Abstract:
A frame apparatus that fits on the loader arms of a skid steer front loader. This frame apparatus serves as a platform upon which a plurality of hydraulically driven tools can be employed to grasp, lift, rotate, and transport heavy objects such as oil drums and telephone poles. The hydraulically driven tools are designed in a manner that allows them to be easily installed on, and removed from, the frame apparatus by one person. This is accomplished by having a frame member as part of the tool that slides over the end of the attached frame apparatus and is held in place by passing a pin through both of the attached frame members.

Description:
This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 09/039,751, filed Mar. 16, 1998 now abandoned, and claims the priority of this application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a front end loader attachment for utility tractors, and more specifically, to a front end loader attachment having multi-purpose tools for use on skid steer loaders or other similar vehicles. 
     Often times, industries such as factory yards, building sites, and farms utilize skid steer loaders. Skid steer loaders are small vehicles, typically having four wheels, which steer the vehicle by varying the speed of each individual wheel. Due to the unique steering method, skid steers are easily maneuverable in tight quarters. Thus, skid steer loaders have proven to be very efficient and necessary in many work situations having limited space. 
     As skid steers have increased in popularity, manufacturers have found it profitable to make large numbers of attachments for the front of skid steer loaders. These attachments include: snow blowers, sandbagging devices, log moving equipment, buckets, hole drilling equipment, and the like. The various attachments are limited only by the ability of the skid steers and the user&#39;s needs. 
     A prime example of the use of skid steers is in the farm yard. A farmer may typically need to move large barrels of chemicals, oil, and fuel from location to location. These needs may also include finding an easy way to tip the barrel to empty its contents. Farmers may also use an attachment for moving logs, telephone poles and large fence posts. It may be necessary in this situation to have some type of attachment that will articulate so a pole may be picked up if laying on its side, moved to proper location and rotated so that it may be placed, for example in a fence post hole or a telephone pole hole. 
     Though skid steer loaders have the convenience of attachment devices, users have encountered difficulties when utilizing several front end loader attachments at a job site. Some of these problems include: down time between connecting a new tool, connecting the hydraulics and control lines to the skid steer, and familiarizing the driver of the skid steer with the new controls of each different device. Users at a given location often may need several attachments to complete a given job. 
     In the past, a user would need to buy all of the attachments individually. The attachments are costly and each attachment may have redundant parts located on existing attachments, such as hydraulic cylinders, control lines and an attachment means for connecting to the skid steer loader. Often times, a user may spend a large sum of money on parts he may not need. 
     From this discussion, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a structure for skid steer loaders. This structure would need to readily attach to the skid steer loader, have a power means such as hydraulic cylinders and control lines that could be reused from attachment to attachment, and have a means of easily, quickly and inexpensively attaching various implements to the attachment means. Further, it may be desirable to provide such an attachment that provides many directions of movement for the attachment, including the ability to rotate. This problem has been solved by supplying a universal attachment mechanism for skid steers, having a hydraulically controlled cylinder, which may attach to the skid steer at an attachment point to which various tools may be affixed. Further, this attachment point is supplied with a control cylinder which allows the attachment point to rotate. Thus, the attachment point is able to minimize the expense while maximizing the number of tools a given user may have. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a means of pivotally mounting a plurality of tools to the forward end of a front end loader to be used in a number of applications that would allow a single person to handle and move heavy or bulky objects that would normally require the assistance of two or more persons. 
     It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a means that is configured in a manner that would allow a single individual to easily change and secure the tools to the front end loader, thus, allowing him to accomplish a number of tasks without the aid of other people. 
     It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a means that will allow an individual operator to not only manipulate an object in a vertical manner but also to change its orientation by rotating it around the central axis of the attachment. 
     It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide such a means of enabling an individual to manipulate heavy objects that is not only effective, but also inexpensive to own and operate. 
     These objectives are accomplished by the use of a frame apparatus that fits on the loader arms of a skid steer tractor. The frame apparatus serves as a platform upon which a plurality of hydraulically driven tools can be employed to grasp, lift and transport heavy objects such as oil drums and telephone poles. The hydraulically driven tools are designed in a manner that allows them to be easily installed on, and removed from, the frame apparatus by one person. This is accomplished by having a frame member as part of the tool that slides over the end of the attached frame apparatus and is held in place by passing a pin through both of the attached frame members. This design enables a single person to lift and move objects that would normally require two or more persons to accomplish. 
