CA1130835A - Load shifter assembly for trailers - Google Patents
Load shifter assembly for trailersInfo
- Publication number
- CA1130835A CA1130835A CA351,777A CA351777A CA1130835A CA 1130835 A CA1130835 A CA 1130835A CA 351777 A CA351777 A CA 351777A CA 1130835 A CA1130835 A CA 1130835A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- frame
- pick
- rail
- trailer
- invention according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
- B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
- B60P3/06—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects for carrying vehicles
- B60P3/064—Especially adapted for carrying non tracked public work, tractor or combat vehicles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D53/00—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains
- B62D53/04—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains comprising a vehicle carrying an essential part of the other vehicle's load by having supporting means for the front or rear part of the other vehicle
- B62D53/06—Semi-trailers
- B62D53/061—Semi-trailers of flat bed or low loader type or fitted with swan necks
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)
Abstract
LOAD SHIFTER ASSEMBLY FOR TRAILERS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A tandem axle load shifter is detachably engage-able on the rear end of a trailer and includes a suspension frame assembly with tandem axles and wheels, connected to a pick-up frame assembly by means of a turntable for self-steering purposes. The pick-up frame assembly is detach-ably secured to the rear end of the trailer and has a guide wheel journalled on the underside thereof. A curved and ramped rail is secured to the suspension frame forwardly of the wheels and engages the guide wheels so that when the suspension frame turns, the rail rides up the wheel and the loading of the rail on the guide wheel assists the suspen-sion frame assembly to return to the central position when the turn is completed. The mounting of the turntable is such that the vertical axis thereof is forwardly of the horizontal center line between the two axles thus giving a castoring effect to the suspension portion of the assembly which assists in maintaining the straight ahead trailing relationship of the assembly relative to the trailer under normal conditions.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A tandem axle load shifter is detachably engage-able on the rear end of a trailer and includes a suspension frame assembly with tandem axles and wheels, connected to a pick-up frame assembly by means of a turntable for self-steering purposes. The pick-up frame assembly is detach-ably secured to the rear end of the trailer and has a guide wheel journalled on the underside thereof. A curved and ramped rail is secured to the suspension frame forwardly of the wheels and engages the guide wheels so that when the suspension frame turns, the rail rides up the wheel and the loading of the rail on the guide wheel assists the suspen-sion frame assembly to return to the central position when the turn is completed. The mounting of the turntable is such that the vertical axis thereof is forwardly of the horizontal center line between the two axles thus giving a castoring effect to the suspension portion of the assembly which assists in maintaining the straight ahead trailing relationship of the assembly relative to the trailer under normal conditions.
Description
1~3~'33S
LOAD S~IFTER ASSEMBLY FOR TRAILERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new ànd useful improve-ments in load shifting assemblies normally used with heavy duty trailers and examples of such devices include U.S.
- Patents 4161325, 3700255, 2772892 and 2741409.
Patent 4161325 shows a supplementary support for vehicles for the reduction of load which comprises lever arms, a cam member, a cam roller and associated components.
Patent 3700255 discloses a pivotal axle which prevents scuffing of tires during the turning operation, by yielding to a normal course with respect to the direction of travel and the other two patents disclose load distributing vehi-cles or trailers.
As taught by these patents, the main function of a load shifting device is to relieve the running gear of the trailer; of a certain amount of imposed payload so that larger payloads can be legally be hauled on highways, the majority of which are subjected to weight limitations per axle or per wheel.
In order to be effective and to reduce the drag on the tires and also to decrease the turning radius, a load shifter must have self-steering capabilities and al-''" .
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through there are several different designs or self-steering gears available for load shifters, most of them suffer from certain disadvantages such as involved construction, many wear areas particularly when used in dusty or dirty condi-tions and somewhat inefficient self-centering actions.
