Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1982-11-08
1984-09-18
Bertsch, Richard A.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
187 9R, 212195, 414613, B62D 2512
Patent
active
044719752
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a counterweight and axle mounting arrangement and more particularly to a mounting arrangement having a carrier, the carrier has a first support portion and is pivotally mounted on a trunnion shaft of a vehicle frame, the axle is mounted on the first support portion and the counterweight has an apparatus for releasably connecting a rear slab member thereof to each of the carrier and axle and a fastener for connecting an upper deck member of the counterweight to the carrier which maintains the releasable connecting means in connection with the carrier and the steering axle assembly.
2. Background Art
Counterweights and steerable wheels which are pivotally connected to the frame of a vehicle are well known in the art. Typically, the counterweight, which is of a unitary one-piece construction, is pivotally mounted to the frame of a vehicle by a trunnion shaft. The steerable wheels are mounted on the counterweight and pivotally movable with the counterweight. An example of this type of arrangement is shown generally in U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,300 dated July 17, 1951 to D. N. Walker.
One problem created by such an arrangement wherein the steerable wheels are mounted on the counterweight, involves the inability to remove the counterweight from the vehicle without removing the steerable supporting wheels. Thus the vehicle would have to be supported at the counterweighted end thereof by a device, for example, a jack which renders the vehicle immobile and increases complexity and flexibility during assembly and disassembly of a counterweight from the frame. Conversely in order to remove the steerable wheels and supporting mechanism from the vehicle frame, the counterweight must also be removed to provide access for removal of the steerable wheels and their associated mounting members.
Lift trucks are manufactured in an assortment of weight capacities for lifting different sized loads. Often a common frame is provided and the load capacity is varied by changing the counterweight size. When the axle assembly is connected to the counterweight, the vehicle manufacturer must warehouse the vehicles without the axle assembly and counterweight, or with a counterweight of a preselected size or a preselected inventory volume in each of the counterweight sizes. If stored without the counterweight and steer axle, movement between stored locations becomes complicated and time consuming. If stored with a single preselected sized counterweight, replacement thereof, by a different capacity counterweight as demanded by order is frequently required. If stored in each of the different available capacities, the warehouse space required increases substantially.
Usually, the counterweight is mounted on the trunnion shaft by a bearing arrangement. The bearings are mounted directly on one of the counterweight or on the trunnion shaft and directly engageable with the other of the trunnion shaft and counterweight only after the counterweight is mounted on the trunnion shaft. Mounting of the counterweight on the shaft while maintaining the bearing arrangement in place and undamaged is quite difficult due to its massive size and weight thereof. Also, this massive integral one-piece counterweight, in itself is difficult to handle and requires special equipment for removal and installation purposes.
Another problem related to the above-mentioned counterweight and steerable wheel mounting arrangement relates to the counterweight construction. When the counterweight is utilized as a structural support member for connecting the wheels to the vehicle frame it must be made of a high strength material and designed so as to provide adequate structural integrity. This adds to the cost and complexity of the counterweight.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a mounting arrangement for pivotally connecting a counterweight and steering axle assembly to a fram
REFERENCES:
patent: 2561300 (1951-07-01), Walker
patent: 2925149 (1960-02-01), Hughson
patent: 3888507 (1975-06-01), Berghausen
patent: 4090579 (1978-05-01), Stedman
Ervin Daniel L.
Sorlie Kjell
Bertsch Richard A.
Hickman Alan J.
Towmotor Corporation
LandOfFree
Counterweight and axle mounting arrangement does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Counterweight and axle mounting arrangement, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Counterweight and axle mounting arrangement will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-790338