Dozer blades

Abstract

A dozer blade includes (a) a blade frame; (b) a moldboard attached to the blade frame for engaging material; (c) a first cutting blade removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame below the moldboard to serve as a cutting edge and as a skid surface of the dozer blade; and (d) a second cutting blade removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame vertically between the first cutting blade and the moldboard for engaging the material and providing a transition from the first cutting blade to the moldboard.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 789,646 filed April 16, 2025, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] The teachings disclosed herein relate generally to material handling attachments, and more specifically, to dozer blade attachments for powered material-handling machines.INTRODUCTION

[0003] United States Pat. No. 3,851,711 (Stepe) discloses an earthworking implement, such as those used on a bulldozer, scraper or motor grader, having a cutting edge detachably mounted on a support thereof. A shear block projects through the cutting edge and into a recess formed on the support. At least one releasable bolt projects through the shear block and the support to attach the cutting edge thereto.

[0004] United States Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007 / 0215367 (Smart et al.) discloses an edge for attaching to a moldboard, having a rearwardly protruding trailing wear plate.SUMMARY

[0005] The following summary is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the applicant’s teaching, but not to define any invention.

[0006] According to some aspects, a dozer blade includes: (a) a blade frame; (b) a moldboard attached to the blade frame and having a moldboard working face directed away from the blade frame in a forward direction for engaging material, the moldboard working face extending laterally between opposite side edges of the moldboard and vertically between top and bottom edges of the moldboard; (c) a first cutting blade extending laterally along the moldboard and removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame below the moldboard, the first cutting blade having a leading edge projecting forward of the bottom edge of the moldboard to serve as a cutting edge of the dozer blade, a trailing edge rearwardly opposite the leading edge, and an underside face extending horizontally between the leading and trailing edges and defining a skid surface for the dozer blade; and (d) a second cutting blade extending laterally along the moldboard and removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame vertically between the first cutting blade and the moldboard working face, the second cutting blade having an upper edge adjacent the moldboard working face, a lower edge vertically opposite the upper edge and rearward of and adjacent to the leading edge of the first cutting blade, and a front face facing the forward direction and extending vertically between the upper and lower edges for engaging the material and providing a transition from the leading edge of the first cutting blade to the moldboard working face.

[0007] In some examples, each of the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is independently mountable to the blade frame.

[0008] In some examples, the first cutting blade is removable to reconfigure the dozer blade from a horizontal blade configuration in which the leading edge of the first cutting blade serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade, to an upright blade configuration in which the lower edge of the second cutting blade serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade.

[0009] In some examples, the lower edge of the second cutting blade is sharpened to facilitate cutting engagement with the material when serving as the cutting edge.

[0010] In some examples, a replaceable transition strip is mountable in place of the second cutting blade to provide the transition from the first cutting blade to the moldboard.

[0011] In some examples, the moldboard working face and the front face of the second cutting blade have complementary concave curvature when viewed from the side to facilitate progressive lifting and rolling of material engaged by the dozer blade.

[0012] In some examples, the underside face of the first cutting blade is generally planar.

[0013] In some examples, the leading edge of the first cutting blade is sharpened to facilitate cutting engagement with the material.

[0014] In some examples, the first cutting blade has a top face vertically opposite the underside face, and the leading edge has a beveled surface on the top face converging toward the underside face in the forward direction to sharpen the leading edge, and wherein the second cutting blade is mounted in alignment with the beveled surface of the leading edge to provide a generally smooth transition from the leading edge of the first cutting blade to the front face of the second cutting blade.

[0015] In some examples, the trailing edge of the first cutting blade projects rearwardly of the bottom edge of the moldboard to serve as a back-drag edge of the dozer blade when operating the dozer blade in a rearward back-drag operation.

[0016] In some examples, the trailing edge is sharpened to facilitate cutting engagement with the material during the back-drag operation.

[0017] In some examples, the blade frame comprises a moldboard framework against which the moldboard is attached, and a cutting-blade mounting plate below the moldboard and fixed to the moldboard framework, and wherein both the second cutting blade and the first cutting blade are removably mounted to the cutting-blade mounting plate.

[0018] In some examples, the cutting-blade mounting plate has a front mounting surface facing the forward direction and against which the second cutting blade is fastened in the generally upright orientation, and a rear mounting surface rearwardly opposite the front mounting surface and against which a detachable adapter bracket is fastened, the adapter bracket having an underside mounting surface against which the first cutting blade is fastened in the generally horizontal orientation.

[0019] In some examples, the second cutting blade and the adapter bracket are fastened to the cutting-blade mounting plate through a plurality of common fasteners.

[0020] In some examples, each of the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is formed of hardened steel.

