then securing the various brackets as 4i, 42, 43, 40 in place on top of the moldboard supporting means of the bulldozer. In this position, my entire assembly is handled by the normal elevating and supporting means employed with the bulldozer for its normal operation. Y 1 Where the materials are sufllciently loosened, and my device with latches in their locked position appears as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5, the machine is advanced and a load of material is scooped up on plate Ill. The end plates I6 and I1 prevent spillage off the end of the plate and the moldboard of the bulldozer supplies the backing plate for the material thus collected.

Normally, after the bucket has been filled, the tractor is backed away and the bucket may be elevated so that the supporting arms of the bulldozer assume the position of Figure 2, and under such conditions, considerable load can be carried without spillage. The load can now be dumped by pulling on rope 56 and the entire load deposited at one point. If it is desirable, my loaded bucket may be lowered to the'ground and tripped. The operator may then, by backing the tractor, spread the material out over a long swath. In this way a thin coating of the material can be spread in uniform thickness. This spreading operation is very useful in grading or applying surfacing to acreage or roadways, and the like. This operation can spread material uniformly over distances several times as great as a. blade scraper or the back spreading of a bulldozer.

To relatch my bucket after dumping, the bulldozer blade is lowered until edge ii of my bucket engages the ground, at which time my bucket is revolved about pivot 38 until the cam surfaces 58 of latches 41 and 48 engage plates 22 and 23. This action forces the latches up and then springs 53 complete thalatching operation, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5.

Referring to Figure 6, I have illustrated a form of tooth that has been found very desirable in digging into impacted or otherwise semi-solidifled material which the bulldozer does not have sumcient power to drive the wide blade into. Under such conditions. I prefer to employ a This parplurality of teeth extending out beyond the normal edge I I, so that the same energy or pressure may be exerted by the bulldozer, but on a. much reduced area, so that greater penetration and breaking up of the hard materials can be achieved. To be of practical value, such a device must be capable of being quickly installed and removed from the device, and to this end, I have provided the principal securing means in a tapered wedge 60, of which a sufficient number are to be employed so as to hold my auxiliary teeth in their adjusted position of use. As an aid in centering these wedges, effecting easy alignment of their. multiplicity of holes, and preventing vibration, I provide securing bolts, as 62. The width of teeth 64 should be a matter designed in keeping with the type of material with which they are to be used, and while they may be formed as a plurality of separate teeth, I prefer in many cases to have the lower connecting bar 65 extend for the full width of bottom l0.

In addition to providing less frontal surface in contact with hard material it will be noted that the slope of surface 66 is much more gradual than the normal surface of edge II, and this too has been found to be of material assistance in penetrating firm or semi-solid material.

It will be clearly apparent, it is believed, from the above description and the disclosure in the drawings that my invention comprehends a novel construction of a bulldozer attachment or bucket that is simple and positive in operation. Further, it is simple in construction and makes maximum use of the existing bulldozer parts to the end that it may be cheaply constructed, even though it greatly increases the usefulness of the bulldozer itself.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A material moving device for use with a bulldozer having a moldboard consisting of: a material moving-blade disposed in front of the lower edge of the bulldozer moldboard; end walls secured to each end of said blade and curved adjacent the moldboard to fit the same; straight plates secured normally to said end walls and to said blade and resting on said moldboard only at the plate ends; stifleners secured normally to said plates and curved on their free edge to fit said moldboard; attachment plates secured to the bulldozer; pivot means between said end walls and said attachment plates disposed in front of and near the bottom of said mol board; latch means adapted to secure said blad in a substantially horizontal plane and means for releasing said latch means and permitting the dumping of the material moving device.

2. A material moving device for use with a bulldozer having a moldboard, consisting of: a material moving bucket having a blade disposed in front of the lower edge of the bulldozer moldboard; end walls secured to each end of said blade and adapted to rest 0n the moldboard;

straight plates secured normally to said end walls and to said blade and resting on said moldboard only at the plate ends; reinforcing means adapted to stiffen said bucket and to fit said moldboard; attachment plates secured to the bulldozer; pivot means between said end walls and said attachment plates disposed in front of and near the bottom of said moldboard; spring urged latch means coacting with said straight plates adapted to secure said blade in a substantially horizontal plane and means for releasing said latch means.

THOMAS W. VON CARNOP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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