Scraper blade for toothed buckets of earth working machines

A scraping blade adapted for quick, simple and easy attachment to and removal from a bucket of the type used with a backhoe or like earth working machine, wherein the lower cutting edge of the bucket has a plurality of outwardly projecting teeth terminating in tapered cutting/tearing points. The blade includes front and back plates providing a straight lower scraping edge and a substantially "V" shaped upwardly open receptacle or socket sized and configured to receive and snugly engage the projecting points of the bucket teeth. The front plate includes forwardly angled end sections adapted to prevent the spill over of dirt from the blade as it is being used to scrape and/or level dirt. The blade is releasably yet securely held in position on the bucket by a binder device consisting of a tether attached to the blade generally intermediate its ends, a hook attachable to a fixed support carried by the bucket, and a binder device releasably coupled to the tether and hook, the binder device being manually operable to pull the tether toward the fixed support to seat and maintain the teeth points in the blade socket under tension sufficient to prevent undesired shifting or movement of the blade relative to the bucket or its teeth as the blade is being used to scrape or level dirt.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an attachment for toothed buckets of the type 
used on earth working equipment, and more particularly to a system by 
which a scraper blade is quickly, easily and securely mounted by one 
person without tools over the cutting/ripping teeth of such a bucket to 
provide a straight lower scraping edge which will leave a relatively 
smooth even surface when the bucket with mounted blade is used for such 
work as leveling, grading or back filling dirt into an open trench or 
other excavation. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In the usual building or construction project, considerable trenching and 
digging normally are required as a part of such work as pouring concrete 
footings and foundations, laying water lines, installing drainage tile and 
sewer pipes and systems, uncovering existing utility pipes and lines, 
waterproofing and reinforcing existing foundations, and the like. Much of 
this trenching and digging is accomplished by the use of an earth working 
machine designed primarily for that type of work, such as a backhoe or 
similar machine equipped with a hydraulically operated boom provided at 
its distal end with a bucket capable of digging into and picking up and 
removing dirt, rocks, rubble, and like materials (all hereinafter 
generally called "dirt"). The cutting edge of the bucket is provided with 
a row of outwardly projecting heavy duty pointed teeth designed to 
withstand considerable abuse and pressure in order to accomplish the 
ripping and cutting normally necessary to penetrate, break and pick up the 
dirt being excavated, 
In a construction or building project of any significant size, use of a 
backhoe or similar boom equipped machine normally is used primarily for 
such work as digging and trenching and not for back filling, leveling or 
grading because of certain problems inherent in using a toothed bucket for 
such "finishing" work. Instead, a separate grader or end loader with a 
straight edge scraper blade normally is employed to push dirt back into 
the trenches and excavations and perform other leveling and grading 
operations around the construction site. 
On smaller or emergency jobs requiring use of a backhoe, however, a 
separate grader or end loader seldom is available. This makes it necessary 
on such jobs to refill trenches and excavations and otherwise level and 
grade dirt either manually or with the backhoe, or using a combination of 
the two. 
As those in the construction business are aware, the normal backhoe bucket 
is quite unsatisfactory for use in scraping dirt back into a trench or 
excavation or in leveling or grading a work area because of the presence 
of the teeth on the lower edge of the bucket. If the bucket is held high 
enough to avoid penetration of the teeth into the ground being cleared, 
considerable dirt is left behind and must then be raked or shoveled 
manually. Or if the bucket is lowered enough to scrape most of the dirt 
from the ground to be cleared, the teeth will penetrate into and tear and 
damage the ground, thus again requiring manual leveling and finishing. 
In some cases, the operator may be able to position his or her backhoe and 
boom such that the side of the bucket can be used to scrape dirt back into 
a trench or excavation without excessively tearing up the ground being 
cleared. Even this contingency is far from satisfactory, however, as the 
bottom edge of the side of a bucket is relatively narrow, normally is 
curved and thus does not scrape evenly, and has no provision for 
preventing the "spill over" of dirt or other material from the sides of 
the bucket, thus necessitating an excessive number of passes of the 
bucket. 
