Coupling Assemblies With Enhanced Take Up

A lock for securing a wear member to excavating equipment, the lock comprising:

• a spool for receipt through a part of a wear member and through an opening in a support structure of the excavating equipment, the spool including an upper bearing portion for contacting the wear member and a lower bearing portion for contacting a fulcrum on the support structure;
• a tapered wedge;
• and
• an insert engaged with the tapered wedge, wherein downward movement of the tapered wedge induces movement of the insert that in turn induces rotation of the spool about the fulcrum and forces the upper bearing portion of the spool to push the wear member farther onto the support structure.

A lock for securing a wear member to a support structure to define a wear assembly for excavating equipment, the lock comprising:

• a spool having a first bearing portion to contact the wear member, a second bearing portion to contact the support structure, and a stem interconnecting the first and second bearing portions, the stem including a recess defined in part by a forwardly-facing, arcuate inner surface;
• a threaded, tapered wedge;
• and
• an insert movably received within the recess in the spool, the insert including a front face provided with threads to engage the wedge, and a rear face curved to correspond with the arcuate inner surface, wherein the wedge translates along the insert and the insert moves relative to the support structure when the wedge is driven in a first direction into the wear assembly such that the insert causes the spool to rotate about an axis transverse to the first direction to move the first bearing portion of the spool rearward so that the wear member is pushed farther onto the support structure for a tighter connection.

A method for mounting a wear member to excavating equipment, the method comprising:

• placing a wear member on a support structure secured to the excavating equipment, the support structure having a first hole, and the wear member having a front end to engage the materials to be excavated and a rear mounting end with a second hole;
• inserting a spool into the first and second holes such that the spool contacts the wear member and the support structure;
• and
• inserting a tapered wedge into the first and second holes to engage the spool already inserted and to rotate the spool about the spool's contact with the support structure such that the spool presses against the wear member to push the wear member farther onto the support structure and tighten the fit of the wear member on the support structure.