CA1094125A - Load-sharing unit for load-carrying vehicles - Google Patents
Load-sharing unit for load-carrying vehiclesInfo
- Publication number
- CA1094125A CA1094125A CA297,489A CA297489A CA1094125A CA 1094125 A CA1094125 A CA 1094125A CA 297489 A CA297489 A CA 297489A CA 1094125 A CA1094125 A CA 1094125A
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- Prior art keywords
- load
- wheel
- vehicle
- mounting
- frame
- Prior art date
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Heavy load-carrying vehicles such as concrete trucks occasionally require the temporary addition of extra load-carrying wheels in order to reduce load concentrations trans-mitted to highways to within allowable limits as set by statute and/or regulatory agencies in various states. This invention is directed to a load-carrying unit adapted for attachment to the frame of a heavy load-carrying vehicle such as a concrete truck or the like for mounting outside of both sides of the frame thereof for movement between retracted and load-sharing positions.
The load-carrying unit includes first and second wheel assemblies which axe movable between the retracted and load-sharing positions independently of each other, each wheel assembly including wheels mounted for rolling engagement with the highway and for rotation about an approximately vertical axis located forwardly of the wheels.
Heavy load-carrying vehicles such as concrete trucks occasionally require the temporary addition of extra load-carrying wheels in order to reduce load concentrations trans-mitted to highways to within allowable limits as set by statute and/or regulatory agencies in various states. This invention is directed to a load-carrying unit adapted for attachment to the frame of a heavy load-carrying vehicle such as a concrete truck or the like for mounting outside of both sides of the frame thereof for movement between retracted and load-sharing positions.
The load-carrying unit includes first and second wheel assemblies which axe movable between the retracted and load-sharing positions independently of each other, each wheel assembly including wheels mounted for rolling engagement with the highway and for rotation about an approximately vertical axis located forwardly of the wheels.
Description
BACXGROUND OF THE INVENT_ The field of this invention is auxiliary wheel unit f~r trucks such as concrete trucks which caxry extremely heavy loads.
Various state statutes and/or regulatory agencies ha~e`promulgated regulations which limit the loaa per time or per axle for trucks of various types on st~eets and highways.
Concrete trucks are one type of hbavy-duty trucks which generally are subject to such regulations. It is not unusual for a con-crete truck with a full load of wet concrete to exceed the regulations in some states regarding the load per tire or per axle. One known method for decreasing the load per tire on a ... . . _ . ........ . . .. ... . , .. .. , ., . . . , . . .. . _ . . . _ _ .. .. .... .... . .. .
- . . .. .
.
~.
,'. . ''~' ' ' , , ' ' ' ,: ' '' '1, : ' heavily loaded concrete truck is to add additional tires to absarb so~e of the weight of the load. U.S. Patent 3,704,896, inYented by Buelow, illustrates a concrete truck mixer having a concentrated load and including conventional forward steering wheels and rear drive wheels; the concrete truc]~ mixer is pro-vided with additional wheels mounted on an auxiliary axle below the frame of the truck. The auxiliary axle has mounted at each end thereof tires which are interconnected by a tie rod so that the tires are joined for the purposes of rotation. ~he tires are mounted on the axle for turning purposes by means of king pins which`rotate the tires about a vertical axis at approximately the center of the wheels. The axle assembly of the Buelow patent '896 inciudes hydraulic means for raising and lowering the axle asse~bly and air bags are provided to provide auxiliary support to the truc~ through the wheels and axle. In at le~st some designs for concrete trucks, the location of an axle such as illustrated in the BuelQw .~896 is a hindrance to the ra~sing and lowering of the auxiliary wheel assembly due to interference betwe`en the axle.and the inclined concrete trans~er chute mQunted at the xear of the vehicle. Further, rotation of the wheeIs about a vertical axis substantially running through the center of the tire such as shown in Buelow patent '896 may cause undesirable weax on the tires.