SUMMARY OE THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes disadvantages in-herent in conventional load shifters and in accordance with the inventlon there is provided a loaf shifter assembly for heavy duty trailers comprising in combination a pick-up : frame, means to detachably secure said pick-up frame to the : rear end of the trailer, a suspension frame, a twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly supporting said suspension frame, substantially vertical pivot means mounting said suspension frame to said pick-up frame for pivotal movement in a sub-,, stantially horizontal plane relative to said pick-up frame, ` and self-centering means operatively extending between said suspension frame and said pick-up frame for assisting said suspension frame in returning to the in-line trailing posi-. 20 tion relative to the trail.er, said self-centering means in-cludes guide means mounted in said pick-up frame forwardly of the twin axles of said twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly, .. :
.. said rail engaging upon said guide means, said rail includ-ing a ramp on each side of the center thereof, said ramps ;.
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urging said rail to a position whereby said guide means is at the center of said rail.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the connection between the pick-up frame and the suspension frame is preferably situated just forwardly of the transver-se center line between the twin axles so that a castoring effect is provided which assists in maintaining the assembly '' ' ~'~,'' ' ..
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in the true trailing relationship behind the trailer and tends to eliminate the wandering of the load shifter as-sembly.
Another advantage of the present invention is the ease of connecting and disconnecting same from the rear end - of a trailer assembly.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin descrihed which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is desiyned.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompany-ing drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a descrip-tion of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional trailer with a load thereon and showing the load shifting device secured to the rear end thereof.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the load shifting assem-bly secured to the rear end of the trailer.
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~130~335 Figure 3 is a section substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the curved rail per se.
Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4.
In the drawings like characters of reference indi-cate corresponding parts in the different figures.
- DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference should first be made to Figure 1 in which 10 illustrates generally~ a conventional heavy duty trailer mounted upon a front wheeled assembly collectively designated ! 11 and supported at the rear by a plurality of road engaging wheels collectively designated 12 all of which are conven-tional. An example of a load which may be carried by such a trailer, is indicated by reference character 13.
The invention collectively designated 14 is detach-- ably secured to the rear end of the trailer as clearly shown in Figure 1 and in more detail in Figures 2 and 3.
The rear end of the trailer 10 curves downwardly as clearly shown and includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members 15 with inclined wing ramps collectively desig-nated 16 extending upon either side thereof. These are in part supported by a transverse heavy duty tube 17 spanning the side frame members 15 inboard rom the rear extremity :
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18 of the trailer, the ends of said tube extending beyond the side frames as shown in Figure 2.
A further transverse tube 19 extends between the rear ends of the side frames 15 and is secured thereto as by welding, said tube 19 also being shown in Figures 2 and 3.
The invention collectively designated 14 includes a pick-up frame collectively designated 20 and a suspension frame collectively designated 21. The suspension frame in-cludes a pair of spaced and parallel longitudinally extend-ing frame members 22 and cross members 23 extending there-between with strengthening gussets 24 being provided where necessary.
, A twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly is provided and is collectively designated 25. It is conventional in construction and includes spaced and parallel transverse axles 26 with ground engaging wheels 27 being journalled thereon in the usual way and with the axles being secured ' to the underside of the frame 21 in a conventional manner (not illustrated).
The pick-up frame 20 comprises a pair of spaced ` and parallel side members collectively designated 28 with transverse members 29 extending therebetween and being se-cured thereto. Each of these side members 28 includes a ,:~
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vertical web 30 and upper and lower horizontal flanges 31 ~" secured to the upper and lower edges of the web so that they are in the form of I-beams but shaped as clearly il-lustrated in Figure 3 with a main body portion 32 extending rearwardly and upwardly to terminate in a relatively narrow tail section 33.
The front portion of each of the side beams in-cludes a lower forwardly facing hooked portion 34, an upper leading portion 35 and an inclined front edge 36 extending therebetween as clearly shown.
A transversely situated tube 37 is welded to the lower ends of the U-shaped portion 34 and extends between : the two portions of the side frame as clearly illustrated and a further tube 38 extends between the side members 28 upon which are mounted a pair of hooks 39 which engage over the cross tube l9 spanning the rear ends of the side members 15 of the trailer when the assembly 14 is in position upon the trailer.