The problems discussed above have long been recognized by those in the 
field, and several proposals have been made for their solution. For 
instance, to adapt the usual toothed bucket for scraping and back filling, 
it has been suggested that a separate straight edge blade be positioned 
over and bolted, clamped or otherwise attached to the teeth or the bucket. 
For a variety of reasons, however, none of these prior proposals have 
proven satisfactory or met with any significant commercial success. 
Accordingly, until development of the present invention, the industry has 
continued to experience problems in trying to use the usual toothed 
backhoe bucket for back filling, scraping, leveling or otherwise grading 
dirt. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a system for 
easily and quickly adapting a toothed earth working bucket for uses other 
than trenching and digging. 
Another object of the invention is the provision of a scraper blade which 
can be mounted quickly, easily and securely over the teeth of an earth 
working bucket to adapt the bucket for use in back filling, scraping and 
leveling dirt. 
A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved system 
for easily and quickly mounting a scraping and leveling blade on a toothed 
earth working bucket without modifying or changing the bucket. 
An additional object of the invention is the provision of a scraper blade 
which can be mounted on earth working buckets of various widths and with 
various numbers of teeth and which is safe, convenient and efficient in 
its application and use. 
Yet an additional object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive yet 
tough and long lasting scraping and leveling blade adapted to be mounted 
quickly and easily by one person over the teeth of the usual earth working 
bucket without the use of tools or special equipment of any kind. 
A still further object of this invention is the provision of a scraper 
blade for a toothed bucket, the blade having a substantially straight 
lower scraping edge and angled end sections which resist the spill-over of 
dirt from the blade. 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will be apparent from the following summary and description of the 
preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying 
drawings. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
As pointed out hereinabove, contractors and workers in the construction 
industry have long sought a practical way to employ a toothed earth 
working bucket as a scraper blade to level and smooth the bottom of 
trenches, to back fill trenches and other excavations, to level and grade 
loose dirt, or otherwise move dirt over a surface without danger that such 
surface will be damaged or left with ridges and grooves by the teeth of 
the bucket. 
The present invention provides a unique system which not only successfully 
addresses the above discussed needs of the construction industry but 
avoids the problems and disadvantages inherent in the various proposals 
advanced in the past by others in an effort to satisfy those needs. These 
advantages and features are provided in the preferred embodiment of the 
present invention by the combination of a unique scraper blade and novel 
binder means which permit secure mounting of the blade over the teeth of 
the bucket of a backhoe or like machine at the work site easily, quickly 
and safely by one person without the need for tools or other aids of any 
kind. Subsequent removal of the blade from the bucket to permit its use in 
the normal manner for digging and trenching likewise is simple, safe and 
conveniently handled by one person without tools or other aids. 
The scraper blade consists of a front plate having a generally rectangular 
center section terminating at each end in an angularly disposed end 
section, a generally rectangular back plate substantially equal in size to 
and positioned in general congruence with the center section of the front 
plate, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the plates. The lower 
edge of the back plate is welded to or otherwise permanently connected or 
joined to the center section of the front plate proximate its lower edge, 
with the two plates diverging away from each other at an angle 
approximately equal to the taper of the teeth which project outwardly of 
the cutting edge of the bucket. The spacers are cut at the same angle as 
the taper of the teeth, and are disposed between and welded or otherwise 
permanently affixed to the plates. One spacer is positioned at each end of 
the center section, with additional spacers being disposed at pre-selected 
positions between the ends. The two plates and spacers thus define an 
upwardly open receptacle or "socket" sized to snugly and securely yet 
releasably receive the outer pointed ends of the teeth of the bucket at 
such time as the operator of the backhoe elects to place the blade on the 
bucket for scraping or leveling purposes. 
In assembling the scraper blade, the front and back plates are positioned 
such that the end sections of the front plate are angled forwardly of the 
center section to act as "guides" to move dirt toward the center section 
of the blade as dirt is accumulated during scraping movement of the blade. 