[0021] According to some aspects, a dozer blade includes: (a) a blade frame; (b) a moldboard attached to the blade frame for engaging material; (c) a first cutting blade removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame below the moldboard to serve as a cutting edge and as a skid surface of the dozer blade; and (d) a second cutting blade removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame vertically between the first cutting blade and the moldboard for engaging the material and providing a transition from the first cutting blade to the moldboard. In some examples, each of the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is independently mountable to the blade frame.

[0022] A method of operating a dozer blade includes: (a) operating the dozer blade in a horizontal blade configuration, in which a first cutting blade is attached to a blade frame of the dozer blade in a generally horizontal orientation below a moldboard and serves as a cutting edge and as a skid surface of the dozer blade; (b) reconfiguring the dozer blade from the horizontal blade configuration to an upright blade configuration, in which a second cutting blade is attached to the blade frame in a generally upright orientation below the moldboard and serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade, the reconfiguring step including detaching the first cutting blade from the blade frame; and (c) operating the dozer blade in the upright blade configuration. In some examples, the horizontal blade configuration comprises a dual-blade configuration in which the second cutting blade is attached to the blade frame to provide a transition between the first cutting blade and the moldboard. In some examples, the horizontal blade configuration comprises a single-blade configuration in which the second cutting blade is detached and a replaceable transition strip is attached to the blade frame in place of the second cutting blade to provide a transition between the first cutting blade and the moldboard.DRAWINGS

[0023] For a better understanding of the described examples and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example dozer blade attachment in a dual-blade configuration;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a front view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a dozer blade portion of the attachment of FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

[0027] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a front exploded perspective view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 1;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a rear exploded perspective view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 1;

[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 1, but in a first single-blade configuration;

[0031] FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 7;

[0032] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 1, but in a second single-blade configuration;

[0033] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 9;

[0034] FIG. 11 is a schematic side elevation view of another example dozer blade attachment;

[0035] FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of another example dozer blade attachment; and

[0036] FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of the dozer blade attachment of FIG. 12.DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EXAMPLES

[0037] Various apparatuses, systems, or processes will be described below to provide an example of each claimed invention. No example described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover processes, systems, or apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses, systems, or processes having all of the features of any one apparatus, system, or process described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses, systems, or processes described below. It is possible that an apparatus, system, or process described below is not an example of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus, system, or process described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicants, inventors, or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim, or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document.

[0038] Dozer blade assemblies, often called bulldozer blades, are used with powered material-handling machines for engaging (e.g. pushing, cutting, grading, etc.) materials (e.g. clay, sand, gravel, soil, rocks, silage, manure, snow, ice, etc.). Such material-handling machines can include, for example, track equipped tractors (e.g. crawler tractors), wheeled tractors, wheeled skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, mini skid steer loaders, mini track loaders, wheel loaders, trucks, all-terrain vehicles, tele-handlers, etc. Typical dozer blade assemblies can include a dozer blade having a frame attachable to the material-handling machine, a moldboard secured to the frame, and a cutting blade attached to the frame below and adjacent the moldboard in a generally upright orientation to serve as a hardened cutting edge of the dozer blade and facilitate seamless movement or flow of particulate material engaged by the cutting blade to the moldboard. The elevation and orientation of the dozer blade is typically adjustable depending on the desired operation. For example, the dozer blade can be raised and lowered by the material-handling machine, and / or its orientation can be adjusted (e.g. angled left or right, tilted clockwise or counterclockwise, and / or pitched forward or backward).

[0039] For certain applications, dozer blades can be equipped with skid shoes for engagement with substrate underneath the dozer blade (e.g. ground surface or material layer), which can help control the cutting effect of the generally upright cutting blade, particularly on solid surfaces. However, on soft surfaces, the relatively small surface area of the skid shoes may not only fail to control penetration of the cutting edge, but can also create ruts or trenches in the soft surface. The skid shoes may also hook hardened surfaces such as concrete or asphalt when operating in an area that has both harder and softer surfaces. This may damage not only the harder surfaces but also the dozer blade and potentially the machine carrying the dozer blade due to sudden, asymmetrical deceleration forces.

[0040] According to some aspects of the present teachings, dozer blades are disclosed that can provide improved flexibility and / or utility relative to some typical dozer blade designs. In some examples, the dozer blade includes a blade frame, a moldboard attached to the blade frame for engaging material, and a cutting blade assembly extending along a width of the moldboard and mounted to the blade frame below the moldboard. The cutting blade assembly includes a first cutting blade removably mounted to the blade frame in a generally horizontal orientation to serve as a cutting edge of the dozer blade and as a skid surface for substrate engagement. The cutting blade assembly further includes a second cutting blade removably mounted to the blade frame in a generally upright orientation vertically between the first cutting blade and the moldboard for engaging the material and providing a transition from the first cutting blade to a working face of the moldboard.

