CA2444389A1

CA2444389A1 - Spooling attachment for front end loader

Info

Publication number: CA2444389A1
Application number: CA002444389A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard D. Murray; Robert E. Mcphee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-10-07
Filing date: 2003-10-07
Publication date: 2005-04-07

Description

1 "SPOOLING ATTACHMENT FOR FRONT END LOADER"

2

3 FIELD OF THE INVENTION

4 The present invention relates generally to a spoofing attachment and more particular to a spoofing attachment which can be detachably mounted to a 6 front end loader and adapted for slideably receiving interchangeable spools.

9 Front end skid steer loaders (such as those known under the name "BOBCAT"TM), while relatively small in size as compared to many tractors, are 11 exceedingly powerful and versatile. They are strikingly popular, and a multitude of 12 attachments have been developed that can be quickly attached to an attachment 13 carrier at the front end of the loader. The multitude of known attachments that are 14 available include augurs, backhoes, brooms, buckets, trenchers, cutters, clippers, concrete mixers, crushers, diggers, dozer bladders, graders, rakes, pallet forks, 16 snow blowers, tillers, scrapers, post drivers, etc. Thus an almost endless variety of 17 attachments are available.

19 Despite the wide popularity of skid steer loaders and the multitude of attachments designed particularly for them, there is nothing in the prior art that 21 suggests a spooling attachment adapted for slideably receiving interchangeable 22 spools and which can be detachably mounted to a skid steer loader. Somewhat 1 related prior art, however, includes U.S. Patent 4,664,331 to Halbrook and U.S.
2 Patent 6,612,516 to Haines.

4 Halbrook discloses a cable spoofing or reeling apparatus for use in surface mining operations to spool electric power cable. This apparatus attaches to 6 a large rubber tired dozen by mounting means which comprise an extending flange 7 having holes on the apparatus's frame and a similar flange, also having holes, on 8 the blade of a rubber tired dozen. Mounting is accomplished when the flange on the 9 apparatus and the flange on the dozen-blade are aligned and joined together by means of bolts.
11 Halbrook's invention is also concerned with spooling cable on a rather 12 large scale - i.e. in a surface mining operation. accordingly his patent teaches 13 using a dozen along with the apparatus itself to interchange spools or reels - by 14 positioning the apparatus's frame, and its split bearing assemblies, under a cable reel's shaft, raising the apparatus and thereby the cable reel, and then securing the 16 split bearing assemblies. Halbrook does not disclose a device wherein the spools 17 or reels can be easily or quickly loaded or unloaded.

19 U.S. Patent 6,612,516 to Haines teaches a tugger attachment suitable for attachment to variety of front end loaders, including skid steer loaders.
Haines's 21 tugger apparatus comprises a pulling spool, for spooling a pull rope, connected to a 22 motor driven by a cable or belt. However, as the Haines patent contemplates using 23 the tugger to pull a bundle of wire or cable along a path it does not disclose any 1 means for interchanging spoofs on the tugger. in fact, Haines teaches that during a 2 typical operation a length of rope is withdrawn from the tugger's pulling spool, 3 threaded along a pathway, attached to a free end of a bundle of wire and then 4 spooled back on the spool so as to pull the bundle of wire along the pathway. After the bundle has been puffed through the pathway, the rope is disconnected from the 6 bundle and remains on the pull spool. Thus there would be no need to interchange 7 spools.
8 A spooling attachment that easily or quickly detachabiy mounts to a 9 front end skid steer and wherein spools can be easily or quickly interchanged is therefore desirable.

12 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE L~RAiNiNGS
13 Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention with 14 the retaining door in the closed position.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1 with the 16 retaining door in the open position.
17 Figure 3 is a front view of the embodiment of Figure 1.
18 Figures 4 and 5 are side views of the er~nbodiment of Figure 1.
19 Figure 6 is a perspective view of the attach plate of the embodiment of Figure 1.
21 Figure 7 is side view of an embodiment of the invention mounted on a 22 support vehicle.

1 Figures 8a - 8h are a perspective and front views of various spool 2 embodiments suitable for slideable placement on the spooling assembly of the 3 present invention.
4 Figure 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.
6 Figure 10 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention.