U.S. Patent 3,317,193 also in~ented by Buelow dis-closes another version of a wheel assembly where several -trans-ye~se supports are provided between each side of the wheel assembly. Buelow patent ~193 attempts to elim.inate any problem with interference between the wheel assembly and the inclined chute by making the chute retractable. U.S. Patent 3,246,884 invented by Prichard et al discloses a hinged axle assembly which serves to mount auxiliary wheels at a substantial distance from the main Erame of the concrete truck and axially mounts the in-clined chute with -the au~iliary wheels to evidently prevent interference between the wheel assembly and the inclined chute.
U.S. Patent 3,497,049 invented by Duecy discloses an auxiliary wheel assembly which is mounted directly behind the truck with the wheels being joined substantially close together, the prin-cipal function of the wheel assembly to distribute axle load andprovide a balancing means to balance against a shifting side load.
U.S. Patent 3,912,293 of Harbers, discloses an auxiliary wheel assembly which is double hinged in order to retract underneath the chute in order to avoid the interference between the axles thereo and the` inclined chute. Other patents which may be of inte~est include U.S. Patent Nos~ 3,944,190; 3~887,715;
3~658,303; and 3,612,~91.
SU~MARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an obiect of this invention to provide a new and improved auxiliary wheel unit for reducing concentrated loads on heavy load-carrying vehicles including first and second wheel assemblies ~dapted for mounting on opposite sides of the` frame of the vehicle such as a concrete truck or the like ~or independent movement with respect to each other.
It is further an object of this invention to pro-vide a new and improved auxiliary wheel unit which mounts the wheels for independent movement between retracted and load shar-ing positions and further mounts the wheels for subs-tantially s effortless turning movement in response to the turning of the truck itself.
These objects and other objects of this invention wlll be pointed out or made apparent as a result of the des-cription to follow. It should be understood, however, that only the claims of this patent define the scope of the inven-tion sought herein and that the summary of the invention just described is not intended to affect the claims in any way.
These objects and other objects of this invention are carried out by a ne~l and impro~ed auxiliary wheel unit adapted for mounting with the frame of a heavy, load-carrying vehicle such as a concrete truck or the like for distributing particularly heavy loads. The auxiliary wheel unit of the pre ferred embodiment of this invention includes first and second wheel assemblies which are mounted ont~ ~pposite sides of the frame of the` heavy, load-c~rrying truck for independent move-ment between retracted and load-sharing posi-tions. The path of moVement o the wheels mounted with -the wheel assemblies is entirely to the outside of the sides of the truck frame thereby pre~enting any interference between the structure of the load-carryin~ truck and the movement of the wheels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR~WINGS
Fig~ 1 is a side ~iew of a load-carryin~ vehicle, na~ely a concrete truck, having the auxiliary wheel unit of the pxeferred embodiment of this invention mounted therewith;
Fig. 2 is the side view of the auxiliary wheel unit illustrating one wheel assembly therefore in a load-sharing position in real lines and in a retracted position in scored lines;
Fig. 3 is a top view partially in section of the auxiliary wheel unit illustrating the independent action of the opposing wheel assemblies of the unit; and Fig. 4 is a side view of a concrete truck having the auxiliary cart mounted at the rear of the vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Ref~rring to the drawings, the letter U generally designates the auxiliary wheel unit of the preferred embodiment of this invention attached to a concrete txuck C. The concrete truck C is of a conventional design and represents a load-carry-ing vehicle with which the auxiliary wheel unit of this invention may be utilized. The concrete truck C basically includes a cab 10 having mounted therewlth a generally rectangular frame 11, as viewed from the top such as in Fig. 3. The rectangular frame 11 includes` first and second side members, lla and llb, res-pectively, which are joined by welding or otherwise with a rear ~ra~e member llc. The ~rame members lla-llc support the con-crete-carrying rotatable drum 12. The rotatable drum 12 is mounted ~or rotation at an inclined angle by support assemblies 12a and l~b, all o~ which are conventional in the art.
