Motor grader quick change work attachment
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsBruce Raymond VAHLING, Nathaniel K. Harshman, Benjamin J. Kovalick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A work attachment for a work machine is disclosed. The work attachment has a moldboard that has moldboard apertures and moldboard fasteners along its bottom surface. The work attachment also has a clamp bar having its own set of apertures to receive the moldboard fasteners for attaching the clamp bar to the moldboard. The clamp bar slides around the moldboard fasteners, along a longitudinal axis of the moldboard, from an open position to a closed position to attach a cutting edge to the moldboard.
Claims20
A work attachment for a work machine, comprising:
- a moldboard comprising a plurality of moldboard apertures, and a plurality of moldboard fasteners extending from a bottom portion of a surface of the moldboard;
- and
- a clamp bar comprising a first set of clamp bar apertures and a plurality of wedge structures on a surface of the clamp bar, wherein each moldboard fastener of the plurality of moldboard fasteners extends through a respective clamp bar aperture of the first set of clamp bar apertures to couple the clamp bar to the moldboard, wherein, when the clamp bar is coupled to the moldboard, the clamp bar is configured to be slidable along a longitudinal axis of the moldboard to an open position and a closed position.
A clamp bar for attaching a cutting edge to a moldboard, the clamp bar comprising:
- a first clamp bar aperture having an oblong shape, the first clamp bar aperture configured to receive a moldboard fastener attached to a bottom portion of a clamp bar engaging side of the moldboard to slidably attach the clamp bar to the moldboard, the clamp bar slidable along a longitudinal axis of the moldboard to an open and a closed position;
- a second clamp bar aperture having a first radius portion and a second radius portion, the first radius portion having a larger radius than the second radius portion, the first radius portion configured to receive a cutting edge fastener attached to the cutting edge after the cutting edge fastener is first received through a moldboard aperture on the bottom portion of the moldboard;
- and
- a wedge structure configured to slide under a head portion of the cutting edge fastener when the clamp bar is slid to the closed position.
A motor grader comprising:
- a frame;
- a drawbar-circle moldboard assembly coupled to the frame;
- and
- a work attachment coupled to the drawbar-circle moldboard assembly, the work attachment comprising:
- a moldboard having a moldboard fastener for coupling a clamp bar to the moldboard, wherein the moldboard fastener extends from a bottom portion of a surface of the moldboard, and wherein the moldboard defines a moldboard aperture,
- the clamp bar coupled to the moldboard at the bottom portion, wherein the clamp bar has an oblong shaped clamp bar aperture surrounding the moldboard aperture when the clamp bar is coupled to the moldboard, and
- a wedge structure on a surface of the clamp bar, wherein the clamp bar is configured to be slidable along the longitudinal axis of the moldboard to an open position and a closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.