WO-2026093951-A1 - EXTENSIONS TO EXCAVATOR & ACCESSORY ARMS

WO2026093951A1WO 2026093951 A1WO2026093951 A1WO 2026093951A1WO-2026093951-A1

Abstract

A reach extension attachment for use on machinery such as excavators and loaders having machine support arms for mounting accessories such as buckets is described. Preferred embodiments mount to the machine support arms connection and bucket control linkage, and an accessory such as a bucket attaches to the alternate end of the reach extension attachment. In operation, control of the machine support arm and its bucket control linkage allows the reach extension attachment to vary between folded and extended configurations, thereby extending the overall reach of the combination and an attached accessory.

Inventors

CLELAND, Bryan Alexander

Assignees

BRYSCORAH LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251029
Priority Date: 20241101

Claims (20)

1. A reach extension attachment, for a machinery support arm having a control actuator; said reach extension attachment comprising: a primary support arm portion, and an accessory arm portion; and wherein: the primary support arm includes a main mounting portion adapted for connection to a said machinery support arm; said primary support arm portion is pivotably connected to said accessory arm portion; there also being: a linkage arm portion pivotably connected to said accessory arm portion and connectable at its distal end to said machinery support arm; and wherein the end of said accessory arm portion distal said linkage arm portion is intended or adapted to allow the attachment of an accessory.
2. A reach extension attachment as claimed in claim 1, in which the pivotable connection between said primary support arm to accessory arm portion is located between the pivotable connection of said linkage arm portion to accessory arm portion, and the distal end adapted for the attachment of an accessory.
3. A reach extension attachment as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which said pivotable connections existing between various components, lie substantially within a single plane and allow rotation within said plane.
4. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the end of the linkage arm portion, distal to its connection to the accessory arm portion, is adapted to any one of: connect to a bucket quick connect linkage on said machinery support arm; pivotably connect to either or both a bucket link present on the machinery support arm; pivotably connect directly to the machinery support arm.
5. A reach extension attachment as claimed in claim 4 in which said adaptation to connect to a bucket link also accommodates said control actuator of said machinery support arm to pivotably connect to one or more of: a tipping link on said machinery support arm; a power link on said machinery support arm, and a pivotable connection between a tipping link and power link on said machinery support arm.
6. A reach extension attachment as claimed in claim 5 in which said rotation of the bucket link effects linear relative movement of said linkage arm portion relative to the primary support arm portion.
7. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the pivotable connection of the linkage arm portion to accessory arm portion is displaced from the pivotable connection of the primary support arm portion to the accessory arm portion by a degree such that linear relative movement of said linkage arm portion relative to the primary support arm portion results in allowed pivotable rotation of the accessory arm portion relative to the primary support arm portion.
8. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which said end of the accessory arm portion intended for the attachment of an accessory includes bucket attachment.
9. A reach extension attachment as claimed in claim 8 in which said end of the accessory arm portion intended for the attachment of an accessory includes a bucket link and a tipping link, as well as an accessory control actuator connected thereto.
10. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the linkage arm portion comprises two or more linkages.
11. A reach extension attachment as claimed in claim 10, in which there are two substantially parallel linkages configured to emulate a single linkage.
12. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the linkage arm portion is either: of fixed length, adjustable in length.
13. A reach extension attachment as claimed in claim 12 in which an adjustable length linkage arm portion comprises an actuator.
14. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the main mounting portion, for the primary support arm portion, allows said primary arm portion to rotate substantially within the plane of a said machinery support arm with control actuator.
15. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the main mounting portion, for the primary support arm portion, concatenates the primary support arm portion with a machinery support arm when connected.
16. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said accessory arm portion pivotable connection allows said accessory support arm portion to rotate substantially within the plane of said primary support arm portion of the attachment arm portion.
17. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the linkage arm portion is connectable to said machinery support arm at a moveable connection point whose position is controllable by an accessory actuator associated with said machinery support arm.
18. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any claim 17 wherein relative movement of the connection point of said linkage arm portion to a said machinery support arm results in rotational movement of the accessory arm portion relative to the primary support arm portion.
19. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which said machinery support arm comprises the dipper arm of an excavator, or the boom arm of a loader.
20. A reach extension attachment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims attached to the machinery support arm or boom arm, and control actuator, of an excavator or loader.