Screw threaded mounting pins 40 screw threadably engage sockets 41 extending between the leading ends 35 of the side members and support plates 42 extending forwardly from a further tubular member 43 which spans the side mem-bers 28 adjacent the leading ends 35 thereof and the un-'' " , . ~ :
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threaded inner ends 44 of these screw threaded pins 40 en-gage within vertical apertures (not illustrated) formed in the side members 15 of the trailer. The pins are screwed downwardly and then locked in position by means of a lock nut 45 engaging around the screw threaded portion of pins . 40 and actuated by extending member 46. The lock nut 45 - binds against a fixed nut 47 secured upon the upper side of the plates 42.
: The attachment of the pick-up frame 20, to the trailer, is completed by the provision of a flexible cable-~ 48. In this embodiment, the cable lies on the longitudinal .~ axis 49 of the trailer and of the pick-up frame. A conven-: tional ratchet binder assembly 50 is secured to one end of . the cable by means of cross pin 51 and to a link 52 extend-; ing from a further cross tube 53 extending between the side plates 28 of the pick-up assembly.
; The cable passes over a wear pad 54 upon cross . .
tube 43 and also through an apertured guide lug 55 extending upwardly from the tube 43, to be secured by cross pin 56 to ., 20 links 57 which in turn are secured to an apertured connector 58 secured to and extending forwardly from cross tube 17 as clearly shown in Figure 3.
; The ratchet binder is used to tension the cable 48 and to hold the U-shaped ends 34 of the side plates 28, ,. .
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against the cross tube 19 at the rear end of the trailer.
Means are provided to pivotally secure the sus-pension frame 21 to the pick-up frame 20 so that the sus-pension frame together with the twin axlès and wheels there-of, can pivot in a substantially horizontal plane. Al.though ..
other methods can be used, the preferred method is by the provision of a turntable assembly collectively designated 59. The lower portion is mounted upon the upper side of the suspension frame 21 and is indicated by reference cha-racter 60. The upper portion or turntable mounting assem-bly 61 is rotatable relative to the lower portion 60 in a conventional manner so that details are not believed neces-sary. This upper turntable mounting portion 61 is situated between transversely situated spaced and parallel angle members 62 and end members 63. Pillow block assemblies 64 are secured from the upper s-des of the end members 63 and ~ a cross shaft or spindle 65 is journalled between these .~ pillow blocks with the ends of the shaft being secured with-in the trailing ends 33 of the side members 28. Thi.s per-mits pivotal movement of the suspension frame around a transverse axis within limits as will hereinafter be des-cribed.
It should be noted that it is desirable that the vertical axis 66 of this pivotal connection is situated for-,: :
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wardly of the transverse center line 67 between the front and rear axles 26 thus giving a slight castoring action to the suspension frame which assists in maintaining the sus-pension frame portion in in-line trailing relationship with the trailer when the trailer is travelling straight ahead and helping to eliminate any wandering or wobble which might occur.
-` As will be appreciated from the foregoing, when the load shifting assembly is secured to the rear end of the trailer as hereinbefore described, the suspension frame portion 21 is of a self-steering nature because of the turn-.'..1 .. table mounting same relative to the pick-up frame 20.
Self-centering means collectively designated 68 i are provided between the suspension frame 21 and the pick-up frame 20 in order to assist the suspension frame assembly to ,. return to the in-line centered position after a turn has been ~ completed.
: A transversely situated mounting bracket 69 extends between the side frames 28 of the pick-up frame and a pair of spaced and parallel verti.cally situated channel members 70 ; are secured by the upper ends thereof to this member 69 and depend downwardly substantially along the aforementioned lon-gitudinal axis 49.
Guide means preferably taking the form of a grooved . .
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wheel or pulley 71 is journalled for rotation upon a mount-ing pin 72 extending between the webs 73A ofthe channels 70 adjacent the lower end thereof.
A curved rail collectively designated 73 is moun-ted on the front end of the suspension frame forwardly of the ground wheels and details of this rail are shown in ~igures 4 and 5.
The rail is curved when viewed in plan with a ra-dius substantially equivalent to the distance between the vertical center line 66 of the turntable and the guide wheel 71 and attaching plates 74 extend from inside the curvature to secure the rail to the front of the suspension frame.
However, this attachment is not shown in the drawings, but is conventional and can be either by welding or by nut and bolt assemblies.
