Dual ballast cribber
AssigneeSoterran Group, LLC
InventorMichael A. Rau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dual ballast cribber for on-rail operation for preventing and removing cemented ballast with minimal site preparation can include a central frame, a plurality of wheels, a first pivot arm, a second pivot arm, a first cribber bucket, a second cribber bucket, a first clamp, a second clamp, and a hydraulic system. The dual ballast cribber may perform a digging cycle in 2 minutes or less. Preferably the digging cycle is performed in 45 seconds or less.
Claims20
A dual ballast cribber for removing fouled and cemented ballast from beneath a railway, the railway having a longitudinal axis, the dual ballast cribber comprising:
- a central frame;
- a plurality of wheels rotatably attached to the central frame;
- a first pivot arm that is pivotably attached to the central frame;
- a first cribber bucket that is pivotably attached to the first pivot arm, wherein the first pivot arm is configured to position the first cribber bucket about and between a digging position and a cleanout position;
- a second pivot arm that is pivotably attached to the central frame;
- a second cribber bucket that is pivotably attached to the second pivot arm, wherein the second pivot arm is configured to position the second cribber bucket about and between a digging position and a cleanout position;
- a first clamp that is in mechanical communication with the central frame and configured to secure the dual ballast cribber to the railway;
- and
- at least one actuator configured to move each of the first and second cribber buckets between the respective digging position and the respective cleanout position,
- wherein, when in the digging position, each respective cribber bucket is disposed at least partially below the central frame, and when in the respective cleanout position, the respective cribber bucket is positioned outwardly from the central frame relative to a transverse axis that is perpendicular to the railway axis,
- wherein each of the first and second cribber buckets is configured to:
- receive ballast as the respective cribber bucket moves toward the respective digging position;
- and
- dump ballast therefrom as the respective cribber bucket moves toward the respective cleanout position.
A method of performing a digging cycle to remove fouled and cemented ballast from a railway, comprising:
- with a dual ballast cribber aligned on a railway, the dual ballast cribber having a central frame, first and second clamps in mechanical communication with the central frame, first and second pivot arms that are pivotably attached to the central frame, and first and second cribber buckets that are pivotably attached, respectively, to the first and second pivot arms, using the first clamp and the second clamp to clamp the dual ballast cribber to the railway for digging;
- using a dig circuit to move the first pivot arm and the second pivot arm rotationally downward, wherein the first cribber bucket and the second cribber bucket approximately simultaneously contact ballast underneath the railway;
- using the dig circuit to move the first pivot arm and the second pivot arm rotationally upward;
- using a cleanout circuit to move the first cribber bucket and the second cribber bucket to an open position to expel the ballast from the first cribber bucket and the second cribber bucket;
- and
- disengaging the first clamp and the second clamp from the railway to complete the digging cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.