Adapter to excavator lip mounting with enhanced service life

Abstract

A wear component assembly can include a forward stabilizer attached to a forward end of a material handling implement lip, the forward stabilizer including inwardly facing abutment surfaces to engage respective outwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in an adapter. A wear component assembly can include a rear stabilizer attached to a rear fitment pad of a material handling implement lip, the rear stabilizer including inwardly facing abutment surfaces to engage respective outwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in a leg of an adapter. A wear component assembly can include a fastener abutment attached to a side of a material handling implement lip at a forward end of a fastener opening, and a fastener assembly extending through the fastener opening to thereby secure an adapter to the material handling implement lip.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wear component assembly for use with a material handling implement, the wear component assembly comprising:
 a forward stabilizer configured to attach to a forward end of a lip of the material handling implement, the forward stabilizer comprising first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces,   in which the first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces are configured to engage respective first and second outwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in an adapter to thereby limit lateral movement of the adapter on the material handling implement lip.   
     
     
         2 . The wear component assembly of  claim 1 , in which the forward stabilizer comprises a recess formed therein, the recess being configured to receive a protrusion that extends forward from the lip of the material handling implement. 
     
     
         3 . The wear component assembly of  claim 1 , in which the forward stabilizer comprises an opening formed through the forward stabilizer, the opening being configured to receive a protrusion that extends forward from the lip of the material handling implement. 
     
     
         4 . The wear component assembly of  claim 3 , in which the protrusion comprises third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces formed thereon, the third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces being configured to engage respective third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in the adapter. 
     
     
         5 . The wear component assembly of  claim 1 , in which each of the first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces wraps around the forward end of the material handling implement lip. 
     
     
         6 . The wear component assembly of  claim 1 , in which the forward stabilizer further comprises third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces, the first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces being positioned on a first side of the material handling implement lip, and the third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces being positioned on an opposite second side of the material handling implement lip. 
     
     
         7 . The wear component assembly of  claim 6 , in which the forward stabilizer further comprises third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces, the third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces being configured to engage respective fifth and sixth inwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in the adapter. 
     
     
         8 . The wear component assembly of  claim 1 , in which an external radius formed on a forward end of the forward stabilizer engages a complementarily shaped internal radius formed in the adapter, and in which a thickness of the forward stabilizer decreases rearward of the external radius. 
     
     
         9 . The wear component assembly of  claim 8 , in which the external and internal radii are concentric. 
     
     
         10 . The wear component assembly of  claim 8 , in which a gap between the forward stabilizer and the adapter increases rearward of the external radius. 
     
     
         11 . A wear component assembly for use with a material handling implement, the wear component assembly comprising:
 a first rear stabilizer configured to attach to a first rear fitment pad of a lip of the material handling implement, the first rear stabilizer comprising first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces,   in which the first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces are configured to engage respective first and second outwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in a first leg of an adapter to thereby limit lateral movement of the first leg on the material handling implement lip.   
     
     
         12 . The wear component assembly of  claim 11 , in which the first and second inwardly facing abutment surfaces comprising opposing sides of a longitudinal slot formed in the first rear stabilizer. 
     
     
         13 . The wear component assembly of  claim 12 , further comprising a fastener abutment configured to attach to the material handling implement lip at a forward end of a fastener opening that extends through the material handling implement lip, the fastener abutment being longitudinally aligned with the slot. 
     
     
         14 . The wear component assembly of  claim 13 , in which a fastener assembly extends through the fastener opening between the first rear stabilizer and the fastener abutment. 
     
     
         15 . The wear component assembly of  claim 11 , further comprising a second rear stabilizer configured to attach to a second rear fitment pad of the material handling implement lip, the second rear stabilizer comprising third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces,
 in which the third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces are configured to engage respective third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces formed in a second leg of the adapter to thereby limit lateral movement of the second leg on the material handling implement lip.   
     
     
         16 . The wear component assembly of  claim 11 , in which the first and second outwardly facing abutment surfaces are formed on respective opposing lateral sides of a first tab formed in the first leg of the adapter. 
     
     
         17 . The wear component assembly of  claim 16 , in which third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces are formed on respective opposing lateral sides of a second tab formed in a second leg of the adapter. 
     
     
         18 . The wear component assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising a second rear stabilizer configured to attach to a second rear fitment pad of the material handling implement lip, the second rear stabilizer comprising third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces,
 in which the third and fourth inwardly facing abutment surfaces are configured to engage the respective third and fourth outwardly facing abutment surfaces.   
     
     
         19 . The wear component assembly of  claim 11 , further comprising a second rear stabilizer configured to attach to a second rear fitment pad of the material handling implement lip, first and second tabs formed in the adapter and configured to slidingly engage the respective first and second rear stabilizers, and first and second fastener abutments configured to attach to respective opposite sides of the material handling implement lip,
 in which a distance between upper and lower surfaces of the respective first and second fastener abutments is greater than or equal to a distance between the first and second tabs.   
     
     
         20 . A wear component assembly for use with a material handling implement, the wear component assembly comprising:
 a first fastener abutment configured to attach to a first side of a lip of the material handling implement at a forward end of a fastener opening that extends through the material handling implement lip; and   a fastener assembly configured to extend through the fastener opening to thereby secure an adapter to the material handling implement lip.   
     
     
         21 . The wear component assembly of  claim 20 , in which the first fastener abutment comprises a rearwardly facing first abutment surface, and in which the fastener assembly contacts the first abutment surface when the fastener assembly is positioned in the fastener opening. 
     
     
         22 . The wear component assembly of  claim 21 , in which a wedge of the fastener assembly contacts the first abutment surface when the fastener assembly is positioned in the fastener opening. 
     
     
         23 . The wear component assembly of  claim 21 , further comprising a second fastener abutment configured to attach to a second side of the material handling implement lip at the forward end of the fastener opening, in which the second fastener abutment comprises a rearwardly facing second abutment surface, and in which the fastener assembly contacts the second abutment surface when the fastener assembly is positioned in the fastener opening. 
     
     
         24 . The wear component assembly of  claim 23 , in which a distance between upper and lower surfaces of the respective first and second fastener abutments is greater than a thickness of the material handling implement lip. 
     
     
         25 . The wear component assembly of  claim 23 , in which the distance between the upper and lower surfaces of the respective first and second fastener abutments is greater than a distance between first and second tabs formed in rearward ends of respective first and second legs of the adapter. 
     
     
         26 . The wear component assembly of  claim 25 , in which the first and second tabs are configured to engage first and second slots formed in respective first and second rear stabilizers attached to the respective first and second sides of the material handling implement lip. 
     
     
         27 . The wear component assembly of  claim 26 , in which the first and second rear stabilizers are attached to respective first and second fitment pads on the respective first and second sides of the material handling implement lip. 
     
     
         28 . The wear component assembly of  claim 23 , in which the first and second fastener abutments are integrally formed as a single component, in which the first and second fastener abutments are connected by an extension, and in which the extension is configured to extend through the fastener opening. 
     
     
         29 . The wear component assembly of  claim 28 , in which the extension is configured to complementarily engage the forward end of the fastener opening and a wedge of the fastener assembly. 
     
     
         30 . The wear component assembly of  claim 20 , in which a second fastener abutment is configured to attach to a second side of the material handling implement lip at the forward end of the fastener opening, and in which a distance between upper and lower surfaces of the respective first and second fastener abutments is greater than a distance between upper and lower surfaces of respective first and second fitment pads at a rearward end of the fastener opening.