The underside edge of the vertically situated plate forming the rail, is inclined as indicated by reference cha-racter 75 in Figure 4 with these inclined lower edges form-ing ramps which extend outwardly and downwardly from the center 76 of the rail and a notch 77 is formed on this under-side edge intermediate the two ramps 75 and centrally of the rail 73 and this rail engages the upper surface of the groo-ved wheel 71 as clearly shown in Figure 3.
This rail and guide wheel connection equalizes the ' ~
113C~335 load on the two axles and also makes the load shifter trail-. in~ more positive. It will be appreciated that as the load shifter turns due to a turning action of the prime mover and the trailer, the rail remains engaged with the wheel because . of the considerable weight present at this point so that in effect the wheel climbs the ramps 75 although it is the : rail that is moving.
;` As soon as the prime mover and trailer straighten .; out, the ramps force the rail to return to the central posi-.;
tion relative to the gui.de wheel 71 which engages within the notch 77. The notch 77 maintains the rail in the central :.
position upon the guide wheel until a predeterrnined turning , effort is encountered and this stops any wandering of the suspension frame during straight ahead movement of the trail-er.
: It will be appreciated that attaching and detach-ing the load shifting assembly from the trailer is relative-ly easy and that the suspension frame together with the twin axle and wheel assembly is self-steering and self-centering .; 20 due to firstly the slight castoring effect of the suspension frame and secondly, to the ramped rail engaging the trans-versely situated guide wheel 71 with the central notch 77 preventing wobble of the suspension frame when in the straight ahead position.
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Since various modifications can be made in our in-vention as hereinabove described, and many apparently wide-ly different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the ac-companying specification shall be interpreted as illustra-..: .
. tive only and not in a limiting sense.
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LOAD S~IFTER ASSEMBLY FOR TRAILERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new ànd useful improve-ments in load shifting assemblies normally used with heavy duty trailers and examples of such devices include U.S.
- Patents 4161325, 3700255, 2772892 and 2741409.
Patent 4161325 shows a supplementary support for vehicles for the reduction of load which comprises lever arms, a cam member, a cam roller and associated components.
Patent 3700255 discloses a pivotal axle which prevents scuffing of tires during the turning operation, by yielding to a normal course with respect to the direction of travel and the other two patents disclose load distributing vehi-cles or trailers.
As taught by these patents, the main function of a load shifting device is to relieve the running gear of the trailer; of a certain amount of imposed payload so that larger payloads can be legally be hauled on highways, the majority of which are subjected to weight limitations per axle or per wheel.
In order to be effective and to reduce the drag on the tires and also to decrease the turning radius, a load shifter must have self-steering capabilities and al-''" .
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through there are several different designs or self-steering gears available for load shifters, most of them suffer from certain disadvantages such as involved construction, many wear areas particularly when used in dusty or dirty condi-tions and somewhat inefficient self-centering actions.
SUMMARY OE THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes disadvantages in-herent in conventional load shifters and in accordance with the inventlon there is provided a loaf shifter assembly for heavy duty trailers comprising in combination a pick-up : frame, means to detachably secure said pick-up frame to the : rear end of the trailer, a suspension frame, a twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly supporting said suspension frame, substantially vertical pivot means mounting said suspension frame to said pick-up frame for pivotal movement in a sub-,, stantially horizontal plane relative to said pick-up frame, ` and self-centering means operatively extending between said suspension frame and said pick-up frame for assisting said suspension frame in returning to the in-line trailing posi-. 20 tion relative to the trail.er, said self-centering means in-cludes guide means mounted in said pick-up frame forwardly of the twin axles of said twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly, .. :
.. said rail engaging upon said guide means, said rail includ-ing a ramp on each side of the center thereof, said ramps ;.
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urging said rail to a position whereby said guide means is at the center of said rail.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the connection between the pick-up frame and the suspension frame is preferably situated just forwardly of the transver-se center line between the twin axles so that a castoring effect is provided which assists in maintaining the assembly '' ' ~'~,'' ' ..
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1~3~83S
in the true trailing relationship behind the trailer and tends to eliminate the wandering of the load shifter as-sembly.
