Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Patent
1995-11-02
1998-02-03
Johnson, Victor E.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
280433, B60D 162
Patent
active
057135924
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
THIS INVENTION relates to an apparatus for supporting vehicle conduit and especially for supporting hydraulic or pneumatic hoses and electric cables which extend between a leading vehicle (such as a prime mover), and a connected trailing vehicle (such as a trailer). The apparatus is also applicable for supporting conduit extending between leading and trailing trailers of multiple trailered vehicles (such as road trains and sugar cane trucks).
2. Description of the Related Art
Road trailers are either mounted directly to a prime mover (ie. truck), or in the case of multiple trailered vehicles, to another trailer. These trailers are connected by known connecting bars which form no part of the invention. As these trailers are provided with hydraulic or pneumatic brakes, and stop lights and indicator lights, the conduit (ie hydraulic and pneumatic hoses, electric cables), must also be interconnected either with the prime mover, or with another trailer.
As the trailers exhibit angled motion relative to each other, and occasionally the angle between the leading and trailing vehicle can be quite acute, it is necessary to ensure that the conduit has sufficient slack in it to not be stretched or damaged.
Conventionally, this has been achieved either by the use of pogo sticks which causes the conduit to be looped in a vertical orientation, or by the use of suzy coils, whereby the conduit is formed into a coil spring. Both of these arrangements have the disadvantage that the conduit can be snagged or damaged as they are highly exposed.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed to provide an alternative to the existing suzy coils or pogo sticks which can support conduit in a less exposed manner while still preventing stretching or damage to the conduit upon angled movement between trailers, or between a trailer and a prime mover.
In one form, the invention resides in an apparatus for supporting conduit extending between a leading vehicle and a connected trailing vehicle, the apparatus comprising an elongate member adapted to support the conduit, the apparatus being rotatably mounted to the leading or trailing vehicle such that the elongate member can swing in response to angled movement between the leading and trailing vehicles.
It can be seen by having the conduit (ie. hydraulic or pneumatic hoses or electric cabling) secured to an elongate member, and having the elongate member rotatably mounted so that it can swing from side to side, the conduit is protected by the elongate member, yet is not subject to stretching or damage should the leading and trailing vehicles exhibit angled motion relative to each other.
The elongate member may be substantially channel shaped in cross-section and therefore may be provided with a pair of side walls and a bottom wall. The conduit may therefore be supported by lying substantially within the channel member. The size of the side walls and the bottom wall may vary depending on the size and number of hoses/electric cables which are to be supported.
The apparatus may be rotatably mounted to the leading or trailing vehicle through a bearing member. The bearing member may have a first part which can be fixed to the leading or trailing vehicle, and a second part which can be rotatably mounted to the first part. Suitably, the first part includes a horizontal flange which can be bolted or welded to the vehicle, and which includes a hollow cylindrical upstanding portion, and the second part comprises a cylindrical sleeve which can be rotatably mounted to the upstanding portion.
The apparatus may include an intermediate member which can extend between the elongate member, and the bearing member. The intermediate member may also be channel shaped and dimensioned such that the elongate member can sit within the channel shape of the intermediate member. Suitably, the intermediate member is fixed to the second part of the bearing member, such that the intermediate member (and therefore the elongate member) can exhib
REFERENCES:
patent: 2443035 (1948-06-01), Hardy
patent: 2948450 (1960-08-01), Dobrikin
patent: 3127194 (1964-03-01), Jeffries
patent: 3781037 (1973-12-01), Czajkowski
patent: 3901270 (1975-08-01), Smith
patent: 3985394 (1976-10-01), Rolfes
patent: 4002357 (1977-01-01), Bennett
patent: 4249629 (1981-02-01), Hutt
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