Accordingly, unless the blade has been permitted to accumulate an 
excessive amount of dirt, the angled end sections will prevent the 
overflow or "spill-over" of dirt as it is being moved, thus maximizing the 
effectiveness of the blade. 
The scraper blade is held securely on the teeth of the bucket by the 
aforesaid binder means, comprising anchor means for attachment to a fixed 
support member carried by the bucket, connector means carried by the blade 
intermediate its ends, and a binder assembly operatively disposed between 
and releasably connected by the anchor means to the fixed support member 
of the bucket and the connector means of the blade. The binder assembly 
has an operating element which is manually movable in one direction to 
pull the connector means toward the support member and secure the blade 
tightly over the teeth of the bucket, and in a second direction to relieve 
the tension on the connector means and permit disconnection of the binder 
assembly and anchor means from the fixed support member and removal of the 
blade from the bucket. 
Although a scraper blade designed according to the present invention is 
quite rigid and strong, it is relatively light. Accordingly, a single 
person of normal strength should have no difficulty in picking up one of 
the blades, placing the blade over the teeth of the usual backhoe bucket, 
and then in securing the blade to the bucket with the manually operated 
binder means. Alternately, should the operator of a backhoe wish to do so, 
the blade could be mounted simply by standing it upright on the ground, 
positioning the bucket over the blade with the teeth aligned with the 
socket between the plates of the blade, lowering the bucket to insert the 
teeth into the socket, and manually connecting and operating the binder 
assembly to secure the blade on the teeth. Removal of the blade would 
simply involve a reversal of these simple steps. Regardless of the 
mounting procedure selected, however, installation and removal of the 
blade would be accomplished 
quickly (requiring perhaps a minute or two at the most), 
safely (not even requiring that the blade be picked up by the operator) and 
without tools or other aids (all steps being performed manually). 
As will be understood from the following discussion, this invention is not 
limited to a blade of any particular length or height as both dimensions 
normally would be selected based on the width of the bucket on which the 
blade is to be used and the amount and kind of dirt or other material to 
be moved. Further, from the following description, it will be understood 
that this invention is not limited to any specific type of binder means or 
assembly. Also, while the following description and the accompanying 
drawings refer primarily to and illustrate toothed buckets for backhoes, 
the invention is applicable to toothed buckets as used on other types of 
equipment, such as end loaders.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Continuing now with a more detailed description of the drawings, reference 
is first made to FIG. 1 showing the front section of an earth working 
machine 10 of the type having a boom 12 which carries at its distal end 
the usual toothed bucket 14. The boom 12 of this machine, commonly called 
a backhoe, includes inner and outer arms 16 and 18 which are connected by 
a pivot pin 20 and which are selectively raised and lowered during 
operation of the machine by hydraulic cylinders 22 and 24. As will be 
clear from the drawing, activation of cylinder 22 will cause inner arm 16 
to move in an arc around the main support axle 26 and activation of 
cylinder 24 will cause outer arm 18 to move in an arc around pivot pin 20. 
The position of the bucket around pivot rod 30 is then controlled by the 
combination of the cylinder 28 and link 31 acting through the operating 
pin 32 in a manner well known in the field. 
The entire boom assembly 12 is mounted on and movable back and fourth in an 
arc around a pair of aligned shafts 34 which rotatably connect support 
arms 36 of the backhoe 10 and support arms 38 of the boom 12. Movement of 
boom 12 is then controlled by hydraulic cylinder 40 which is connected at 
one end to the backhoe 10 and at the other end to the mounting bracket 42 
of boom 12. Thus, as dirt is picked up in the bucket 14 while in use in a 
trenching or digging operation, the bucket can be swung to either side of 
the trench or excavation before being emptied. 
Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, the bucket 14 is of the usual 
design and construction, being formed of a tough steel sheet material, 
with a curved back wall 44 and generally parallel side walls 46. Two 
mounting brackets 47 are welded or otherwise permanently affixed in a 
spaced parallel relationship to the exterior of the bucket 14 over its 
upper end and are provided with sets of aligned apertures as are necessary 
to receive and hold pivot rod 30, operating pin 32 and an additional 
support rod to be described hereinafter. The forward or leading edge of 
each side wall 46 preferably is protected and reinforced by a rigid steel 
frame member 48 which is provided with a pointed leading edge. Further, a 
relatively thick reinforcing bar 50 formed of a tough steel alloy, is 
mounted over the lower terminal end of the back wall 44. As with the frame 
members 48, the leading edge of the reinforcing bar 50 is tapered to a 
relatively sharp point 52 to assist in cutting through hardened or 
compacted dirt while the bucket is being used for digging or trenching. 
Mounted on and spaced across the reinforcing bar 50 are a plurality of 
pointed teeth 54 which are formed of a hard, tough and long wearing steel 
and which are needed in order to cut into and/or break up and loosen 
whatever compacted dirt, rocks, rubble or other materials that may be 
encountered at the construction site where the backhoe is being used. It 
will be understood, therefor, that the use of cutting/ripping teeth are 
necessary if the bucket of a backhoe or like digging machine is to perform 
the work for which it is intended. As pointed out in some detail 
hereabove, however, the presence of such teeth on a backhoe bucket 
severely limit the use of the machine for anything except digging. In many 
cases, it could well be used for other purposes such as back filling holes 
and trenches, leveling and grading, particularly for relatively small or 
emergency jobs where it would not be feasible either economically or 
time-wise to bring in graders and other specialized equipment. 
While others have advanced various proposals for overcoming the limitations 
and problems created by the teeth present on the usual backhoe bucket, the 
present invention provides what is believed to be the first commercially 
viable solution to those problems. In this connection, attention is first 
called to FIG. 1, in which the bucket 14 is shown as carrying a scraper 
blade 56 mounted on the outer tapered end of the teeth 54, with binding 
means 58 securing the blade 56 against movement in response to the major 
pressures and forces generated during use of the blade in scrapping or 
leveling dirt in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. 
As best shown in FIGS. 2-7, blade 56 includes a front plate 60 formed of a 
tough steel sheet material and comprised of a generally planar rectangular 
center section 62 having extending from each end thereof a relatively 
short rectangular end section 64. As will be noted, the end sections 64 
are angled inwardly toward center section 62. As the blade is being used 
to scrape or level dirt in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. these inward 
angled end sections 64 will effectively guide dirt toward the center 
section 62 as it is encountered by blade 56, thus eliminating or 
substantially reducing any spill over or loss of dirt from the ends of the 
blade. The specific angle selected for use in positioning the end sections 
64 with respect to the plane of center section 62 is not critical, but an 
angle of about 45.degree. has been found desirable in the preferred 
embodiment. Also, it should be noted that while the center section 62 and 
end sections 64 of front plate 60 are shown as being formed from a single 
elongate piece of steel sheet, it will be understood that the end sections 
64 could be separate pieces welded or otherwise affixed to the ends of the 
center section 62. 
Back plate 66, also formed of a tough rectangular steel sheet, is generally 
planar and of substantially the same size as and is generally congruent 
with the center section 62 of the front plate 60. The lower edge of back 
plate 66 is welded or otherwise affixed to the lower edge of the center 
section 62, with the plates diverging away from each other at an angle 
substantially equal to the angle of the taper of the outer or pointed end 
of teeth 54. Thus, as will be explained in further detail herebelow, the 
tapered portion of teeth 54 will readily yet securely and snugly fit in 
the "V" shaped space provided between center section 62 and back plate 66. 