Another advantage of the present invention is the ease of connecting and disconnecting same from the rear end - of a trailer assembly.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin descrihed which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is desiyned.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompany-ing drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a descrip-tion of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional trailer with a load thereon and showing the load shifting device secured to the rear end thereof.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the load shifting assem-bly secured to the rear end of the trailer.
- : . .. .
~130~335 Figure 3 is a section substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the curved rail per se.
Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4.
In the drawings like characters of reference indi-cate corresponding parts in the different figures.
- DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference should first be made to Figure 1 in which 10 illustrates generally~ a conventional heavy duty trailer mounted upon a front wheeled assembly collectively designated ! 11 and supported at the rear by a plurality of road engaging wheels collectively designated 12 all of which are conven-tional. An example of a load which may be carried by such a trailer, is indicated by reference character 13.
The invention collectively designated 14 is detach-- ably secured to the rear end of the trailer as clearly shown in Figure 1 and in more detail in Figures 2 and 3.
The rear end of the trailer 10 curves downwardly as clearly shown and includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members 15 with inclined wing ramps collectively desig-nated 16 extending upon either side thereof. These are in part supported by a transverse heavy duty tube 17 spanning the side frame members 15 inboard rom the rear extremity :
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18 of the trailer, the ends of said tube extending beyond the side frames as shown in Figure 2.
A further transverse tube 19 extends between the rear ends of the side frames 15 and is secured thereto as by welding, said tube 19 also being shown in Figures 2 and 3.
The invention collectively designated 14 includes a pick-up frame collectively designated 20 and a suspension frame collectively designated 21. The suspension frame in-cludes a pair of spaced and parallel longitudinally extend-ing frame members 22 and cross members 23 extending there-between with strengthening gussets 24 being provided where necessary.
, A twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly is provided and is collectively designated 25. It is conventional in construction and includes spaced and parallel transverse axles 26 with ground engaging wheels 27 being journalled thereon in the usual way and with the axles being secured ' to the underside of the frame 21 in a conventional manner (not illustrated).
The pick-up frame 20 comprises a pair of spaced ` and parallel side members collectively designated 28 with transverse members 29 extending therebetween and being se-cured thereto. Each of these side members 28 includes a ,:~
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vertical web 30 and upper and lower horizontal flanges 31 ~" secured to the upper and lower edges of the web so that they are in the form of I-beams but shaped as clearly il-lustrated in Figure 3 with a main body portion 32 extending rearwardly and upwardly to terminate in a relatively narrow tail section 33.
The front portion of each of the side beams in-cludes a lower forwardly facing hooked portion 34, an upper leading portion 35 and an inclined front edge 36 extending therebetween as clearly shown.
A transversely situated tube 37 is welded to the lower ends of the U-shaped portion 34 and extends between : the two portions of the side frame as clearly illustrated and a further tube 38 extends between the side members 28 upon which are mounted a pair of hooks 39 which engage over the cross tube l9 spanning the rear ends of the side members 15 of the trailer when the assembly 14 is in position upon the trailer.
Screw threaded mounting pins 40 screw threadably engage sockets 41 extending between the leading ends 35 of the side members and support plates 42 extending forwardly from a further tubular member 43 which spans the side mem-bers 28 adjacent the leading ends 35 thereof and the un-'' " , . ~ :
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threaded inner ends 44 of these screw threaded pins 40 en-gage within vertical apertures (not illustrated) formed in the side members 15 of the trailer. The pins are screwed downwardly and then locked in position by means of a lock nut 45 engaging around the screw threaded portion of pins . 40 and actuated by extending member 46. The lock nut 45 - binds against a fixed nut 47 secured upon the upper side of the plates 42.
: The attachment of the pick-up frame 20, to the trailer, is completed by the provision of a flexible cable-~ 48. In this embodiment, the cable lies on the longitudinal .~ axis 49 of the trailer and of the pick-up frame. A conven-: tional ratchet binder assembly 50 is secured to one end of . the cable by means of cross pin 51 and to a link 52 extend-; ing from a further cross tube 53 extending between the side plates 28 of the pick-up assembly.
