Tooth assembly and retaining mechanism

#This invention relates generally to a tooth assembly and retaining mechanism therefore for retaining an earthworking implement tip to an adapter of such tooth assembly.

#Tooth assemblies are normally provided on earthworking implements, such as loader buckets or ripper tools, to increase the digging effectiveness of the earthworking implement. Such tooth assemblies typically include an adapter secured to the implement and a replaceable tip mounted on the adapter and secured thereto by a retaining mechanism. In most cases, the adapter has a nose portion received within a mating socket in the rear of the tip. A pin or some other type of retaining mechanism is typically employed to replaceably secure the tip onto the nose portion of the adapter. Such pin is usually received through aligned holes in the walls of the tip socket and in the nose portion of the adapter. Digging forces acting on the tip during use must be transferred from the tip into the adapter. It is advantageous to transfer these forces in a manner that does not require the pin or retaining mechanism to resist such forces in order to prevent the breakage of such retaining mechanism. In the past, retaining mechanisms have utilized separate spring biased detent pins or rubber components to prevent the loss of the pin during use.

#Such prior arrangements not only add to the complexity of the retaining mechanism, but are prone to premature failures.

#FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic exploded perspective representation of a tooth assembly illustrating the features of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the tooth assembly in FIG. 1 taken generally along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of FIG. 1 taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

#Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a tooth assembly 10 is illustrated and adapted for mounting to an earthworking implement (not shown), such as a loader bucket or ripper tool. The tooth assembly 10 includes a tip 12, an adapter 14 and a retaining mechanism 16. The tip 12 has a forward end portion 18 operative to engage the material being worked and a rearward mounting portion 20 adapted to connect the tip 12 to the adapter 14. The tooth assembly 10 has a forwardly and rearwardly extending longitudinal axis 22 along which the tip 12 and adapter 14 are disposed.

#As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a rearwardly opening socket 24 is defined in the rearward mounting portion 20 of the tip 12. The socket 24 is defined by a top wall 28, a bottom wall 30, a pair of side walls 32,34 and a load bearing bottom surface 26. Externally, the top and bottom walls 28,30 are angled toward and blend with the tapered forward end portion 18 to provide the tip 12 with a wedge shaped configuration. Internally, the inner surfaces of the top and bottom walls end with a pair of parallel spaced apart load bearing surfaces 36, which are disposed in the socket between the pair of sidewalls 32,34 and adjacent the load bearing bottom surface 26. Each side wall 32,34 has a rearwardly extending ear 38,40, respectively, each of which has top and bottom load bearing surfaces 42,44.

#Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the adapter 14 has a rearward implement mounting portion 68 and a forwardly extending nose portion 70. The nose portion 70 is configured to mate with the socket 24 of the tip 12 and includes a pair of parallel spaced apart transverse surfaces 74 interconnected by a generally flat end surface 76. The nose portion 70 also includes a pair of sides 78,80. The sides 78,80 each terminate with one of a pair of recesses 82,84 (FIG. 5) for receiving the ears 38,40 respectively, of the side walls 32,34 of the tip. Each of the recesses 82,84 has upper and lower load bearing surfaces 86,88 adapted for load bearing contact with the respective top and bottom load bearing surfaces 42,44 of the ears 38,40.