TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to mounting assemblies for attaching scarifier boards or blades used by motor graders or other similar equipment to the machine. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to wear strips that facilitate the attachment of a board assembly or a blade assembly to the machine.

BACKGROUND

Machines such as motor graders employ a long blade that is used to level work surfaces during the grading phase of a construction project or the like. These blades often encounter abrasive material such as rocks, dirt, etc. that can degrade the working edge, making such blades ineffective for their intended purpose. Accordingly, it is desirable to mount or demount the blade to facilitate replacement of the blade or changing the type of blade attached to the machine when using the machine in different applications.

Various systems have been employed to attach the board or blade to the machine. In many cases, an upper jaw and a lower jaw are provided that clamp onto an upper portion and a lower portion of the blade or board assembly for holding it onto the machine. A wear strip may be provided that may be replaced to compensate for tolerance stack ups and the wear of the upper and lower portions of the blade assembly or board assembly as well as the mounting mechanism itself. Manufacturing the wear strip may be more difficult or more expensive than desired.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,370 to Stubben et al. discloses a mounting assembly for a grader moldboard. The assembly includes a mounting frame with first and second retainers having V-shaped notches that cooperate with a V-shaped engaging portion locating on the mounting rails of the moldboard. Each of the V-shaped notches are provided with first and second wear strips defining the wings of the V-shaped notch. The wear strips have a sliding surface in sliding contact with the mounting rails and a contact surface which contacts the adjoining wear strip in the V-shaped notch. Locating protuberances are located at each end of the wear strips to hold the wear strips in proper position. The ends of the wear strips are also provided with abutment surfaces which contact the base of the retainer clips.

As can be seen by looking at the figures of Stubben, the shape of its wear strips require expensive manufacturing such as casting, or machining, etc. Accordingly, there exists a need for a wear strip for use in a mounting assembly for attaching a blade assembly or a board assembly to the machine that is less complicated and more cost effective.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A mounting assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for attaching a board assembly or a blade assembly to a grading machine is provided. The mounting assembly may comprise a jaw member defining a Y-shaped slot defining a longitudinal axis, a horizontal direction, and a vertical direction, forming a first wear strip attachment portion that extends vertically, and a first angled wear strip support portion that forms a first obtuse angle with the first wear strip attachment portion, and a first v-shaped wear strip including a first attachment leg defining a first fastener receiving aperture extending horizontally through the first attachment leg, and a first pressing leg that is configured to press onto a board assembly or a blade assembly for holding the board assembly or the blade assembly to the grading machine. The first wear strip attachment portion of the jaw member may define a first mounting aperture that extends horizontally and that is aligned with the first fastener receiving aperture of the first v-shaped wear strip.

A v-shaped wear strip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The v-shaped wear strip may comprise a v-shaped body defining a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end disposed along the longitudinal axis, the v-shaped body including a first attachment portion, a first pressing portion that forms a first oblique angle with the first attachment portion at the first end, and a first arcuate portion transitioning from the first attachment portion to the first pressing portion at the first end. The first oblique angle may range from 130 degrees to 140 degrees, and the v-shaped body may comprises a metallic material. The first attachment portion may define a minimum thickness measured along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis at the first end ranging from 3 mm to 10 mm, the first arcuate portion may define a convex radius of curvature at the first end ranging from 13 mm to 20 mm, and the v-shaped body may define a longitudinal length measured along the longitudinal axis from the first end to the second end ranging from 150 mm to 500 mm.

A method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for mounting or demounting a v-shaped wear strip to a jaw member of a mounting assembly for attaching a blade assembly or a board assembly to a machine is provided. The method may comprise inserting a first fastener into the first mounting aperture of the jaw member, and inserting the first fastener into the first fastener receiving aperture of a first v-shaped wear strip.