; The cable passes over a wear pad 54 upon cross . .
tube 43 and also through an apertured guide lug 55 extending upwardly from the tube 43, to be secured by cross pin 56 to ., 20 links 57 which in turn are secured to an apertured connector 58 secured to and extending forwardly from cross tube 17 as clearly shown in Figure 3.
; The ratchet binder is used to tension the cable 48 and to hold the U-shaped ends 34 of the side plates 28, ,. .
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against the cross tube 19 at the rear end of the trailer.
Means are provided to pivotally secure the sus-pension frame 21 to the pick-up frame 20 so that the sus-pension frame together with the twin axlès and wheels there-of, can pivot in a substantially horizontal plane. Al.though ..
other methods can be used, the preferred method is by the provision of a turntable assembly collectively designated 59. The lower portion is mounted upon the upper side of the suspension frame 21 and is indicated by reference cha-racter 60. The upper portion or turntable mounting assem-bly 61 is rotatable relative to the lower portion 60 in a conventional manner so that details are not believed neces-sary. This upper turntable mounting portion 61 is situated between transversely situated spaced and parallel angle members 62 and end members 63. Pillow block assemblies 64 are secured from the upper s-des of the end members 63 and ~ a cross shaft or spindle 65 is journalled between these .~ pillow blocks with the ends of the shaft being secured with-in the trailing ends 33 of the side members 28. Thi.s per-mits pivotal movement of the suspension frame around a transverse axis within limits as will hereinafter be des-cribed.
It should be noted that it is desirable that the vertical axis 66 of this pivotal connection is situated for-,: :
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wardly of the transverse center line 67 between the front and rear axles 26 thus giving a slight castoring action to the suspension frame which assists in maintaining the sus-pension frame portion in in-line trailing relationship with the trailer when the trailer is travelling straight ahead and helping to eliminate any wandering or wobble which might occur.
-` As will be appreciated from the foregoing, when the load shifting assembly is secured to the rear end of the trailer as hereinbefore described, the suspension frame portion 21 is of a self-steering nature because of the turn-.'..1 .. table mounting same relative to the pick-up frame 20.
Self-centering means collectively designated 68 i are provided between the suspension frame 21 and the pick-up frame 20 in order to assist the suspension frame assembly to ,. return to the in-line centered position after a turn has been ~ completed.
: A transversely situated mounting bracket 69 extends between the side frames 28 of the pick-up frame and a pair of spaced and parallel verti.cally situated channel members 70 ; are secured by the upper ends thereof to this member 69 and depend downwardly substantially along the aforementioned lon-gitudinal axis 49.
Guide means preferably taking the form of a grooved . .
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wheel or pulley 71 is journalled for rotation upon a mount-ing pin 72 extending between the webs 73A ofthe channels 70 adjacent the lower end thereof.
A curved rail collectively designated 73 is moun-ted on the front end of the suspension frame forwardly of the ground wheels and details of this rail are shown in ~igures 4 and 5.
The rail is curved when viewed in plan with a ra-dius substantially equivalent to the distance between the vertical center line 66 of the turntable and the guide wheel 71 and attaching plates 74 extend from inside the curvature to secure the rail to the front of the suspension frame.
However, this attachment is not shown in the drawings, but is conventional and can be either by welding or by nut and bolt assemblies.
The underside edge of the vertically situated plate forming the rail, is inclined as indicated by reference cha-racter 75 in Figure 4 with these inclined lower edges form-ing ramps which extend outwardly and downwardly from the center 76 of the rail and a notch 77 is formed on this under-side edge intermediate the two ramps 75 and centrally of the rail 73 and this rail engages the upper surface of the groo-ved wheel 71 as clearly shown in Figure 3.
This rail and guide wheel connection equalizes the ' ~
113C~335 load on the two axles and also makes the load shifter trail-. in~ more positive. It will be appreciated that as the load shifter turns due to a turning action of the prime mover and the trailer, the rail remains engaged with the wheel because . of the considerable weight present at this point so that in effect the wheel climbs the ramps 75 although it is the : rail that is moving.
;` As soon as the prime mover and trailer straighten .; out, the ramps force the rail to return to the central posi-.;
tion relative to the gui.de wheel 71 which engages within the notch 77. The notch 77 maintains the rail in the central :.
position upon the guide wheel until a predeterrnined turning , effort is encountered and this stops any wandering of the suspension frame during straight ahead movement of the trail-er.
