US1743123A - Excavator and method of operating same - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 14, 1930. F. ELwOoD EXCAVATOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME Filed oct. 11. 192e :s Smets-sheet 1 Jan., 4, 1930. F. ELwooD v EXGAVATOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME Filed OCt- 11. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 14, 1930. F. ELwoo-D l,743,23

EXCAVATOR AND MTHOD OF OPERATING SAME Filed 001'" 11. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 of' 27 Z Mirah/nef Patented Jan. 14, 193()V la'rsN'rr OFFICE FRANK ELWOOD, OF WEINER, ARKANSAS EXCAVATOR'AND METHOD or OPERATING SAME Application led October 11, 1928. Serial No. 311,824.

This device relates to improvements in eX- cavators and in methods of handling earth or other materials therewith.

In handling excavation, especially in the building of levees where large excavation is made below a ground surface over extensive areas, and embankments or levees built above the'samc surface ,contiguous to the excavated area, various devices have been used, some of which form a part of the present invention. lVhat are known as drag lines have proved especially valuable, but as widths of embankments have increased with corresponding increase of borrow pit widths, the reach of such machines will not allow the greater portion of the dirt to be handled in one operation. In order to get away from this, some of the forms of cableway with head vand tail towers have been used. These cableways have proved more or less satisfactory, except that the cost of moving the head and tail towers has proved excessive partly because of the shut-down time necessary when making such moves. The resent device contemplates using a combination of the drag line and cableway with such additions and `changes as are necessary to make such a system complete and satisfactory. 3i) The objects of this invention are:-

cavations covering a continuous broad area may be efficiently and economically made and the dirt therefrom placed in a continuous embankment contiguous to the pit, which also covers a wide space;

(b) To provide means for convertlng an ordinary drag line excavator into a head or tail tower foruse, in connection with another excavator silnilarly converted, whereby a madirt over considerable distances may be made.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished and the method of their accomplishment will readily be understood from. the following specification on reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan of my excavator showing it at work building an em- 51 bankment or levee.

(a) To provide means whereby shallow ex` chine capable of excavating and transferring Fig: 2, is an elevation taken as on the center line of the excavator, showing the excavator bucket in the borrow pit.

Fig. 3, is a similar sectional elevation showing the excavator used as a cableway. i

4ig. 4, is an enlarged side elevation of a typical drag line, lshowing the details of construction, by which the same is made into one of the parts of my excavator.

Fig. 5, is a similarly enlarged end elevation thereof.

Referringnow to the drawings in which various parts are referred to by numerals, 10 is the borrow pit from which excavated material is being removed, further extension ot this pit being indicated by the dash lines 10-A. 11 is the levee or embankment being built with the excavated material. 12 and 13 are respectively, typical drag line machines of thc crawler type, each having caterpillar treads 14, a turn table 15, boom frame 16, and boom 17. 18 is the drag line bucket. 19 is a loading line and 20 a drag line.` 21 is a tail line leading .from the rear of the bucket to the second drag line machine 13. Supportving the outer end of the boom in either case are two posts 22, the lower end of each of which posts rest on a shoe 23. 24 is a cross leg spacing the shoes and holding them a fixed distance apart. Extending outward from the S9 front end of the boom frame 16 are side legs 25 which are likewise connected to the shoes 23 and which brace and position these shoes in front of the machines. It will be noted that the legs 25 are brought fairly close together 85 at the boom frame and are spread well apart at the shoes and that in connection with the cross leg 24 they form substantially a triangulai` bracing for the shoes and also that they may be considered to be 'substantially' an A 90 frame bracing the shoes away from the machine. Likewise the posts 22 form an A frame and togetherwith the cross leg 24 forma rigid triangular bracing from the shoes to the outer end of the boom. The upper ends of the posts 22 may be secured to the end of the boom by the sheave pin 26, on which the head sheave 27 is mounted or theymay be otherwise secured thereto. Preferably however, theyshould be so secured that the bottom end of the posts 06 may swing toward or away from the boom as the latter is raised or lowered. 28 are brackets which extend upward from the shoes 2 3 through which brackets and' the lower ends of the posts 22, pins 29 are passed to secure the posts to the shoes. These pins may likelwise be used to secure the cross 1e 24. Extension 30, of the brackets 28, may 'e used to secure the side legs 25 to the shoes 23 against the foot of the posts 22. The Yside legs 25 are preferably secured to the boom frame 16 by the boom in 22.

Preferag l swung below the head sheave 27.

The drag line boom may be raised and lowered in the usual manner by the ordinary lines provided therefor. If! however, the b oom support as herein outlined is in place such raising of the boom will raise the boom support and allow the same to be shifted to a new location, eitherby direct movement accomplished with the caterpillar trucks or by swinging. movement through the turntable 15.

