Material handling and shearing attachment for a backhoe

Claim 1

An improvement in a cutting and manipulating attachment for a backhoe, the bucket of which has been removed, and having a boom with a controlled piston and cylinder connected thereto, the improvement comprising: means for keeping a cutting portion of a movable cutting blade in shearing relation to a fixed cutting blade throughout the entire extent of the shearing movement of the blades with respect to each other; said movable blade having an elongated substantially hook-shaped end portion hooked generally toward said fixed blade; said cutting and manipulating attachment comprising: a mounting body and means for attaching the same to the boom of the backhoe; means positioning said fixed cutting blade on said mounting body and means located at a first end of said fixed cutting blade pivotally mounting said movable cutting blade on said mounting body in pivotal relation to said fixed cutting blade; said means for keeping the cutting position of said movable cutting blade in shearing relation to said fixed cutting blade comprising a pair of spaced parallel guides located adjacent and fixed to a second end of said fixed cutting blade and extending from said fixed cutting blade second end at an obtuse angle with respect to said fixed cutting blade and defining an elongated guide path, said guide path being positioned and sized to receive said hook-shaped end portion of said movable hook-shaped cutting blade before said cutting portion of said movable blade comes into shearing action with respect to a workpiece disposed between said blades, so that said hook-shaped end portion and said pair of guides hold the workpiece for cutting as said movable cutting blade cutting portion moves in shearing relation with said fixed blade; and links operatively connecting said movable cutting blade to said piston and cylinder assembly so that the same can be moved relative to said fixed blade thereby.