: It will be appreciated that attaching and detach-ing the load shifting assembly from the trailer is relative-ly easy and that the suspension frame together with the twin axle and wheel assembly is self-steering and self-centering .; 20 due to firstly the slight castoring effect of the suspension frame and secondly, to the ramped rail engaging the trans-versely situated guide wheel 71 with the central notch 77 preventing wobble of the suspension frame when in the straight ahead position.
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113~133~
Since various modifications can be made in our in-vention as hereinabove described, and many apparently wide-ly different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the ac-companying specification shall be interpreted as illustra-..: .
. tive only and not in a limiting sense.
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Claims
WHAT WE CLAIM AS OUR INVENTION IS:
(1) A load shifter assembly for heavy duty trailers comprising in combination a pick-up frame, means to detachably secure said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer, a suspension frame, a twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly supporting said suspension frame, substan-tially vertical pivot means mounting said suspension frame to said pick-up frame for pivotal movement in a substanti-ally horizontal plane relative to said pick-up frame, and self-centering means operatively extending between said sus-pension frame and said pick-up frame for assisting said sus-pension frame in returning to the in-line trailing position relative to the trailer, said self-centering means includes guide means mounted in said pick-up frame and a curved rail mounted across said suspension frame forwardly of the twin axles of said twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly, said rail engaging upon said guide means, said rail including a ramp on each side of the center thereof, said ramps urging said rail to a position whereby said guide means is at the center of said rail.
(2) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said means mounting said suspension frame to said pick-up frame comprises a turntable assembly operatively connecting the rear end of said pick-up frame upon said suspension frame.
(3) The invention according to Claim 2 in which the vertical axis of the turntable assembly is situated for-wardly of the transverse center line between the twin axles of said twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly.
(4) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said guide means consists of a wheel journalled for rotation within said pick-up frame and engaging said ramps.
(5) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said guide means consists of a wheel journalled for rotation within said pick-up frame and engaging said ramps.
(6) The invention according to Claim 3 in which said guide means consists of a wheel journalled for rotation within said pick-up frame and engaging said ramps.
(7) The invention according to Claim 1 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said guide means against movement of said rail relative to said guide means until a predetermined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in main-taining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(8) The invention according to Claim 2 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said guide means against movement of said rail relative to said guide means until a predetermined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in main-taining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(9) The invention according to Claim 3 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said guide means against movement of said rail relative to said guide means until a predetermined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in main-taining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(10) The invention according to Claim 4 which includes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said wheel against movement of said rail relative to said wheel until a prede-termined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in maintaining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(11) The invention according to Claim 5 which includes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said wheel against movement of said rail relative to said wheel until a prede-termined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in maintaining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(12) The invention according to Claim 6 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said wheel against movement of said rail relative to said wheel until a prede-termined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in maintaining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(13) The invention according to Claim 7 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said guide means.
(14) The invention according to Claim 8 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said guide means.
(15) The invention according to Claim 9 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said guide means.
(16) The invention according to Claim 10 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said wheel.
(17) The invention according to Claim 11 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said wheel.
(18) The invention according to Claims 12 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said wheel.
(19) The invention according to Claims 1, 2 or 3 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(20) The invention according to Claims 4, 5 or 6 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable ten-sioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame sub-stantially along the longitudinal axis thereof and being de-tachably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(21) The invention according to Claims 7, 8 or 9 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer al-so substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(22) The invention according to Claims 10, 11 or 12 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(23) The invention according to Claims 13, 14 or 15 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(24) The invention according to Claims 16, 17 or 18 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebet-ween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detachably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(1) A load shifter assembly for heavy duty trailers comprising in combination a pick-up frame, means to detachably secure said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer, a suspension frame, a twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly supporting said suspension frame, substan-tially vertical pivot means mounting said suspension frame to said pick-up frame for pivotal movement in a substanti-ally horizontal plane relative to said pick-up frame, and self-centering means operatively extending between said sus-pension frame and said pick-up frame for assisting said sus-pension frame in returning to the in-line trailing position relative to the trailer, said self-centering means includes guide means mounted in said pick-up frame and a curved rail mounted across said suspension frame forwardly of the twin axles of said twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly, said rail engaging upon said guide means, said rail including a ramp on each side of the center thereof, said ramps urging said rail to a position whereby said guide means is at the center of said rail.