     Additionally, the present invention employs a pivotal mounting system in the attachment of the tools to the front end of the skid steer loader. This configuration allows the operator of the loader to not only pick up and transport large and heavy objects, but also to manipulate them rotationally around the central axis of the invention. The design of this feature is especially useful in working with objects such as telephone poles as it allows the operator to pick up a pole that is oriented in the horizontal plane and rotate to the vertical plane. Once the pole has rotated into position, it can then be placed into position vertically within a hole that has been dug specifically for that purpose. Additionally, the rotational ability of the present invention also enhances the flexibility of the plurality of tools that can be attached to the front end of a skid steer loader. 
     The rotation of the pivotal attachment plate component of the present invention is accomplished through the use of the pivot hydraulic cylinder. The pivot hydraulic cylinder is attached at its inner end to the lower inside edge of the pivot plate and at its outer end to the attachment bracket located at the outside edge of the attachment plate. This hydraulic cylinder is controlled by the skid steer operator through the skid steer&#39;s hydraulic system and the pressure and return hydraulic lines that are connected to it. By activating the cylinder it expands and forces the bottom of the pivot plate to rotate. This rotation of the pivot plate forces the central beam to also rotate which in turn imparts this rotational force to any of the tools attached to the present invention. Conversely, the retraction of the pivot hydraulic cylinder brings the pivot plate and any tool connected to it back to its original upright position. 
     The individual tools attached to the present invention are driven by a hydraulic cylinder which is mounted to the upper surface of the central beam and is also supplied with hydraulic pressure from the skid steer&#39;s system. The hydraulic cylinder is used generally to articulate the upper member of the attached tool. Thus, for example the skid steer operator controls the the hydraulic cylinder which in turn articulates the components of the attachment which allows the operator to accomplish the desired job. 
    
    
     For a better understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical skid steer loader being shown as equipped with the present invention which is configured with the barrel handler apparatus attached to the arms of the skid steer loader. 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the present invention showing it as configured with the grasping claw apparatus and illustrating the orientation of its major components in relation to the mounting plate. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the present invention showing it as configured with the grasping claw apparatus and illustrating the manner of construction of the invention and the grasping claw apparatus. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the present invention illustrating the manner in which a tool, in this case the grasping claw apparatus, is both fitted to and operated by the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the major components of the present invention and illustrates the position of the pivot plate and pivot hydraulic cylinder when the invention is in the normal position. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the major components of the present invention and illustrates the position of the pivot plate and pivot hydraulic cylinder when the invention is in the rotated position. 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the tree claw apparatus, an additional attachment tool that may be used with the present invention, illustrating the manner of construction when the tree claw is in the open position. 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the tree claw apparatus, illustrating the manner of construction when the tree claw is in the closed position, allowing for grasping and holding. 
     FIG. 9 is a top view of the tree claw apparatus, illustrating the manner of construction of the components of the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder with the tree claw arms. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIG.  1 , the pivoting skid steer loader attachment  10  is an accessory item intended to be used in conjunction with front end skid steer loaders  12 . Front end skid steer loaders  12  are typically highly maneuverable motor driven vehicle used to pick up and transfer raw materials having skid steer wheels  22  and loader arms  14  which are driven and controlled through the use of the loader arm hydraulic cylinders  20 . The front end skid steer loaders  12  also generally consist of a loader body  16  to which all of its components are attached and which also contains the loader cab  18  within which the operator sits during the use of the present invention. 
     The pivoting skid steer loader attachment  10  consists of an attachment plate  24  which is easily mounted to and dismounted from the forward most portion of the loader arms  14 . The operator of the front end skid steer loader  12  can control the present invention and any of its plurality of attachments through the front end skid steer loader  12  by manipulating the loader arms  14 . Thus, he can lift and carry large items, such as full oil barrels  30 , with only the effort of operating the hydraulic control and steering mechanisms of the front end skid steer loader  12 . 
     The hydraulic power needed to operate the present invention and its associated tools is supplied by the front end skid steer loader  12  through the primary hydraulic assembly  26  located st the front of one of the loader arms  14 . The primary hydraulic lines  28  span the space between the front of the loader arms  14  and the attachment plate  24  and are long enough to provide enough slack to allow for the changing position of the invention during operation. 
