Wear assembly for earthwork equipment

Abstract

A wear cover for protecting a wear resistant surface of a base includes an outer wear surface, a front wall, a rear wall, two side surfaces, an inner mounting surface, and a plurality of wedges. The base includes a plurality of grooves that mate with the plurality of wedges. The wedge and the groove may be vertically and axially spaced apart on opposite sides of each other. The wedge and the groove may be V-shaped.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wear component for earthmoving equipment. Background Art

[0002] It is conventional to fix wear members (e.g., teeth and shrouds) along the digging edge of a bucket or other equipment. It will be appreciated that wear members are typically placed under harsh operating conditions where they are subjected to heavy loads and abrasive environments. To reduce damage and / or wear to the base, and to perform other functions (e.g., easy penetration, material collection, etc.), replaceable wear members are typically provided. Such wear members can consist of multiple parts including, for example, adapters, tips, intermediate adapters, wear caps, shrouds, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to fixing a wear member to earthmoving equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wear cap that is fixed to a base to protect a wear-resistant surface of the base that may be subject to wear, for example, during earthmoving operations.

[0004] In one example, a wear cap for mounting to a base includes two laterally spaced wedges adjacent a rear end and adjacent a front end, each wedge having a front-to-back extension for receiving within a groove in the base. The two rear wedges are offset relative to the two front wedges such that the extensions of the rear wedges are misaligned with the extensions of the front wedges.

[0005] In another example, a wear cap for mounting to a base includes a wedge for receiving within a groove in the base. Each of the wedges is V-shaped with surfaces converging in a lateral direction.

[0006] In another example, a wear cap for mounting to a base includes an outer wear surface, an inner surface opposite the base, and a concave front wall that curves at least partially between the outer surface and the inner surface.

[0007] In another example, the base includes a plurality of front grooves and rear grooves, each of the plurality of front grooves and rear grooves having a front-to-back extension for receiving a mounting portion of the wear cap. The rear grooves are spaced rearwardly from the front grooves and are misaligned with the extensions of the front grooves.

[0008] In another example, an adapter includes a pair of legs, a front nose, and an intermediate portion connecting the nose and the legs, the pair of legs being spaced apart to define a slot having a longitudinal axis for receiving a digging edge, the front nose for mounting a wear member, the intermediate portion having a first set of grooves near the nose and a second set of grooves near one of the legs, the first set of grooves and the second set of grooves for receiving a mounting portion of the wear cap, wherein the second set of grooves is further from the longitudinal axis of the slot than the first set of grooves.

[0009] In another example, the wear member includes a front working end and a rear mounting end, and the rear mounting end includes a rear surface. At least a portion of the rear surface includes a convex curved surface.

[0010] In another example, the wear assembly includes a wear cap and an adapter. The adapter has a forwardly projecting nose for mounting the wear member and a plurality of grooves, each of the plurality of grooves having a front-to-back extension, wherein a pair of grooves is spaced rearwardly relative to another pair of grooves and offset perpendicular to the extension. The wear cap has a wedge portion received in the grooves to hold the wear cap to the base.

[0011] In another example, the wear assembly includes a base and a wear cap. The wear cap includes two laterally spaced wedge portions adjacent the rear end and adjacent the front end to hold the wear cap to the base. Each of the wedge portions has a front-to-back extension. The extensions of the two rear wedge portions are misaligned with the front wedge portion. Optionally, the rear wedge portions may be offset relative to the front wedge portion in the depth direction. Optionally, the rear wedge portions may be offset relative to the front wedge portion in the width direction.

[0012] In another example, the wear assembly includes a base and a wear cap, and the wear cap includes two laterally spaced wedge portions at the rear end and at the front end. Each of the wedge portions is V-shaped and is for holding the wear cap to the base.

[0013] In one example, the wear assembly includes a wear cap and a wear member each fixed to the base. The wear cap has a front wall, and the wear member has a rear surface opposite the front wall, wherein the front wall and the rear surface have complementary curvatures along at least a portion of each of their extensions generally about a lateral axis (or axes).