Reference will now be made to Figures 1 to 8d. The preferred 11 embodiment of the spooling attachment 10 of this invention comprises a mounting 12 assembly 12, having front and rear faces 32, 33, and a spooling assembly 16 13 connected to the front face 32. Preferably, this embodiment further comprises a 14 base frame 14. Mounting assembly 12 comprises a mounting plate 18, which reversibly attaches to a vertically-adjusting support 56 on a support vehicle 58.
16 Preferably, the mounting assembly 12 further comprises support tubing 19 which is 17 connected near the bottom and on the front face 32 of the mounting plate 18. More 18 preferably, the base frame 14 is connected to the support tubing 19.
Spooling 19 assembly 16 comprises a spool accepting assembly 20, a spool retention means 22 and spool rotating means 24, which together function to slidably accept, releasably 21 retain and rotate a spool or reel 50.
22 In a preferred embodiment, the spool rotating means is a hydraulic 23 motor 24a , such as an orbit motor, coupled to the spool accepting assembly 20 via 1 a shaft 24b. Preferably the shaft includes a flex coupler 24c. The spool rotating 2 means 24 may also be another type of motor, such as an electrical motor. In the 3 preferred embodiment, the spool rotating means 24 is connected to the mounting 4 plate 18, by means of a support assembly 27 having suitable bearings (not shown).
In the preferred embodiment, the support assembly 27 comprises a plate 27a, 6 support member 27b and a pillow block housing 27c, housing a bearing (not 7 shown), supported from the member 27b.

9 In operation, wire (not shown) is spooled onto a spool 50 by slideably placing the spool 50 onto the accepting assembly 20, setting the retention means 11 22 to ensure the spoof remains on the accepting assembly 20, and actuating the 12 rotating means 24 so as to rotate the accepting assembly 20 and the spool 50. As 13 used herein "wire" includes wire, barbed wire, high tensile wire, fencing wire, cable, 14 strands, rope, line, leads, and other like elongate tensile members suitable for spooling onto a spool. When a particular spool is fuill and can no longer spool any 16 additional wire, the rotating means 24 are stopped, the retention means 22 can 17 released, and that particular spool can removed from the accepting assembly 20.
18 Depending on whether additional wire 50 remains to be spooled, a full spool can 19 then be interchanged with an empty spool and the spooling operation can continue.
21 The mounting assembly 12 mounts the spooling attachment 10 onto a 22 vertically-adjustable support 56 that is attached to a support vehicle 58 (Fig. 7). As 23 used herein "support vehicle" means a truck, tractor, agricultural vehicle or other

5 1 vehicle that can be used to carry the spooling attachment 10 from one location to 2 another. Vertically-adjustable support 56 can be permanently or reversibly attached 3 to the support vehicle 58 and functions in the context of this invention, to lift the 4 spooling attachment 10 off the ground, and to enable transport of the attachment 10 from one site to another. Preferred support vehicles include conventional tractors

6 known to those skilled in the art, such as bulldozers, which have a vertically-

7 adjustable support to which attachment 10 can be mounted. Particularly preferred

8 is a skid steer tractor, such as a BobcatTM tractor with a vertically-adjustable support

9 56 generally known in the art as a "toe-heel" support 56a having a toe edge 57a and a heel edge 57b. As is appreciated, other support vehicles with different vertically-11 adjustable supports can be used, or designed for use, with spooling attachment 10.

