Patent ID: 9260836
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: E02F

Claim Text:
1. An earthmoving apparatus mounted on at least one of front and rear parts of an undercarriage of a construction machine, comprising: an earthmoving blade extending in a width direction of the undercarriage; a lifting unit arranged between the earthmoving blade and the undercarriage and fixed to the undercarriage, the lifting unit being configured to move the earthmoving blade up and down relative to the undercarriage; and a cover unit covering the lifting unit, wherein the earthmoving blade can be moved by the lifting unit between a grounded position in which the earthmoving blade is in contact with a ground surface and a retracted position in which the earthmoving blade is held highest off the ground surface, while keeping a nearly vertical orientation with respect to the ground surface, the cover unit includes a sub cover extending from a location above the lifting unit toward the earthmoving blade, and a main cover slidable on an upper surface of the sub cover, the main cover is pivotally attached to the earthmoving blade in such a manner that one end portion of the main cover is nearly in contact with a top surface of the earthmoving blade, and the other end portion of the main cover overlaps with the sub cover when the earthmoving blade is in the grounded position, the main cover includes a cover body overlapping with the sub cover, and side cover bodies projecting from respective opposite side edges of the cover body, the side cover bodies each have a curved elongate hole formed therethrough, the lifting unit has protrusions inserted through the respective elongate holes, the sub cover has a ridge protruding from the upper surface thereof and extending in a sliding direction of the main cover, and the main cover moves with sliding along the upper surface of the sub cover, so that the distal end of the main cover does not project upward away from the upper surface of the sub cover, when the earthmoving blade moves from the grounded position to the retracted position.