Loader with improved stability and increased reach

Claim 2

End loader linkage for effecting lift travel of a bucket on a vehicle having a frame and wheels comprising a pair of transversely spaced parallel lever arms pivotally connected to and upwardly projecting from the front frame of said vehicle at points rearwardly displaced from the rotational axis of the front wheels thereof, a pair of transversely spaced parallel lift arms having first ends pivotally connected to said lever arms and second ends pivotally connected to said bucket, hydraulic jack means coupled between said front frame and said lever arms for selectively pivoting same between first and second positions respectively angularly displaced forwardly and rearwardly of the vertical, a cross beam transversely interconnecting said lever arms at a position intermediate the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms, said lever arms having raised stops on the rear edges thereof for abutting said frame when said lever arms are in said second position thereof, said lift arms having outwardly projecting stops on the rear edges thereof at positions spaced forwardly from the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms for abutting said cross beam when said lift arms are in lowered position, second hydraulic jack means coupled between said frame and said lift arms for selectively raising and lowering the latter about their pivot connections to said lever arms, said second hydraulic jack means pivotally connected to said lift arms at points forwardly adjacent their pivotal connections to said lever arms and upwardly displaced from a plane intersecting the pivot connections at the first and second ends of said lift arms, and hydraulically actuated tilt means coupled to said bucket for selectively imparting tilting movement thereto about its pivot connections to said lift arms, whereby said first and second hydraulic jack means are actuated to effect correlated pivotal movement of said lever arms and lift arms commensurate with lift travel of said bucket from ground level upwardly through three interconnected arcs approximating a vertical line and said tilt means are actuated to tilt said bucket between load, carry, and dump positions.

Claim 3

End loader linkage for effecting lift travel of a bucket on a vehicle having a frame and wheels comprising a pair of transversely spaced parallel lever arms pivotally connected to and upwardly projecting from the front frame of said vehicle at points rearwardly displaced from the rotational axis of the front wheels thereof, a pair of transversely spaced parallel lift arms having first ends pivotally connected to said lever arms and second ends pivotally connected to said bucket, first hydraulic jack means including a pair of substantially horizontally disposed hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said front frame at points rearwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lever arms at points upwardly adjacent their pivot connections to said frame for selectively pivoting said lever arms between first and second positions respectively angularly displaced forwardly and rearwardly of the vertical, second hydraulic jack means including a second pair of hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said frame at points forwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms thereto and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lift arms, said second pair of jacks being substantially vertically disposed when said lever arms are in said first positions thereof, and hydraulically actuated tilt means coupled to said bucket for selectively imparting tilting movement thereto about its pivot connections to said lift arms, a cross beam transversely interconnecting said lever arms at a position intermediate the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms, said lever arms having raised stops on the rear edges thereof adjacent the pivot connections of the rod ends of said first pair of jacks thereto for abutting said frame when said lever arms are in said second position thereof, said lift arms having outwardly projecting stops on the rear edges thereof at positions spaced forwardly from the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms for abutting said cross beam when said lift arms are in lowered position, whereby said first and second hydraulic jack means are actuated to effect correlated pivotal movement of said lever arms and lift arms commensurate with lift travel of said bucket from ground level upwardly through three interconnected arcs approximating a vertical line and said tilt means are actuated to tilt said bucket between load, carry, and dump positions.

Claim 4

End loader linkage for effecting lift travel of a bucket on a vehicle having a frame and wheels comprising a pair of transversely spaced parallel lever arms pivotally connected to and upwardly projecting from the front frame of said vehicle at points rearwardly displaced from the rotational axis of the front wheels thereof, a pair of transversely spaced parallel lift arms having first ends pivotally connected to said lever arms and second ends pivotally connected to said bucket, first hydraulic jack means including a pair of substantially horizontally disposed hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said front frame at points rearwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lever arms at points upwardly adjacent their pivot connections to said frame for selectively pivoting said lever arms between first and second positions respectively angularly displaced forwardly and rearwardly of the vertical, second hydraulic jack means including a second pair of hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said frame at points forwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms thereto and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lift arms, said second pair of jacks being substantially vertically disposed when said lever arms are in said first positions thereof, and hydraulically actuated tilt means coupled to said bucket for selectively imparting tilting movement thereto about its pivot connections to said lift arms, a cross beam transversely interconnecting said lever arms at a position intermediate the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms, said lever arms having raised stops on the rear edges thereof adjacent the pivot connections of the rod ends of said first pair of jacks thereto for abutting said frame when said lever arms are in said second position thereof, said lift arms having outwardly projecting stops on the rear edges thereof at positions spaced forwardly from the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms for abutting said cross beam when said lift arms are in lowered position, whereby said first and second hydraulic jack means are actuated to effect correlated pivotal movement of said lever arms and lift arms commensurate with lift travel of said bucket from ground level upwardly through three interconnected arcs approximating a vertical line and said tilt means are actuated to tilt said bucket between load, carry, and dump positions.

