US2347455A - Excavating and truck loading machine - Google Patents

Description

April 25, 1944;

R. A. BECKWITH EXCAVATING-AND TRUCK LOADING MACHINE Fiied Feb. 1, 1945 3 sheet's sheet 1 April 25, 1944. R. A. BECKWITH 2,347,455

EXCAVATING AND TRUCK LOADING MACHINE Filed Feb. 1, 1943 s Sheets-She et 2 I @Mwe April 25,1944. R. A. BECKWITH Tia? 7 A A A7 451: 452 45k I :5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 25, 1944 UNITED STATES" 2,347,455 y EXCAVATING meeir' mnsnee MACHINE Raymond A; Beckwith, Milwaukee; wet-asset; to Koehr'ing Company, Milwaukee, wisua c'l"-" poration Application February 1, 194s;- s'er"ia11-io'. 474133 4 6 Claims; (01. 21 4- -78) The purpose of this invention has'been to devise a special type of excavating and loading ma chine utilizing the principle-of digging or excavating incident to the employment-of commonly; known-power shovelsflbut capable .of loadingthe' excavated materials into' a'reserv'oir bin or body, which, ,whenfilled' with a-sufiicient quantity of thematerials, may be dumped'in' one operation to fill a truck 01' other vehicle'brought alor'igside the machine for carrying o'ff the dirt or'exc'avated' material to a place'ofuse, such as a fill, or the" like.

As is wel1-lmown-in the' operation of ordinary shovel excavators of the dipper type for loading dirt carrying-0E trucks or vehicles,- it is required that the truck remain-alongside theexcavator until the dipper of the latter has beenoperated a number oftimes'to dig into and deliverto the truck a numberbf dipper'loads for filling the" latter.

Whenthe truck isfilled; the dipper maygb'e idle -for-a--short period, while the truck is'driven away; and a second-truck is brought'into position to receive: the material'to'be excavated by the" dipper. The foregoing Iriodejof operation obvieously'creat'es time losses'that'reduce the operat; ing efiicien'cy' of both the excavating machine and the truck vehicles thatcodperate' withythe latter, inthe 'mannerfstatedg' M By the improvements ofth",presentinventionli availing of the dipperto'crowd' intoland thus ;eX- cavate and elevate the', earthf materials; along. with a reservoir of storage bin, it wiubeiapparefit that the excavating dipper mayfopefate'practically continuously in loading the ,binfcarri ed by the xcavator itself, and'me'ans are availed e f-for tilting or dumping 'the' bin very quickly into a truck brought alongside of the machine or posi tioned at the rear thereof, so that practically the only lag in the digging operation of the machine is I when the storage bin is filled enoughtq deliver its contents in one batch sufiiciently to fill the truck. Indeed, under certain conditions of operation of: the machine, the dumping of the storage bin may be performed so quickly, while the excavating shovel or dipper is working with its excavating function, that the above mentioned. lag may be almost reduced as to the time. factor as tobe' practically-negligible. A

Another feature of the improvements of the invention comprises meansfor mounting of {tistorage bin and for effecting the dur npi H thereof, such that the said bin may ,di ectits .l contents into a truck disposed ateith'er-ohthe sides :o f the excavating machinegor inthe rear" thereof. v, 4

It? is:'contemplatedzthattithe storage bin, fur

thermore, mayf;be ofsuificient-sizethat it may contain enough excavated ma'terials "to' be'lo'aded into more than one truck soitha't if the trucks are movedupto the rexcavatorfa'st enough they can- .beloaded with: great frequency, and the eit cavator, shovelor dipper keptiworking"practically continuuouslyin-replenishing the materials iii the storage bin.

a; preferred embodiment: the-invention is certain control mean'SI- Figure 5 is "a fragmentary top plan View of Figures 6 and v are diagrammatic views ,of'tiije' various drives whereby th various' ihistruni'entali- 1 ties comp'risingxth :ma'chin'e are operated;

Describing"myimachine"specifically; ent re;

ferring; parti'cularlyto Figure f1'of "the dr'aw in said machine; comprises a body,eincludin'g* a ba frame A and superstructiire B 'h'aving at one e and supported "up-on thebase'A; and A- fr r' generally designated-Q and composed of spat d sidesj A I r The body of the machine ii's"supp'orted "up any conventional type of crawlers,generally ds ignated D, providing-thenecessary-traction and Carried by the base Atorrth'e body' are spaeed dipper sticks; or. arms :2, oneiat each 'side' of the fihe b eba l. hannel i i a i u e- 3.. ran av t-s d rssh erm 4s he a t r are; moved; for-.

e rd c t yin with; th m jtheexcavatin Ldip:

PIE. ..h r.ward; ed e? of the r a in f ctio pon per; and ead n dipper- E wi xc ting'iaction l seidu orwar edge.beingt equipped with' digging teeth 6, or a rear sprockets 8, and front sprockets 9, the front sprockets 9 being carried on front sprocket shafts l and the rear sprockets 8 upon rear sprocket shafts ll.