     The pivot assembly mount  54  extends forward from the face of the attachment plate  24  and provides the point at which the pivot assembly  31  is attached. The pivot plate assembly  31  consists primarily of the pivot plate  32  and the central beam  34 . The pivot plate  32  has attached to one of its lower corners the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  by use of the inside cylinder attachment fitting  44  and it is the combination of these components which provide the rotational force for the operation of the invention. Additionally, the central beam  34  is the portion of the pivot assembly  31  to which one of the plurality of tools can be attached to by the skid steer loader operator to perform a desired job. 
     One of the tools most commonly used with the present invention is the barrel handler assembly  36  which is illustrated in FIG.  1 . The barrel handler assembly  36  is primarily made up of the barrel handler arms  38  which are pivotally mounted hemispherical claw-like components and, in their closed position, having their most forward ends not quite joining to form a near circle with a forward facing gap. The pivotal attachment of the barrel handler arms  38  is accomplished at the arm mount assembly  40  at their inward end. The arm mount assembly  40  also serves to tie the barrel handler arms  38  to the forward end of the central beam  34  and, therefore, the present invention. This configuration allows the operator to open and close the barrel handler arms  38  which enables him to manipulate the barrel handler assembly  36  to grasp and lift large cylindrical objects such as oil barrels. 
     The orientation of an attachable tool, in this example a claw assembly  48 , in relation to the attachment plate  24  and the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is further illustrated in FIG.  2 . The pivot assembly  31  is located and mounted at the center of the attachment plate  24  which positions the claw assembly  48  in the position at which it can be most easily controlled and manipulated by the operator. The pivot plate  32  then extends downward from the central beam  34  so that its lowest edge is a relatively large distance from its point of attachment. This distance provides a greater amount of rotational leverage through the expanding and contracting action of the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  to the claw assembly  48  (or other attached tool) while the present invention is in use. The additional leverage created by this design enables the invention to rotate and manipulate greater loads without the need to increase the amount of power that is readily available from the hydraulic system of the front end skid steer loader  12 . 
     One of the lower corners of the pivot plate  32  is equipped with a protruding pivot tab  43  to which the inside cylinder attachment fitting  44  of the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is attached. From this point of attachment, the pivot hydraulic cylinder then extends outward to the edge of the attachment plate  24  where it is attached to the pivot cylinder attachment bracket by means of the outside cylinder attachment fitting  46 . The pivot cylinder attachment bracket  50  is a vertical plate located at one of the lower corners of the attachment plate  24  and is braced by a pair of horizontally extending bracket braces  52  that connect and help to secure the pivot cylinder attachment bracket  50  to the attachment plate  24 . 
     This FIG. also illustrates the manner in which hydraulic pressure is supplied to the present invention by the primary hydraulic lines  28 . The primary hydraulic lines  28  enter the attachment plate  24  behind the hydraulic control valve  60  which is located at the upper corner of the attachment plate  24  that is directly above the pivot cylinder attachment bracket  50 . The purpose of the hydraulic control valve  60  is to serve as switching point between the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  and the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72 . 
     From the point of entry behind the hydraulic control valve  60 , a portion of the hydraulic pressure is diverted by hydraulic control valve  60  through the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  through the pivot cylinder hydraulic feed line  62  and the pivot cylinder hydraulic return line  64 . The use of these components allows the operator to control the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  which in turn allows him to control the rotational orientation of the claw assembly  48  or other attached tool. Additionally, a portion of the hydraulic pressure supplied by the primary hydraulic lines  28  is similarly diverted through the articulation cylinder hydraulic feed line  74  and the articulation cylinder hydraulic return line  76 . This system provides for the control of individual components of the claw assembly  48  or other attached tool and will be explained in further detail below. 
     Additionally, the manner in which the present invention is constructed to provide the pivoting ability that is central to the purpose of the invention is further illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. As previously stated, the pivot assembly  31  is connected to the attachment plate  24  through the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42 . The pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is connected to the pivot tab  43  located at the lower inside corner of the pivot plate  32  by means of the inside cylinder attachment fitting  44 . The opposite end of the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is connected to the attachment plate  24  through the pivot cylinder attachment bracket  50  by means of the outside cylinder attachment fitting  46 . Additionally, these attachments are all pivotal in nature which allows the orientation of the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  to change in relation to the other components of the invention during operation. Finally, the hydraulic pressure necessary to expand and contract the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is supplied though the pivot cylinder hydraulic feed and return lines,  66  and  68 . 
