Rotary lock system for excavating tooth/adapter assembly

Abstract

An excavating tooth point is captively retained externally on an adapter nose with a specially designed lock structure removably received in a side wall opening of the tooth point and an underlying opening in the adapter nose. The rotary lock structure includes a cylindrical body having a side portion from which a resiliently biased force exerting member and a spring-loaded detent pin outwardly project. With the adapter nose received in the tooth pocket the lock structure body is axially inserted into the tooth and adapter openings in a first rotational orientation and then forcibly rotated to a second rotational orientation. The surfaces of the tooth and nose openings are configured to radially inwardly displace the radially outwardly biased force exerting member in response to such rotation, in a manner causing the force exerting member and the lock structure body to exert on the adapter nose and tooth point a continuous resilient force tending to tighten the tooth point onto the adapter nose. As the lock structure is rotated during its installation, a ramped surface on the adapter nose cams the detent pin inwardly and then permits it to snap into a retaining pocket on the nose to thereby releasably prevent further rotation of the lock structure. The inserted lock structure may subsequently be removed by axially or rotationally driving it to shear the detent pin or using a sloping face of the retaining pocket to cam the detent pin into the lock structure body.