Excavating lip-mounted adapter and associated connection and shielding apparatus

Abstract

Various embodiments of an excavating bucket are provided in which a spaced series of excavating tooth adapters are secured to a front edge of a lip portion of the bucket by welding opposite side ear portions of the adapters into complementarily shaped front edge recesses in the lip to thereby substantially strengthen the adapter/lip weld joints. Each adapter is configured in a manner such that no portion thereof extends rearwardly along the bottom side of the lip, thereby desirably reducing the vertical thickness of each adapter. Front lip edge protectors may be interdigitated with the adapters and suitably secured to the lip in a variety of manners, and replaceable tooth points are removably secured to front nose portions of the adapters.

1 . Excavating apparatus comprising: 
 a lip having a top side, a bottom side and a front edge;    a wear member having a body longitudinally extending transversely to said front edge and having a top portion extending rearwardly along said top side, and a front portion extending forwardly beyond said front edge; and    cooperating mounting portions on said lip and said wear member disposed laterally outwardly of said wear member body and between said top and bottom sides of said lip, said cooperating mounting portions overlapping in a front-to-rear direction and being fixedly secured to one another.    
   
   
       2 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein: 
 said cooperating mounting portions comprise a side projection formed on said wear member, and a recess extending rearwardly through said front edge of said lip and receiving said side projection.    
   
   
       3 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein: 
 said cooperating mounting portions are welded to one another along a front weld area.    
   
   
       4 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 3  wherein: 
 no portion of said front weld area appreciably projects upwardly past said top side of said lip.    
   
   
       5 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 3  wherein: 
 said cooperating mounting portions include a side projection formed on said wear member, and    said front weld area has a forwardly facing surface portion shielded by a portion of said side projection.    
   
   
       6 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 3  wherein: 
 said front weld area has a forwardly facing surface portion, and    said excavating apparatus further comprises a lip protector secured to said front edge of said lip laterally adjacent said wear member and shielding said forwardly facing surface portion of said weld area.    
   
   
       7 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein: 
 said cooperating mounting portions are welded to one another along a front weld area extending laterally outwardly from said wear member adjacent said front edge of said lip.    
   
   
       8 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein: 
 said excavating apparatus is an excavating bucket.    
   
   
       9 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein: 
 said wear member is an adapter, and    said front portion of said wear member is an adapter nose.    
   
   
       10 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 9  further comprising: 
 a replaceable tooth point captively retained on said adapter nose.    
   
   
       11 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein: 
 no appreciable portion of said wear member extends rearwardly beneath said bottom side of said lip.    
   
   
       12 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 a lip protector secured to said front edge of said lip laterally adjacent said wear member and rearwardly extending along said bottom side of said lip beneath said top portion of said wear member.    
   
   
       13 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 2  wherein: 
 said front edge of said lip has a downwardly and forwardly sloped top side portion, and    said cooperating mounting portions are welded to one another along a weld area which extends forwardly along said downwardly and forwardly sloped top side portion of said front edge of said lip.    
   
   
       14 . Excavating apparatus comprising: 
 an excavating lip structure having a top side and a front edge portion with a notched area extending rearwardly therethrough; and    a wear member projecting forwardly beyond said front edge portion, said wear member having a top portion extending rearwardly along said top side of said lip structure, and a pair of opposite side projections complementarily received and welded within said notched area.    
   
   
       15 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 14  wherein: 
 said notched area has a generally semicircular configuration.    
   
   
       16 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 14  wherein; 
 said notched area and said opposite side projections are welded to one another along a weld area disposed between said top and bottom sides of said lip and laterally offset from opposite sides of said wear member.    
   
   
       17 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 16  wherein: 
 said wear member is an adapter having a nose portion projecting forwardly beyond said front edge portion of said lip, and    said excavating apparatus further comprises a replaceable tooth point captively retained on said adapter nose.    
   
   
       18 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 14  wherein: 
 said excavating apparatus is an excavating bucket.    
   
   
       19 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 14  wherein: 
 no appreciable portion of said wear member extends rearwardly beneath said bottom side of said lip.    
   
   
       20 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 19  further comprising: 
 first and second lip protectors secured to said front edge of said lip laterally adjacent opposite sides of said wear member and rearwardly extending along said bottom side of said lip.    
   
