GB2053846A - Vehicle jacks - Google Patents

Abstract

A jack of known y-form type, in which an arm 11 is pivoted on a leg 12 and an actuator screw 40 is connected between the arm and the leg is made small for stowage in a spare wheel and, to provide sufficient strength, the leg 12 comprises two elongate, parallel plates 15, 16 each having longitudinal flanges 17, 18 with inturned lips 17a, 18a. The arm is pivoted between the plates and the plates engage in a foot 20, which is channel shaped, and are welded thereto. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle jacks This invention relates to vehicle jacks.

U.K. Patent Specification No. 1011933 describes a scissor-type jack comprising a pair of legs pivotally joined approximately mid-way along their lengths. A screw is mounted between two adjacent ends of the two legs. One leg carries at its upper end a load support member and the other leg has an angled foot at its lower end. The jack is initially supported on the ground by both legs, but the leg with the foot becomes the sole support when a resistance is applied to the load support member, due to tilting of the leg with the foot. This is a large jack, the construction of which uses a large amount of material and the jack is bulky and not easy to stow.

This design of jack has been modified by removing the lower end of the leg, which does not have the foot, to define a y-shape. This reduces the bulk and the amount of material used, but the jack is still quite large. It is desirable for the jack to be as small as possible, so that it can be stowed unobtrusively, as well as to reduce weight and cost, but reduction in the size of the jack reduces its strength.

In the scissor-type jack, referred to above, one of the legs is pivoted between two parallel members, which define the other leg. The y-shape type of jack has been made in a similar way, but one way of reducing the size of the jack, without unduly reducing its strength, has been to replace the two parallel members by a channel-shaped member with the short leg, or arm, pivoted in the channel. This means that more material is required than would be the case with two parallel members. Also, the channel has to be sufficiently deep to allow room for movement of the stump of the short leg, or arm, which projects beyond the pivot point. This involves use of more material and also increases the depth of the jack in its retracted state.

The present invention seeks to overcome this problem and to provide a strong jack, which is small and easily stowable.

The present invention provides a vehicle jack comprising a leg having two parallel members connected together at the ends of the leg and provided with a foot at a lower end of the leg, an arm pivotally mounted adjacent one end between the members and provided with a load-support member at the other end, and an actuator screw mounted between the arm and the leg, wherein each said member of the leg comprises an elongate metal plate formed at its longitudinal edges with parallel flanges extending away from the other member, each flange having an inturned relatively narrow lip.

Preferably, there is a gradual curved transition between the main part of each plate and each flange thereon and each flange and its lip.

This arrangement provides a very strong leg, which is the main support for the load, in use, which can be of small depth.

For simplicity of construction and to keep the weight low, it is advantageous that the foot serves to interconnect said members at the lower end of the leg and, to reduce weight further, it is preferred that each plate is formed with apertures.

An important advantage of the jack according to the invention is that it can be stowed in a very small space and the invention additionally resides in a combination of a motor vehicle wheel and a jack as defined above, wherein the wheel comprises a disc plate mounting a rim for supporting a tyre, and a recess defined between the disc-plate and the rim, the jack being housed in the recess.

It is also preferred that the connection between said leg members of the leg, at the opposite end from the foot, is provided by a nut with which the actuator screw is engaged. This arrangement also keeps the weight low and simplifies construction.

The screw may engage with a further nut on the arm, but advantageously, the screw engages with a pivot member. Such pivot members are often massive and to keep the jack small and light, it is preferred that the pivot member is a cylindrical member journalled in parallel walls of the arm and held in place by a head on the screw.

Also to reduce the size of the jack in its retracted position for stowage, the pivot member is spaced from the load-support member by approximately one third of the distance between the mounting position of the load-support member on the arm and the pivotal mounting position of the arm on the leg.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle jack according to the invention, shown between its operative and retracted positions; Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the jack of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view of a vehicle wheel showing the jack of Figures 1 and 2 stowed therein in its retracted state; Figure 4 is an elevation of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the jack shown comprises a leg 12 to which is pivoted on arm 11 to define a y-shape. The leg 12 comprises a pair of elongated, parallel, spaced members 15, 16 composed of metal plates. Each plate is formed with a pair of parallel longitudinal flanges 17, 18, which extend away from the other member and there is a gradual curved transition between the main part of each plate and each corresponding flange. Each flange 17, is also formed with an inturned, relatively narrow lip 17a, 18a and again there is a gradual curved transition from each flange to its lip.