[0041] In some examples, each of the first and second cutting blade is independently mountable to the blade frame. This can facilitate reconfiguration of the dozer blade between a horizontal blade configuration and an upright blade configuration. In the horizontal blade configuration, the generally horizontal first cutting blade is attached and serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade. The horizontal blade configuration can comprise a dual-blade configuration, in which the second cutting blade is also attached to provide the transition from the first cutting blade to the working face of the moldboard, or a single-blade configuration, in which the second cutting blade is detached and a replaceable transition strip is mounted in place of the second cutting blade to provide the transition. In the upright blade configuration, the generally horizontal first cutting blade is detached to permit the generally upright second cutting blade to serve as the cutting edge.

[0042] Such reconfigurability may provide an improved range of capabilities. For example, the dozer blade can be configured to the upright blade configuration for more aggressive cutting action into the ground. The dozer blade can be reconfigured to the horizontal, single-blade configuration for pushing snow or loose materials where penetration is not required, which can provide for easier pushing / sliding and turning of the dozer blade along the substrate beneath the dozer blade, and can reduce undesirable penetration into the substrate (e.g. into frozen ground or ice layers). Such reconfigurability can be particularly helpful where the dozer blade is employed for aggressive cutting into and moving ground material in warmer months, and dozing snow in colder months. Alternatively, the dozer blade can remain in the horizontal, dual-blade configuration year-round. In the dual-blade configuration, the second cutting blade can provide increased wear resistance (e.g. relative to the transition strip) when dealing with harder materials (e.g. rock). The easier handling facilitated by the inclusion of a generally horizontal cutting blade can also allow for use of a wider and / or taller dozer blade for a given power unit of the machine. Optionally, in the dual-blade configuration, more aggressive cutting action (e.g. for hard ground) can be achieved by pitching the dozer blade forward, and easier handling can be achieved by pitching the dozer blade rearward.

[0043] The dozer blades of the present disclosure can be mounted to and used with any suitable powered material-handling machine, such as, for example, track equipped tractors (e.g. crawler tractors), wheeled tractors (e.g. four-wheel drive tractors), wheeled skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, mini skid steer loaders, mini track loaders, wheel loaders, trucks, all-terrain vehicles, tele-handlers, etc. In some examples, the dozer blade can be attached to the machine through a mounting frame coupled to the dozer blade. Optionally, the mounting frame can be configured to adjust orientation and / or elevation of the dozer blade relative to the machine through actuators integrated with the mounting frame. For example, the mounting frame can be configured to provide two-way, four-way, six-way, or eight-way control of the dozer blade (e.g. to tilt clockwise, tilt counter-clockwise, angle left, angle right, pitch forward, pitch rearward, raise, and / or lower the dozer blade relative to the machine). In other examples, the mounting frame can comprise a mount plate fixed relative to the dozer blade for attachment to a corresponding coupler of the machine (e.g. to a skid steer quick-attachment). The dozer blades of the present disclosure can be adapted for mounting to the machine in any other suitable manner depending on the type of machine, coupler, and / or intended use / application.

[0044] The dozer blades of the present disclosure can be particularly suitable for silage-handling operations. In such operations, the orientation and relatively large skid surface area (e.g. relative to more conventional skid shoes) provided by the generally horizontal first cutting blade can help maintain a substantially uniform cutting height, reduce operator adjustment, and / or facilitate application of relatively thin silage layers for improved packing and fermentation quality. It can also provide for improved control of material release when building silage piles or bunkers by limiting penetration into underlying substrates, as well as reduce incorporation of contaminants (e.g. dirt or mud) into the silage, which can help reduce contamination and associated spoilage risks, thereby improving feed quality and operational efficiency in agricultural silage operations.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 1, an example dozer blade attachment 100 for a powered material-handling machine is illustrated. The dozer blade attachment 100 extends along a horizontal attachment axis 102 between a rear 104 and a front 106 of the attachment 100. The attachment 100 has a mounting frame 108 at the rear 104 for attachment to the machine, and a dozer blade 110 at the front 106 and attached to the mounting frame 108.