13 In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 - 8d, and more 14 clearly illustrated in Figure 6, mounting plate 18 further comprises lateral edges 34, 35, an upper edge 36 and a lower edge 37. ~n the rear face 33 of the mounting 16 plate 18 is a toe-heel receiver 40 that is adapted to receive the toe-heel support 56a 17 of the support vehicle 58. The toe-heel receiver 40 has a toe receiver portion or 18 part formed by an upper lip flange 42 that projects downwardly from the upper edge 19 36 of the mounting plate 18 at an acute angle with respect to the rear face 33. The heel part of the toe-heel receiver 40 is formed by a lower lip flange 44 projecting 21 downwardly from the lower edge 37 of the mounting plate 18 to from an obtuse 22 angle with respect to the rear face 33. The upper and lower lip flanges 42, 44 need 23 not extend continuously along the upper and/or lower edges of the mounting plate 1 18. It is only important to have the flanges 42, 44 extend sufficiently to serve as a 2 mate for receiving the mateable parts of the toe-heel support 56a. An important 3 feature of the toe-heel flange 44 is that it should have an opening 46 (and preferably 4 an additional opening 47) for receiving a locking means or wedge or wedges (not shown) carried by the toe-heel support 55a.
6 Thus the toe edge 57a of the of the toe-heel support 56a is inserted by 7 an operator of the support vehicle 58 into the toe receiver portion 42 and the heel 8 portion 57b is inserted in the heeV receiver portion 44, followed by extending a 9 plunger or a lock wedge or other locking means (not shown) into an opening 46, 46 of the heel receiver portion 44. The toe-heel support 56a of the support vehicle 58 11 is thus fixed to the toe-heel receiver 40 of the spooling attachment 10, with the 12 receiver 40 effectively mounted upon the support 56a and locked t~ the support 13 vehicle 58 so that adjustment of the support 56a effectively adjusts the front end 32 14 of the invention as a unit in both tilt and elevation. Note however, and as mentioned earlier, other support vehicles with different vertically-adjustable supports can be 16 used, or designed for use, with spooling attachment f 0.
17 Lateral edges 34, 35 of the mounting plate 18 are suitably equipped 18 with guidance flanges 48, 49 projecting a short distance angularly outward from the 19 lateral edges 34, 35. The function of such guidance flanges 48, 49 is simply to assist accurate registration of the toe-heel support 55a on the toe-heel receiver 40 21 at the time the two are mounted.
22 As used herein, the term "edge" in '°lateral edge" for edges 34 and 23 and the term °'edge" in "upper edge°' 36 as well as "Vower edge'° 37 all refer to the 1 operable perimeter of the mounting piste 18. The mounting plate 18 need not be 2 larger than those edges, as illustrated, although it would not depart from the 3 invention to employ even larger plate sizes beyond such a perimeter (and thus 4 needlessly incur the extra expense in doing so). The critical point is that the term "edge" refers to the size of the plate that is important for the functions described, 6 and particularly for the mounting on the support vehicle 58. That size is generally 7 determined by the characteristics of the toe-heel support 56a.
Illustratively, an ideal 8 base plate will have a width between its lateral edges of about 44 inches and the 9 height between its upper and lower edges of about 17 or 18 inches. While the lateral width of the base plate can vary tremendously, the height generally will not 11 vary outside of a range of 15 inches up to 25 inches even when specially modified 12 for an unusual toe-heel support carrier for a front end loader. Further, the term 13 '°mounting plate°° for the new attachment 10 is intended to embrace variations of 14 structures including frame elements. Preferably, however, the mounting plate 18 will be of continuous metal structure as distinct from a frame type.

17 As mentioned above, and referring to figures 1 - 8d, on the front face 18 side 32 of the mounting assembly 12 are the base frame 14 and the spooling 19 assembly 16. The base frame 14 is connected to the mounting assembly 12 near its bottom. The base frame 14 functions to keep the attachment 10 in a 21 substantially upright position when it is placed on the ground and as a protecting 22 bumper for the spoofing assembly 16. In another embodiment of the invention, 23 there is no base frame 14 or support bar 19 {Fig 9).

