Abstract:
An attachment for use with a skid steer loader having a single tine and a double tine connected at a center pin. The tines are configured to be powered open or closed about a vertical axis created by the center pin. The tines can be actuated by hydraulic cylinders. A scraper blade is included on the grabber attachment to allow the attachment to clear dead fall and brush. Side shields are included on the attachment to protect the tractor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an attachment for a skid steer loader, and particularly to a grabbing mechanism for a skid steer loader.  
           [0002]    In fields such as construction, agriculture, and landscaping, it is often necessary to clear an area of rocks, trees, and brush. When clearing an area, it may be possible to use a tractor, front-end loader, or similar large machine to assist with the heavy lifting required to remove trees and rocks. However, tractors and the like are very destructive to the area being cleared, and may leave deep tracks and other disruptions to the ground being cleared. As such, more time and effort must be spent smoothing the area after the use of large machines, which results in increased cost.  
           [0003]    Furthermore, the area in which the work must be done is often so small as to prevent a large tractor from being utilized during clearing. Clearing the area by hand is very labor intensive, and sometimes impossible. For this reason, skid steer loaders are a convenient alternative to large tractors or machines. Skid steer loaders are small enough to maneuver into restricted areas, yet provide the strength required for moving small trees and rocks. Because they are much smaller than a tractor, skid steer loaders often create much less destruction to the soil in the area they are used to clear. Thus, skid steer loaders are a convenient alternative to larger tractors or machines which may have a much greater disruptive impact on the area to cleared.  
           [0004]    Skid steer loaders are often equipped with a bucket attachment. While the bucket attachment is capable of scooping, pushing, and transporting dirt and other material, it is not ideally suited for tree and stump removal, rock removal, or similar tasks. For instance, when using the bucket attachment to remove a tree or tree stump, a significant amount of soil disruption is caused. Specifically, the tree or stump must be removed by digging it out, or by pushing or pulling it out of the ground. When this occurs, a large hole is left behind, often as deep as two feet. As a result, the hole must be filled, which requires extra time, effort, and cost to refill the holes and smooth them over.  
           [0005]    Thus, there is a need in the art for an attachment to a skid steer loader which is capable of grasping trees and removing them with less disruption to the environment.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention is a grabbing attachment for a skid steer loader. The grabber attachment comprises three prongs which can be powered closed or powered open. The prongs can be closed about logs or small trees, allowing the skid steer loader to lift the logs or remove the trees with minimal disruption to the surrounding soil. A scraper blade is included on the grabber attachment to allow the attachment to clear dead fall and brush. In addition, the blade allows the grabber attachment to push the soil around the roots of live trees to loosen the tree a bit so that it can be removed more easily and with a smaller clump of dirt coming out with the roots as the tree is removed. Side shields are included on the attachment to protect the tractor. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skid steer loader and the grabber attachment used to remove a log.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grabber attachment.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a side view of the grabber attachment.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4A is a top plan view of the grappber attachment in an open position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4B is a top plan view of the grabber attachment in a closed position.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear of the grabber attachment.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skid steer loader  10  having a grabber attachment  12 . The skid steer load  10  comprises a frame  14  located on four wheels  16 . The frame  14  comprises an operator cab  18  inside which are located a series of operator controls which allow an operator to steer and maneuver the skid steer loader  10 . Arms  20  are also connected to the frame  14 . The grabber attachment  12  is located on a front side of the arms  20 . The arms can be raised or lowered using vehicle controls in the cab  18 , and the grabber attachment  12  can likewise be maneuvered using a variety of operator controls located in the cab  18 .  
         [0014]    The grabber attachment  12  is particularly suited for clearing both live trees as well as dead fallen trees. The grabber attachment  12  can close about a tree so that the tree can be removed from the ground and moved to either a pile or container for disposal. Similarly, the grabber attachment  12  can be closed about a dead tree or log, and thus allow the operator to move the log so that it can be stacked neatly for transport or burning. The grabber attachment  12  is designed to be attached to the skid steer loader so that while the tree or log is grasped by the grabber attachment  12 , the grabber attachment  12  can be positioned so that the operator&#39;s view from the cab  18  remains relatively unobstructed. In this manner, the operator can more effectively maneuver the skid steer loader  10  as well as position the tree or log  22  carried by the grabber attachment  12 .  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grabber attachment  12  of the present invention. Visible in FIG. 2 is aback plate  30 , side guards  32 , and bottom blade  34 . Near the top of the back plate  30  are two reinforcing bars  36  which meet near the middle of the grabber  12  at center pin  38 . Also connected to the back plate  30  are two hydraulic cylinders  40 ,  42 . Connected to the center pin  38  are a tine  44  and a double tine  46 . The tine  44  contains a single prong, while the double tine  46  contains two prongs. The tines  44 ,  46  are arranged vertically.  