     When the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is contracted (as illustrated in FIG.  5 ), the pivot plate  32  is oriented in the upright position with its wider and lower end positioned in a downward manner. This orientation transfers to any tool that is connected to the central beam  34  which means that it remains in the relative position at which it was fixed to the invention. Conversely, when the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  is expanded (as illustrated in FIG.  6 ), the bottom of the pivot plate  32  is forced away from the pivot cylinder attachment bracket  50  which rotates the entire pivot assembly, and any tools attached to it, as much as one hundred twenty-seven degrees. This design allows the operator of a front end skid steer loader  12  to rotate an object in this fashion which greatly increases the flexibility of such vehicles when used for these purposes. 
     The manner in which tools such as the claw assembly  48  are attached to and controlled by the present invention are further illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The attachment plate  24  is the component of the invention which connects it to the loader arms  14  of the front end skid steer loader  12 . The attachment plate  24  not only serves as the mounting mechanism for the present invention, but also provides the base upon which the other components of the present invention are built. Extending forward from the front of the attachment plate  24  is the pivot assembly mount  54 . The pivot assembly mount  54  is structurally braced in its initial portion by the horizontal mount brace  56  and the vertical mount brace  58 . These braces consists of four right triangles that are permanently attached to all four of the outer surfaces of the pivot assembly mount  54  on one side and to the front surface of the attachment plate  24  on the other. This configuration provides a more than adequate amount of structural integrity for the mounting of the pivot plate assembly  31  on its outer most surface. 
     The configuration of the pivot assembly mount  54  fixedly attaches it to the face of the attachment plate  24  which means that the rotational nature of the present invention come from the manner in which the pivot assembly  31  is mounted to the pivot plate mount  54 . Appropriately, the mounting of the pivot assembly  31  to the pivot assembly mount  54  is accomplished in such a manner that allows the pivot assembly  31  to rotate freely around the central axis of the pivot assembly mount  54  and the central beam  34 . Again, this rotational ability is controlled and limited by attachment of the pivot hydraulic cylinder  42  on the lower edge of the pivot plate  32 . 
     The end of the central beam  34  also provides the attachment point for the plurality of tools that can be used in conjunction with the present invention. This attachment is accomplished by using an attachment sleeve  90 , as illustrated by the rearward portion of the claw assembly  48 , which is slightly larger in its inside diameter than the outside diameter of the forward portion of the central beam  34 . Therefore, the attachment of the claw assembly  48  to the central beam  34  is accomplished by the user sliding the larger attachment sleeve  90  over the forward portion of the central beam  34 . Once this has been accomplished, the claw assembly is fixed in position by the inserting attachment retainer pin  82 , which is a large handled metal pin, through the attachment retainer pin holes  86  located in corresponding locations on the forward portion of the central beam  34  and the attachment sleeve  90 . Once the attachment retainer pin  82  has passed completely through these components, it is secured in place by the use of a retainer clip  80  which prevents attachment retainer pin  82  from slipping back through the attachment retainer pin holes  86 . This design provides for the secure attachment of a plurality of hydraulically articulated tools, such as the claw assembly  48 , to the central beam  34  of the present invention. 
     Additionally, the space between the pivot assembly  31  and the attached tool, in this case the claw assembly  48 , provides the point of attachment for the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72 . The attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  is the component of the invention which is used to control the positioning of individual components of the attached tool. The attached articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  is pivotally attached to one of the central beam braces  59  (which provide structural integrity to the pivot assembly  31 ) from where it extends diagonally forward and upward to terminate at the cylinder pin receptor  88 . The cylinder pin receptor  88  is the device by which the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  is connected to the upper jaw  66  of the claw assembly  48 . This connection is possible as the cylinder pin receptor  88  is equipped with a hole that can be positioned to correspond in location to the upper claw retainer pin hole  84  which is located at the rearward portion of the upper claw  66 . Once this positioning has been accomplished, the two components are held together by passing the upper claw retainer pin  78  through these aligned holes in much the same fashion as described for the attachment retainer pin  82  above where it is again held in place by the use of a retainer clip  80 . 