In the concrete truck C illus-trated in Fig. 1, a f~ont axle and wheel assembly 14 supports the cab 10 and a tandem axle and wheel assembly 15 including wheel and axle mem-bers 15a and 15b support the frame members lla-llc and mixing drum 12 mounted therewith. The dual or tandem axle and whe~l assembly 15 may consist o~ separate axle and wheel members such as 15a or 15b or may be a floating axle assembly commonly called 4~L~25 a "bogie" in the art of concrete truck design. The concrete truck C further includes a hopper 16 which directs concrete into inclined chute 17. The inclined chute 17 is typically mounted for s~in~ing or pivotal movement by rotatable support rod 17a. The inclined chute 17 in the embodiment illus-trated in the dra~ings is a one-piece member. It should be understood that the inclined chute may be formed of several sections that are typically connected together. The important point is that the inclined chute 17 of the concrete truck C is typically located at the rear end thereof and, due to its extension ou-t-wardly from the rear, presents an obstacle to movement of auxiliar wheel units already described.
The auxiliary wheel unit U o~ the Pxeferred embodi-nlent of this i:n~entlon includes a fi~st wheel assembly 20 mounted on the frame side lla and a second wheel assembl~ 21 mounted on the frame side llb. ~ first mount means ~2 mounts the first wheel assembly 20 for movement between a retracted position illustrated in scored l~nes and designated by the letter R in F~,3, and an extended, load-sharing position illustrated in ~G real lines in all the figures of the drawings. ~ second mount means generally designated by the number 23 mounts the second wheel assembly 21 for exactly the same movement. The first and second wheel assemblies 20 and 21 are actually iden-tical excep-t fQr being positioned on oppositely positioned frame members lla and llb, respectively. Similarly, the first and second mount means 22 and 23 are exactly the same in structure, the only difference being the positioning of the first mount means on the frame member lla and the positioning of -the second ~ount means s on the frame member llb. Therefore, the same numbers and letters will be used to describe the wheel assemblies 20 and 21 and the wheel assembly mount means 22 and ~3, it being under-stood that the only differences between the opposing wheel assemblies 20 and 21 and mount means 22 and 23 is one of position on opposite sides of the truck frame members lla and llb.
The wheel assemblies 20 and 21 include a wheel mount means in the form of ~rame support member 24. The frame support member 24 has a general U-shaped configuration as viewed in Fig. 3 and thus includes a slot 24a for receiving ~heel 25.
The wheel 25 is mounted for rotation a~out a horizontal hub 25a in any manner known in such art.
Thè frame support member 2~ has an opening 24b at the forward end thereof and is adapted to fit within a recess 26a in c~nnector link 26. An opening 26b extends through opposing sides of the connector link portions forming the recess 26a in order to receive a connector pin 27~ The connectQr pin 27 e~tends approximateIy vertical as ~iewed from the side in Figs.
Various state statutes and/or regulatory agencies ha~e`promulgated regulations which limit the loaa per time or per axle for trucks of various types on st~eets and highways.
Concrete trucks are one type of hbavy-duty trucks which generally are subject to such regulations. It is not unusual for a con-crete truck with a full load of wet concrete to exceed the regulations in some states regarding the load per tire or per axle. One known method for decreasing the load per tire on a ... . . _ . ........ . . .. ... . , .. .. , ., . . . , . . .. . _ . . . _ _ .. .. .... .... . .. .
- . . .. .
.
~.
,'. . ''~' ' ' , , ' ' ' ,: ' '' '1, : ' heavily loaded concrete truck is to add additional tires to absarb so~e of the weight of the load. U.S. Patent 3,704,896, inYented by Buelow, illustrates a concrete truck mixer having a concentrated load and including conventional forward steering wheels and rear drive wheels; the concrete truc]~ mixer is pro-vided with additional wheels mounted on an auxiliary axle below the frame of the truck. The auxiliary axle has mounted at each end thereof tires which are interconnected by a tie rod so that the tires are joined for the purposes of rotation. ~he tires are mounted on the axle for turning purposes by means of king pins which`rotate the tires about a vertical axis at approximately the center of the wheels. The axle assembly of the Buelow patent '896 inciudes hydraulic means for raising and lowering the axle asse~bly and air bags are provided to provide auxiliary support to the truc~ through the wheels and axle. In at le~st some designs for concrete trucks, the location of an axle such as illustrated in the BuelQw .~896 is a hindrance to the ra~sing and lowering of the auxiliary wheel assembly due to interference betwe`en the axle.and the inclined concrete trans~er chute mQunted at the xear of the vehicle. Further, rotation of the wheeIs about a vertical axis substantially running through the center of the tire such as shown in Buelow patent '896 may cause undesirable weax on the tires.