[0014] These and other aspects will be apparent from the following specific description given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Figure 1 is a side view of a tooth portion having a wear member according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 is Figure 1 an exploded partial perspective view of the tooth portion of

[0017] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a front view of the adapter of the tooth portion of

[0018] Figure 4 is a side view of a second tooth portion having an adapter with an angled nose angle.

[0019] Figure 5 is for Figure 1Top view of the wear cover of the tooth part.

[0020] Figure 6 Is Figure 5 Side view of the wear cover of.

[0021] Figure 7 Is along Figure 5 Cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in.

[0022] Figure 8 Is Figure 5 Front view of the wear cover of.

[0023] Figure 9A Is Figure 5 Rear view of the wear cover of.

[0024] Figure 9B Is Figure 1 Enlarged view of the tooth part of, with a part shown in dashed lines.

[0025] Figure 10 Is along Figure 5 Cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in.

[0026] Figure 11 Side view of the second wear cover according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 12A Is Figure 1 Enlarged view of the distance between the tip and the wear cover of.

[0028] Figure 12B Is Figure 4 Enlarged view of the distance between the tip and the wear cover of.

[0029] Figure 12C Enlarged view of the distance between a known tip and a known wear cover.

[0030] Figure 12D Enlarged view of the distance between a known tip and a known wear cover, where the adapter has an inclined nose angle. Detailed description

[0031] Wear caps are used to protect surfaces that are subject to wear due to the use environment during use. Although wear caps are described herein as being fixed to an adapter, they can be used to protect a wide range of wear-resistant surfaces on various excavation equipment and other earthmoving equipment (e.g., chutes, buckets, drums, dredge cutterheads, crushers, etc.), where the wear-resistant surfaces are worn due to relative sliding movement or engagement with the ground or other materials. By way of example only, the base that supports the wear cap can be an adapter, an intermediate adapter, a tip, a shroud, a chute, an excavation edge (e.g., the excavation edge of a bucket, cutterhead, blade, etc.), a bucket, a chute, or other component or equipment. It will be understood that the same or similar concepts and / or structures described herein for wear caps and bases will apply to other wear caps and bases designed for other wear-resistant surfaces and / or environments.

[0032] During normal use, the excavation teeth present many different orientations. For purposes of explanation, elements referred to in this application are sometimes described in relative terms, such as upper and lower. Unless otherwise specified, these directions should be understood relative to Figures 1 to 2 the orientation of the components shown in

[0033] Wear caps are typically provided with opposing tracks that are received in grooves on opposing sides of the base to be protected (e.g., U.S. Patent No. 4,335,532 or US

[0034] 2020 / 0340216). While these types of connection structures are sufficient to hold the wear cap on the wear-resistant surface, they sometimes impose undesirable limitations on the design of the wear cap and / or adapter. Using these connection structures to secure the wear cap may require using more material than is needed to provide a base with a sufficient strength rating. Additionally, these connection structures may require the wear cap to be axially moved a significant distance (up to 100% of the length of the wear cap) for installation and removal. Removing the wear cap via a long sliding movement can be difficult when the connection structure between the wear cap and the base may be tightly compacted, for example, by earth fines.

[0035] In Figures 1 to 2 an example, a wear assembly or tooth 25 is mounted to a support structure of an earthmoving equipment. The tooth 25 includes a tip 35, an adapter 28, a wear cap 10, and a lock 16. The wear cap has a length extending from front to back, a width extending from side to side, and a depth extending from the inside to the outside.