[0046] In the example illustrated, the dozer blade 110 comprises a blade frame 112 and a moldboard 114 attached to the blade frame 112. The moldboard 114 has a moldboard working face 116 directed away from the blade frame 112 (and the machine when in use) in a forward direction for engaging material when operating the dozer blade 110 in a forward pushing operation. The moldboard working face 116 extends laterally along a lateral axis 117 between opposite side edges 118 of the moldboard 114 and vertically between a top edge 120 and a bottom edge 122 of the moldboard 114. The top and bottom edges 120, 122 of the moldboard 114 extend laterally between the opposite side edges 118 along the lateral axis 117. The side edges 118 extend vertically between the top and bottom edges 120, 122 of the moldboard 114. In the example illustrated, the dozer blade 110 is shown in a neutral position relative to the mounting frame 108 (e.g. not tilted, angled, or pitched relative to the mounting frame 108), with the lateral axis 117 oriented perpendicular to, and defining horizontal with, the attachment axis 102.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 2, the moldboard working face 116 has a lateral extent 124 along the lateral axis 117 from one side edge 118 to the other side edge 118 of the moldboard 114. The lateral extent 124 defines a width of the moldboard 114 (and of the dozer blade 110 in the example illustrated). Referring to FIG. 1, the moldboard working face 116 has a concave curvature when viewed from the side to facilitate progressive lifting and rolling of material engaged by the moldboard 114.

[0048] In the example illustrated, the dozer blade 110 includes a first cutting blade 126 extending laterally along the lateral axis 117 below the moldboard 114. The first cutting blade 126 extends laterally over the entire width of the moldboard 114 in the example illustrated. The first cutting blade 126 is removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame 112 below the moldboard 114 to serve as a cutting edge of the dozer blade 110 and as a skid surface for substrate engagement (e.g. engagement with a ground surface or material layer under the dozer blade 110 in use).

[0049] Referring to FIG. 4, in the example illustrated, the first cutting blade 126 has a leading edge 128 projecting forward of the bottom edge 122 of the moldboard 114 to serve as the cutting edge of the dozer blade 110, a trailing edge 130 rearwardly opposite the leading edge 128, and an underside face 132 extending horizontally between the leading and trailing edges 128, 130. The leading and trailing edges 128, 130 are at a common elevation in the example illustrated. The underside face 132 is directed downwardly and defines the skid surface for substrate engagement.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 3, in the example illustrated, the first cutting blade 126 defines a first blade plane 127 oriented generally horizontally (e.g. parallel to the lateral axis 117 (FIG. 2) and within, for example, 15 degrees of the attachment axis 102). In the example illustrated, the first blade plane 127 is parallel to the lateral axis 117 and the attachment axis 102. Referring to FIG. 4, the underside face 132 is generally planar, and in the example illustrated, is parallel with the first blade plane 127. In the example illustrated, the underside face 132 is at an elevation below a lower periphery of the blade frame 112 for substrate engagement without interference from the blade frame 112. The underside face 132 extends generally continuously over the width of the moldboard 114 and from the leading edge 128 to the trailing edge 130 of the first cutting blade 126 to provide a skid surface having a relatively large, continuous surface area (e.g. relative to that provided by conventional skid shoes).

[0051] In the example illustrated, the first cutting blade 126 is formed of hardened steel. The first cutting blade 126 is in the form of a straight edge blade, with each of the leading edge 128 and the trailing edge 130 of the first cutting blade 126 being generally linear along the lateral axis 117 (FIG. 2) over the width of the moldboard 114. In the example illustrated, the leading edge 128 of the first cutting blade 126 is sharpened for more aggressive cutting engagement with the material when serving as the cutting edge. The first cutting blade 126 has a top face 134 vertically opposite the underside face 132 and spaced vertically apart from the underside face 132 by a thickness of the first cutting blade 126. The leading edge 128 of the first cutting blade 126 has a leading beveled surface 136 on the top face 134 sloping toward the planar underside face 132 in the forward direction to sharpen the leading edge 128.

[0052] In the example illustrated, the trailing edge 130 of the first cutting blade 126 is positioned to serve as a back-drag edge to back-drag material when operating the dozer blade 110 in a rearward direction (opposite the forward direction) to perform a back-drag operation. This can provide for more effective back-drag operations relative to, for example, use of the convex rear face of a conventional dozer blade cutting edge for back-dragging. In the example illustrated, the trailing edge 130 of the first cutting blade 126 projects rearwardly of the bottom edge 122 of the moldboard 114 to serve as the back-drag edge. The trailing edge 130 is at an elevation below a lower periphery of the blade frame 112 to facilitate the back-drag operation without interference from the blade frame 112. In the example illustrated, the trailing edge 130 is sharpened for more aggressive cutting engagement with the material during the back-drag operation. The trailing edge 130 has a trailing beveled surface 138 on the top face 134 sloping toward the underside face 132 in the rearward direction. In the example illustrated, the first cutting blade 126 is reversible for interchangeability of the leading and trailing edges 128, 130.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 1, in the example illustrated, the dozer blade 110 further includes a second cutting blade 140 below the moldboard 114 and extending laterally along the lateral axis 117. The second cutting blade 140 extends laterally over the entire width of the moldboard 114 in the example illustrated. The second cutting blade 140 is removably mounted to the blade frame 112 vertically between the first cutting blade 126 and the moldboard working face 116 in an inclined orientation relative to the first cutting blade 140 for engaging the material and providing a transition from the first cutting blade 126 to the moldboard working face 116. In the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 is removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame 112.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 4, in the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 has an upper edge 142 adjacent the moldboard working face 116 (and bottom edge 122 of the moldboard 114) and a lower edge 144 vertically opposite the upper edge 142. The upper edge 142 is rearward of the lower edge 144, and the lower edge 144 is rearward of and adjacent to the leading edge 128 of the first cutting blade 126. The second cutting blade 140 has a front face 146 facing the forward direction and extending vertically between the upper and lower edges 142, 144 for engaging the material and providing the transition from the leading edge 128 of the first cutting blade 126 to the moldboard working face 116. Referring to FIG. 3, in the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 defines a second blade plane 141 oriented generally upright (e.g. parallel to the lateral axis 117 and within, for example, 44 degrees of vertical). In the example illustrated, the second blade plane 141 is parallel to the lateral axis 117 and around 30 degrees from vertical (i.e. around 60 degrees from the attachment axis 102).