1 In the preferred embodiment, the spooling assembly 16 of this 2 embodiment is connect at substantially the middle of the mounting assembly 12.
3 The spooling assembly 16 functions to slideably releasably accept spools 50 in an 4 interchangeable fashion and to rotate a spoof 50 so as to reel-in or spoof wire onto the spoof 50. The spooling assembly 16 comprises a spool accepting assembly 6 20, a spool retention means 22 and spool rotating means 24.
7 The spool accepting assembly 20 of the preferred embodiment 8 comprises a tubular member 20a having a spool atop means 20b. The tubular 9 member 20a has a stop end 20c at the spool stop means 20b and a free end 20d distal to the spool stop means 20b. The tubular member 20a is sized so as to 11 slideably accept a spool 50 over its free end 20d. By slideably placing a spool onto 12 the tubular member 20a, over the free end 20d, the easy and quick interchange of a 13 spool is facilitated. Suitable tubular member length and diameter are 12 inches in 14 length and a 2 2/3 inch outside diameter. A typical range of lengths and diameters are 4 to 36 inches for length and 1 to 6 inches for outside diameter. The spool stop 16 means 20b prevents the lateral movement of a spool 50 past the stop end 20c. In 17 this embodiment the spool stop means 20b is a circular plate with a diameter of 12".
18 Other designs and sizes of circular plate would be suitable as long as lateral 19 movement of a spool is prevented. It is also conceivable that spool stop means 20b comprise a friction fit between a spool 50 and the tubular member 20a.
21 The spool accepting assembly 20 is connected to the mounting plate 22 18, so as to allow for its rotation, by means of a support assembly 26 having 23 suitable bearings (not shown). In this embodiment, the support assembly 26 1 comprises a plate 26a and a flange mount housing 26b housing a bearing (not 2 shown).
3 The spool accepting assembly 20 further comprises a coupling means 4 25 to releasably couple a spool 50 to the accepting assembly 20 to that rotation of the accepting assembly 20 will be imparted to the spool 50. As will be appreciated 6 by those skilled in the art, a variety of means exists to releasabiy couple a spoof 50 7 to a spool accepting assembly so as to impart rotation from the assembly to the 8 spool when the assembly is rotated - including a friction fit between the spool 50 9 and accepting assembly 20. In this embodiment the coupling means 25 comprises a slot 25a, extending axially from the tubular member's free end 20d partially 11 towards the stop end 20c, and a corresponding hole 25b on a spool 50 (Figs 8a-8d).
12 Qnce a spool 50 is slid onto the accepting assembly 20, it is rotated so as to align 13 the hole 25b with the slot 25a, a piece of wire is inserted through both slot 25a and 14 hole 25b, and the accepting assembly 20 is rotated so as to begin spooling wire onto the spool 50 - the wire cooperating with the slot 25a and hole 25b so as to 16 cause the spool 50 to rotate with the accepting assembly 20.
17 In another embodiment the coupling mechanism comprises a slot 25a, 18 extending axially from the tubular member's tree end 20d partially towards the stop 19 end 20c, and a corresponding tab 25c on the inside diameter of spool 50 (Figs 8e-8h) - upon sliding this embodiment of the spool onto the tubular member 20a, and 21 aligning and fitting the tab 25c with and into the slot 25a, the tab causes the spool 22 50 to co-rotate with the accepting assembly 20 as the latter is rotated.

1 The spool retention means 22 of the preferred embodiment 2 comprises a door 22a, pivotally mounted to the mounting plate's front face 32 above 3 the base frame 14, and a door lock 23. Preferably the door 22a has an opening 4 22b suitable to receive that end of the tubular member 20a distal from the spool stop means 20b when it is pivoted in a retention or closed position -substantially 6 perpendicular to the mounting plate 18. More preferably, the opening 22b being of 7 a slightly larger inside diameter than the outside diameter of the tubular member 8 20a - so as to allow for tree rotation of the member 20a during spooling, but 9 providing a backup support should tension in the wire being spooled increase causing the member 20a to slightly deflect.
11 The door lock 23 of the preferred embodiment comprises a bar 23a, a 12 pin 23b and a pin end receiving portion 23c mounted on the base 14. The bar 23a 13 projects substantially horizontal and perpendicular from the mounting plate 18 just 14 above and along the length door 22a in its closed position. The bar 23a further comprises a hole 23d near the end distal from the mounting plate 18. The hole 23d 16 is of sufficient size to accept the pin 23b and is located just prior to the end of the 17 bar 23a distal from the mounting plate 18. ThE; pin receiving portion 23c is 18 connected to the base 14 substantially underneath the hole 23d and functions to 19 receive one end of the pin 23b. The pin 23b removably inserted through the hole 23d with one end engaging the pin receiving portion 23c. To slideably place a spool 21 50 onto the accepting assembly 20, one simply removes the pin 23b from the hole 22 23d and the pin receiving portion 23c and pivots the door 22a so as to be 23 substantially parallel to the mounting plate 18. As will be appreciated by those 1 skilled in the art, a variety of means exists to releasabiy retain a spool to a spool 2 accepting assembly - inciuding a friction fit between the spool and accepting 3 assembly (as is contemplated in Fig 10).