System and process for conducting in-field operations

A process for removing and/or installing a ground-engaging wear member from and/or onto a mount on a bucket for an earth working equipment, the process comprising:

• holding the ground-engaging wear member by to a tool secured to a manipulator;
• maneuvering the manipulator and the tool to remove and/or install the wear member from and/or onto the mount wherein the manipulator includes at least three hydraulic actuators for movement about three axes;
• using a processing system with input from at least one sensor to determine a path for the ground-engaging wear member to be removed from and/or onto the mount;
• and
• selectively activating a float mechanism to simultaneously float two hydraulic actuators associated with moving the manipulator about a first and second of the axes such that the wear member is moved in the first and second of the axes by an external force caused by the engagement of the ground-engaging wear member with the mount while removing and/or installing the ground-engaging wear member from and/or onto the mount.

A wear member handling system for removing a ground-engaging wear member from a bucket of an earth working equipment, the wear member handling system comprising:

• a crane with crane components movably joined together with at least two degrees of freedom and crane hydraulic actuators to selectively hold and move the crane components in various positions relative to each other;
• at least one tool for selectively holding the wear member;
• a joint including a base to secure the joint to the crane, a tool mount to secure the at least one tool to the joint, joint components movably joined together between the base and the tool mount to provide movement about at least three axes, and joint hydraulic actuators to selectively move and hold the joint components in various positions relative to each other, the joint hydraulic actuators each having opposites sides for receiving fluid;
• at least one sensor to detect the positions of the crane components and the joint components;
• a processing system configured to determine a path from locations detected by the at least one sensor for removing the wear member from the mount, and directing the movements of the crane hydraulic actuators and or the joint hydraulic actuators to move the wear member along the path;
• at least one float control manifold to selectively direct fluid within two of the joint hydraulic actuators simultaneously to allow for small adjustments of two of the joint components about two of the axes from external forces applied to the wear member by the mount while the wear member is moved along the path to remove the wear member from the mount.

A wear member handling system for removing and/or installing a ground-engaging wear member from and/or onto a mount of a bucket on an earth working equipment, the wear member handling system comprising:

• a manipulator supporting the wear member and including hydraulic actuators to adjust the manipulator and thereby move the wear member;
• a processing system including a host computer to determine a path for removing the wear member from the mount and/or installing the wear member onto the mount, and direct the movements of the hydraulic actuators to move the wear member along the path;
• and
• a float mechanism to direct a flow of a fluid within at least one of the hydraulic actuators to allow for small adjustments along one or two axes from external forces as the wear member is moved along the path while the processing system is directing the movements of at least one other hydraulic actuator of the manipulator along the path, wherein the host computer selectively initiates the float mechanism to direct the flow of the fluid within at least one of the hydraulic actuators with or without operator input.

A wear member handling system for removing a ground-engaging wear member from a bucket of an earth working equipment, the wear member handling system comprising:

• a crane with crane components movably joined together with at least two degrees of freedom and hydraulic crane actuators to selectively hold and move the crane components in various positions relative to each other;
• a tool head including a gripper for selectively holding the wear member;
• a joint including a base to secure the joint to the crane, a tool mount to secure the tool head to the joint, joint components movably joined together between the base and the tool mount about three axes, and hydraulic joint actuators to selectively move and hold the joint components in various positions relative to each other;
• a manually-activated controller to operate the crane, the joint and/or the grippers to grip and hold the wear member;
• a sensor module mounted in series with the tool head to detect the applied pulling force to remove the wear member when the wear member is gripped by the grippers;
• a processing system to determine a path for removing the wear member from the mount, directing the movements of the crane actuators and the joint actuators when activated by the controller to move the wear member along the path;
• and
• a float mechanism to selectively direct a flow of a fluid within at least one of the hydraulic actuators to allow for small adjustments along one or two axes from external forces as the wear member is moved along the path.