Elevating-type scraper having forwardly swingable floor section

Abstract

An elevating type scraper for earthmoving purposes having an open-fronted bowl with a scraper blade along the leading edge and with a rearwardly inclined elevator for sweeping the loosened soil from the blade into the bowl, the back of the bowl and the base of the blade being fixed to the bowl. The bottom of the bowl is enclosed by front and rear floor members, each of the floor members having a pair of side plates which are pivoted within the sides of the bowl so that each floor member is pendulously supported for fore-and-aft swinging movement about a transversely extending axis. An actuating means is provided for swinging the floor members between the normally closed, or collecting, position and the open position for dumping the contents of the bowl. A striker blade associated with the front edge of the rear floor member, and which projects downwardly from the bowl when such floor member is in its open position, serves to level the material dumped from the bowl. Preferably the front floor member is substantially larger in size than the rear floor member so that when the two are thrust apart by an actuator arranged between them, the rear floor member responds first, to place the striker blade in active position prior to opening of the front floor member. Forwardly extending lateral brackets on the front floor member engage the elevator frame so that when the floor member is swung toward its open position, the elevator is swung forwardly and upwardly to accommodate the floor member and, at the same time, to disengage the elevator flights from the contained soil. In an alternate embodiment the front floor member is centrally notched to define wings which straddle the elevator.