Ordinarily, the machines' wouldbe operated substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that is as a drag line with the addition of the tail line 19. Should it be desirable \how.

ever, a cableway 34: may be used, the cableuntil they are substantially in alignment eac 1 earth excavated in the emban boom pointing to the opposite machine, and the boom supports will then be placed and connected. The drag line of the machine 13 may 4thenbe carried over` and attached to..

the end of thedrag line bucket of machine 12,

' and operations are ready to begin.

The first operation accomplished is the excavation ofa trench along a direct line between the machines and the lacing of the` ent. When shch earth has been removed, the boom of machine 13 maybe raised until the shoes are .clear of the ground and the machine 13 moved sideways'the desireddistance along and parallel to the borrow pit. l This ordinarily does not require any movement of the machine 12. Excavation is then continued until the available supply is exhausted, and the operation repeatedv to move the machine still further alon the `borrowpit., -When the movement of te machine 13 isfsuiiicient to throw a perceptible angular pull on the boom of machine 12 thaboom of that machine can be ly the loading line sheave 33 is'4 respondingly reduced. In such case it is evident that if the head machine be maintained at one location, and the tail machine moved over a considerable distance ua larger concentration of dirt may be made. Thereafter the machines may be operated along diagonal line across the borrow pit and the embankment, with the tail machine in advance until `such extra amount of dirt may be compensated for.

The same `facts and conditions obtain in the operation of the cableway machine, as the drag line, this latter method of operation being especially advantageous in extremely wet gPOUDd- It will be noted especially that either of the machines may be disconnected, the boom support be removed and the machine be used as an ordinary drag line should such an emergency arise. This might be especially pertinent in wet ground where the tail machine -could be used to excavate. a trench along the adjacent side of the borrow pit to provide a drainage ditch, from which ditch, ifnecessary, water could be removed by pumpingl and thereafter the machines be hooked up and operate in more or less water free dirt.

It will also be notedl that by this method of supporting the boom, the necessity for heavily counter-weighting the back end of the operating machine and also the necessity for back 4guy lines is done away with making` the units more portable and thusspeeding up the operation, both of whichy itemsare essential features of the improvements which I have made. The outfit is thus 'made much lighter and easily portable as compared with those outfits in which heavy counter-weighting and/or guying are resorted to.'

Having fully described my invention, what l I claim is: v

1. An excavator, comprising oppositely disposed shiftable drag liuemachines, a head twer carried by one of said machines and a tail tower carried by the other thereof, each shiftable with its respective machine and positionable thereby, between said machines, an excavating bucket between said machines and cables from said machines to. said bucket whereby the same may be operated along a line between said machines.

2. An excavator, comprising oppositely dis osed shiftable drag line machines, adetac able head tower carried by one of said the outer ends machines and a detachable tail tower carried by the other thereof, each shiftable with its respective machine and alignable thereby, between said tween `"said machines and cables from said machines to said bucket whereby the same may be operated along a line between said machines.

3. An excavator, comprising op ositely disposed drag line machines, space apart, each of said machines including propelling means, a boom, a turn tableL A -frame boom supports, one for the outer end of each boom, swung vfrom and movable by said booms, braces from each machine to the foot of the corresponding A, and movable therewith; an excavating bucket between said machines,

and cables from said machines to said bucket,

passing over the ends of said booms, whereby said machines may be positioned, said boom supports may be aligned between said machines, and said bucket be operated along a line between said machines.

4. An excavator, comprising oppositely disposed drag line machines, spaced apart, each of said machines including propelling means, a boom, and a turn table, A frame boom supports, one for the outer end of each boom, swung from and movable by said booms, an excavating bucket between said machines, and cables from said machines to said bucket, passing over the ends of said booms, whereby said machines may be positioned, said boom supports may be aligned between said machines, and said bucket be operated along a line between said machines.

5. An excavator, comprising oppositely disposed drag line machines, spaced apart, each ol" said machines including propelling means, a boom, and a turn table, boom supports for of said booms, each `comprising shoes, means for spacing said shoes apart, an A frame pivotally attached'swung from but adapted to support said boom and having its legs each'resting on one of said shoes, and brace arms extending one from each of said shoes to the base of said boom and pivotally connected thereto, an excavating bucket between said machines and cables from said machines to said bucket, whereby said machines mav be positioned, said boom supports may be aligned between said machines and .said bucket be operated along a line between said machines.

6. An excavator, comprising op ositely dis osed drag line machmes spacel a art, eac of said machines including prope lng means, a boom, and a turn table, and detachable boom supports for the outer ends of said booms, each comprising shoes, means for spacing said shoes apart, an A frame pivotally 'attached swun from but adapted to support said boom an having its legs each resting on a shoe and brace arms extendin one from each of said shoes to the base' o -said .achines, an excavating bucket beboom and pivotally connected thereto, an excavatin bucket between said cables rom said machines to machines and said bucket,

whereby said machines may be positioned,

said boom supports may said machines and said be aligned between bucket be operated along a line between said machines.

In testimony whereof signature.

I hereunto aiiix my FRANK ELWOOD.

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