[0055] Referring to FIG. 4, in the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 is formed of hardened steel. In the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 is in the form of a straight edge blade, with each of the upper and lower edges 142, 144 being generally linear along lateral axis 117 over the width of the moldboard 114. The front face 146 of the second cutting blade 140 has a concave curvature when viewed from the side. The concave curvature of the front face 146 is complementary to and transitions generally smoothly into the concave curvature of the moldboard working face 116, forming a generally continuous curved path along which material is directed when engaged by the dozer blade 110 to facilitate progressive lifting and rolling of the material. In the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 is mounted in alignment with the leading beveled surface 136 of the leading edge 128 of the first cutting blade 126 to provide a generally smooth transition from the leading edge 128 to the front face 146 of the second cutting blade 140, which can facilitate peeling of materials (e.g. clay) when engaged by the dozer blade 110.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 5, in the example illustrated, each of the first cutting blade 126 and the second cutting blade 140 is independently mountable to the blade frame 112. This can facilitate removal, replacement, and / or reversibility of each of the first and second cutting blades 126, 140. This can also facilitate reconfiguration of the dozer blade110 between a horizontal (first) blade configuration and an upright (second) blade configuration.

[0057] In the horizontal blade configuration, the first cutting blade 126 is attached and serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade 110. The horizontal blade configuration can comprise a dual-blade configuration like that shown in FIG. 1, in which the second cutting blade 140 is also attached to provide the transition from the first cutting blade 126 to the working face 116 of the moldboard 114. Alternatively, the horizontal blade configuration can comprise a single-blade configuration like that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In the horizontal, single-blade configuration, the second cutting blade 140 is detached and a replaceable transition strip 154 is removably mounted in place of the second cutting blade 140 to provide the transition from the first cutting blade 126 to the moldboard working face 116. The transition strip 154 is formed of milder material (e.g. mild steel) relative to the second cutting blade 140 (formed of hardened steel in the example illustrated), which can be sufficient for dozing loose and / or soft material (e.g. snow) while being more cost-effective to replace when worn.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 10, in the upright (second) blade configuration, the first cutting blade 126 is removed to permit the lower edge 144 of the second cutting blade 140 to serve as the cutting edge. The lower edge 144 of the second cutting blade 140 projects downwardly from a lower periphery of the blade frame 112 for more aggressive cutting action when serving as the cutting edge in the upright blade configuration. The lower edge 144 of the second cutting blade 140 is sharpened for more aggressive cutting engagement with the material when serving as the cutting edge. In the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 has a rear face 148 rearwardly opposite the front face 146, and spaced apart from the front face 146 by a thickness of the second cutting blade 140. The lower edge 144 of the second cutting blade 140 has a lower beveled surface 150 on the rear face 148 sloping toward the front face 146 in a downward direction to sharpen the lower edge 144.

