Ground-raking, rock-gathering attachments for tractors

Claim 2

A ground-raking and rock-gathering attachment for a tractor bucket of a type which is rotatable forwardly from the tractor about a first axis, for unloading material from said bucket, said attachment comprising: a frame; means for mounting said frame onto the bucket for pivotal movement relative to said bucket about a second axis which extends parallel to the first axis; power driven rake means on said frame, adapted to rake rocks into the bucket when the frame means is lowered and the tractor is backing up; a first passive tension member interconnected between an upper portion of said frame and an upper portion of the tractor bucket, to provide a resilient interconnection between the frame and the bucket, serving to limit the extent of pivotal movement of the frame in a downward direction about said second axis, but being collapsable to allow pivotal movement of the frame about the second axis in the upward direction and; a second passive tension member which is interconnected between the upper portion of said frame and an upper frame portion of the tractor, said second passive tension member being slack when the attachment is being used for ground-raking and rock-gathering but being in tension when the bucket and attachment are raised off the ground, and that time serving to the attachment while the bucket is being rotated relative to the attachment, for dumping debris.

Claim 3

An attachment according to claim 1, wherein said first passive tension member is of fixed length and at one end is connected to a fixed support and at its opposite end is connected to a resilient support.

Claim 4

An attachment according to claim 2, wherein the resilient support comprises a fixed abutment having an opening therein, a connector member secured to the second end of the tension member and including an elongated rod which projects through said opening and which is threaded at its end opposite the tension member, an adjustment nut on the threaded portion of said rod, and a compression spring between said nut and the abutment.

Claim 5

An attachment according to claim 1, wherein the tension member is constructed from a length of flat belt-like material and it has an eye at each of its ends by which it is attached, at one end to the bucket and at its opposite end to the attachment.

Claim 6

An attachment according to claim 1, wherein said second passive tension member is of fixed length and on one end is connected to a fixed support and at its opposite end is connected to a resilient support.

Claim 7

An attachment according to claim 5, wherein the first passive member is also of fixed length and at one end is connected to a fixed support and its opposite end is connected to a resilient support.

Claim 8

An attachment according to claim 6, wherein the said opposite end of the first and second passive tension members are connected to a common resilient support.

Claim 9

An attachment according to claim 7, wherein the resilient support comprising a fixed abutment having an opening therein, a connector member to which end portions of both the first and second passive tension members are connected, an elongated rod which projects through said opening, said rod being threaded at its end opposite the tension members, an adjustment nut on the end portion of the rod and a compression spring between said nut and the abutment.

Claim 10

An attachment according to claim 1, wherein the second passive tension member is constructed from a length of flat belt-like material and has an eye at each of its ends by which it is attached, at one end to the tractor frame and at its opposite end to the attachment.

Claim 11

In combination, a tractor comprising a pair of bucket support arms, one on each side of the tractor, said support arms being pivotally attached at their rear ends to a frame portion of the tractor; a bucket mounted onto the forward ends of the support arms, for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis; hydraulic cylinder means interconnected between the rear frame portion of the tractor and an intermediate portion of the support arms, for raising and lowering the support arms and the bucket attached thereto; and hydraulic cylinder means interconnected between intermediate portions of the support arms and the bucket, for pivoting the bucket relative to the support arms; and a ground-raking and rock-gathering attachment for the tractor bucket comprising a frame; means mounting said frame onto the bucket, for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis; power driven rake means on said frame, adapted to rake rocks into the bucket when the attachment is down on the ground and the tractor is being backed up; and a passive tension member interconnected between an upper portion of said frame and an upper portion of the support arms, said tension member serving to hold the attachment in position relative to the support arms, whereby rocks which have been raked into the bucket may be removed from the bucket by the operator operating the hydraulic cylinder means to both elevate the bucket and tip it forwardly relative to the tractor.

Claim 12

In combination, a tractor comprising a pair of bucket support arms, one on each side of the tractor, said support arms being pivotally attached at their rear ends to a frame portion of the tractor; a bucket mounted onto the forward ends of the support arms, for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis; hydraulic cylinder means interconnected between the rear frame portion of the tractor and an intermediate portion of the support arms, for raising and lowering the support arms and the bucket attached thereto; and hydraulic cylinder means interconnected between intermediate portions of the support arms and the bucket, for pivoting the bucket relative to the support arms; and a ground-raking and rock-gathering attachment for the tractor bucket comprising a frame; means mounting said frame onto the bucket, for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis; power driven rake means on said frame, adapted to rake rocks into the bucket when the attachment is down on the ground and the tractor is being backed up; and a passive tension member interconnected between an upper portion of said frame and an upper portion of the support arms, said tension member serving to hold the attachment in position relative to the support arms, whereby rocks which have been raked into the bucket may be removed from the bucket by the operator operating the hydraulic cylinder means to both elevate the bucket and tip it forwardly relative to the tractor.

Claim 13

A method of using the apparatus of claim 10, comprising lowering the bucket onto the ground, then backing the tractor up while powering the power driven rake means to rake rocks and other debris into the bucket; then picking the bucket and attachment up and holding the attachment in position relative to the support arms by use of said passive tension member; then operating the hydraulic cylinder means to rotate the bucket downwardly while maintaining the attachment substantially still, to dump debris from the bucket.