         [0016]    The first hydraulic cylinder  40  is connected to tine  44  and the second hydraulic cylinder  42  is connected to double tine  46 . The second hydraulic cylinder  42  connects to a bracket  48  on a vertical bar  50  located between the double tines  46 . Similarly, the hydraulic cylinder  40  connects to the single tine  44  at a bracket  48  located on the tine  44 . The other end of the hydraulic cylinders  40 ,  42  connect to the back plate  30  at another bracket  48 .  
         [0017]    Each hydraulic cylinder has two hydraulic connections  52 . Hydraulic hoses  54  are routed from the hydraulic cylinders  40 ,  42  across the top reinforcing bars  36  of the grabber  12 . The hydraulic hoses  54  are secured at various parts on the grabber  12  and arms  20 , and eventually connect to the hydraulic system on the skid steer loader  10 . The hydraulic connections are made in a manner well known in the art.  
         [0018]    In operation, the grabber  12  is opened or closed using hydraulic pressure supplied to the hydraulic cylinders  40 ,  42  by the hoses  54 . By applying hydraulic pressure at the cylinder  40 ,  42 , the tines  44 ,  46  can be powered closed, or powered open. Thus, the tines  44 ,  46  can be used to close about a log or tree, or the tines  44 ,  46  can further be used to push things to the side or move otherwise heavy objects. The ability to power the tines  44 ,  46  both open and closed increases the flexibility of the grabber attachment  12 .  
         [0019]    In addition, the bottom blade  34  allows the grabber attachment  12  to push a small amount of material. The side guards  32  protect the rest of the loader  10  and in particular the tires  16  from debris as the grabber  12  is used to clear an area.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a side view of the grabber attachment  12 . In FIG. 3, the blade  34  is more clearly visible. The blade  34  is slightly angled to increase the ability of the blade  34  to push material located close to the ground. In addition, a bottom brace  60  is shown supporting the center pin  38 . The bottom brace  60  is attached to the back plate  30  and provides strength support for the tines  44 ,  46  as they close about debris and other material.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 4A and 4B are top views illustrating the operation of the tines  44 ,  46  of the grabber attachment  12 . Shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are the back plate  30 , the bottom blade  34 , the reinforcing bars  36 , and the center pin  38 . In addition, the right tine  44  and double tine  46  are visible, as well as the hydraulic cylinders  40 ,  42 . For simplicity, the hydraulic connections  52  and hoses  54  are not shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.  
         [0022]    As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 4A and 4B, the tines  44 ,  46  can be moved so that they pivot about a vertical axis at center pin  38 . When fully opened, the tines  44 ,  46  may have a distance from the tip  62  of the single tine  44  to the tip  62  of the double tine  36  of about 18 inches to as large as about 22 inches. As shown in FIG. 4B, when closed, the tips  62  of the tines  44 ,  46  overlap slightly.  
         [0023]    The center pin  38  is preferably made out of a solid shaft of steel. In addition, the tines  44 ,  46  are preferably formed of a solid metal, approximately two inches by two inches square. The tips  62  are preferably tapered or otherwise shaped in such a manner to allow the tines  44 ,  46  to more easily pick up a round material such as a tree log. By allowing the tines  44 ,  46  to overlap, it is possible to close the grabber  12  around a variety of trees having diameters as small as three to four inches to as large as 18 inches. The back plate  30 , as well as the bottom blade  34  and side guards  32  are preferably formed of 8 inch steel. The bottom blade  34  may further comprise a five inch cutting edge made of harden steel.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a rear view of the grabber attachment  12  illustrating the side which attaches to the skid steer loader. Located on the rear of the grabber  12  is an upper attachment flange  70  and two lower attachment brackets  72 . On each attachment bracket  72  are located two attachment holes  76 . The grabber attachment  12  can thus be quickly and easily attached to the skid steer loader by positioning the front portion of the skid steer loader  10  underneath the upper flange  70  and positioning a wedge through the holes  76 . This method of quickly attaching to the skid steer loader is well known in the art. In addition, other methods of attaching to a skid steer loader to allow for maximum flexibility and allow the grabber  12  to fit on the majority of different brands of skid steer loaders is likewise possible.  
         [0025]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.