[0059] In the example illustrated, the second cutting blade 140 is reversible for interchangeability of the upper and lower edges 142, 144 of the second cutting blade 140. In the example illustrated, the upper edge 142 is sharpened similarly to the lower edge 144 to facilitate the interchangeability. In the example illustrated, the upper edge 142 has an upper beveled surface 152 on the rear face 148 sloping toward the front face 146 in an upward direction to sharpen the upper edge 142.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 6, in the example illustrated, the blade frame 112 comprises a moldboard framework 156 against which the moldboard 114 is attached. The moldboard framework 156 includes a plurality of parallel frame plates 158 spaced laterally apart from each other along the lateral axis 117, and having respective front edges 160 with concave curvature corresponding to that of the moldboard 114 for attachment of the moldboard 114 thereagainst. Referring to FIG. 3, in the example illustrated, an upper moldboard mounting plate 162 extends laterally along a rear of the moldboard 114 and is fixed to an upper end of the plurality of frame plates 158. A lower moldboard mounting plate 164 extends laterally along the rear of the moldboard 114 and is fixed to a lower portion of the plurality of frame plates 158. The moldboard 114 is pressed against the front edges 160 of the plurality of frame plates 158, with the upper end of the moldboard 114 secured to the upper moldboard mounting plate 162 and the lower end of the moldboard 114 secured to the lower moldboard mounting plate 164. The upper end of the moldboard 114 is secured to the upper moldboard mounting plate 162 through an upper mounting strip 166 positioned against the moldboard working face 116 and fastened to the upper moldboard mounting plate 162 through the moldboard 114. The lower end of the moldboard 114 is secured to the lower moldboard mounting plate 164 through a lower mounting strip 168 positioned against the moldboard working face 116 and fastened to the lower moldboard mounting plate 164.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 7, when the dozer blade 110 is in the horizontal, single-blade configuration, the lower mounting strip 168 (FIG. 3) is removed. An upper portion 154a of the transition strip 154 is positioned over the moldboard working face 116 in place of the lower mounting strip 168 and fastened to the lower moldboard mounting plate 164 (FIG. 3) to secure the lower portion of the moldboard 114 to the lower moldboard mounting plate 164 (FIG. 3). The transition strip 154 has a lower portion 154b extending downwardly from the upper portion 154a for mounting in place of the second cutting blade 140 in the horizontal, single-blade configuration.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 4, in the example illustrated, the blade frame 112 includes a cutting-blade mounting plate 170 (see also FIGS. 5 and 6) fixed to the moldboard framework 156 below the moldboard 114. In the example illustrated, the cutting-blade mounting plate 170 is fixed against the front of the lower portion of the plurality of frame plates 158 below the lower moldboard mounting plate 164. Both the first cutting blade 126 and second cutting blade 140 are removably mountable to the cutting-blade mounting plate 170. The cutting-blade mounting plate 170 is oriented generally upright, having a front mounting surface 170a facing the forward direction and a rear mounting surface 170b opposite the front mounting surface and fixed against the plurality of frame plates 158. The second cutting blade 140 is fastened against the front mounting surface 170a of the cutting-blade mounting plate 170 in the generally upright orientation. The first cutting blade 126 is attached to the rear mounting surface 170b of the cutting-blade mounting plate 170 through a detachable adapter bracket 172. The adapter bracket 172 is fastened against the rear mounting surface 170b of the cutting-blade mounting plate 170, and has an underside mounting surface 174 directed generally downwardly and against which the first cutting blade 126 is fastened in the generally horizontal orientation. The second cutting blade 140 and the adapter bracket 172 are fastened to the cutting-blade mounting plate 170 through a plurality of common fasteners 176 passing through the second cutting blade 140, cutting-blade mounting plate 170, and adapter bracket 172. The first cutting blade 126 is fastened to the adapter bracket 172 through a plurality of separate fasteners 178.

[0063] In the example illustrated, the adapter bracket 172 comprises a bracket plate 180 extending along the lateral axis 117 below the plurality of frame plates 158 and defining the underside mounting surface 174 against which the first cutting blade 126 is mounted. The bracket plate 180 has a top surface 182 vertically opposite the underside mounting surface 174 and directed upwardly toward the plurality of frame plates 158. Referring to FIG. 5, the adapter bracket 172 has a plurality of mounting tabs 184 spaced laterally apart from each other and projecting upwardly from the top surface 182. Referring to FIG. 6, each mounting tab 184 is received between a respective pair of laterally adjacent frame plates 158 for fastening against the cutting-blade mounting plate 170 with the plurality of common fasteners 176.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 6, in the example illustrated, the mounting frame 108 comprises a first coupling portion 188 at the rear of the mounting frame 108 for securing to a complementary second coupling portion mounted to the machine. In the example illustrated, the first coupling portion 188 comprises a pair of channels 190 spaced laterally apart from each other and extending along the attachment axis 102 for receiving respective arms of the second coupling portion to releasably interconnect the first and second coupling portions. In the example illustrated, the blade frame 112 is pivotably mounted to the mounting frame 108 for adjusting orientation of the blade 110 relative to the first coupling portion 188 (and material-handling machine) in use. Referring to FIG. 1, in the example illustrated, the blade frame 112 is pivotable relative to the first coupling portion 188 about a vertical axis 186 to adjust angle of the blade 110 left or right relative to the material-handling machine (i.e. to advance one side edge 118 away from the machine while retracting the other side edge 118 toward the machine). In the example illustrated, the blade frame 112 is pivotable relative to the first coupling portion 188 about the attachment axis 102 to adjust tilt of the blade 110 clockwise or counter-clockwise relative to the material-handling machine (i.e. to raise one side edge 118 while lowering the other side edge 118). In some examples, the blade 110 can be further pivotable about a lateral pitch axis to adjust pitch of the blade 110 relative to the material-handling machine.