Description

EXTENSIONS TO EXCAVATOR & ACCESSORY ARMS FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention is directed to method and apparatus to extend the reach of arms on machinery such as excavators and loaders. Fields of application include ground contouring, construction, landscaping, and where excavators or vehicles with support arms for accessories are used. BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION While embodiments of the present invention is able to be used on a variety of accessory supporting arms and vehicles, such as tractors, cranes, trucks with lifting arms, and back hoes etc., it was developed with considerations associated with excavators in mind. Hence we will focus on excavators as an example in the art, and issues associated with them, for simplicity of description. Excavators come in a variety of sizes and configurations, though the majority comprise a track or wheel base for mobility, a motor to propel it and provide power or hydraulic pressure (etc.) to various associated components. On top of this typically sits a swivelling cab assembly for the operator, and extending forwardly a boom arm, a concatenated dipper arm, means for attaching an accessory, and various control actuators. In this example let’s consider a typical attached assembly - the bucket. The bucket is used for a variety of operations, including lifting and moving/loading, levelling, scraping, and so on. This makes them quite versatile machines, even though movement of the boom arm, dipper arm, and bucket is typically restricted to rotation within a forwardly directed, typically longitudinal, vertical saggital plane (using standard anatomical nomenclature). What can be done depends largely on the skill of the operator, as well as the size of the excavator. Reach influences what can be done within an operation, as well as the capacity of the motors and load bearing elements. Larger excavators generally have longer reach, and a greater lifting or scraping capacity. However, the cost of excavators tends to rise steeply with size and users will tend to purchase excavators whose size is a match to a variety of their needs, as well as their ability to transport them. Typical size ranges include under 1 tonne, 1-2 tonne, 3-5 tonne, 6-10 tonne, and larger. For smaller operators, or those working in regions where transporting large excavators is difficult, they will typically purchase the smallest excavator that will do the job. This usually means that the reach is limited, as reach increases along with size. For instance, a small contractor may require a small portable excavator capable of performing a variety of roles fairly well - e.g. loading trucks, moving materials on site, and levelling. A farmer might do all of this, but additionally move animal feed and bales, lift heavy items onto a utility vehicle or trailer, dig drains, and clear drains. A large excavator may be reserved for large reading and construction projects. There is no typical profile, especially for a piece of apparatus which is essentially a multirole piece of equipment which is often used in applications as broad as from forestry to construction. For owners of smaller excavators, one common limitation is often reach. Longer reach typically means less movement of the excavator itself - allowing operations to ideally be performed purely by cab and boom rotation rather than relocating the excavator between different positions. Additionally there are applications, such as clearing drains and ditches, where a longer reach enables the bucket or accessory to extend to positions when it is difficult to get the main body of the excavator close enough. One example is clearing ditches and drainage areas on roadsides. Here the excavator may be on the road and reaching away to pull material towards it, and perhaps swivelling to put that material on the back of a dump truck. If the reach is not enough it has to keep moving forward onto the cleared area, which adds a significant amount of extra effort and time. This may also be an issue if the roadside is too soft for the excavator to move onto it - an example is clearing debris after flooding. As another example, such as in demolition type scenarios, extra reach may be an advantage also for safety as well as convenience. Also, longer reach can speed up clearing rubble for loading onto a truck as the excavator doesn’t have to keep moving forward and back (like a loader) if the reach is adequate. Hence there are situations where currently the need for extra reach can only be addressed by hiring or buying a larger excavator, and purchasing may result in a little used piece of equipment that is hard to transport between sites. Consequently, there is a need in the field and industry for a viable solution which can address extending the reach of an existing excavator or other piece of equipment with a support arm. An option which interacts simply with existing equipment would also be of potential value to the field and industry. It would also be useful and desirable