Self Cleaning Bucket Assembly for a Digging Machine

A bucket assembly for mounting on a boom of a digging machine comprising:

• a mounting coupling for attachment to the boom for pivotal movement of the coupling about an axis transverse to the boom;
• a bucket attached to the mounting coupling for pivotal movement about the pivot axis in a digging action;
• the boom including a hydraulic operating cylinder mounted thereon for operating pivotal movement of the bucket with an operating linkage extending from the cylinder to the bucket for pivotal movement of the bucket about a bucket pivot axis between forward and retracted positions;
• the bucket having an outer wall of the bucket with a front digging edge to cut into material to be lifted and with the outer wall trailing behind the front edge;
• the bucket having side walls of the bucket for confining the material onto the outer wall;
• the bucket having a rear wall fixed to the outer wall and attached to the mounting coupling;
• a pivotal cleaning wall of the bucket being mounted on the bucket for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the bucket at or adjacent the rear wall so as to be movable from a retracted position at the rear wall to a forward position in which the pivotal cleaning wall moves forwardly relative to the outer wall to push material from the outer wall for discharge;
• the outer wall forming a part of a cylinder surrounding the transverse axis of the pivotal cleaning wall so that pivotal movement of the pivotal cleaning wall about the axis causes an outer edge of the pivotal cleaning wall to sweep across the outer wall from the position at the rear wall to a position adjacent a front of the part of the cylinder and causes respective side edges of the pivotal cleaning wall to sweep over the side walls;
• and a cleaning linkage connected to the boom and extending therefrom forwardly to a forward end which, when the bucket moves rearwardly, extends through an opening in the rear wall and contacts the pivotal cleaning wall for pushing pivotal movement of the cleaning wall between the retracted and forward positions thereof;
• the cleaning linkage being connected to the boom by a coupling which allows pivotal movement of the forward end of the linkage relative to the boom;
• the cleaning linkage being arranged such that the pivotal cleaning wall is pushed forwardly as the bucket moves rearwardly.