(2) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said means mounting said suspension frame to said pick-up frame comprises a turntable assembly operatively connecting the rear end of said pick-up frame upon said suspension frame.
(3) The invention according to Claim 2 in which the vertical axis of the turntable assembly is situated for-wardly of the transverse center line between the twin axles of said twin-axle-and-road-wheel assembly.
(4) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said guide means consists of a wheel journalled for rotation within said pick-up frame and engaging said ramps.
(5) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said guide means consists of a wheel journalled for rotation within said pick-up frame and engaging said ramps.
(6) The invention according to Claim 3 in which said guide means consists of a wheel journalled for rotation within said pick-up frame and engaging said ramps.
(7) The invention according to Claim 1 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said guide means against movement of said rail relative to said guide means until a predetermined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in main-taining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(8) The invention according to Claim 2 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said guide means against movement of said rail relative to said guide means until a predetermined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in main-taining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(9) The invention according to Claim 3 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said guide means against movement of said rail relative to said guide means until a predetermined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in main-taining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(10) The invention according to Claim 4 which includes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said wheel against movement of said rail relative to said wheel until a prede-termined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in maintaining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(11) The invention according to Claim 5 which includes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said wheel against movement of said rail relative to said wheel until a prede-termined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in maintaining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(12) The invention according to Claim 6 which in-cludes means between said ramps in the center of said rail to maintain said rail centrally engaging said wheel against movement of said rail relative to said wheel until a prede-termined sideways pressure is exerted by the turning of said suspension frame, thereby assisting in maintaining the in-line trailing relationship of said suspension frame relative to said pick-up frame.
(13) The invention according to Claim 7 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said guide means.
(14) The invention according to Claim 8 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said guide means.
(15) The invention according to Claim 9 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said guide means.
(16) The invention according to Claim 10 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said wheel.
(17) The invention according to Claim 11 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said wheel.
(18) The invention according to Claims 12 in which said means between said ramps and the center of said rail consists of a vertically situated recess formed in the center of the side of said rail which is engaged by said wheel.
(19) The invention according to Claims 1, 2 or 3 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(20) The invention according to Claims 4, 5 or 6 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable ten-sioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame sub-stantially along the longitudinal axis thereof and being de-tachably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(21) The invention according to Claims 7, 8 or 9 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer al-so substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(22) The invention according to Claims 10, 11 or 12 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(23) The invention according to Claims 13, 14 or 15 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebetween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substanti-ally along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detach-ably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
(24) The invention according to Claims 16, 17 or 18 in which said pick-up frame includes a pair of spaced and parallel side members, cross members extending therebet-ween, said means detachably securing said pick-up frame to the rear end of the trailer includes trailer frame engaging means on each side of the underside of said side members, a pair of locating fasteners, one on each side of said pick-up frame and on the upper side thereof, engaging within the trailer adjacent the rear end thereof and an adjustable tensioning cable assembly extending from said pick-up frame substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof and being detachably securable to adjacent the rear end of said trailer also substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA351,777A CA1130835A (en) | 1980-05-09 | 1980-05-09 | Load shifter assembly for trailers |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA351,777A CA1130835A (en) | 1980-05-09 | 1980-05-09 | Load shifter assembly for trailers |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1130835A true CA1130835A (en) | 1982-08-31 |
Family
ID=4116922
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA351,777A Expired CA1130835A (en) | 1980-05-09 | 1980-05-09 | Load shifter assembly for trailers |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1130835A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0788902A1 (en) * | 1996-02-07 | 1997-08-13 | Koninklijke Nooteboom Trailers B.V. | Multi-section trailer |
-
1980
- 1980-05-09 CA CA351,777A patent/CA1130835A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0788902A1 (en) * | 1996-02-07 | 1997-08-13 | Koninklijke Nooteboom Trailers B.V. | Multi-section trailer |
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| MKEX | Expiry |