The members have apertures 25 to reduce weight.

The two members 15, are joined adjacent opposite ends of the leg. At the lower end, a foot 20 is attached to the leg and forms the join. The foot is generally of channel form and the members 15, 16 engage in the channel and are welded thereto. The foot projects beyond both members to increase the area in contact with the ground, in use. The leg 12 extends at an oblique angle to the channel bottom 23, on which the jack rests in its operative position.

Projections (not shown) on the foot reduce the risk of slippage in use.

A nut 28 has spigots 29 which are journalled in the members 15, 16 and have their ends demformed, so that the nut serves as a spacer between the members and joins the members together. Additional strength is provided by a plate 24 welded between flanges of the two members.

The arm 11 is of channel shape and is positioned between the members 15, 16. The upper end of the arm carries a load support shoe 30, which is pivotally mounted on a pivot bar 31 on the arm. The opposite end part of the arm is pivotally connected to the members buy a rivetted pin 13.

An actuator screw 40 engages through the nut 28 and has a handle 43 at one end. The other end part passes through a cylindrical pivot member 42 and engages a head 44 incorporating a thrust bearing and held by a stop 45 on the screw. The pivot member is journalled in opposite walls of the channel-shaped arm 11 and is held in place by the head 44. The pivot member is spaced from the pivot bar 31 by approximately one third of the distance between the pivot bar 31 and the pivot pin 13 to reduce the length of the screw and facilitate retraction of the arm between the members 15, 16.

The handle 43 is cranked and has an end part pivotally engaged in opposite, parallel portions of a U-shaped member 46, which is secured to the end of the screw 40. Pips 47 on the handle serve as resilient stops for locating the handle alternately in an operative position and a retracted position.

The retracted position is shown in Figure 3, in which the jack is stowed in a vehicle wheel. The wheel has a disc-plate 51 and a rim 50 defining a recess 52. The rim 50 mounts a tyre 53. The recess may be closed by a cover.

Figure 4 shows a different embodiment in which the stump of the arm 11, projecting beyond the pivot pin 13 is extended to form a short leg 1 lea. This short leg 1 la can be used to supportthejack at the initiation of a jacking operation. In addition, the foot 60 is differently formed and an eye 63 is provided on the screw 40 for receiving a separate handle (not shown). Also, in this embodiment, the pivot member 42 is replaced by a further nut 70 and a differently formed load-support shoe 71 is pivoted on the arm on the same axis as the nut 70.

Claims (11)

1. Avehicle jack comprising a leg having two parallel members connected together at the ends of the leg and provided with a foot at a lower end of the leg, an arm pivotally mounted adjacent one end between the members and provided with a loadsupport member at the other end, and an actuator screw mounted between the arm and the leg, wherein each said member of the leg comprises an elongate metal plate formed at its longitudinal edges with parallel flanges extending away from the other member, each flange having an inturned relatively narrow lip.

2. A vehicle jack according to claim 1, wherein there is a gradual curved transition between the main part of the plate and each flange and between each flange and its lip.

3. A vehicle jack according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the foot is of channel shape and the leg members are received in the foot and welded thereto with the foot extending beyond both members.

4. A vehicle jack according to claim 3, including apertures along the leg members.

5. A vehicle jack according to any preceding claim, wherein a nut, with which the actuator screw engages, is rotatably mounted between the members and serves as a spacer.

6. Avehicle jack according to any preceding claim, wherein a cylindrical pivot member is journalled in opposite parallel walls of the arm and the screw is secured to the nut, a head on the screw serving to hold the pivot member in place.

7. A vehicle jack according to claim 6, wherein the pivot member is spaced from the load-support member by approximately one third of the distance between the mounting position of the load-support member on the arm and the mounting position of the arm on the leg.

8. A vehicle jack according to any preceding claim in combination with a vehicle wheel, wherein the wheel comprises a disc-plate provided with a rim for mounting a tyre, so as to define a recess between the rim and the disc-plate, the jack being stowed in its retracted state in the recess.

9. A vehicle jack constructed substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A vehicle jack constructed substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A vehicle jack in combination with a wheel as herein described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.