     The design of the claw assembly  48  in conjunction with the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  allows the upper claw  66  to open and close in relation to the lower claw  68 . The pivoting ability of the upper claw  66  in relation to the lower claw  68  is facilitated by the use of the claw pivot mount  70  which is used to attach the upper and lower claws,  66  and  68 , and allows the upper claw  66  to freely pivot around this point of attachment when the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  is activated by the operator. 
     The opening and closing action of the claw assembly  48  is controlled by the attachment articulating hydraulic cylinder  72  which is controlled in turn through the articulation cylinder hydraulic feed and return lines,  74  and  76 . As the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  is contracted, its connection to the rear portion of the upper claw  66  pulls it back around the claw pivot mount  70  which in turn opens the space between the forward portions of the upper and lower claws,  66  and  68 . This opening allows the operator to slip the claw assembly  48  over objects such as poles and the like whereupon the operator reverses the process by expanding the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinder  72  which forces the upper and lower claws,  66  and  68 , together and firmly grasps any object in between. With this accomplished, the operator can then manipulate the object into the position which is necessary to complete the job at hand with little physical effort. 
     An additional attachable tool that can be used in conjunction with the present invention and a front end skid steer loader  12  is illustrated in FIGS. 7,  8 , and  9 . This tool is referred to as a tree claw  92  and is most commonly employed to grasp the trunk portion of a tree to move it around during landscaping operations. The tree claw  92  is fitted to the forward portion of a front end skid steer loader  12  through the attachment plate  24  in much the same manner as described above with the other tools. 
     The tree claw  92  is primarily made up of the central claw body  94  and the two claw arms  96  that are pivotally attached to it forward edge. The claw body  94  is the portion of the tree claw  92  that attaches to the other components of the present invention. This attachment is accomplished by the use of an attachment sleeve  90  which is generally the most rearward portion of the claw body  94  and is held in the proper location by the use of the attachment retainer pin  82  which passes through the attachment sleeve from one side to the other. With this accomplished, the tree claw  92  is securely held in place on the present invention. 
     The inner edges of the claw arms  96  are lined with relatively thick plates made of a hard rubber or other similar material and are called the tree protection bumpers  98 . The purpose of these tree protection bumpers  98  is too keep the claw arms from digging too far into the bark of a tree while it is being transported by the use of the present invention. This is an important feature of the tree claw  92  tool because if the bark of a tree is damaged too severely during handling it will cause the tree to die. This potential result occurs because the water and other nutrients needed by the tree to live are gathered by the root system and are transported to the remainders of the tree by a thin layer of cells located just beneath the interior surface of the bark. If this layer is damaged or destroyed the flow of water and nutrients will be cut off and the tree will then wither and die. 
     The pivotal mounting of the claw arms  96  to the claw body  94  is accomplished by the use of the arm pivot mount bolts  100  which pass through both the width of the claw arms  86  and the forward end of the claw body  94 . This method of attachment allows the claws arms  96  to pivot around their mounting which allows them to be manipulated through hydraulic articulation. Additionally, the two claw arms  96  are designed in such a way that when their forward tips are forced to close by the hydraulic articulation, they can function much like a pair of common house scissors in that their tips can slide past one another in relation to the center longitudinal plane. This aspect of the design of the claw arms  96  is clearly illustrated in FIG.  8  and is important to the tree grasping function of the claw arms  96  as it allows the tree claw  92  to grab and effectively hold onto trees that are of relatively small diameters. 
     The opening and closing of the claw arms  96  is controlled by the use of attachment articulation hydraulic cylinders  72  which are supplied with hydraulic pressure by the articulation cylinder hydraulic feed and return lines,  74  and  76 , in much the same manner as previously described. The difference in the illustrated example is that there are two such attachment articulation hydraulic cylinders  72  used but the principles involved are the same as when a single unit is used. The attachment articulation hydraulic cylinders  72  are attached at their rearward end to the claw body  94  by the use of the rear cylinder mount pin  102  and at its forward end to the claw arms  96  by the front cylinder mount pin  104 . Additionally, these mountings are all pivotal in nature which allow the attachment articulation hydraulic cylinders  72  to change their orientation during claw arm  96  articulation. These design features of the tree claw  92  allow a user to easily pick up and move trees of varying sizes around a work site without damaging the delicate inner bark of the tree. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. For example, the type of tractor used may vary greatly. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.