[0036] The tip 35 is mounted onto the nose 33 of the adapter 28 and locked in place with the lock 16. The wear cap 10 can help protect the adapter 28 to limit wear during use of the tooth portion 25. In this example, the wear cap 10 is designed to be attached to a base, which is in the form of the adapter 28 that digs into the tooth portion 25. When the tip 35 is mounted onto the adapter 28, the wear cap 10 is held in place by the tip 35. The tip 35 holds the wear cap 10 in place to prevent its removal from the adapter 28. The wear cap 10 can be removed by first removing the tip 35 from the adapter 28. The size and shape of the wear cap 10 can be designed to replace the material removed from the adapter and to be streamlined to facilitate the flow of material (e.g., not designed to block the flow of material). The top surface of the wear cap 10 preferably is continuous with the curve of the top surface of the tip 35 as a continuous surface, e.g., matches the surface of the top surface of the tip 35. Alternatively, the wear cap can be fixed to the base by a lock, such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,222,243 or U.S. Patent No. 10,612,214; other types of locks can also be used. By using a lock, sufficient spacing can be provided to allow removal of the wear cap without removing the tip. For purposes of discussion, the installation of the adapter 28 onto the lip 12 of the bucket is disclosed herein. Although only a small portion of the lip 12 is shown in the drawings, the lip 12 can include a series of through holes 24 for mounting other tooth portions and / or guards to the bucket, or have other structures with or without through holes.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the adapter 28 includes a pair of bifurcated legs 30, 31 and a nose 33, the pair of bifurcated legs 30, 31 being fixed to the lip 12 of the bucket, and the nose 33 being for mounting another wear member, such as the tip 35 or an intermediate adapter (not shown). The mounting nose 33 includes a rear end 34 and a front end 37. The rear end 34 of the nose is connected to the legs 30, 31 by an intermediate portion 28a, and the front end 37 is a free end. The longitudinal axis A of the tip 35 is along the direction of moving the tip onto and off of the nose. The legs 30, 31 can be welded to the lip or attached by a mechanical means as shown in the drawings, for example. Alternatively, the lip can include an integrally cast, forwardly projecting nose to replace the adapter 28 or an intermediate adapter (not shown) for mounting the tip 35. The wear-resistant portion or holding portion 29 of the intermediate portion 28a is located directly behind the nose 33, but can also be in other configurations.

[0038] The retaining portion 29 includes a middle surface and a pair of side surfaces 39. The retaining portion is shown in a convex configuration about a horizontal axis (i.e., an axis extending generally from front to back), but may be other configurations. In this example, the middle surface includes a central surface 38 and adjacent converging surfaces 36, but may be formed with a generally convex curved configuration about the longitudinal direction. The side surfaces 39 are preferably planar, but may have other shapes. The retaining portion 29 of the adapter 28 includes a plurality of retaining features, which in this example are open grooves 40, 41, 42, 43 extending inwardly from the side surfaces 39. The wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 of the wear cap 10 are received in the open grooves 40, 41, 42, 43 for mounting the wear cap 10 to the adapter 28. The retaining features 40, 41, 42, 43 on the adapter are positioned at the outer edge of the middle surface 38 (i.e., at or near the side surfaces 39) to reduce stress in this area of the adapter and increase the strength, stability, durability, and / or lifespan of the adapter. The position of the retaining features 40, 41, 42, 43 allows the legs 30, 31 of the adapter to maintain strength with a thinner profile, extending the service life of the adapter 28. Additionally, when it is desired to reduce the weight of the adapter, the top of the adapter can be thinner in the area below the wear cap 10. Using a reduced thickness also enables the wear cap 10 to be positioned closer to the cutting edge to minimize interference with the flow of material into the bucket, thereby improving digging performance and / or extending the lifespan of the wear cap. Teeth with a more streamlined configuration also provide better material penetration.

[0039] The plurality of open grooves 40, 41, 42, 43 are arranged such that there are two rear grooves 40, 41 and two front grooves 42, 43. Each groove 40, 41, 42, 43 is preferably V-shaped and may include at least two converging inner surfaces 45, 47, a rear surface 46, and an end surface 49. This arrangement forms a triangular shape, but may be other shapes. The front grooves 42, 43 may be longer than the rear grooves 40, 41 to allow the wear cap 10 to be pried open if needed, but may be other arrangements. The surfaces 45, 46, 47 may have the same or different lengths. For example, in the example shown, the surface 45 is shorter than the surface 47 (FIG. 9b), but may be other configurations. For example, the surfaces 45, 47 may have the same length. The rear grooves 40, 41 may be laterally aligned with each other, and the front grooves 42, 43 may be laterally aligned with each other. The rear grooves 40, 41 are preferably spatially vertically above or outside the front grooves 42, 43 and axially rearwardly spaced from the front grooves 42, 43, but may be other arrangements. The inner surfaces 45, 47 may be inclined such that the end surfaces 49 face away from each other. In other examples, the end surfaces 49 may be angled to converge upwardly or downwardly with the end surfaces 49 of the corresponding opposite sides.

