Abstract: A cleat assembly for trash compactor vehicle wheels that does not use pins to attach replaceable cleats to cleat bases on the trash compactor vehicle wheels. The cleat assembly includes a cleat base with a receiving portion that has a cleat base abutment wall. The cleat assembly also includes a re-useable connection system and a replaceable cleat with an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion that is adjacent to the cleat base abutment wall and a locking portion that is adjacent to the biasing portion when the connection system is in use. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engage the interference portion of the replaceable cleat. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the replaceable cleat to the cleat base.

Abstract: An excavating bucket assembly for excavation apparatus that does not use pins to connect teeth to adaptors on the excavation bucket. Each adaptor includes a receiving portion defined therein that is at least partially defined by an abutment wall. Each tooth includes an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion adjacent the abutment wall and a locking portion adjacent the biasing portion. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engages the interference portion of its respective tooth. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the tooth to the adaptor. The locking section included at least one biasing plunger that engaged a corresponding biasing pin within the biasing portion when the connection system is in use.

Abstract: An excavating bucket assembly for excavation apparatus that does not use pins to connect teeth to adaptors on the excavation bucket. Each adaptor includes a receiving portion defined therein that is at least partially defined by an abutment wall. Each tooth includes an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion adjacent the abutment wall and a locking portion adjacent the biasing portion. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engages the interference portion of its respective tooth. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the tooth to the adaptor.

Abstract: An excavating bucket assembly for excavation apparatus that does not use pins to connect teeth to adaptors on the excavation bucket. Each adaptor includes a receiving portion defined therein that is at least partially defined by an abutment wall. Each tooth includes an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion adjacent the abutment wall and a locking portion adjacent the biasing portion. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engages the interference portion of its respective tooth. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the tooth to the adaptor. The locking section included at least one biasing plunger that engaged a corresponding biasing pin within the biasing portion when the connection system is in use.

Abstract: An excavating bucket assembly for excavation apparatus that does not use pins to connect teeth to adaptors on the excavation bucket. Each adaptor includes a receiving portion defined therein that is at least partially defined by an abutment wall. Each tooth includes an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion adjacent the abutment wall and a locking portion adjacent the biasing portion. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engages the interference portion of its respective tooth. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the tooth to the adaptor.

Abstract: An excavating bucket assembly for excavation apparatus that does not use pins to connect teeth to adaptors on the excavation bucket. Each adaptor includes a receiving portion defined therein that is at least partially defined by an abutment wall. Each tooth includes an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion adjacent the abutment wall and a locking portion adjacent the biasing portion. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engages the interference portion of its respective tooth. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the tooth to the adaptor.

Abstract: An excavation bucket assembly for an excavation apparatus such as a front-end loader includes a plurality of shrouds and tooth assemblies mounted along a lip of the bucket body. The shrouds are connected via reusable connection pins that are biased within aligned connection-holes with a plunger assembly mounted within the connection pin. The connection-holes are defined by two overlapping ovals, with the proximal oval having a larger radius as compared to the distal oval. Additionally, an improved attachment pin is utilized to connect a tooth portion to a tooth body portion of the tooth assemblies that provides for a secure and reliable attachment and easy exchange of worn tooth portions.

Abstract: An excavating bucket for rotating bucket excavators has a trough-shaped bucket having a forward edge formed by a U-shaped bucket lip. The lip has multiple shank holes and a cutting tooth in each shank hole which is removably attached to the lip. There are two sets of corner shank holes which lie on a circular line and receive a corresponding number of corner cutting teeth. Cutting portions of the corner teeth can be variously shaped so that the corner teeth can be adapted for varying cutting conditions. The cutting teeth have a weakening undercut adjacent their respective shafts so that forces acting on the teeth cause tooth deflections in the area of the recess while a remainder of the tooth, to which wear resistant layers of materials can be applied, is subjected to substantially no deflection to prevent a spalling of the wear resistant layers. An aft end of the bucket is defined by a multiplicity of side-by-side chains mounted on bars extending transversely between side plates of the bucket.

Abstract: A lip shroud system which requires no additional hardware to hold a lip shroud on the front lip of an excavation bucket. The front shroud is held by mating lugs to the adapter and to an adjacent tooth pinned to the adapter. The lip bottom is protected by a wear plate held on the front lip by the front shroud. The front shroud is out of engagement with the lip. Thus, even if the lip shroud should loosen, it does not cause wear on the lip. The front shroud wedges between adjacent parts of the adapter, sideways movement of the adapter is virtually eliminated. This greatly reduces the lip wear in the adapter area. The front lip of the assembly is protected by the front shroud which is locked in place by the teeth associated with the adapter for coupling the tooth to the bucket wherein no additional weight is added to the system because no additional hardware is required for connecting the shroud to the bucket, thereby minimizing costs.

Abstract: A C-clamp and a wedge of an adapter for an excavating bucket have locking parts which substantially eliminate any tendency for the wedge to become loosened from a space between the C-clamp and a wedge block. Spring loaded teeth in the front surface of the C-clamp are received in corresponding notches in the juxtaposed rear surface of the wedge. As the wedge is driven into its operating position, the spring loaded teeth in the front of the C-clamp alternately move into and out of the adjacent notches until the wedge is tight and as the teeth are received in the notches, thus locking the wedge in place. The wedge is removed by driving the wedge block downwardly, shearing a shear pin, thereby allowing the wedge block, the wedge and the C-clamp to be separated from the adapter and fall to the ground.

Abstract: An improved adapter and lip segment for an ore excavation bucket wherein the adapter can be coupled to an excavation tooth. The adapter is streamlined to minimize the weight of the lip segment and adapter combination yet the wear on the lip is minimized to extend the life of the operation of the lip and to minimize maintenance costs of the bucket. Each lip segment has a pair of pockets on the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The pockets are adapted to receive the ends of the pair of legs on each adapter, and in one embodiment, the adapter is coupled to the corresponding lip segment by a pin which extends through aligned holes in the legs of the adapter and the lip segment. The pin can be a spring pin or a wedge-shaped pin. In another embodiment, the lip segment has a pair of spaced, aligned holes and one of the legs of the adapter is alignable with the holes of the lip segment. A wedge block and a wedge key are forced into the aligned holes.

Abstract: An elongated flexible locking pin having one rounded and one flat end with the pin being made in two semi-cylindrical halves of different diameter and bonded together by a rubber substance which also covers the flat end of the pin and a small portion of the length of the pin adjacent to the flat end.

Abstract: A digging tooth and bucket lip engagement and support construction for the forward edge or cutting lip of an excavator bucket wherein the bucket is formed of sheet steel and the digging teeth provide the strength to said lip in the form of external stringers.

Abstract: An improved wedge and clamp locking system having an unidirectional interlock which can be disassembled to unlock the system rather than reversing the locking procedure by driving out the wedge.

Abstract: Removable bucket wheel teeth are provided with a rectangular-in-cross section shank portion and forwardly sloped shoulder areas for insertion into a complementarily-configured socket in a bucket lip. The resulting assembly is much more rigid and wears better than prior art tooth and lip configurations and tends to fracture preferentially when overstressed.