U.S. Patent 3,317,193 also in~ented by Buelow dis-closes another version of a wheel assembly where several -trans-ye~se supports are provided between each side of the wheel assembly. Buelow patent ~193 attempts to elim.inate any problem with interference between the wheel assembly and the inclined chute by making the chute retractable. U.S. Patent 3,246,884 invented by Prichard et al discloses a hinged axle assembly which serves to mount auxiliary wheels at a substantial distance from the main Erame of the concrete truck and axially mounts the in-clined chute with -the au~iliary wheels to evidently prevent interference between the wheel assembly and the inclined chute.
U.S. Patent 3,497,049 invented by Duecy discloses an auxiliary wheel assembly which is mounted directly behind the truck with the wheels being joined substantially close together, the prin-cipal function of the wheel assembly to distribute axle load andprovide a balancing means to balance against a shifting side load.
U.S. Patent 3,912,293 of Harbers, discloses an auxiliary wheel assembly which is double hinged in order to retract underneath the chute in order to avoid the interference between the axles thereo and the` inclined chute. Other patents which may be of inte~est include U.S. Patent Nos~ 3,944,190; 3~887,715;
3~658,303; and 3,612,~91.
SU~MARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an obiect of this invention to provide a new and improved auxiliary wheel unit for reducing concentrated loads on heavy load-carrying vehicles including first and second wheel assemblies ~dapted for mounting on opposite sides of the` frame of the vehicle such as a concrete truck or the like ~or independent movement with respect to each other.
It is further an object of this invention to pro-vide a new and improved auxiliary wheel unit which mounts the wheels for independent movement between retracted and load shar-ing positions and further mounts the wheels for subs-tantially s effortless turning movement in response to the turning of the truck itself.
These objects and other objects of this invention wlll be pointed out or made apparent as a result of the des-cription to follow. It should be understood, however, that only the claims of this patent define the scope of the inven-tion sought herein and that the summary of the invention just described is not intended to affect the claims in any way.
These objects and other objects of this invention are carried out by a ne~l and impro~ed auxiliary wheel unit adapted for mounting with the frame of a heavy, load-carrying vehicle such as a concrete truck or the like for distributing particularly heavy loads. The auxiliary wheel unit of the pre ferred embodiment of this invention includes first and second wheel assemblies which are mounted ont~ ~pposite sides of the frame of the` heavy, load-c~rrying truck for independent move-ment between retracted and load-sharing posi-tions. The path of moVement o the wheels mounted with -the wheel assemblies is entirely to the outside of the sides of the truck frame thereby pre~enting any interference between the structure of the load-carryin~ truck and the movement of the wheels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR~WINGS
Fig~ 1 is a side ~iew of a load-carryin~ vehicle, na~ely a concrete truck, having the auxiliary wheel unit of the pxeferred embodiment of this invention mounted therewith;
Fig. 2 is the side view of the auxiliary wheel unit illustrating one wheel assembly therefore in a load-sharing position in real lines and in a retracted position in scored lines;
Fig. 3 is a top view partially in section of the auxiliary wheel unit illustrating the independent action of the opposing wheel assemblies of the unit; and Fig. 4 is a side view of a concrete truck having the auxiliary cart mounted at the rear of the vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Ref~rring to the drawings, the letter U generally designates the auxiliary wheel unit of the preferred embodiment of this invention attached to a concrete txuck C. The concrete truck C is of a conventional design and represents a load-carry-ing vehicle with which the auxiliary wheel unit of this invention may be utilized. The concrete truck C basically includes a cab 10 having mounted therewlth a generally rectangular frame 11, as viewed from the top such as in Fig. 3. The rectangular frame 11 includes` first and second side members, lla and llb, res-pectively, which are joined by welding or otherwise with a rear ~ra~e member llc. The ~rame members lla-llc support the con-crete-carrying rotatable drum 12. The rotatable drum 12 is mounted ~or rotation at an inclined angle by support assemblies 12a and l~b, all o~ which are conventional in the art.