Suitable mechanism to be later, described is availed of for reversibly actuatingthe sprocketchains 1, and the said sprocket chains are connected at their upper laps to the lower portions of the actuating members or slides 3'so-that back and forth movements of the upper laps of the chains I will impart corresponding back and forth, movementsit'o'f'the dipper? E, a forward movement, usually known as crowding or-digging in the art of excavatingrmachines, and a rearward or retractive movementfoften referred toras a racking-in movement in respect to ordinary dipper excavators...

The dipper E, for performingits loading func- 1 tion, is intended to be raised and lowered, raised inorder to be elevated a'isuflici'ent distance'such that the rear end of the'dipper designated E and which is open, may form a chute for enabling the discharge of materials loaded into the dipper,

rearwardly therefrom into a suitable stora'ge'bin to be later described.

,Itwill-thusbe seen that the dipper E partakes of. afunction of. a loading skip, as known in the art of concrete mixing machines for instance,

wherein aggregate materials are emplaced-in askip when disposed .on thegroundlevel and the latter is raised so as to discharge its contents from the end opposite, the ..receiving end into'a suitable receptacle, such as' a'mixing drum.

'For. the elevating of the excavating dipper'E,

I provide any suitable means, that illustrated including a drum shaft I2 mounted on the sides I of the A-frame C, at a point opposite approximately the uppermost portion-oi the superstructure B of themachine body. ,Theidrum shaft l2 after described is employed for turning the shaft P [2- carrying-said drums l3.

.On top of the-superstructure B- of the body of the machine, I provide"a turntable l8 equipped on its underside with a ring gear l9, somewhat afterithe manner'of construction of-certaintypes of turntables usedon "excavating cranes. turntable I8 is supported by rollers 2iJ-adapted to roll upon a suitable ring-plate or track ontop of" the superstructure B.- Carried by 'the turntablei [Brand pivotally'attached thereto at 21 is the s'torageor reservoir bin 22 designed to receive and hold aquantity of excavated materials, at

least sufficient to completely fill afr'iordinary dirt The' hauling truck, by whichthe materials'will be carried-out to a place of deposit after excavation by my machine. If desired, the bin 22 may be large enough to carry a quantity of materials to fill one or more trucks, within the purview of my invention.

The bin 22 has angular rear corners, as shown at 22a, see Figure 2, and is closed at its inner end, pivoted near its outer end, and open at its outer end, so that materials may be discharged from or through the open end of the bin when the latter is tilted upon its pivots 2| into the dotted line position generally illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.

For the purpose of tilting or dumping the bin 22, hydraulic jacks or any mechanical moving .instrumentalities may be employed. Hydraulic jacks 23 are shown as used preferably being pivotally connected at their upper ends at 24 to the side portions of the bin inwardly of the pivots 2i, and being pivotally connected at their lower ends at 25 to the turntable I8, which supports. the bin and with which the bin moves rotatablywhen the turntable itself is rotated.

For supplying a pressure fluid to the lowerends of the hydraulic jacks 23, flexible conduits: 26 may be used, leading to a conduit or pipe 21,. in the lower portion of which is located a controli valve 28 of any suitable rotary type. Pressure; fluid is supplied to the conduit or pipe 21, and! thereby to the conduits 26 from a pressure tank; or reservoir 29, which in turn is supplied with the pressure fluid by means of a pump 30. The pump 30 is connected to the tank 29 by the pipe 3!, and the tank 29 connected to the control valve casing 28 by the pipe 32 leading from a. branch pipe 33 that extends from the tank 29 to a relief valve 34, the casing of which in turn is connected to the control valve 28 by a pipe 35.

.An operating lever 36 is connected by a link 31 to an actuating lever 38 having a handle 39 at the operator's station, or seat, provided on the machine body. By pulling or pushing the handle 39', the operator of the machine may at will cause the pressure fluid or medium to pass from the tank 29 to the hydraulic jacks 23, and thereby effect dumping action of the bin 22; also, manipulation of said handle 39' may be resorted to to cut off supply of the pressure fluid or medium to the jacks 23 and then the bin 22 will gravitate to its normal horizontal position, from its 1 "inclined dumping position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. Obviously, the jacks 23 may be hydraulic or air jacks dependent upon the kind of pressure fluid desired to be used.

As seen in Figure 1, in dotted lines, a portion of the load receiving truck is designated F and located at the rear end of the machine. When the bin isin the'full line position of Figure 1, it may be dumped into the truck F thus located. If, however, the terrain is such or the facilities for disposing the trucks to be loaded by the machine so require, the trucks may be driven up to the machine at either side thereof, under which conditions, the bin 22 may be turned within a ninety degree angle sidewise of the machine, so that it Will dump into side located trucks instead of rear located trucks. 'For this purpose, thereis employed a vertical swing shaft 39 mounted in the superstructure or body of the machine. This swing shaft carries at its upper end, above a jaw clutch 3912, an intermediate swing pinion 40, meshing with a second swing pinion 40a, which in turn is connected by a shaft 40b to a swing pinion 40c, meshing with the ring gear l9. This and other of the drive gearing will be explained more fullyhereinafter in reference to Figures 6 and 7..

'39 by which-the turntable I8 is rotated with the bin 22, will be'described hereinafter.

Near the rearend of the body of the machine. or at the rear ofthe superstructure B, is mounted.

a suitable power plant or engine 4|, comprising a drive shaft 42 connected by-a sprocket chain 43, with a large sprocket gear 44 upon a drive shaft 45, extending crosswise of the machine. manner, the shaft 45 may be operated from the engine and said shaft carries at the end opposite that havingthe sprocket 44 a sprocket gear connected by a chain 46 with a relatively large sprocket gear 41 on a countershaft 48. In turn, the countershaft 48 has a small sprocket connectedby a chain 49 with a sprocket gear 58 on the drum shaft l2, whereby through the'various sprocket chains just. described, power may be. carried to the shaft 12 for driving the same in one direction, namely, for the winding action of the drums [3 for elevating the dipper E. Said dipper is adapted to be returned from its elevating.

position by gravitation, facilitated, if desired, by the simultaneous retractionof the arms 2, to the lowered position. under the control of suitable brake means, conventional in the art.

Suitable clutchmeans may be employed on the shaft 48 to carry. the drive from said shaft 48 to the drums IS. The shaft 48 is connected by a sprocket chain to a sprocket gear 52 on the shaft [0, which is connected with the sprocket chains 1 that move the dipper arms 2 back andv forth in their excavating and retracting operations.

The means for driving the crawler chains D' of the crawlers D will next be described.

The diagrammatic showing of the various gear trains and driving means represented by Figures 6 and '7 are referred'to in order to set forth the manner in which the drives form the engine. to the hopper body and to the endless traction means are accomplished.

In Figure 6, drive shaft 45 is provided with a well known type of reversing gear train 45a, the said gear train. being provided with friction clutches adapted to be operated in any well known manner. shaft 45 is the same shaft which provides power for the raising and lowering of the dipper E as well as the thrust and retraction thereof.

However, describing more particularly the means for rotating the hopper body, it will be noted that the gear train 45a is adapted to operate a shaft 4% on which a pinion 45c engages a gear 45d to operate a bevel gear 45c and thereby effect rotation of the shaft 39 through a second bevel gear 45/. The shaft 39 is provided adjacent its upper end, as previously mentioned, with a jaw clutch 3% adapted to selectively engage a mating member on a gear 40, the said gear 40 in turn meshing with a second gear 48a on a shaft 48b, the shaft carrying adjacent its upper end a gear 400 adapted to engage the ring gear l9, whereby the hopper body is rotated.

Passing now to the means for driving the endless traction supporting means, it will be noted that the same gear train 45a is availed of, whereby the shaft 451) is adapted to rotate a gear 45g engaging one of a pair of gears on a shaft 450. as determined by movement of a jaw clutch member 45h, in order to provide high and low speed drive to the traction supporting means. The shaft 450 is provided at one end with a beveled gear 451' adapted to mesh with a large bevel gear 457' whereby a sprocket 451:: may im- In this.

It will be noted that this drive,

part movement through the sprocket chain 45m toadditional sprockets 4511 connected in well knownmanner with the traction supporting; means. The gears 457 and 4510 are mounted on a cross shaft 45-| so as to eifect'a drive toboth of the-traction supporting means in'accordance with well known practise;

The shaft 4"5---I"may be provided with brake" and clutch mechanism for. steering, such as is; shown in the Brey. Patent. No. 1,947,823,v issued February 20, 1934". This mechanism is not illustrated, since it is well known and suitable for incorporationinto this machine by thoseeskilled intheart.

General operation of machine It is contemplated that the machine of myinvention shall be advanced under power and steered by the operation of any suitable mechanism, an exemplification of which has been: presented hereinbefore.

The power used will be that of an engine or motor carried .by the base A of thebody of the machine, and indicated at 4|, as before described. 7 When the machine is at the point of excavation, the dipper or scoop E will be operated forwardly in engagement with the earth at the ground level or in advance of the machine, or. in engagement with the face ofa bank which. is to be dug out.

