Patent ID: 6939099

Claim:
A upstanding hook attachment device for attachment between a front end loader and bucket wherein said loader has arms which are powered by the loader to various positions with arm engagement means at the outer ends of the arms; said upstanding hook attachment device comprising an elongated upstanding hook frame having an upper and lower end, a plurality of hooks each having downward pointed front ends and rearward portions pivotally mounted to the upper end of the hook frame, hydraulic means connected between the hooks and the hook frame to power the pivotal movement of the hooks relative to the hook frame, engagement means along the rearward portion of the hook frame to inter engage with the engagement means on the arms of the loader to lock the hook frame to the arms of the loader; said bucket having an open front and a rearward face with engagement means on the rear face of the bucket; said hook frame having inter engagement means on its front face to engage the engagement means on the rear face of the bucket to lock the bucket to the hook frame, while the hook frame, in turn, is locked to the arms of the loader, whereby the bucket may be used with the hooks on the hook frame while the hook frame and bucket are mounted to the arms of the loader; and wherein said bucket engagement means are engagable with the loader engagement means for directly mounting the bucket to the loader, in lieu of the hook frame; said hydraulic means comprising hydraulic piston and cylinders mounted between the hooks and the hook frame to power the pivotal movement of the hooks on the hook frame, said hook frame having hydraulic cable lines extending from the loader to cylinders on the hook frame, said engagement means on said loader having a rigid detachable connection with said hook frame with a pivotal connection to the arms of the loader; a pair of pivoting channels pivotal connected together at their ends with one of said channels mounted on the hook frame, said channels receiving said cable lines along their length with succeeding portions mounted to each channel with said cables having an intermediate portion between their channel portions adjacent the pivotal connection of the channels and adjacent the pivotal connection of the hook frame to the engagement means on the loader, whereby the channels and channel portions of the cable may pivot toward and away from on another when the engagement means on the loader pivots toward and away from the arms of the loader, said pivoting channels having a roller at its pivot connection for the intermediate portion of the cables to roll about thereon.