In the concrete truck C illus-trated in Fig. 1, a f~ont axle and wheel assembly 14 supports the cab 10 and a tandem axle and wheel assembly 15 including wheel and axle mem-bers 15a and 15b support the frame members lla-llc and mixing drum 12 mounted therewith. The dual or tandem axle and whe~l assembly 15 may consist o~ separate axle and wheel members such as 15a or 15b or may be a floating axle assembly commonly called 4~L~25 a "bogie" in the art of concrete truck design. The concrete truck C further includes a hopper 16 which directs concrete into inclined chute 17. The inclined chute 17 is typically mounted for s~in~ing or pivotal movement by rotatable support rod 17a. The inclined chute 17 in the embodiment illus-trated in the dra~ings is a one-piece member. It should be understood that the inclined chute may be formed of several sections that are typically connected together. The important point is that the inclined chute 17 of the concrete truck C is typically located at the rear end thereof and, due to its extension ou-t-wardly from the rear, presents an obstacle to movement of auxiliar wheel units already described.
The auxiliary wheel unit U o~ the Pxeferred embodi-nlent of this i:n~entlon includes a fi~st wheel assembly 20 mounted on the frame side lla and a second wheel assembl~ 21 mounted on the frame side llb. ~ first mount means ~2 mounts the first wheel assembly 20 for movement between a retracted position illustrated in scored l~nes and designated by the letter R in F~,3, and an extended, load-sharing position illustrated in ~G real lines in all the figures of the drawings. ~ second mount means generally designated by the number 23 mounts the second wheel assembly 21 for exactly the same movement. The first and second wheel assemblies 20 and 21 are actually iden-tical excep-t fQr being positioned on oppositely positioned frame members lla and llb, respectively. Similarly, the first and second mount means 22 and 23 are exactly the same in structure, the only difference being the positioning of the first mount means on the frame member lla and the positioning of -the second ~ount means s on the frame member llb. Therefore, the same numbers and letters will be used to describe the wheel assemblies 20 and 21 and the wheel assembly mount means 22 and ~3, it being under-stood that the only differences between the opposing wheel assemblies 20 and 21 and mount means 22 and 23 is one of position on opposite sides of the truck frame members lla and llb.
The wheel assemblies 20 and 21 include a wheel mount means in the form of ~rame support member 24. The frame support member 24 has a general U-shaped configuration as viewed in Fig. 3 and thus includes a slot 24a for receiving ~heel 25.
The wheel 25 is mounted for rotation a~out a horizontal hub 25a in any manner known in such art.
Thè frame support member 2~ has an opening 24b at the forward end thereof and is adapted to fit within a recess 26a in c~nnector link 26. An opening 26b extends through opposing sides of the connector link portions forming the recess 26a in order to receive a connector pin 27~ The connectQr pin 27 e~tends approximateIy vertical as ~iewed from the side in Figs.
2 and 4 and mounts the wheel support frame member 2~ for pivotal moVement in an appro~imately horizontal plane~ The moun-ting of the wheel frame support ~ember 24 for pivotal ~ovement or swing-ing movement from side-to-side in an approximately horizontal plane mounts the wheel 25 for a movemen-t with swin~ing movement of the frame support member 2~. In this manner, the wheel 25 is capable of being turned in response to turning of the concrete truck C without subjecting the wheel to the stress of being turned about a vertical axis through the center of the wheel, . , , . . ~
.,s which places significant wear on the wheel not found in the mounting of the wheel 25 of this invention.
The link 26 is actually part of a motion transfer element 28 which includes the link 26 and another connector link 29 which are ixedly mounted with a support hub 28a for rotat-able movement together with respect to the frame members lla and llb.
The link 29 is connected by a pin 29a to a fluid powered cylinder a~sembly 3~. The fluid power cylinder assembly 30 is pivotally connected by a pin 32 to support 31 mounted on the top of frame members lla and llb.
