US-12624518-B2 - Tool for an excavator

Abstract

A tool for an excavator has a primary engagement arrangement, a secondary engagement arrangement rotatable about an axis of rotation, and a connection arrangement for connecting the tool to an excavator. The axis of rotation of the secondary engagement arrangement passes through the connection arrangement and aligns with the axis of rotation of the tool relative to the excavator. The tool has two hydraulic actuators. The secondary engagement arrangement and the primary engagement arrangement mutually rotate about the same axis of rotation by the hydraulic actuators.

Inventors

• Connor MCGUCKIN

Assignees

• STRICKLAND IRELAND LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20211104

Priority Date

20201104

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A tool for an excavator, the tool comprising: a primary engagement means; a secondary engagement means rotatable about an axis of rotation; and a connection means for connecting the tool to an excavator, wherein the axis of rotation of the secondary engagement means passes through the connection means and aligns with an axis of rotation of the tool relative to the excavator; at least one actuation means wherein the at least one actuation means is a hydraulic actuator which is connected to the primary engagement means at one end and the secondary engagement means at other end for moving the tool between an open and closed position; wherein the secondary engagement means and primary engagement means mutually rotate about the same axis of the rotation by the same actuation means mounted on the primary engagement means; wherein the connection means comprises one or more mounting members; wherein the at least one actuation means is connected to the primary engagement means via a mounting pin located in at least one mounting plate mounted on the primary engagement means; wherein the one or more mounting plates are located spaced apart from the connection means; wherein the secondary engagement means comprising a plurality of engagement elements; wherein the at least one actuation means is connected to the secondary engagement means via a further mounting pin located in at least one engagement element; wherein the secondary engagement means comprises a plurality of spacing means; wherein the spacing means is a bar; wherein all engagement elements are rigidly connected to the same spacing means.
2. 2 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the tool is adapted for releasable attachment to an excavator boom.
3. 3 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the connection means comprises at least a first mounting member and a second mounting member.
4. 4 . The tool according to claim 3 , wherein each mounting member is an elongate member which extends along a longitudinal axis.
5. 5 . The tool according to claim 4 , wherein each mounting member comprises a mounting pin.
6. 6 . The tool according to claim 5 , wherein the axis of rotation of the secondary engagement means and the longitudinal axis of the first mounting member are aligned or substantially aligned.
7. 7 . The tool according to claim 3 , wherein the axis of rotation of the secondary engagement means and the longitudinal axis of the first mounting member are coincident.
8. 8 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the tool is movable between open and closed positions.
9. 9 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuation means is connectable to a hydraulic system of the excavator.
10. 10 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuation means is pivotably connected to the primary engagement means and the secondary engagement means.
11. 11 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein, in use, extension of the at least one actuation means causes the tool to move from the open position to the closed position.
12. 12 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein, in use, contraction of the at least one actuation means causes the tool to move from the closed position to the open position.
13. 13 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the primary engagement means and secondary engagement means define a jaw for gripping an object.
14. 14 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the tool is a claw bucket.
15. 15 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the primary engagement means is a bucket.
16. 16 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary engagement means is a thumb.
17. 17 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the connection means is directly connected to the primary engagement means via one or more welded joints.
18. 18 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the tool comprises two hydraulic actuators; wherein the two hydraulic actuators are operably connectable to the hydraulic system of the excavator for moving the tool between the open and closed positions.
19. 19 . The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuation means is located on either side of the connection means.

Description

The present invention relates to an accessory for an engineering vehicle and more specifically to a tool for an excavator. Excavators are often used during building works to move or remove onsite material. Excavators typically include at least one hydraulically-powered boom extending from a main body, a bucket being attached to the end of the boom via one or more mounting pins or a coupler. One of the key parameters which determines whether a given bucket is suitable for a particular task is breakout force. Breakout force is the amount of force that the leading edge of the bucket can exert on material and is largely determined by the distance between the pivot point of the bucket and its leading edge. Generally speaking, a higher breakout force will result in improved excavator performance in a harder digging situation. While excavator buckets are useful for moving soil and other aggregates, they are not ideally suited to picking up and handling larger objects such as logs or large boulders. Many excavators now include fixed or movable thumbs to allow larger objects such as trees, rocks and pipes to be securely held and manipulated. In existing systems, the thumb and bucket are pivoted at different locations. For a given tool geometry, this has the effect of increasing the distance between the bucket pivot point and the leading edge of the bucket, thereby reducing the breakout force. Having multiple pivot points and connections between the main boom and bucket/thumb also complicates the overall design of the system, increasing manufacturing costs and reducing the ease of operation. It is an object of the invention to obviate or mitigate the problems outlined above. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a tool for an excavator which can be easily mounted on an excavator boom. It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for an excavator which does not suffer from a reduced breakout force. It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for an excavator that is of simple design and can be easily mounted and operated. It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for an excavator which can be easily dismounted. It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for an excavator having a simplified overall design. It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for an excavator having reduced manufacturing costs. According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a tool for an excavator, the tool comprising: a primary engagement means; a secondary engagement means rotatable about an axis of rotation; and a connection means for connecting the tool to an excavator, wherein the axis of rotation of the secondary engagement means passes through the connection means. Advantageously, the axis of rotation passing through the connection means reduces the dimensions of the bucket for a given excavator geometry, minimising any loss of breakout force. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a tool for an excavator, the tool comprising: a primary engagement means; a secondary engagement means rotatable about an axis of rotation; and a connection means for connecting the tool to an excavator, wherein the connection means is located proximally to the axis of rotation of the secondary engagement means. By ‘proximally’ it is meant that the distance between the connection means and the axis of rotation of the secondary engagement means is substantially minimised and/or reduced to minimise and/or reduce any loss of breakout force. Ideally the tool is a standalone tool. Preferably the tool is adapted to minimise and/or reduce any loss of breakout force. Preferably the tool is manufactured from steel. Preferably the tool is attachable to an excavator. Preferably the tool is adapted for releasable attachment to an excavator. Preferably the tool is adapted for releasable attachment to an excavator boom. Preferably the tool is adapted for releasable attachment to an excavator main boom. Preferably the tool is adapted to be coupled to an excavator main boom via a coupler. Preferably the tool is adapted to be coupled to an excavator main boom via a coupler such as a quick coupler or a quick hitch coupler. Preferably the tool is a claw bucket. Preferably the tool is movable between open and closed positions. Ideally the primary engagement means comprises an aperture. Ideally the primary engagement means comprises a cavity. Preferably the primary engagement means comprises a top wall, a bottom wall and two side walls. Preferably the primary engagement means comprises a rear wall. Preferably the primary engagement means comprises a curved rear wall. Preferably the primary engagement means comprises a lower front edge, a top front edge and two side front edges. Preferably the primary engagement means is a bucket. Preferably the primary engagement means is an excavator bucket. Preferably the primary engagement means comprises one or m