Multi-mode material moving attachment

Abstract

A multi-mode material moving attachment for a vehicle includes a box frame enclosing a first material collection space laterally and from behind, and a working panel pivotably mounted to the box frame. The box frame includes a rear wall having a rear face directed toward the vehicle and extending laterally between opposed side plates, the side plates projecting forward from, and fixed to, the rear wall. The working panel is pivotable about a lateral pivot axis between a bucket bottom position in which the working panel encloses the first material collection space from below, and a blade position for operating the attachment in a pusher mode for pushing material along the ground surface. The attachment optionally includes a back-drag assembly fixed to the box frame and including a back-drag blade for enclosing a second material collection space when operating the attachment in a back-drag mode.

1 . A multi-mode material moving attachment for a vehicle, comprising:
 a) a box frame including a rear wall having a rear face directed toward the vehicle and a front face opposite the rear face and extending in a lateral direction between opposed box side plates, the box side plates fixed to the rear wall, projecting forward of the front face, and having respective lower edges and inboard surfaces, the inboard surfaces directed toward each other for laterally enclosing a first material collection space forward of the front face;   b) a working panel pivotably mounted to the box frame for pivoting about a lateral pivot axis, the working panel having laterally spaced apart side edges proximate the inboard surfaces of the box side plates and spaced apart front and rear edges extending laterally between the side edges, and the working panel selectively pivotable about the pivot axis between:
 i) a bucket bottom position for operating the attachment in a bucket mode, and in which the side edges of the working panel are aligned with and proximate the lower edges of the box side plates, the rear edge is directed toward the rear wall, the front edge is directed away from the rear wall, and the working panel encloses the first material collection space from below to form a bucket bottom wall for supporting material received in the material collection space; and 
 ii) a blade position for operating the attachment in a pusher mode, and in which the side edges of the working panel are inclined relative to the lower edges of the box side plates, the lower edges alignable with a ground surface to be cleared, and wherein the working panel serves as a pusher blade for pushing material along the ground surface with the rear edge of the working panel extending between the lower edges of the box side plates to serve as a pusher blade edge for engaging the ground surface. 
   
     
     
         2 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein when the working panel is in the bucket bottom position, the front edge is spaced forward of the pivot axis and serves as a bucket edge for the bucket mode, and the rear edge is spaced rearward of the pivot axis toward the rear wall. 
     
     
         3 . The attachment of  claim 2 , wherein the front edge of the working panel is formed of hardened steel, and the rear edge of the working panel is formed of a polymeric material. 
     
     
         4 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein the rear wall has a rear wall bottom edge extending laterally between the box side plates, and the box frame has a bottom wall segment projecting forward from the rear wall bottom edge to the rear edge of the working panel in the bucket bottom position. 
     
     
         5 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein when the working panel is in the blade position, the front edge is at an elevation above the pivot axis and the rear edge is at an elevation below the pivot axis. 
     
     
         6 . The attachment of  claim 5 , wherein the pivot axis is proximate the rear edge of the working panel and at an elevation above and proximate the lower edges of the box side plates. 
     
     
         7 . The attachment of  claim 5 , wherein when the working panel is in the blade position, the front edge is spaced rearward of the pivot axis and adjacent the rear wall, and the rear edge is spaced forward of the pivot axis away from the rear wall. 
     
     
         8 . The attachment of  claim 7 , wherein when in the blade position, the working panel defines a blade working face directed away from the front face, the blade working face extending upwardly and sloping rearwardly from the rear edge to the front edge to provide the first material collection space with a moldboard profile for the pusher mode. 
     
     
         9 . The attachment of  claim 1 , further comprising a spring-loaded trip mechanism coupled between the working panel and the box frame, the trip mechanism permitting limited pivoting of the working panel from the blade position toward the bucket bottom position upon impact of the rear edge of the working panel with an obstacle on the ground surface being cleared. 
     
     
         10 . The attachment of  claim 9 , further comprising at least one actuator operable independent of the trip mechanism to urge pivoting of the working panel between the bucket bottom position and the blade position. 
     
     
         11 . The attachment of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder having a rod slidable in a cylinder housing between a first position corresponding to the bucket bottom position and a second position corresponding to the blade position, and the rod remains in the second position during activation of the trip mechanism. 
     