Thè fluid powered cylinder assemblies 30 are of a conventional design and include a two-way hydraulic cylinder 31a having mounted therein a pin and rod combination 31b. The cylinder assembly 31a is pivotally attached by the pin 32 to the support 31 and the piston and rod-combination 31b is attached b~ the pin 29a to the link 29~ The application of hydraulic fluid or air under pressure, or other suitable power-conveying ~luid, to the cylinder ~ssembly operates in a known manner to cause the entire cylinder assembly 30 to expand or contract. The applic~tion of fluid power causing the cylinder assembly 30 to contr~ct will move the frame support member 24 and wheel 25 connected therewith upward~y to a raised or retracted position;
and~ expansion o~ the cylinder assemhly 3~ will move the frame support ~ember 24 and wheel 25 downwardly into engagement with r~ad surface 3~ so that the wheels 25 share in the distribution of the load in the dru~ 12.
Whene~er the ~rame support member 24 and wheel 25 .. , of each wheel assembly 20 and 21 is moved upwardly to the retracted position, the frame support members 24 are locked against movement from side to side as allowed by the pivotal mounting pin 27. The locking of the frame support member 24 and wheel 25 of each wheel assembly 20 and 21 against pivotal movement is provided by a locking pin 35 which extends through aligned openings in the end portions of the frame support mem-ber 24 forming recess 24a and the connecting link 26. The aligned openings receiving the pin 35 are positioned adjacent to the openings receiving the pin 27 and lock the wheels 25 against side-to-side movement whenever desired, such as when the wheels 25 are being raised to the retracted position.
In OperatiQn and use of the auxilia~y wheel unit U
of this invention, each of the wheels 25 can be moved between the retracted and load-sharing positions without interfering ~ith the inclined chute 17 or any other apparatus mounted on the rear of the concrete truck C. Each of the wheels 25 is mQunted a distance 39 to the outside of t~e frame membexs:lila ~nd llb to provide for movement o~ the wheels 25 in an arcuate path between the retracted and load-sharing positions outside o~ thè frame 11 and away from equipment mounted on the rear of the tXUCk C. The mounting of the wheels 25 for side-to-side pivotal movement by means of pins 27 allows the wheels 25 to trail tl~e truck C without causing unnecessary wear to the wheels.
This is provided by placing the approximately vertical pivot point defined by pin 27 in front o~ the wheels 25 so that the wheels 25 actually move with the pivoting frame support members 24.
_g_ Fig. 4 illustrates an additional feature of this invention which may be used ~ith the auxiliary wheel unit U.
mobile cart 40 is mounted onto the rear frame member llc in a position underneath the inclined chute 17 in order to receive residual concrete washed out of the inclined chute 17 after use.
The cart 40 includes an approximately L-shaped frame 41 as view-ed from the side; the frame 41 terminates in lug portion 41aO
~he lug portion 41a includes an opening which is alignable with a rearwardly extending frame support lug 42 to receive a connecting pin ~3 so that the cart 40 may swing from side-to-side and easily trail the concrete truck C. The frame 41 mounts wheels 44 on either side thereof in any known manner and supports a container portion 45. The container portion 45 includes opposing side walls 45a which are attached by suitable means such as welding to an end vertical wall 45b. An inclined front wall 45c extends between the edges of the side members 45a. The wall members 45a-45c cooperate to pr~vide a container that is open at the top to receive such concrete residue. Thus after use of the inclined chute 17, any residual concrete remaining therein can be washed out of the chute directly into the con-tainer pQrtion 45 fox disposal at a proper location later.
This pXevents deliberate or inadvertent dropping of the concrete in undesirabIe places such as on existing streets. The cart 40 may also carry any t~pe o~ building supplies which can fit therein that is desired.
The foregQing disclosure and description of the invention axe illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials as well as in the 2~i details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
For example, the support arm 2~ is described as having slot 24a. The support arm 24 may have other configu-rations such as a configuration that supports wheel 25 on one side only. Also, a second wheel may be supported by each arm 24 50 that the auxiliary unit U adds four wheels to the truck C.
.,s which places significant wear on the wheel not found in the mounting of the wheel 25 of this invention.
The link 26 is actually part of a motion transfer element 28 which includes the link 26 and another connector link 29 which are ixedly mounted with a support hub 28a for rotat-able movement together with respect to the frame members lla and llb.