[0040] Figure 4 Disclosed is a second tooth portion 25' mounted to a support structure or base 12 of an earthmoving operation device. The tooth portion 25' includes a tip 35, an adapter 28', a wear cap 10, and a lock 16, where each component is substantially similar to the corresponding component seen in Figure 1 except for the adapter 28'. The adapter 28' includes a pair of bifurcated legs 30', 31' fixed to the lip 12 of the bucket and a nose 33' for mounting a wear member or tip 35. The mounting nose 33' is angled α (e.g., 6 degrees) downward from the longitudinal axis A of the tooth portion 25. The nose 33' of the adapter 28' is oriented towards the ground or inclined downward to better assist in the penetration of the tooth portion 25' and the filling of the bucket. Other inclination angles may also be possible.

[0041] In Figures 5 to 10 the example shown, the wear cap 10 preferably has a generally rectangular shape with four peripheral walls, but other configurations may also be used. In some examples, the wear cap 10 may be made of a material different from the material used to manufacture the adapter 28 and / or the tip 35. As an example, the wear cap 10 may be made of a material harder than the material used to manufacture the adapter 28, but this is not necessary. In one example, the wear cap 10 may be made of the same material as the tip 35 and / or the adapter 28.

[0042] The wear cap 10 includes a plurality of retaining elements, which in this example are wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 located on opposite sides of the wear cap 10. The wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 may be disposed within corresponding mounting grooves 40, 41, 42, 43 of the adapter 28 such that the wear cap 10 is mounted to the adapter 28. After the wear cap 10 is mounted to the adapter 28, the wear cap 10 is ultimately in a retaining relationship between the adapter 28 and the tip 35 such that the tip 35 retains and restricts the sliding movement of the wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 and prevents the wear cap 10 from being removed from the retaining portion 29 of the adapter 28. The wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 are preferably V-shaped and they include two converging surfaces 70, 71, a stop surface 73, and an end surface 75. In some examples, the converging surfaces 70, 71 may meet, and the end surface 75 may not be necessary. This arrangement forms a triangular shape, but other shapes may also be possible. The inwardly converging walls defining the V-shape are able to form smaller grooves compared to the surfaces 70, 71 diverging inwardly or being parallel. Using larger grooves may weaken the adapter and may result in the adapter being thicker and heavier. However, the wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 may be shaped into other configurations.

[0043] The wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 are arranged such that there are two rear wedges 60, 61 and two front wedges 62, 63. In the illustrated example, the wedges 60, 61 are located at the rear of the wear cap 10 for positioning in the first mounting groove 40 and the second mounting groove 41 of the adapter 28, respectively, such that one or more of the stop surfaces 73 engage the rear surface 46( Figure 9B ). The wedges 62, 63 are located at the front end of the wear cap. In this example, the wedges are positioned to extend from the inner surfaces 55, 57 of the arms 51, 53, where the end surfaces 75 are just below the central portion 65 of the inner surface 13, at the front end of the wear cap 10 for the mounting grooves 42, 43, such that one or more of the stop surfaces 73 engage the rear surface 46. In one example, two of the wedges are adjacent to their respective rear surfaces 46. The converging surfaces 70, 71 of the wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 may engage the inner surfaces 45, 47 of the mounting grooves 40, 41, 42, 43. The wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 are preferably short and do not exceed 40% of the length of the wear cap 10, but other arrangements are also possible. This helps to keep the sliding removal distance short to reduce problems associated with the compaction of fines in the grooves, thus facilitating the removal of the wear cap. The wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 slide out of the grooves 40, 41, 42, 43 for removal. The rear wedges 60, 61 may be laterally aligned with each other, and the front grooves 62, 63 may be laterally aligned with each other. The rear wedges 60, 61 may be spatially located outside (i.e., vertically above) the front wedges 62, 63 and / or axially rearwardly spaced from the front wedges 62, 63, but other arrangements are also possible. The grooves may fill with earth material during use, making it difficult to remove in the opposite direction. In the case where the wedges are vertically spaced, they fit into the grooves, which does not leave the portion of the grooves in front of the wedges open to be filled with earth fines. In some examples, the rear portions of the wedges project from the adapter grooves to prevent earth material from filling into the rear portions of the wedges in the grooves. The rear wedges 60, 61 extend from the side surfaces 22, 24 and are located below the rear wall 20. This arrangement allows the adapter to be thinner while providing sufficient material on the rear wedges 60, 61 to secure the wear cap and allows the wear surface of the wear cap to be generally aligned with the outer surface of the adapter for a more streamlined configuration, thus better filling the bucket and / or penetrating the ground. This configuration may make the adapter lighter in weight and / or lower in manufacturing cost. In the illustrated example, the surfaces 31, 32 connect the rear wall 20 to the wedges 60, 61, respectively. In the illustrated example, the inner surfaces 70, 71 of the wedges 60, 61, 62, 63 are inclined such that the end surfaces 75 face each other, but other configurations (e.g., upwardly inclined or straight) are also possible. The inner surfaces 70, 71 may have the same length, but other configurations are also possible.