   
       21 . A wear member for an excavating bucket or the like, comprising: 
 an elongated body having a nose portion from which only a top leg rearwardly extends in a longitudinal direction; and    a pair of mounting ears extending laterally outwardly from a lower side portion of said top leg adjacent its juncture with said nose portion.    
   
   
       22 . The wear member of  claim 21  wherein: 
 said wear member is an adapter.    
   
   
       23 . The wear member of  claim 21  wherein: 
 said mounting ears have arcuate rear side surfaces.    
   
   
       24 . The wear member of  claim 21  wherein: 
 said mounting ears having downwardly and forwardly sloped top side surfaces on front portions thereof.    
   
   
       25 . The wear member of  claim 21  wherein: 
 said mounting ears have generally planar top side surfaces and generally planar front side surfaces transverse to said top side surfaces.    
   
   
       26 . The wear member of  claim 21  wherein: 
 each mounting ear has a forwardly projecting front portion that laterally outwardly projects past the balance of such mounting ear.    
   
   
       27 . The wear member of  claim 21  wherein: 
 each mounting ear has laterally outwardly and downwardly sloped laterally outer side surface portions.    
   
   
       28 . Excavating apparatus comprising: 
 a lip having a top side, a bottom side and a front edge having a length;    a plurality of wear members spaced apart along the length of said front edge, each wear member having a body longitudinally extending transversely to said front edge and having a top portion extending rearwardly along said top side, and a front portion extending forwardly beyond said front edge;    cooperating mounting portions on said lip and said wear members disposed laterally outwardly of opposite sides of each wear member body and between said top and bottom sides of said lip, the cooperating mounting portions at each wear member overlapping in a front-to-rear direction and being fixedly secured to one another;    a plurality of lip protectors inderdigitated with said wear members along said front edge of said lip; and    mounting apparatus securing said lip protectors to said lip.    
   
   
       29 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 for each wear member said cooperating mounting portions comprise a pair of opposite side projections formed on the wear member and a recess extending rearwardly through said front edge of said lip and complementarily receiving said side projections.    
   
   
       30 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 at each wear member the associated cooperating mounting portions are welded to one another along a front weld area.    
   
   
       31 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 30  wherein: 
 at each wear member no portion of its associated front weld area appreciably projects upwardly past said top side of said lip.    
   
   
       32 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 30  wherein: 
 at each wear member its associated front weld area has a forwardly facing surface portion shielded by portions of said side projections.    
   
   
       33 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 30  wherein: 
 each of said front weld areas has a forwardly facing surface portion, and    the lip protectors on opposite sides of each wear member shield the front weld area.    
   
   
       34 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 at each wear member said cooperating mounting portions are welded to one another along a front weld area extending laterally outwardly from the wear member adjacent said front edge of said lip.    
   
   
       35 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 said excavating apparatus is an excavating bucket.    
   
   
       36 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 said wear members are adapters, and    said front portions of said wear members are adapter noses.    
   
   
       37 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 no appreciable portions of said wear members extend rearwardly along said bottom side of said lip.    
   
   
       38 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 37  wherein: 
 said lip protectors rearwardly extend directly along said bottom side of said lip.    
   
   
       39 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 said mounting apparatus includes weldments secured to said bottom side of said lip and interlocked with rear portions of said lip protectors.    
   
   
       40 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 said mounting apparatus includes telescoped connection portions formed on said lip and said lip protectors and having aligned fastening openings formed therein, and a fastening structure extending through said aligned fastening openings and removably intersecuring said connection portions.    
   
   
       41 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 said lip protectors extend along said bottom side of said lip and having openings therein,    said lip has openings aligned with said openings in said lip protectors, and    said lip protectors are captively retained on said lip by fastening structures extending upwardly through said aligned lip and lip protector openings.    
   
   
       42 . The excavating apparatus of  claim 28  wherein: 
 said wear members have underside recesses therein with upper walls with first fastening openings extending upwardly therethrough,    said lip protectors have opposite ends with upturned tab portions with outer side recesses therein, tab portions of lip protectors on facing ends of adjacent pairs of lip protectors projecting upwardly into said underside recesses with the facing outer side recesses of each adjacent tab pair forming second fastening openings within the underside recesses in said wear members, and    fastening structures extending through said first and second fastening openings and securing said lip protectors to said wear members.