Land vehicles: wheels and axles – Wheel – Detachable wheel section
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-26
2001-08-14
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Land vehicles: wheels and axles
Wheel
Detachable wheel section
C301S011300, C301S014000, C301S095110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273515
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to wheels for farm tractors and other farm and industrial vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to an adjustable rim assembly for varying the distances between the wheels of a farm tractor and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some industrial vehicles, such as tractors and towed implements used on farms and operated down the rows of cultivated crops require some adjustability in the lateral spacing of the wheels from each other, both front wheels and rear wheels. For example, the ideal lateral spacing of some row crops is different from the spacing of other row crops, since some crops can be planted closer together to maximize the yield in a given area of land. Therefore, it is desirable that the vehicles operated along the rows of cultivated crops have the ability to increase or decrease the lateral distances between the wheels of the vehicles.
One of the common ways of changing the lateral spacing of wheels of a vehicle is to construct the discs of the wheels in a dish-shape, having opposed concave and convex surfaces, so that the hub portion of the wheel disc is axially offset to one side of the center line of the wheel. Therefore, a pair of wheels for the vehicle can be mounted with their convex sides attached to the wheel hub to space the tires further apart, or the wheels can be reversed to mount their concave sides to the wheel hub, placing the tires closer together.
While the above-described wheel spacing adjustability is common in the art, other means are required for providing more versatility in wheel spacing of vehicles. Various spacers have been developed over the years for placement between the wheel rim and the tractor hub to refine wheel displacement for the vehicle, but the prior art adjustment elements for wheels is, generally, cumbersome and in some cases not as safe as a standard wheel mount. Also, while various adjustable rim assemblies have been provided for mounting a wheel rim to the outwardly facing surface of the hub of a wheel assembly, it would also be desirable to be able to mount the wheel rim to the inner facing surface of the hub so as to further displace the tire inwardly with respect to the vehicle. While this is physically possible, the prior art does not provide an adjustable wheel rim structure that can be expediently and safely mounted to the interior surface of a wheel hub without sacrificing strength of the connection.
Thus, it is to these ends that this invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises an adjustable rim assembly of a wheel of an industrial vehicle for changing the lateral spacing of the wheel from the vehicle and from the opposed wheel. The rim assembly includes a cylindrical rim base having a central axis of rotation, and a concentric mounting ring or rail rigidly connected about and extending inwardly from the cylindrical rim base. The mounting rail is formed with a series of axially inner and axially outer planar mounting panels, each extending normal to the axis of rotation and alternate ones axially offset from adjacent ones of the mounting panels about the rim base. Intermediate axially extending support panels are joined to the mounting panels. The axially inner mounting panels are positioned in the first common plane and the axially outer mounting panels are positioned in a second common plane. Both the axially inner and axially outer mounting panels define opposed axially inner and axially outer mounting surfaces which extend normal to the axis of rotation of the rim base, and connector openings are formed through the axially inner and axially outer mounting panels.
Mounting clamps are positioned in a common plane against either the axially inner or axially outer mounting faces of alternate ones of the mounting panels. The mounting clamps define openings which are sized, shaped and adapted to align with the connector openings of these planar mounting panels of the mounting rail. The mounting clamps extend radially inwardly of the mounting rail and define openings which are alignable with the hub of the vehicle wheel. Bolts connect the mounting clamps to the vehicle hub and other bolts connect the mounting clamps to the mounting rail.
The mounting clamps can be mounted to various surfaces formed by the mounting rail so as to axially displace the tire carried by the rim base, therefore varying the spacing of the tire from the vehicle. For example, the mounting clamps can be mounted to the axially inner surfaces of the axially inner planar mounting panels or to the axially inner surfaces of the axially outer planar mounting panels, to the axially outer surfaces of the axially inner planar mounting panels or to the axially outer surfaces of the axially outer planar mounting panels. All of these positions can be accomplished with the rim being mounted to the front or axially inner surface mounting surface of the hub. The same flexibility is available with mounting the rim to the rear or axially outer mounting surface of the wheel hub, thereby doubling the possible number of wheel spacings. Likewise, if the hub of the vehicle is reversed on its axle, the mounting rim of the hub is placed in an axially displaced location, and the above-described possible wheel spacings is again doubled. This provides sixteen different wheel spacings for a single wheel and rim assembly.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1153068 (1915-09-01), Hale
patent: 2162696 (1939-06-01), Burger
patent: 2173195 (1939-09-01), Beckman
patent: 2291156 (1942-07-01), Heesch et al.
patent: 2294256 (1942-08-01), Uber
patent: 2486970 (1949-11-01), Nordenson
patent: 2580481 (1952-01-01), Strehlow
patent: 2840418 (1958-06-01), Findley et al.
patent: 4515411 (1985-05-01), Taylor
Bellinger Jason R.
F. B. T. Enterprises, Inc.
Morano S. Joseph
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley LLP
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