A lock assembly for an excavator wear member

Abstract

A lock assembly for releasably securing an excavator tooth on a nose of an excavator. The lock assembly has a rigid lock member having a base portion and a retaining portion extending from the base portion. The base portion is adapted to be located in a retaining cavity of the nose and the retaining portion adapted to at least partially extend into a retaining aperture of the wear member. The lock assembly also has a resiliently deformable lock member, in use, adapted to be located within the retaining cavity of the nose to abut an upper face of the rigid lock member to thereby captively retain the base portion of the rigid lock member in the retaining cavity and the retaining portion at least partially within the retaining aperture such that side walls of the retaining portion of the rigid lock member bear against complimentary side walls of the retaining aperture of the wear member and opposed bearing faces of the base portion of the rigid lock member oppose and engage respective side walls of the retaining cavity of the nose of the excavator to thereby releasably secure the wear member on the nose of the excavator.

1 . A lock assembly for releasably securing an excavator tooth to a nose of an excavator, the lock assembly comprising:
 a rigid lock member having a base portion and a retaining portion extending from said base portion, the base portion adapted to be located in a retaining cavity of the nose and the retaining portion adapted to at least partially extend into a retaining aperture of the wear member; and   a resiliently deformable lock member, in use, adapted to be located within the retaining cavity of the nose to abut an upper face of the rigid lock member to thereby captively retain the base portion of the rigid lock member in the retaining cavity and the retaining portion at least partially within the retaining aperture such that side walls of the retaining portion of the rigid lock member bear against complimentary side walls of the retaining aperture of the wear member and opposed bearing faces of the base portion of the rigid lock member oppose and engage respective side walls of the retaining cavity of the nose of the excavator to thereby releasably secure the wear member to the nose of the excavator.   
     
     
         2 . The lock assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the retaining portion of the rigid lock member has outwardly convergent side wall portions adapted to oppose and engage complimentary inwardly divergent side walls of the retaining aperture of the wear member. 
     
     
         3 . The lock assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently deformable lock member is adapted to deform to allow passage through the retaining aperture of the wear member. 
     
     
         4 . The lock assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently deformable lock member has at least one latch adapted to be located inwardly of a side wall of the retaining aperture of the wear member. 
     
     
         5 . The lock assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently deformable lock member has at least one aperture extending from a front face thereof to a rear face of resiliently deformable lock member. 
     
     
         6 . The lock assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the aperture has a piercable membrane disposed therein adjacent the front face. 
     
     
         7 . The lock assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the piercable membrane is set back within the aperture adjacent the front face. 
     
     
         8 . The lock assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently deformable lock member has at least one latch located on a side thereof. 
     
     
         9 . A method of releasably securing an excavator tooth to a nose of an excavator, the method including the steps of:
   i. locating the excavator tooth upon the nose such that a retaining aperture located on at least one side wall of the excavator tooth at least partially aligns with a retaining cavity located in the nose;   ii. locating a rigid lock member within the retaining cavity such that a retaining portion of the rigid lock member extends outwardly of retaining cavity into retaining aperture of excavator tooth; and   iii. locating a resiliently deformable lock member within the retaining cavity, whereby the resiliently deformable lock member exerts a biasing force on rigid lock member to thereby captively retain rigid lock member within the retaining cavity.