Apron drive for a tractor scraper
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsAshish Ashwinbhai Shah, SenthilKumar Somasundaram
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tractor scraper includes a tractor portion and a scraper portion. The scraper portion may include a bowl and an apron disposed adjacent a forward end of the bowl. The tractor scraper may include a first drive configured to raise the apron. The first drive may include an actuator drivingly connected to a pinion. The first drive may also include a rack connected to the apron and the pinion in a manner allowing the actuator to raise the apron by driving the rack with the pinion. The rack may include a plurality of teeth facing rearward.
Claims20
A tractor scraper, comprising:
- a tractor portion;
- a scraper portion disposed rearward of the tractor portion, the scraper portion including
- a bowl, and
- an apron disposed adjacent a forward end of the bowl, the apron having a forward face;
- and
- a first drive configured to raise the apron, the first drive including
- an actuator drivingly connected to a pinion, and
- a rack connected to the apron and operably engaged to the pinion to allow the actuator to raise the apron by driving the rack with the pinion, wherein the rack is disposed rearward of the apron and includes a plurality of teeth facing rearward.
A tractor scraper, comprising:
- a tractor portion;
- a scraper portion disposed rearward of the tractor portion, the scraper portion including
- a bowl, the bowl having a side, and
- an apron disposed adjacent a forward end of the bowl, the apron having a forward face and a side, the side of the apron being connected to the forward face of the apron and to the side of the bowl in a manner allowing the apron to pivot about a lateral axis, and the side of the apron including an indentation away from the side of the bowl;
- and
- a first drive configured to raise the apron, the first drive including
- an actuator drivingly connected to a pinion, and
- a substantially semicircular rack disposed substantially concentric to the lateral axis and connected to the side of the apron within the indentation and rearward of the forward face of the apron, the rack being operably engaged to the pinion to allow the actuator to raise the apron by driving the rack with the pinion, wherein the rack includes a plurality of teeth facing rearward.
A tractor scraper, comprising:
- a tractor portion;
- a scraper portion disposed rearward of the tractor portion, the scraper portion including
- a bowl, and
- an apron disposed adjacent a forward end of the bowl, the apron having a forward face and a side connected to a side of the bowl;
- and
- a first drive configured to raise the apron, the first drive including
- an actuator drivingly connected to a pinion, and
- a rack connected to the side of the apron and operably engaged to the pinion to allow the actuator to raise the apron by driving the rack with the pinion, wherein the rack is disposed rearward of the forward face of the apron.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.