Notched compactor cleaner finger

A cleaner finger assembly for cleaning debris from a compactor wheel of a compactor machine, the compactor machine having a compactor body, a plurality of compactor wheels, and a compactor wheel cleaner assembly with a cleaner assembly support arm disposed proximate an outer surface of the compactor wheel, the cleaner finger assembly comprising:

• a cleaner finger stack, each cleaner finger stack including a stackable cleaner finger, each cleaner finger stack including an engagement end for scraping debris from the compactor wheel and a mounting end opposite the engagement end for mounting the cleaner finger stack to the cleaner assembly support arm, each cleaner finger having a tip proximate the engagement end and a plurality of mounting apertures proximate the mounting end, each cleaner finger including a notch positioned between the engagement end and the mounting end, the notch extending from an edge of the cleaner finger toward a center of the cleaner finger;
• wherein the cleaner finger stack is arranged such that when debris on the compactor wheel engages the engagement end of the cleaner finger stack with a force greater than a load force capacity of the cleaner finger stack at the location of the notch, the cleaner finger will fail at the location of the notch;
• and
• a plurality of fasteners for mounting each cleaner finger stack to the cleaner assembly support arm.

A method of cleaning compactor teeth on a compactor wheel of a compactor machine, the compactor machine having a compactor body and a plurality of compactor wheels, each compactor wheel having a plurality of teeth arranged in rows and evenly spaced longitudinally across an outer surface of the compactor wheel, the method comprising:

• stacking a notched cleaner finger to form a cleaner finger stack, the notched cleaner finger having a notch;
• fastening the cleaner finger stack to a rigid support arm using a plurality of fasteners, each cleaner finger stack having an engagement end for scraping debris from the compactor wheel and a mounting end opposite the engagement end, the cleaner finger stack having a collective load force capacity at the notch;
• wherein the notch is positioned between the engagement end and the mounting end, the notch extending from an edge of the cleaner finger toward a center of the cleaner finger;
• mounting the rigid support arm to the compactor body proximate one of the plurality of compactor wheels using a plurality of fasteners, the support arm being installed such that each cleaner finger stack is positioned between pairs of adjacent tooth rows;
• operating the compactor machine in a forward or reverse direction;
• compacting debris using the plurality of teeth on the plurality of compactor wheels;
• scraping, by the engagement end of each cleaner finger stack, residual debris from between the pairs of adjacent tooth rows;
• sustaining, at the engagement end of the cleaner finger stack, a force greater than the collective load force capacity;
• failing of the notched cleaner finger at the position of the notch.