[0065] The orientation of the blade 110 can be adjusted manually, and / or the dozer blade attachment 100 can include one or more integrated actuators coupled between the mounting frame 108 and the blade frame 112 and operable to urge the pivoting of the blade 110 relative to the first coupling portion 188. The one or more actuators can comprise one or more hydraulic and / or electric actuators connectable to the machine for hydraulic and / or electric power. For example, the one or more actuators can include a pair of angle actuators (e.g. hydraulic cylinders) on opposite sides of the attachment axis 102 for urging pivoting of the blade 110 about the vertical axis 186 in either direction to adjust the angle of the blade 110 relative to the machine. The one or more actuators can include at least one tilt actuator for urging pivoting of the blade 110 about the attachment axis 102 to adjust tilt of the blade 110 relative to the machine. In some examples, orientation adjustment of the blade 110 can be performed through movement of the arms of the second coupling portion mounted to the machine, and to which the first coupling portion 188 of the mounting frame 108 is interconnected. For example, elevation of the blade 110 can be adjusted by raising or lowering the arms by the machine, and / or pitch of the blade 110 can be adjusted by tilting the arms forward or rearward about a lateral pitch axis.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 11, the attachment 100 can be further configured for pivoting of the dozer blade 110 about a lateral pivot axis 194 relative to the mounting frame 108 for adjusting pitch (i.e. upward and downward tilt) of the dozer blade 110 (e.g. independent of movement of loader arms supporting the mounting frame 108). This feature in combination with the generally horizontal first cutting blade 126 can be particularly helpful in silage handling operations in providing the operator with improved control for releasing the appropriate amount of silage or other particulate material under the first cutting blade 126. One or more actuators can be mounted between the mounting frame 108 and the blade frame 112 to urge pivoting of the blade 110 about the lateral pivot axis 194 relative to the first coupling portion 188 of the mounting frame 108.

[0067] In the example illustrated, the dozer blade is in the form of a straight blade. In other examples, the dozer blade may be in the form of a universal blade (U-blade). The dozer blade 110 can optionally include a pair of removable side wings on laterally opposite sides of the blade frame 112 and projecting forward of the moldboard 114 for laterally enclosing a material collection space forward of the moldboard working face 116. The side wings can comprise side plates fixed to laterally opposite sides of the blade frame and projecting forward from the side edges 118 of the moldboard 114 to laterally contain material being pushed by the dozer blade 110 and inhibit material spillage out from the sides of the dozer blade 110. One or both of the side wings can be attached to respective sides or removed depending on the desired application.

[0068] In some examples, the pair of side wings can be pivotally attached on laterally opposites sides of the blade frame 112 for pivoting about respective vertical axes relative to the moldboard 114 to adjust angle of the side wings relative to the moldboard 114 (e.g. between a forward position projecting forward from the moldboard 114 to laterally bound a front material collection space forward of the moldboard working face 116 for pushing operations, and a rearward position projecting rearwardly from the moldboard 114 to laterally bound a rearward material collection space rearward of the moldboard 114 for back-drag operations).

[0069] Referring to FIG. 12, another example dozer blade attachment 1100 is shown. The dozer blade attachment 1100 has similarities to the attachment 100, and like features are identified using like reference characters, incremented by 1000. In the example illustrated, the dozer blade attachment 1100 has an attachment axis 1102 between a rear 1104 and a front 1106 of the attachment 1100. The attachment 1100 has a mounting frame 1108 at the rear 1104 for attachment to a powered material-handling machine, and a dozer blade 1110 at the front 1106 and attached to the mounting frame 1108. The dozer blade 1110 includes a blade frame 1112, a moldboard 1114 attached to the blade frame 1112 for engaging material, a first cutting blade 1126 removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame 1112 below the moldboard 1114, and a second cutting blade 1140 removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame 1112 vertically between the first cutting blade 1126 and the moldboard 1114. Referring to FIG. 13, in the example illustrated, the mounting frame 1108 comprises a mount plate 1192 (e.g. a quick-attach mount plate) fixed to the blade frame 1112, and configured to interface with a complementary coupler of the machine (e.g. a skid steer quick-attach mechanism).