Claim 5

End loader linkage for effecting lift travel of a bucket on a vehicle having a frame and wheels comprising a pair of transversely spaced parallel lever arms pivotally connected to and upwardly projecting from the front frame of said vehicle at points rearwardly displaced from the rotational axis of the front wheels thereof, a pair of transversely spaced parallel lift arms having first ends pivotally connected to said lever arms and second ends pivotally connected to said bucket, the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms being downwardly displaced from the free ends of said lever arms, first hydraulic jack means including a pair of substantially horizontally disposed hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said front frame at points rearwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lever arms at points upwardly adjacent their pivot connections to said frame, second hydraulic jack means including a second pair of hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said frame at points forwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms thereto and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lift arms, said second pair of jacks being substantially vertically disposed when said lever arms are in sAid first positions thereof, and hydraulically actuated tilt means coupled to said bucket for selectively imparting tilting movement thereto about its pivot connections to said lift arms said tilt means comprising a pair of levers having first ends pivotally connected to said lift arms at points rearwardly adjacent said bucket, a pair of links having opposite ends respectively pivotally connected to the second ends of said levers and said bucket, and a third pair of hydraulic jacks pivotally connected at their cylinder ends to the free ends of said lever arms and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said levers at points intermediate their ends, whereby said first and second jack means are actuated to effect correlated pivotal movement of said lever arms and lift arms commensurate with lift travel of said bucket from ground level upwardly through three interconnected arcs approximating a vertical line and said tilt means are actuated to tilt said bucket between load, carry and dump positions.

Claim 6

End loader linkage for effecting lift travel of a bucket on a vehicle having a frame and wheels comprising a pair of transversely spaced parallel lever arms pivotally connected to and upwardly projecting from the front frame of said vehicle at points rearwardly displaced from the rotational axis of the front wheels thereof, a pair of transversely spaced parallel lift arms having first ends pivotally connected to said lever arms and second ends pivotally connected to said bucket, the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms being downwardly displaced from the free ends of said lever arms, first hydraulic jack means including a pair of substantially horizontally disposed hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said front frame at points rearwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lever arms at points upwardly adjacent their pivot connections to said frame, second hydraulic jack means including a second pair of hydraulic jacks pivotally connected to said frame at points forwardly displaced from the pivot connections of said lever arms thereto and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said lift arms, said second pair of jacks being substantially vertically disposed when said lever arms are in sAid first positions thereof, and hydraulically actuated tilt means coupled to said bucket for selectively imparting tilting movement thereto about its pivot connections to said lift arms said tilt means comprising a pair of levers having first ends pivotally connected to said lift arms at points rearwardly adjacent said bucket, a pair of links having opposite ends respectively pivotally connected to the second ends of said levers and said bucket, and a third pair of hydraulic jacks pivotally connected at their cylinder ends to the free ends of said lever arms and having their rod ends pivotally connected to said levers at points intermediate their ends, whereby said first and second jack means are actuated to effect correlated pivotal movement of said lever arms and lift arms commensurate with lift travel of said bucket from ground level upwardly through three interconnected arcs approximating a vertical line and said tilt means are actuated to tilt said bucket between load, carry and dump positions.

Claim 7

Linkage according to claim 3, further defined by a cross beam transversely interconnecting said lever arms at a position intermediate the pivot connections of said lever arms to said frame and the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms, said lever arms having raised stops on the rear edges thereof adjacent the pivot connections of the rod ends of said first pair of jacks thereto for abutting said frame when said lever arms are in said second position thereof, said lift arms having outwardly projecting stops on the rear edges thereof at positions spaced forwardly from the pivot connections of said lift arms to said lever arms for abutting said cross beam when said lift arms are in lowered position.