[0044] The wear cover 10 includes an outer or wear surface 14, an inner or mounting surface 13, a front wall 18, a rear wall 20, and a pair of side walls 22, 24. The wear surface 14 and the inner surface 13 are generally laterally located between the side walls 22, 24 and longitudinally located between the front wall 18 and the rear wall 20. The wear surface is shown as two converging surfaces 15, 17 that generally meet at the center of the wear cover 10, but can also be other configurations (e.g., a convex surface). In the example shown, the front wall 18 and the pair of side walls 22, 24 include two extensions 51, 53 that project generally downwardly and / or outwardly from the wear surface 14. The arms 51, 53 each include an inner surface 55, 57 and a rear wall 58, 59. The arms 51, 53 and the front wall 18 can extend approximately one-third of the length of the rear surface of the tip. The front wall 18 is preferably curved and coaxial with the upper portion 27 of the rear surface of the tip 35 around the entire width and thickness of the front wall 18, but can also be other configurations. The curves of the surfaces 18, 27 can be convex, concave, logarithmic, spline, etc. In the example shown, the surfaces 18, 27 curve around a lateral axis toward the front (e.g., forwardly) of the tip 25.

[0045] In Figure 11 In another example shown, a second wear cover 110 is shown. The second wear cover 110 is substantially similar to the wear cover 10, except that the front wall 118 is a complex curve, where only a portion of the front wall 118 is coaxial with the upper portion 27 of the rear surface of the tip 35. In the example shown, the front wall 118 includes a coaxial portion 119, a ramp surface 121, a curved portion 123, and a flat surface 126. The coaxial portion 119 is adjacent to the top wear surface 114 and maintains a distance D when in the rear position, as will be discussed further below. The ramp surface 121 is an optional transition or blend that slopes rearward from the coaxial surface to the curved surface 123, but can also be other configurations. For example, the ramp surface 121 can be absent, and the coaxial surface 119 can be adjacent to the curved surface 123. The curved surface 123 can have a smaller radius than the coaxial portion 119. This will cause the flat surface 126 of the arms 151, 153 to engage the upper portion 27 of the tip 35 when the wear cover moves forward, and leave a gap along the coaxial portion 119 (i.e., with the rear wall of the tip), such as may occur in reverse loading. Stopping initially at the flat surface 126 can more quickly limit the movement of the wear cover 110 compared to the case where the coaxial surface 119 is coaxial around the entire front wall 118. This will help prevent the wear cover 110 from rotating away from its preferred rear position. The flat surface 126 is adjacent to the curved surface 123 and is located inside the curved surface 123. In another example, the surfaces 121, 123, and 126 can alternatively be a single rear chamfer surface to the bottom of the wear cover 110 so as not to engage the tip 35 at any time during use. The surface inside the coaxial portion can also be other configurations.