     
         12 . The attachment of  claim 1 , further comprising (c) a back-drag assembly including a back-drag frame projecting forward from an upper end of the box frame, the back-drag frame comprising a back-drag blade having a rear face directed toward and spaced apart from the box frame and enclosing a second material collection space between the rear face and the vehicle when the box frame is tilted to a back-drag position, in which the lower edges of the side plates are inclined relative to the ground surface and a back-drag blade edge of the back-drag blade engages the ground surface to back-drag material along the ground surface when the attachment is moved in a direction toward the vehicle for operating the attachment in a back-drag mode. 
     
     
         13 . The attachment of  claim 12 , wherein the rear face of the back-drag blade extends in the lateral direction between opposed back-drag side plates, the back-drag side plates projecting rearward of the rear face and having inboard surfaces directed toward each other for laterally enclosing the second material collection space. 
     
     
         14 . The attachment of  claim 12 , wherein the back-drag assembly includes a spring-loaded float mechanism coupled between the box frame and the back-drag frame, the spring-loaded float mechanism permitting limited deflection of the back-drag blade away from the box frame to provide float reaction when the back-drag blade is used over irregular terrain in the back-drag mode. 
     
     
         15 . The attachment of  claim 12 , wherein the working panel is pivotable into the blade position for operating the attachment in the back-drag mode, and wherein the attachment further comprises at least one actuator energizable for urging pivoting of the working panel between the bucket bottom position and the blade position. 
     
     
         16 . The attachment of  claim 15 , wherein when in the bucket bottom position, a panel extension is mountable to the front edge of the working panel to form an extended working panel projecting forward of the box side plates, the extended working panel pivotable from the bucket bottom position toward the blade position by the at least one actuator for grasping material between the panel extension and the box frame to operate the attachment in a grapple mode. 
     
     
         17 . A multi-mode material moving attachment for a vehicle, comprising:
 a) a box frame enclosing a material collection space laterally and from behind;   b) a working panel movably mounted to the box frame and selectively movable between:
 i) a bucket bottom position for operating the attachment in a bucket mode, and in which the working panel encloses the material collection space from below when the box frame is in an upright position to support material received in the material collection space, and 
 ii) a blade position for operating the attachment in a pusher mode, and in which the working panel encloses the material collection space from behind when the box frame is in the upright position to serve as a pusher blade for pushing material received in the material collection space along a ground surface in a direction away from the vehicle; and 
   c) a back-drag assembly projecting forward from an upper end of the box frame for operating the attachment in a back-drag mode, the back-drag assembly comprising a back-drag blade spaced apart from the box frame for engagement with the ground surface through tilting of the box frame from the upright position to a back-drag position to back-drag material along the ground surface with the back-drag blade in a direction toward the vehicle.   
     
     
         18 . The attachment of  claim 17 , further comprising at least one actuator energizable for urging pivoting of the working panel between the bucket bottom position and the blade position, and preferably further comprising a panel extension mountable to the working panel to form an extended working panel projecting forward of the box frame in the upright position, the extended working panel pivotable from the bucket bottom position upwardly toward the blade position by the at least one actuator for grasping material between the panel extension and the box frame to operate the attachment in a grapple mode. 
     
     
         19 . A method of operating a multi-mode material moving attachment for a vehicle, comprising:
 a) operating the attachment in a bucket mode for collecting material from a ground surface in a material collection space of the attachment, and during which the material collection space is bounded laterally and from behind by a box frame of the attachment and from below by a working panel of the attachment, the working panel serving as a bucket bottom wall for the bucket mode;   b) operating the material moving attachment in a pusher mode for pushing material received in the material collection space along the ground surface with the working panel in a direction away from the vehicle, and during which the material collection space is open from below and bounded from behind by the working panel, the working panel serving as a pusher blade for the pusher mode; and   c) operating the material moving attachment in a back-drag mode, in which the attachment is tilted to bring a blade of a back-drag assembly projecting forward from an upper end of the box frame into engagement with a ground surface for back-dragging the material with the blade along the ground surface in a direction toward the vehicle.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the working panel is in a first position for the bucket mode, and in a second position spaced apart from the first position for both the pusher and back-drag modes, and the method preferably further comprising: operating the attachment in a grapple mode, in which a panel extension is mounted to the working panel and projects forward from the box frame, and in which an actuator is energized to move the working panel in a direction towards the box frame for grasping material between the panel extension and the box frame.