Claims

1. A dozer blade comprising:a) a blade frame;b) a moldboard attached to the blade frame and having a moldboard working face directed away from the blade frame in a forward direction for engaging material, the moldboard working face extending laterally between opposite side edges of the moldboard and vertically between top and bottom edges of the moldboard;c) a first cutting blade extending laterally along the moldboard and removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame below the moldboard, the first cutting blade having a leading edge projecting forward of the bottom edge of the moldboard to serve as a cutting edge of the dozer blade, a trailing edge rearwardly opposite the leading edge, and an underside face extending horizontally between the leading and trailing edges and defining a skid surface for the dozer blade; andd) a second cutting blade extending laterally along the moldboard and removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame vertically between the first cutting blade and the moldboard working face, the second cutting blade having an upper edge adjacent the moldboard working face, a lower edge vertically opposite the upper edge and rearward of and adjacent to the leading edge of the first cutting blade, and a front face facing the forward direction and extending vertically between the upper and lower edges for engaging the material and providing a transition from the leading edge of the first cutting blade to the moldboard working face.

2. The dozer blade of claim 1, wherein each of the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is independently mountable to the blade frame.

3. The dozer blade of claim 2, wherein the first cutting blade is removable to reconfigure the dozer blade from a horizontal blade configuration in which the leading edge of the first cutting blade serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade, to an upright blade configuration in which the lower edge of the second cutting blade serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade.

4. The dozer blade of claim 3, wherein the lower edge of the second cutting blade is sharpened to facilitate cutting engagement with the material when serving as the cutting edge.

5. The dozer blade of claim 2, wherein a replaceable transition strip is mountable in place of the second cutting blade to provide the transition from the first cutting blade to the moldboard.

6. The dozer blade attachment of claim 1, wherein the moldboard working face and the front face of the second cutting blade have complementary concave curvature when viewed from the side to facilitate progressive lifting and rolling of material engaged by the dozer blade.

7. The dozer blade of claim 1, wherein the underside face of the first cutting blade is generally planar.

8. The dozer blade of claim 1, wherein the leading edge of the first cutting blade is sharpened to facilitate cutting engagement with the material.

9. The dozer blade of claim 8, wherein the first cutting blade has a top face vertically opposite the underside face, and the leading edge has a beveled surface on the top face converging toward the underside face in the forward direction to sharpen the leading edge, and wherein the second cutting blade is mounted in alignment with the beveled surface of the leading edge to provide a generally smooth transition from the leading edge of the first cutting blade to the front face of the second cutting blade.

10. The dozer blade of claim 1, wherein the trailing edge of the first cutting blade projects rearwardly of the bottom edge of the moldboard to serve as a back-drag edge of the dozer blade when operating the dozer blade in a rearward back-drag operation.

11. The dozer blade of claim 10, wherein the trailing edge is sharpened to facilitate cutting engagement with the material during the back-drag operation.

12. The dozer blade of claim 1, wherein the blade frame comprises a moldboard framework against which the moldboard is attached, and a cutting-blade mounting plate below the moldboard and fixed to the moldboard framework, and wherein both the first and second cutting blades are removably mounted to the cutting-blade mounting plate.

13. The dozer blade of claim 12, wherein the cutting-blade mounting plate has a front mounting surface facing the forward direction and against which the second cutting blade is fastened in the generally upright orientation, and a rear mounting surface rearwardly opposite the front mounting surface and against which a detachable adapter bracket is fastened, the adapter bracket having an underside mounting surface against which the first cutting blade is fastened in the generally horizontal orientation.

14. The dozer blade of claim 13, wherein the second cutting blade and the adapter bracket are fastened to the cutting-blade mounting plate through a plurality of common fasteners.

15. The dozer blade of claim 1, wherein each of the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is formed of hardened steel.

16. A dozer blade comprising:a) a blade frame;b) a moldboard attached to the blade frame for engaging material;c) a first cutting blade removably mounted in a generally horizontal orientation to the blade frame below the moldboard to serve as a cutting edge and as a skid surface of the dozer blade; andd) a second cutting blade removably mounted in a generally upright orientation to the blade frame vertically between the first cutting blade and the moldboard for engaging the material and providing a transition from the first cutting blade to the moldboard.

17. The dozer blade of claim 16, wherein each of the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade is independently mountable to the blade frame.

18. A method of operating a dozer blade, comprising:a) operating the dozer blade in a horizontal blade configuration, in which a first cutting blade is attached to a blade frame of the dozer blade in a generally horizontal orientation below a moldboard and serves as a cutting edge and as a skid surface of the dozer blade;b) reconfiguring the dozer blade from the horizontal blade configuration to an upright blade configuration, in which a second cutting blade is attached to the blade frame in a generally upright orientation below the moldboard and serves as the cutting edge of the dozer blade, the reconfiguring step including detaching the first cutting blade from the blade frame; andc) operating the dozer blade in the upright blade configuration.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the horizontal blade configuration comprises a dual-blade configuration in which the second cutting blade is attached to the blade frame to provide a transition between the first cutting blade and the moldboard.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the horizontal blade configuration comprises a single-blade configuration in which the second cutting blade is detached and a replaceable transition strip is attached to the blade frame in place of the second cutting blade to provide a transition between the first cutting blade and the moldboard.

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