A plurality of steel spacers 68, cut at the same angle as the taper of the 
teeth 54, are positioned between and welded to center section 62 and back 
plate 66. In the illustrated embodiment, one spacer 68 is disposed at each 
end of the center section 62, with two additional spacers 68 being located 
centrally of the blade and spaced far enough apart to receive therebetween 
the center tooth 54 of bucket 14. To avoid any likelihood of deflection or 
deformation of the end sections 64 of front plate 60 in response to 
pressures and impacts experienced during use of the blade 56, it is 
desirable to reinforce the end sections 64 as by welding horizontal and 
angled braces 65 and 67 between each end section and the adjacent end 
spacer 68. 
The center section 62, plate 66 and spacers 68 define an upwardly open 
receptacle or socket 70 which is sized and configured to snugly and 
securely yet releasably receive the outer tapered ends or points of the 
teeth 54. As the teeth 54 approach the fully seated position best 
illustrated in FIG. 7, a wedging action occurs between the tapered 
surfaces of the socket 70 and teeth 54 which is quite sufficient to 
prevent any wobble of the blade 56 relative to the teeth 54 or bucket 14. 
Further because of the relatively close fit between the centrally 
positioned spacers 68 and the center tooth 54, the blade 56 is restrained 
against any significant sideways movement relative to the teeth 54 and 
bucket 14. Accordingly, so long as the blade 56 is held tightly over the 
teeth 54, it will not shift, wobble or vibrate as it is being used to 
scrape, level or grade dirt. 
In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the scraper blade 56 is held 
securely and tightly over the teeth 54 of bucket 14 by binder means 58, 
comprising a simple and inexpensive yet effective and easily operated 
mounting system which can be handled readily by one person without the 
need for tools or other aids. This system 58 includes (i) anchor means 
comprising a hook member 78 removably attachable to a fixed support member 
consisting of a rod 72 mounted in aligned apertures 74 in the mounting 
brackets 47 of bucket 14, (ii) connector means such as a link or shackle 
76 welded or otherwise provided on and positioned substantially 
intermediate the ends of the back plate 66 of scraper blade 56, and (iii) 
a binder assembly 59 operatively positioned between and releasably 
connected to the support rod 72 by hook member 78 and to the shackle 76 by 
a steel tether chain 80. Preferably, tether chain 80 is permanently linked 
to shackle 76 and is long enough to accommodate use of the scraper blade 
on buckets of various sizes. 
Although other types of binder assemblies may be used, in the preferred 
embodiment the binder assembly 59 includes an operating arm or lever 82 
having proximate one end a first pivot 84 which rotatably couples the 
lever 82 to link 86 which, in turn, is coupled to hook member 78. Spaced 
outwardly of pivot 84 toward the free distal end of lever 82 is a second 
pivot 88 which rotatably couples the lever 82 to a second link or clevis 
90 on which a swivel hook 92 is suspended. In turn, hook 92 is adapted to 
receive and removably hold a link of the tether or chain 80. Accordingly, 
when the parts are connected in the manner shown, as the lever 82 is 
rotated upwardly around pin 84, the clevis 90, hook 92 chain 80 shackle 76 
and blade 56 all will be pulled upwardly toward support rod 72 until the 
teeth 54 of bucket 14 are fully seated in the socket 70 of blade 56 and 
the lever 82 is fully rotated to its upper position. The first and second 
pivots 84 and 88 are spaced from one another both longitudinally and 
transversely of a line extending between the pivots 84 and 88 and along 
the length of said lever such that after the lever 82 has been fully 
rotated to its upper position the tension in the binder system, acting 
through the axially offset relationship of the pivots 84 and 88, will hold 
the lever in that position. Manual rotation of lever 82 from its upper to 
its lower position will, of course, relieve the tension in the binder 
system and permit removal of hook member 78 from support rod 72 and chain 
80 from hook 92 and removal of the binder assembly 59 from the bucket 14 
and the blade 56 from teeth 54. 