The link 29 is connected by a pin 29a to a fluid powered cylinder a~sembly 3~. The fluid power cylinder assembly 30 is pivotally connected by a pin 32 to support 31 mounted on the top of frame members lla and llb.
Thè fluid powered cylinder assemblies 30 are of a conventional design and include a two-way hydraulic cylinder 31a having mounted therein a pin and rod combination 31b. The cylinder assembly 31a is pivotally attached by the pin 32 to the support 31 and the piston and rod-combination 31b is attached b~ the pin 29a to the link 29~ The application of hydraulic fluid or air under pressure, or other suitable power-conveying ~luid, to the cylinder ~ssembly operates in a known manner to cause the entire cylinder assembly 30 to expand or contract. The applic~tion of fluid power causing the cylinder assembly 30 to contr~ct will move the frame support member 24 and wheel 25 connected therewith upward~y to a raised or retracted position;
and~ expansion o~ the cylinder assemhly 3~ will move the frame support ~ember 24 and wheel 25 downwardly into engagement with r~ad surface 3~ so that the wheels 25 share in the distribution of the load in the dru~ 12.
Whene~er the ~rame support member 24 and wheel 25 .. , of each wheel assembly 20 and 21 is moved upwardly to the retracted position, the frame support members 24 are locked against movement from side to side as allowed by the pivotal mounting pin 27. The locking of the frame support member 24 and wheel 25 of each wheel assembly 20 and 21 against pivotal movement is provided by a locking pin 35 which extends through aligned openings in the end portions of the frame support mem-ber 24 forming recess 24a and the connecting link 26. The aligned openings receiving the pin 35 are positioned adjacent to the openings receiving the pin 27 and lock the wheels 25 against side-to-side movement whenever desired, such as when the wheels 25 are being raised to the retracted position.
In OperatiQn and use of the auxilia~y wheel unit U
of this invention, each of the wheels 25 can be moved between the retracted and load-sharing positions without interfering ~ith the inclined chute 17 or any other apparatus mounted on the rear of the concrete truck C. Each of the wheels 25 is mQunted a distance 39 to the outside of t~e frame membexs:lila ~nd llb to provide for movement o~ the wheels 25 in an arcuate path between the retracted and load-sharing positions outside o~ thè frame 11 and away from equipment mounted on the rear of the tXUCk C. The mounting of the wheels 25 for side-to-side pivotal movement by means of pins 27 allows the wheels 25 to trail tl~e truck C without causing unnecessary wear to the wheels.
This is provided by placing the approximately vertical pivot point defined by pin 27 in front o~ the wheels 25 so that the wheels 25 actually move with the pivoting frame support members 24.
_g_ Fig. 4 illustrates an additional feature of this invention which may be used ~ith the auxiliary wheel unit U.
mobile cart 40 is mounted onto the rear frame member llc in a position underneath the inclined chute 17 in order to receive residual concrete washed out of the inclined chute 17 after use.
The cart 40 includes an approximately L-shaped frame 41 as view-ed from the side; the frame 41 terminates in lug portion 41aO
~he lug portion 41a includes an opening which is alignable with a rearwardly extending frame support lug 42 to receive a connecting pin ~3 so that the cart 40 may swing from side-to-side and easily trail the concrete truck C. The frame 41 mounts wheels 44 on either side thereof in any known manner and supports a container portion 45. The container portion 45 includes opposing side walls 45a which are attached by suitable means such as welding to an end vertical wall 45b. An inclined front wall 45c extends between the edges of the side members 45a. The wall members 45a-45c cooperate to pr~vide a container that is open at the top to receive such concrete residue. Thus after use of the inclined chute 17, any residual concrete remaining therein can be washed out of the chute directly into the con-tainer pQrtion 45 fox disposal at a proper location later.
This pXevents deliberate or inadvertent dropping of the concrete in undesirabIe places such as on existing streets. The cart 40 may also carry any t~pe o~ building supplies which can fit therein that is desired.
