Attachment for earth moving blade

Abstract

A dozer blade attachment comprising a bucket element having a closed floor panel ( 31 ) defining two opposed sides, a rear edge ( 35 ) and a front edge ( 33 ), where the rear and front edge are spaced from each other and extend between the sides, the bucket element further comprising two side panels ( 37 ), the side panels being located at the opposed sides of the floor panel and extending upwardly from the floor panel, the side panels extending at least partially between the front and rear edge, fixing means ( 41 ) provided in association with each side panel proximate the rear edge, the fixing means being adapted to enable the attachment to be mounted to a dozer blade to enable the attachment to be movable on the dozer blade about an axis substantially parallel to the main axis of the dozer blade between a lowered position at which the rear edge is closely adjacent the lower portion of the dozer blade and the floor panel extends forwardly there from to define a bucket having a substantially closed lower portion and a raised position at which the floor panel extends upwardly and the rear edge is spaced forwardly and upwardly from the dozer blade.

The claims defining the invention are as follows:  
     
         1 . A dozer blade attachment comprising a bucket element having a closed floor panel defining two opposed sides, a rear edge and a front edge, where the rear and front edge are spaced from each other and extend between the sides, the bucket element further comprising two side panels, the side panels being located at the opposed sides of the floor panel and extending upwardly from the floor panel, the side panels extending at least partially between the front and rear edge, fixing means being associated with each side panel proximate the rear edge, the fixing means being adapted to enable the attachment to be mounted to a dozer blade to enable the attachment to be movable on the dozer blade about an axis substantially parallel to the main axis of the dozer blade between a lowered position at which the rear edge is closely adjacent the lower portion of the dozer blade and the floor panel extends forwardly there from to define a bucket having a substantially closed lower portion and a raised position at which the floor panel extends upwardly and the rear edge is spaced forwardly and upwardly from the dozer blade.  
     
     
         2 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at  claim 1  wherein the side panels are convergent in height in the direction extending from the rear edge to the forward edge.  
     
     
         3 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at  claim 1  or  2  wherein the side panels extend beyond the rear edge to provide extensions and have a spacing such that the extensions can be located to each side of the dozer blade.  
     
     
         4 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at  claim 1  or  2  or  3  wherein the bucket comprises an upper extension panel which extends between the upper portion of each side panel wherein said rear panel provides an upper extension of the dozer blade when the bucket is in the lowered position.  
     
     
         5 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the forward end of the side panels terminate at the forward edge.  
     
     
         6 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the fixing means comprises a pivotable mounting.  
     
     
         7 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the pivotable mounting comprises a pivot pin receivable through aligned apertures provided between each side panel and the adjacent end of the dozer blade.  
     
     
         8 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at  claim 7  wherein the aligned aperture of the attachment or the dozer blade is slotted to enable the attachment to be variable in its disposition on the dozer blade.  
     
     
         9 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at  claim 7  or  8  wherein the pivotable mounting includes locking means for retaining the attachment at the lowered and/or the raised position.  
     
     
         10 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at  claim 9  wherein the locking means is adapted to be able to retain the attachment at one or more positions between the raised and lowered position.  
     
     
         11 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at any one of  claims 7  to  10  wherein the aligned aperture in the dozer blade comprises one of a set of apertures which can be selected to vary the disposition of the attachment when in the lowered position.  
     
     
         12 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at any one of  claims 7  to  10  wherein the aligned aperture in the attachment comprises one of a set of apertures which can be selected to vary the disposition of the attachment when in the lowered position.  
     
     
         13 . A dozer blade attachment as claimed at any one of claims  11  or  12  wherein at least one of the apertures of the set of apertures is slotted to enable the attachment to be variable in its disposition on the dozer blade when the at least one aperture is the aligned aperture.  
     
     
         14 . A dozer blade attachment substantially as herein described.