[0046] See Figures 12A to 12B , which shows an enlarged portion of the tooth portions 25, 25'. The wear cap 10 is preferably loosely assembled behind the tip 35 (front to back) such that there is a gap between the two components to define a distance D to reduce stress in the wear cap, adapter, and / or tip during use. Although the distance D is shown at one location in the drawing, it generally refers to the entire gap between the wear cap 10 and the tip 35. The wear cap 10 can move forward to close the distance D, but as the material flows and the earth material fills the gap, the wear cap 10 is typically in a rearward position away from the tip 35. Alternatively, the gap can be eliminated along all or part of the front portion of the wear cap.

[0047] The curved portions of the surfaces 18, 27 are shown as coaxial, where the wear cap has a concave curved surface 18 and the tip 35 has a convex curved surface 27 (or alternatively, vice versa). The entire upper portion of the surfaces 18, 27 can be defined by coaxial curves. When forming an alternative adapter with different nose angles (e.g., Figure 4 the angle α shown in), the retaining portions 29 of the adapter 28 can also be changed in design; for example, they can be offset by approximately the angle α to adjust the wear cap downward, but can be other configurations. This coaxial curvature and / or readjustment of the retaining portion helps control the distance D of the gap. Without the coaxial curves and / or adjustment of the retaining portion 29 of the adapter 28, a larger gap will be opened when the nose is oriented at a greater angle, which may increase the risk of earth fines entering the tooth system. In Figure 12B , the nose and the retaining portion 28 are oriented at different angles α, and when the wear cap 10 is positioned rearward, Figure 12B the distance D' between the tip 35 and the wear cap 10 shown in remains generally constant and equal to (e.g., within a 38% deviation, e.g., 9 mm to 20 mm) Figure 12A the distance D shown in. The curvature of the surfaces 18, 27 together with the rotation of the retaining portion 28 in the adapter allows the distances D, D' to be generally constant at different angles of the nose. This is different from previous systems, as shown in Figure 12C and Figure 12D .

[0048] Generally, as shown in Figure 12C , when the nose is parallel to the longitudinal axis A (e.g., as shown in Figure 1 ), the surfaces 18'', 27'' are generally planar or approximately curved. The top of the rear surface 27'' can be curved around the lateral axis toward the front wall 18'' of the wear cap. Figure 12D shows a known alternative tooth portion 25''', which is related to Figure 12Cis substantially the same as the tooth portion 25”, except that the nose portion and the retaining portion are inclined at an angle, for example, angle α (e.g., as Figure 4 shown). Figures 12C to 12D The distances D” and D”’ shown in are not constant between the respective wear caps and the tips. The surfaces 18”’ and 27”’ form the distance D”’, which is closer near the top and wider near the bottom (e.g., triangular). In another example, if the retaining portion is not adjusted for the tooth portion 25”’, the gap will be wider near the top and closer at the bottom (e.g., opposite to that shown). In some environments, earthy materials (e.g., fines) typically compact in the gap, making removal more difficult and / or increasing internal wear. The narrowness of the distances D and D’ limits the flow of earthy materials therein. The consistency of the distances D and D’ limits the amount of earthy materials entering the tooth system during use, thus facilitating the removal of the wear caps and / or reducing the internal wear of the tooth system. This also helps with tolerance stacking.

[0049] In other examples, multiple wear caps may protect the retaining portion 29 of the adapter 28 or a larger area, such as those disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 20200256040. The systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein are examples of the application of the principles of the present invention in practice, and many other examples are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the details of the wear components and methods described herein and / or shown in the drawings. Various other examples and many changes may be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the present invention as defined in the claims. Aspects of the present invention have been described in accordance with illustrative examples of the present invention. Many other examples, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the present invention. The features of one example may be used with the features of another example. The examples given and the combinations of features disclosed are not intended to limit that they must be used together.

Claims

1. A wear cover for mounting to a base of an earthmoving operation device, the wear cover including a body having a front end and a rear end, laterally spaced rear wedges adjacent to the rear end, and laterally spaced front wedges adjacent to the front end, wherein, each of the rear wedges and the front wedges has an axially extending portion from front to rear for receiving within a groove in the base, wherein the rear wedges are offset relative to the front wedges such that the axially extending portions of the rear wedges are not axially aligned with the axially extending portions of the front wedges.