The foregQing disclosure and description of the invention axe illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials as well as in the 2~i details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
For example, the support arm 2~ is described as having slot 24a. The support arm 24 may have other configu-rations such as a configuration that supports wheel 25 on one side only. Also, a second wheel may be supported by each arm 24 50 that the auxiliary unit U adds four wheels to the truck C.
Claims
1. An auxiliary wheel unit apparatus adapted for mounting with the frame of a transit mix vehicle having a ro-tatable concrete mixer drum with a movable rearwardly extending discharge chute, said apparatus for distributing a portion of the load of the transit mix vehicle to the auxiliary wheel unit when desired, said apparatus including:
first and second wheel assemblies, each of said wheel assemblies including a mounted rotatable wheel for rolling en-gagement with the support surface for the vehicle and a wheel mount means for holding said wheel in a rotatable condition;
first and second mounting means for mounting said first and second wheel assemblies on opposite sides of the vehicle frame including a motion transfer means having a pivotally connected link for enabling movement of the associated rotatable wheel assembly between retracted and load-sharing positions located outside of the opposite sides of the vehicle frame independently of the position of the other wheel assembly;
each of said rotatable wheel assembly in the load-sharing position existing rearwardly of said vehicle and in the retracted position positioned forwardly of the point of rotation of said pivotally connected link to clear the rearwardly extend-ing discharge chute;
each of said first and second mounting means having a fluid actuated power cylinder being expandable and contractable by the application of fluid under pressure;
means for mounting each of said power cylinders with one side of the frame of the vehicle;
means for mounting the other end of each of said power cylinders with said pivotally connected links for moving said wheel assemblies between retracted and load-sharing positions by the application of fluid under pressure to the power cylinder connected with said pivotal links;
each of said first and second mounting means having connector means for mounting at one end thereof one of said wheel mount means and connecting at another end thereof with said pivotally connected link, said connection between said connector means and said pivotally connected link having a pivotal connection with a vertical axis when said wheel assembly is in the load-sharing position to enable said rotat-able wheel to trail the vehicle to reduce tire wear; and means for releasably locking said connector means against pivotal movement relative to said pivotally connected links when desired.
first and second wheel assemblies, each of said wheel assemblies including a mounted rotatable wheel for rolling en-gagement with the support surface for the vehicle and a wheel mount means for holding said wheel in a rotatable condition;
first and second mounting means for mounting said first and second wheel assemblies on opposite sides of the vehicle frame including a motion transfer means having a pivotally connected link for enabling movement of the associated rotatable wheel assembly between retracted and load-sharing positions located outside of the opposite sides of the vehicle frame independently of the position of the other wheel assembly;
each of said rotatable wheel assembly in the load-sharing position existing rearwardly of said vehicle and in the retracted position positioned forwardly of the point of rotation of said pivotally connected link to clear the rearwardly extend-ing discharge chute;
each of said first and second mounting means having a fluid actuated power cylinder being expandable and contractable by the application of fluid under pressure;
means for mounting each of said power cylinders with one side of the frame of the vehicle;
means for mounting the other end of each of said power cylinders with said pivotally connected links for moving said wheel assemblies between retracted and load-sharing positions by the application of fluid under pressure to the power cylinder connected with said pivotal links;
each of said first and second mounting means having connector means for mounting at one end thereof one of said wheel mount means and connecting at another end thereof with said pivotally connected link, said connection between said connector means and said pivotally connected link having a pivotal connection with a vertical axis when said wheel assembly is in the load-sharing position to enable said rotat-able wheel to trail the vehicle to reduce tire wear; and means for releasably locking said connector means against pivotal movement relative to said pivotally connected links when desired.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA297,489A CA1094125A (en) | 1978-02-22 | 1978-02-22 | Load-sharing unit for load-carrying vehicles |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA297,489A CA1094125A (en) | 1978-02-22 | 1978-02-22 | Load-sharing unit for load-carrying vehicles |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1094125A true CA1094125A (en) | 1981-01-20 |
Family
ID=4110837
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA297,489A Expired CA1094125A (en) | 1978-02-22 | 1978-02-22 | Load-sharing unit for load-carrying vehicles |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1094125A (en) |
-
1978
- 1978-02-22 CA CA297,489A patent/CA1094125A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |