Backhoe safety teeth

Description

This invention pertains to backhoe buckets and specifically to digging teeth. Digging teeth designed for safety when underground utilities are known to exist. Digging teeth that can be installed and removed in the same manner as standard digging teeth. The basic concept of this invention derives from a device known as a safety bar. This device is described in the following paragraphs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Backhoe digging teeth are made for the purpose of gouging into hard earth and rock formations. This is accomplished because the down force or pressure of the backhoe is concentrated on the much smaller area of the digging teeth than it would be on the full width of the bucket. Should a single tooth strike an existing pipeline, then the down pressure is even greater and can gouge and rupture an existing pipeline. An accident of this nature can cause injury, death or extensive property loss. In recognizing this safety hazard, safety engineers have devised the use of a bar welded across the lower portion of digging teeth to reduce the possibility of rupturing an existing pipeline. This bar covers or fills in the vacant space between teeth, thus spreading the down pressure over the full width of the bucket and reduces the effect of gouging. This bar is generally refereed to as a safety bar. Most major pipeline companies, refineries, chemical plants and other facilities owning or constructing new underground utilities, require the use of safety bars where backhoe excavation is done in areas where buried lines are known to exist.

While safety bars are a workable solution for a safety hazard, they also present their own problems. The (welding on) process is an expense, causing loss of time and productivity. When a mechanic/welder is called to weld a safety bar on, many times he may finish the job at hand before moving to the backhoe location, causing loss of time for the backhoe. Then, after a dig-out job is completed and the backhoe is out of the hazard area, the welder may be called back to remove the safety bar causing more loss of time. The safety bar reduces the ability to dig at maximum capability, when it is not needed it is not wanted.

Another problem of the safety bar is related to the welding itself. Digging teeth are made of a very hard alloy steel and welding does not bond well. If rock is encountered, the heavy impact will cause the bar to break off, leaving the backhoe unprotected or shut down waiting for the welder.

This invention is based on the same principal as the safety bar, but with certain improvements. To accomplish the same purpose and function, the lower portion or the safety tooth is expanded in width to a point where each tooth will almost touch the adjoining tooth. This expanded width covers the full width of the bucket, the same as the welded on safety bar does, thus reducing the effect of gouging. This tooth is also made with a thicker and rounded blunt end, which reduces the gouging effect even more.

These safety teeth are built in two parts, one an inside tooth design and the other is an outside tooth. The inside tooth is widened out on both sides, where an outside tooth is widened on only one side. In installing the teeth on a bucket the wide side of the outside tooth is turned toward the inside. The extreme outside of an outside tooth is made straight with the lower corner being rounded to eliminate a sharp corner that could gouge.

The upper portion of the tooth is made the same as the standard digging tooth, with a shank socket compatable to the bucket shank. The safety tooth can be mounted to the backhoe bucket by the same method as mounting a standard digging tooth

The size of safety teeth and design of shank sockets will change with each application of manufactures digging teeth. But the basic concept of safety teeth will remain the same. These safety teeth are constructed of the same hard alloy steel as standard digging teeth and should not break off as the safety bar will when working in rock formations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Backhoe safety teeth are designed to reduce the safety hazard encountered when digging in areas where underground utilities are known to exist. These teeth are made wide enough to produce a near full coverage of the bucket width. These teeth are made still safer with a thicker blunt point, and the outside teeth are rounded at the lower corner Safety teeth are made of the same hard alloy steel as standard digging teeth. The upper portion of a safety tooth has a socket that coincides with the shank socket of a standard digging tooth. These teeth can be installed in the same manner as a standard tooth and will eliminate the additional expense, loss of time and productivity, associated with the welded on safety bar.

There is a need in all phases of construction and maintenance, where backhoes are used, for a safe digging tooth that can be installed or removed quickly and simply by the machine operator.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a digging tooth that is wide with a blunt point and rounded outside corners to reduce the hazard of gouging into existing underground utilities.

It is another object of this invention to provide a safety tooth that can be installed or removed by the machine operator.

These advantages and features of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification, including attached claims and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an (inside) safety tooth.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an (outside) safety tooth.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the safety tooth.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a backhoe bucket with a set of safety teeth installed.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the lower portion of a backhoe bucket taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4. A safety bar is drawn instead of safety teeth, and is for descriptive purposes only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 & 2 show the design of the invention, where FIG. 1 is an inside tooth and FIG. 2 is an outside tooth. The shaded area 1a shows the extended or widened out portion of the tooth. The inside tooth is widened on both sides 1a where the outside tooth in FIG. 2 is widened on only one side 2a. When mounted on the backhoe bucket the widened out side is turned toward the inside. The extreme outside, of the outside tooth is made straight 2c with a rounded lower corner 2b to eliminate a sharp corner that could gouge an existing pipeline. The socket for mounting to the shank is shown in dashed lines at 1b and a retaining pin hole is shown at 1c.

The side view of FIG. 3 shows the taper of the tooth as it goes to a thicker and rounded digging point 3a. Thicker, meaning as compared to the sharp point of a standard digging tooth. This thick rounded, or blunt point provides a safer digging point than a square safety bar that is sometime thin with a sharper point. A side view of the mounting socket is seen at 3b and the retaining pin hole at 3c.

The socket design shown at 3b and the retaining pin at3c is only one of several designs currently in use. The shank and socket design will change with each application of different manufactures of shanks and teeth. The socket portion of the tooth and the bucket shank is (known process) and is not claimed in the invention. The goal for carrying out this invention will be to secure assignments with the various manufactures of digging teeth, In this manner any current patent, pertaining to shanks or the socket design will be in the use of the patent holder.

As it can be seen in FIG. 3 the safety tooth is made the same in front and back and can be mounted either way, with no designated front or back. With this design, an outside tooth can be mounted on one side and another like tooth can be turned over and mounted on the opposite outside position. In some cases an outside right and an outside left tooth may be necessary because the design of the shank will not allow the tooth to be turned over.

FIG. 4 is a descriptive view, looking into the front of a backhoe bucket where the placement of a set of safety teeth can be seen as they would be installed and used. The difference in the inside tooth and the outside tooth can be seen in this drawing and are marked as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The mounting shank 4a is welded to the bucket and is a permanent part of the bucket.

FIG. 5. Since this invention derives from the safety bar 5a it seems appropriate to show said device for the purpose of understanding. The safety bar is welded to the standard teeth 5b The relation between the safety bar and the safety teeth in FIG. 4 can be readily recognized as they both provide full coverage at the digging point.