Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1996-10-25
1999-09-28
DePumpo, Daniel G.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
280774, 280 98, 74496, 745015, 74 8922, 56 167, B62D 100
Patent
active
059574976
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a steering device in a riding mower having a wheel assembly which is pivotable by means of the steering device, said steering device comprising a rotatable steering column, a steering sprocket nonrotatably connected to the steering column, a transmission chain which is flexible in the plane of the steering sprocket and which extends over the steering sprocket and, on one side of the steering sprocket, forms a first chain run extending along a first straight line and, on the other side of the steering sprocket, forms a second chain run extending along a second straight line, two deflecting wheels which are arranged on both sides of the steering sprocket and located in a second and a third plane, respectively, which is turned around said first and said second straight line, respectively, relative to the plane of the steering sprocket, and two flexible steering wires which at one end are connected to the free end of the respective chain runs, extend over the respective deflecting wheels and at the other end are connected to the wheel assembly.
In a prior art steering device in a riding mower, use is made of a steering wire which is wound round a rotatable steering column and extends over two first deflecting wheels arranged on both sides of the steering column and located in a common plane, and two second deflecting wheels arranged on both sides of the steering column and located in a second and a third plane, respectively, which is substantially orthogonal relative to this common plane, to a steerable wheel assembly, to which it is connected. This steering device suffers from the essential drawback that the steering wire is rapidly worn especially in the portion thereof extending over the steering column, but also in the portions extending over the first and the second deflecting wheels. This results in frequent breaking of the steering wire, thus necessitating replacement.
In order to reduce this drawback, that part of the steering wire which extends over the steering column and the two first deflecting wheels has been replaced in a known steering device, which is of the type described by way of introduction, with a transmission chain extending over a steering sprocket nonrotatably connected to the steering column and located in the same plane as the first two deflecting wheels which here consist of sprockets. This chain is, at each end, connected to a steering wire which like before extends over the respective second deflecting wheels to the steerable wheel assembly. In this prior art steering device, the wear in the area of the steering column is eliminated. The wear problem, however, remains for the steering wires which extend over the other two deflecting wheels and which therefore break relatively frequently.
One object of the present invention therefore is to provide a steering device, in which also this wear problem is eliminated.
This object is achieved by means of a steering device which is of the type mentioned by way of introduction and characterised in that each of the flexible steering wires consists of a transmission chain which is, between the steering sprocket and the respective deflecting wheels, coupled, by means of a link element, to the chain, flexible in the plane of the steering sprocket, so as to form a straight line with said chain, the link element having a first hinge pin to which an end link in one of these two chains is articulated, and a second hinge pin to which an end link in the other of these two chains is articulated, said two hinge pins being turned around said first and said second straight line, respectively, relative to each other at an angle equalling the angle at which the second and the third plane, respectively, is turned relative to the plane of the steering sprocket.
Both the second and the third plane are preferably turned 90.degree. relative to the plane of the steering sprocket.
In a preferred embodiment of the inventive steering device, the two steering wires between the respective deflecting wheels and the wheel assembly are l
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patent: 4315751 (1982-02-01), Conrad
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patent: 4809489 (1989-03-01), Johansson
patent: 5385213 (1995-01-01), Hake
patent: 5742975 (1998-04-01), Knowlton et al.
Johansson Soren
Wikner Erland
DePumpo Daniel G.
Stiga AB
LandOfFree
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