From the above description it will be seen that this invention provides a 
blade attachment which will substantially increase the versatility of the 
usual backhoe without adversely affecting or interfering with its primary 
function of digging and trenching. For instance, after a backhoe operator 
has completed a trench or other excavation and the necessary pipe laid or 
other under ground work completed, closure of the trench or excavation can 
be accomplished readily and effectively by the addition of scraper blade 
56 to the bucket 14. Mounting of the blade can be effected quickly and 
easily by either of two procedures. As the first step in either procedure, 
the hook member 78 and attached binder assembly 59 should be suspended 
from support rod 72 and laid over the upper curved surface of the bucket 
14. Secondly, the operator can then place the blade 56 in an upright 
position on the ground, position the bucket 14 over the blade 56 with the 
teeth 54 aligned with socket 70, lower the bucket 14 to insert the teeth 
54 into the socket 70, connect the tether chain 80 between the shackle 76 
and hook 92 and then raise the lever 82 from its lower position to its 
upper position to effect securement of the blade 56 on the bucket 14. 
Alternately, particularly if the blade is of a smaller size and lighter 
weight, the operator should be able easily to lift the blade 56 and fit it 
into place on the bucket 14 with the teeth 54 started into socket 70, 
connect the chain 80 to hook 92 and then raise the lever 82 to secure the 
blade 56 in operating position. 
After the trench or excavation has been back filled and the disturbed 
ground leveled and graded using the bucket 14 equipped with the scraper 
blade 56 as above described, the blade is quickly and easily removed from 
the bucket 14 simply by lowering the bucket to the ground, moving the 
lever 82 from its upper to its lower position to relieve the tension 
holding the blade in position on the bucket 14, disconnecting the tether 
chain 80 from hook 92, removing hook member 78 and binder assembly 59 from 
support rod 72 and then simply raising the bucket to withdraw the teeth 54 
from the socket 70. Thus, in a matter of perhaps 1 or 2 minutes the blade 
of this invention can be mounted on a bucket and then later removed in 
probably even less time--all by one person without the use of tools or 
other mounting aids. 
One unique feature of the present invention is the provision of the single 
binder means in securing the scraper blade on the bucket. This unique 
arrangement provides a balanced even pressure between the teeth of the 
bucket and the interior of the socket of the scraper blade throughout the 
length of their contact. Thus, there is no danger that one end of the 
blade will be loose and the other end tight--a condition which could 
easily occur in the case of multiple bindings because of carelessness 
and/or vibration during use. Another important advantage provided by the 
present invention is that the center mounting system makes it both 
possible and practical to mount either a wide or narrow scraper blade on 
either a wide or narrow bucket. For example, a four foot blade can be 
mounted on a two foot bucket, or a two foot blade on a four foot bucket. 
Thus, while a narrow blade normally would not be used on a wide bucket, 
one could be mounted and used quite successfully on a wide bucket in case 
of an unusual need, an emergency or if a narrow bucket should not be 
available. 
Referring now to the embodiment of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, a relatively narrow 
scraper blade 100 is shown as being mounted for use on a relatively narrow 
bucket 102 having only three digging/cutting teeth 104. Normally, it would 
be preferable to use a wider blade for backfilling, leveling or grading, 
even on a narrow bucket, but in some cases a narrow blade of this nature 
is needed for special work such as leveling the bottom of a narrow trench. 
As best shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the lower forward edge of the bucket 102 
includes a reinforcing bar 106 having a tapered outer cutting edge, with 
the teeth 104 being mounted on bar 106 and tapering to a point. Scraper 
blade 100 includes front and back plates 108 and 110 which are generally 
rectangular and of substantially the same size, both being formed from a 
single component comprising a larger rectangular sheet of a tough steel 
alloy which is bent along a bisecting line, with the apex or bend 112 of 
the plates forming a straight lower scraping edge for the blade 100. As 
will be noted particularly from FIG. 10, the plates 108 and 110 diverge at 
an angle substantially matching the taper of the teeth 104. whereby 
securement of blade 100 on bucket 102 will result in solid yet releasable 
linear contact between the teeth 104 and the interior surfaces of front 
and back plates 108 and 110 of blade 
Referring particularly to FIG. 9, there are several tapered spacers 114 
disposed between and welded to the plates 108 and 110, one spacer being 
positioned at each end of the plates, and one disposed inwardly of each 
end spacer a distance sufficient to receive one of the teeth 104 
therebetween. Thus, the angled space between plates 108 and 110 and 
spacers 114 form an upwardly open receptacle or socket 116 adapted to 
releasably receive the pointed or tapered portion of teeth 104 upon 
attachment of blade 100 to bucket 102. 