The operator, by actuation of' suitable-control. levers, will cause actuation of the chains 1 to move the arms 2 forwardly, and at thesame time, the. operator may effect the desired upward or elevating movement of the skip E through theoperation of the cable drums l3. In this manner, the dipper E willbe crowded to its work and elevated, and when a sufficient load has been received therein, the raising movement of the dipper will be compelled sufilciently to carry it to an approximately vertical position sothat its. load will be discharged through its rear open end E" into the bin 22 which bin may be disposed longitudinally of the machine laterally or intermediate positions dependent upon the locations where the truck or trucks to receive the loads of material in the bins are to be disposed.

Obviously, owing-to the large capacity of thebin 22, the excavating dipper E may be kept working filling up the bin 22 and creating therein a sufficiently large load of materials so that when a truck is located adjacent. to the bin to receive the materials, said bin may be tilted to its dumping position to discharge its contents into the truck sufficiently to completely load the latter in one operation of bin dumping.

Thereupon, after the bin 22 has been dumped, it will be restored to its load receiving position. Having in view the foregoing, it will be clear that the dipper E may be kept practically continuously in operation. The only time the dipper can not discharge its contents into the bin is when the latter is in dumping position, but since this last mentioned position is assumed only momentarily, there will be practically little or no interruption of digging and loading operations of the dipper or shovel E.

The foregoing method of operation is especially advantageous for reasons previously suggested in that the machine can keep supplying trucks with full loads by single dumping operations of the bin 22, and the operation of the dipper E does not have to be discontinued to any material extent so far as its excavating and dumping functions are concerned by reason of adjacent to the machine, while the trucks are traveling up to the machine and traveling away from same.

If the capacity of the bin 22 is suificiently large to supply more than one truck by consecutive single dumping operations, the said dumping operations will not materially interfere with the continuation of the excavating and elevating actions of the dipper E and the carrying-off operations of the trucks will be facilitated, accordingly.

In addition to the dumping control handle 39 adjacent the operator's station, there may be provided control means susceptible of being operated from the rear of the machine by the truck driver or other person stationed there.

This means comprises a cable or other flexible member 53 suitably fastened at the outer end of the valve lever 36 and extending upwardly so as to be reeved over a pulley 54 and thence rearwardly between pulleys 55, see Figure 5, supported on an arm 56 fastened to the superstructure B. A second arm 5! is pivotally attached at 58 so as to swing in a horizontal plane to either side of the machine, or longitudinally thereof. The arm 51 carries at its outer end'a pulley 59 over which the cable 53 passes, and from which it depends so as to be readily grasped by a truck driver, whereby a pull on the cable will actuate the valve '28 and cause the bin 22 to be tilted. In order to facilitate the return of the valve lever 36 to its normal inactive position, as shown in Figure 1, in full lines, a spring 59a is provided, attached at one end to the said lever and at the other at any suitable place such as the clamp member 60 on the pipe 35.

The bin and excavating instrumentalities are so constructed as to enable their attachment to some known forms of crawler shovels in a manner apparent to those skilled in the art of dirt hauling and excavating machinery.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

- 1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a portable support, a body thereon, means for propelling the same, an excavating dipper carried by the supporting means for operating said dipper to crowd the same to its work in excavating, means for elevating said dipper to discharge the contents thereof, a truckloading the absence of the truck or trucks from the site' bin carried by the body of the machine, and means rotatably and tiltably mounting said bin on the body for discharging when tilted in a direction at angles to the direction of movement of the dipper in performing its excavating work;

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising an operators station, and manual means at said operators station for operating the bin to discharge the same, for rotating the bin to dischage the same in different directions and for operating the dipper.

3. In an excavating and loading machine of the class described, in combination, a portable support, a body mounted thereon, an excavating dipper mounted on the body, operating means for effecting excavating action of the dipper, means for elevating the dipper to discharge its contents, a bin carried by the body and arranged to receive the contents of the dipper when discharged, means for rotating the bin to assume different discharging positions, and means for effecting dumping action of the bin to discharge materials received therein from the dipper.

- 4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the means for rotating the bin comprises a turntable mounted upon the body and mechanism for rotating the turntable to shift the bin to different positions for discharge thereof indifferent directions.

5. In an excavating and loading machine of the class described, in combination, a portable support, means for propelling the same, an excavating dipper carried by said support, comprising a front excavating portion and an open rear discharge portion, means for elevating the dipper to a discharge position wherein its rear discharge portion is effective for discharging, a bin carried by said portable support to receive materials discharged from the excavating dipper, means for turning the bin in to different positions longitudinally and angularly in relation to the portable support, and means for causing dumping action of the bin in any of its adjusted positions. I

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the turning means for the bin comprises a turntable rotatively mounted upon the support, and mechanism for driving the turntable in a rotative manner to cause the bin to assume different Dositions for dumping.

RAYNIOND A. BECKVI' 1TH.

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