Tooth assembly

A digging tooth assembly comprising:

• an elongated generally rectangular digging tooth of hard wear-resisting material having substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces and opposed side surfaces, said digging tooth being substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section and tapered to a horizontal cutting edge at one end;
• a generally V-shaped support shank including top and bottom spaced apart portions which converge at one end to form a tip portion for the shank, said shank including flat top and bottom surfaces which converge to said tip portion, said top and bottom portions of said shank forming an undercut adaptable for mounting said shank on the cutting edge of an excavating machine;
• a resilient housing mounted to the top surface of said digging tooth, said housing having an open end and including opposed side walls which intersect the top surface of said digging tooth inwardly of the opposed side surfaces of said digging tooth, and said housing being mounted over the tip portion of said shank, said housing being substantially U-shaped in transverse cross-section having a top wall extending between and connecting said side walls, said side walls being flat and substantially parallel to lie closely against the tip portion of said shank and said side walls being substantially triangular in side elevation and including upper edges sloping downwardly and forwardly to engage against said tip portion of said shank;
• retaining means for releasably securing said digging tooth to said shank, said retaining means including a wedge-shaped projection mounted on the top surface of said shank, said projection being inclined relative to said shank top surface, said projection being received for locking engagement within an opening formed through the top wall of said housing for mounting said digging tooth to said shank, and said digging tooth being held on said shank tip portion by the locking coaction between said projection and said opening and the resiliency of said housing;
• and
• said top surface of said digging tooth abutting only against the flat bottom surface of said shank and said bottom surface of said digging tooth being spaced downwardly from the bottom surface of said shank with the top and bottom surfaces of said digging tooth being generally parallel to the bottom surface of said shank such that the impact force against said tooth is transmitted through said resilient housing to said support shank, and wherein the longitudinal axis of said support shank being on a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the horizontal digging tooth cutting edge, and the digging tooth cutting edge providing a horizontal cutting action during excavation whereas said supporting shank providing a subsequent vertical cutting action.