Angled end sections 118 also are provided on front plate 108, but in this 
embodiment the end sections 118 are separate rectangular pieces welded or 
otherwise affixed to the front plate 108 and braced by triangular 
reinforcing pieces 120 welded between the end sections 118 and the front 
plate 108. Disposed generally centrally of back plate 110 is a shackle 122 
connected to tether chain 124. 
As will be indicated by FIG. 10, the mounting brackets of some backhoe 
buckets may not have apertures suitable for receiving and holding a fixed 
support member, such as support rod 72 in the preferred embodiment. Such a 
lack is of little significance, however, as a fixed support member can be 
added readily to bucket 102 the first time it is to be used with blade 
100. Such a fixed support member could be provided in a variety of ways 
as, for example, by a rod either welded between mounting brackets 130 or 
provided with feet welded to the bucket between the brackets. In the 
present embodiment, however, the fixed support member preferably comprises 
a support hook 126 welded or otherwise permanently affixed to the upper 
part of the curved back wall 128 of bucket 102 at a point substantially 
mid way between the mounting brackets 130. 
The scraper blade 100 is selectively secured on and released from the teeth 
104 of bucket 102 by binder means 132 comprising an easily operated system 
including shackle 122 affixed to back plate 110 of blade 100, anchor means 
comprising clevis 136 adapted for releasable attachment to fixed support 
hook 126 of bucket 102, and binder assembly 134 operatively disposed 
between and releasably connected to shackle 122 by steel tether chain 124 
and to the support hook 126 by clevis 136. In this embodiment, the binder 
assembly 134 consists of the same type of device as described previously 
with reference to the preferred embodiment. Briefly, the binder assembly 
134 includes a manually operable lever 138 having proximate one end a 
first pivot 140 which rotatably couples the lever 138 to link 142. In 
turn, link 142 is suspended on clevis 136 by pin 144, with clevis 136 then 
being releasably attached to support hook 126. Spaced outwardly of pivot 
140 toward the outer distal end of lever 138 is a second pivot 146 which 
rotatably couples the lever 138 with link or clevis 148 on which a swivel 
hook 150 is suspended. Tether chain 124 is then removably attached to 
swivel hook 148. 
As will be clear from the above, with the parts appropriately connected, 
the operating lever 138 is movable manually around pivot 140 between a 
first upper position in which the hook 150, tether 124, shackle 122 and 
blade 100 are pulled toward support member 126 and the teeth 104 of bucket 
102 are firmly seated in socket 116 of the scraper blade 100, and a second 
lower position in which the tension between the support hook 126 and 
shackle 122 is relieved to permit disconnection of the binder assembly 
from the support hook 126 and shackle 122 whereby the teeth 104 are freed 
for removal from socket 116 and the blade 100 is freed for removed from 
the bucket 102. 
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are 
possible in light of the teachings of this application. It is to be 
understood, therefore, that the foregoing descriptions and appended 
drawings are illustrative only and are neither intended nor desired to 
limit the scope of this invention. 
For example, a ratchet type turnbuckle device could be substituted for the 
lever operated binder assemblies discussed hereinabove. Or the tether 
chain could have two or more lower sections which flare out to provide 
more than one connection to the back plate of the blade. Also, it is to be 
understood that this invention is not to be limited to scraper blades of 
any specific length or width or to blades intended for use only on buckets 
of backhoes as such blades may provided in a significant range of sizes 
and also can be used on other kinds of earth working equipment such as end 
loaders. 
Having thus described and illustrated certain preferred embodiments of the 
invention, what is claimed as new and novel and desired to be protected by 
letters patent is as follows: