Land vehicles – Wheeled – Tiltable vehicles – stabilized by attendant or article
Patent
1991-04-03
1992-04-21
Kashnikow, Andres
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Tiltable vehicles, stabilized by attendant or article
280 4726, 280 4733, 280 38, 280653, 298 2, 298 5, 301 1, 301 7, 301128, B62B 120, B62B 302
Patent
active
051061139
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel support structure for a cart, e.g. for a wheelbarrow, having a supporting frame, the wheel structure comprising two separate wheel axes each carrying a wheel, each wheel axis being mounted on a holding arm, which is pivotable about a substantially vertical frame portion for pivoting 180.degree. in a horizontal plane so as to enable selective positioning of each wheel in either an inner or an outer position relative to the longitudinal central plane of the cart.
2. Description of the Related Art
A similar wheel support structure is previously known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,584. In the known structure, the pair of wheels are mounted in such a way that, in a first, inner position, the two wheels are located below the front end of the load container of the cart for use as a conventional wheelbarrow to be pushed in a forward direction and, in a second, outer position, the two wheels are located below the rear half of the load container for use as a cart to be pulled in the opposite, backward direction, wherein two handle rods are swung inwardly towards each other so as to form a combined pulling rod. When converting the wheelbarrow into a pulling cart or vice versa, a pair of nuts inside the load container have to be loosened, whereupon the wheelbarrow is turned upside down to enable swinging of the holding arms carrying the wheels into the other position. Thereupon, the nuts inside the load container must be tightened again.
Another example of prior art is disclosed in the published Swedish patent application 7801158-2, wherein a wheel support structure corresponding to the opening paragraph is suggested (but not described in detail) at the end of the description.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
On the basis of this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a wheel support structure, wherein a pair of wheels can be easily shifted between inner and outer positions, even if cart is loaded, and wherein each wheel is securely held in a well-defined inner or outer position upon shifting the wheel positions and locking the respective holding arm in a rigid position by means of a locking device.
This object is accomplished by the features as set forth. Thus, each wheel can be easily swung into a respective inner or outer position while making rolling contact with the ground, whereby the cart does not necessarily have to be unloaded before shifting the wheel positions. The outer position of a wheel pair will provide a good lateral stability when rolling the cart, whereas shifting to the inner position makes it possible to roll the wheelbarrow over rather narrow bridges, planks or the like. Therefore, the cart is flexible and safe in use. Furthermore, by means of the extended plate members forming bearing flange surfaces and being selectively securable to each other and to the supporting frame at a rear location, each holding arm is securably lockable in the respective position, whereby oscillation of each wheel is avoided.
In particular, the embodiment defined will give the further advantage that a pair of rear support members of the frame (conventionally serving to support the cart in a substantially horizontal rest position) can be replaced by a pair of rear wheels mounted in the same way as the first pair of wheels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained further below with reference to the appended drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment with two alternative wheel support structures.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a cart, namely a wheelbarrow, in a horizontal rest position;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the wheelbarrow in a vertical rest position;
FIG. 3 shows the wheelbarrow from underneath;
FIG. 4 is a rear end view of the wheelbarrow; and FIGS. 5a and 5b show, in a larger scale, two alternative embodiments of the wheel support structure for one of the two wheels of the wheelbarrow.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The wheelbarrow shown in FIGS. 1-4 comprises a load con
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patent: 4624467 (1986-11-01), Burns
patent: 4767128 (1988-08-01), Terhune
patent: 5026079 (1991-06-01), Donze et al.
Johnson Brian L.
Kashnikow Andres
LandOfFree
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