2. A wear cover for mounting to a base of an earthmoving operation device, the wear cover including a front end, a rear end, laterally spaced rear wedges adjacent to the rear end, and laterally spaced front wedges adjacent to the front end, wherein, each of the front wedges and the rear wedges includes a converging surface that converges in a lateral direction towards the other front wedge or rear wedge.

3. The wear cover according to claim 1 or 2, the wear cover including an outer wear surface and an inner surface facing the base, wherein, the rear wedges extend rearwardly beyond the outer wear surface.

4. The wear cover according to claim 1 or 2, the wear cover including an outer wear surface, an inner surface facing the base, and a concave curved front wall that is curved forwardly at least partially between the outer wear surface and the inner surface.

5. A wear cover for mounting to a base of an earthmoving operation device, the wear cover including an outer wear surface, an inner surface facing the base, a concave curved front wall that is curved at least partially between the outer wear surface and the inner surface, a front end, a rear end, laterally spaced front wedges adjacent to the front end, and laterally spaced rear wedges adjacent to the rear end.

6. The wear cover according to claim 5, wherein, the rear wedges extend rearwardly beyond the outer wear surface.

7. The wear cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, the wear cover has a length extending from front to rear, a width extending from one side to the other side, and a depth extending from the inner side to the outer side, and wherein the rear wedges are offset relative to the front wedges in the depth direction, with the rear wedges being outside the front wedges.

8. The wear cover according to claim 1 or 5, wherein, each of the rear wedges and the front wedges has a wedge inner surface and a wedge outer surface, and the wedge inner surface and the wedge outer surface converge towards each other in a lateral direction extending towards the respective laterally opposite rear wedge or front wedge.

9. A base for an earthmoving operation device, the base including a forwardly projecting nose for supporting a wear member and a plurality of front grooves and rear grooves located behind the nose, each of the front grooves and the rear grooves having an axially extending portion from front to rear for receiving a mounting portion of a wear cover, wherein, the rear grooves are spaced rearwardly from the front grooves and each has an axially extending portion that is not axially aligned with the axially extending portion of any of the front grooves.

10. A wear assembly for an earthmoving operation device, the wear assembly comprising: a base that is configured to be secured to a digging edge of the earthmoving equipment and includes a plurality of grooves; and a wear cap that includes a front end, a rear end, laterally spaced rear wedges adjacent the rear end, and laterally spaced front wedges adjacent the front end, wherein each of the rear wedges and the front wedges has an axial extension extending from front to rear for receipt within one of the grooves in the base, and wherein the rear wedges are offset relative to the front wedges such that the axial extensions of the rear wedges are axially misaligned with the axial extensions of the front wedges.

11. The wear assembly according to claim 10, wherein, the rear wedges are offset relative to the front wedges in a direction from inner to outer, with the rear wedges being outside the front wedges.

12. The wear cap according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, each of the rear wedges and the front wedges has a wedge inner surface and a wedge outer surface that converge toward each other in a lateral direction extending toward the respective laterally opposite rear or front wedge.

13. The wear assembly according to any one of claims 10 to 12, the wear assembly including a wear member mounted on the base, wherein, the base includes a nose, and the wear member includes a cavity for receiving the nose.

14. A wear assembly for an earthmoving equipment, the wear assembly including a wear cap and an adapter having a forwardly projecting nose for mounting a wear member and a plurality of grooves each having an axial extension extending from front to rear, wherein, a pair of the grooves are spaced rearwardly from another pair of grooves and offset perpendicular to the axial extensions, and the wear cap has wedges received within the grooves to retain the wear cap to the base.

15. The wear assembly according to claim 14, wherein, the grooves and the wedges each include upper and lower surfaces that converge laterally inwardly.

16. A wear assembly for an earthmoving equipment, the wear assembly including a base, a wear cap, and a wear member, the wear cap and the wear member each being mounted on the base, the wear cap having a front wall, and the wear member having a rear surface opposite the front wall, wherein, the front wall and the rear surface have a complementary curvature generally about a lateral axis along at least a portion of each of the inner-to-outer extensions of the front wall and the rear surface.

17. A wear assembly for an earthmoving equipment, the wear assembly comprising: a base that is configured to be secured to a digging edge of the earthmoving equipment and includes a plurality of grooves; and the wear cap according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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