GB2098940A

GB2098940A - Mounting spare wheels

Info

Publication number: GB2098940A
Application number: GB8111486A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: TRENDE TRANSPORT DESIGN Ltd
Current assignee: TRENDE TRANSPORT DESIGN Ltd
Priority date: 1981-04-13
Filing date: 1981-04-13
Publication date: 1982-12-01
Also published as: GB2098940B

Abstract

A vehicle spare wheel mounting arrangement wherein the spare wheel is clamped to the underside of a supporting bracket (10) by two spaced levers (14, 18) pivotally mounted to the bracket and interconnected by a link (22) articulated to the levers at opposite ends of said link. The connecting link is operable by a separate, specially adapted tool to effect relative pivoting of the levers between a wheel clamping condition and a condition in which one lever (14) can be caused to release the wheel so that it drops into a position suspended from the other lever (18), from which it can be lowered to the ground in a vertical position ready for rolling. Mounting of a changed wheel is by a reverse procedure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle spare wheel mounting arrangement This invention relates to an arrangement for mounting a spare wheel to the underside of a vehicle, more especially for a lorry or heavy goods vehicle.

Conveniently, a heavy goods vehicle is usually provided with a spare wheel (or possibly more than one spare wheel) on the underside of the chassis at the rear, i.e. at the rear of the goods carrying platform of the lorry or trailer. Spare wheels for such vehicles are heavy, bulky and difficult to handle. In addition, they are reiatively valuable.

desirably, therefore, a mounting arrangement for a vehicle spare wheel is one which is secure both against accidental loss and theft, while at the same time enabling easy access and detachment for use when necessary, as well as ease of mounting of the wheel which is being replaced.

- !t is an object of this invention to provide a mounting arrangement capable, at least in a preferred form, of realising these objects.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided an arrangement for mounting a spare wheel.to the underside of a vehicle, comprising a supporting bracket fixed or fixable on the vehicle chassis, two levers carried by the bracket at a spacing generally corresponding to the inner diameter of the wheel rim, each lever being shaped to engage under the wheel rim to support the wheel on one side thereof, an operable connecting link articulated between the levers, said link being. operable by a detachable operating tool to effect relative pivoting of the levers between a condition in which the wheel rim is clamped against the underside of the supporting bracket and a condition in which one side of the wheel rim is released from one lever so that the spare wheel is loosely suspended from the other lever.

The requirement to use a detachable or separate operating tool readily facilitates security.

In the first place, the spare wheel is not releasable from its mounting unless such tool is available, and this tool may be normally kept locked in the driving cab. In the second place, it is practicable to devise the tool and its receiving means on the link so that only one particular unique tool design is 'able to operate a particular link.

Alternatively and preferably, however, the connecting link is operable by the operating tool only after releasing of a locking pin, and this pin may conveniently form part of a security device adapted for locking by means of a unique key.

The release of the wheel into a position in which it is loosely suspended from one side is also important. From such a suspended position the wheel can readily be lowered to a vertical position on the aground, ready for roiling to the point where a wheel change is taking place. For example, the wheel may be lowered to the ground by sliding it down an inclined bar threaded through the wheel rim aperture into engagement with the mounting arrangement. Such a bar can also be used to assist the mounting of the wheel which has been replaced, using the bar as a lever to assist in raising said wheel to a position of one sided suspension on the said other lever of the mounting arrangement.

In a preferred arrangement, the operating tool serves as said bar, being adapted for attachment to the said other lever to permit the spare wheel loosely suspended from said other lever to be lowered to the ground, and vice versa when a wheel is being lifted. In addition, the said one lever may have a cam surface engageable by the rim of a spare wheel swung up from a suspended position on said other lever to cause said one lever to pivot open until able to pivot closed under the wheel rim. The connecting link is then operated to bring the levers into the wheel clamping condition.

In the preferred arrangement, the connecting link comprises a cylindrical ousing pivoted to one lever, a spring-loaded sleeve screwable in the housing, and a push rod slidable through the sleeve and pivoted to the other lever, the arrangement being such that rotation of the sleeve to compress the spring results in a bracing of the levers into the wheel clamping condition and rotation of the sleeve to allow expansion of the spring enables pivoting of the levers into the second condition. In practice, as the spring nears full compression, the connecting link tends to lock solid, forcing the said one, releasable, lever into a vibration-tight wheel clamping condition.

Conveniently, the operating bar will be insertable in the housing to rotate the sleeve.

Thus, when a locking pin is provided, this may protrude into the interior of the housing to block access of the operating bar to the sleeve. Further, the operating tool may then be constituted by a bar having a head at one end adapted for driving the sleeve and a head at the other end adapted for attachment to said other lever.

Thus, in a preferred mode of use, the security device is released, the locking pin retracted, the operating bar inserted at one end and rotated to drive the sleeve, thus expanding the spring and unlocking the link. The bar may then be pushed to open the one, releasable, lever allowing the wheel to drop into an inclined, suspended condition. The one lever restores itself. The other end of the bar may then be inserted through the wheel to attach to a fitting on the other lever, whereby a minimum of manipulation of the bar will enable the wheel to be lowered to the ground.

A generally reverse procedure is followed to mount a wheel, the operating bar serving as a lever to facilitate lifting off the ground. However, instead of using the bar to open the one, releasable, lever, this may be effected automatically by engagement of the wheel rim with the cam surface on said one lever when the wheel is swung upwards from the inclined, suspended condition to which it has initially been raised.

A practical arrangement of vehicle spare wheel mounting in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the mounting arrangement in a locked wheel clamping condition: Figure 2 shows the arrangement opened as a spare wheel is being released; Figure 3 shows an operating bar; and Figure 4 to 6 respectively show successive steps in the mounting of a wheel.

Referring first to Figure 1, the reference 10 denotes a supporting bracket which is fixed to the underside of a vehicle (or trailer) chassis at the rear thereof. The base 12 of the bracket 10 extends rearwardly. A front lever 14 is pivotally mounted to the bracket at 16, and a rear lever 18 is pivotally mounted to the bracket at 20. An operable connecting link, generally designated 22, extends between pivot 24 to front lever 14 and pivot 26 to rear lever 18. The reference 28 denotes the rim of a spare wheel. In the condition shown in Figure 1, the wheel rim 28 is clamped, at diametrically opposed points of its inner periphery, to the underside of the base 12 of the bracket 10. This clamping is effected by the hookshaped base portion 30 of the front lever 14 and the base leg 32 of the rear lever 18, which engage under the rim.The connecting link 22 has been locked solid, as will be later described, to lock the levers 14, 18 in the wheel clamping condition; in particular the hook-shaped base portion 30 of the front lever 14 has been forced anticlockwise (as shown in Figure 1) to clamp the wheel rim tight against vibration.

The connecting link 22 comprises a cylindrical housing 34 in which screws a sleeve 36. The housing 34 has an end guide 38 and the sleeve 36 has an er(d guide 40 through which a push rod 42 can slide, with a small clearance in each case.

The housing is pivoted to the rear lever 18 at the aforementioned pivot 26, and the push rod 42 has an extension 44 pivoted to the front lever 14 at the aforementioned pivot 24. A compression spring 44 is provided between the end guides 38, 40, thereby to act between the housing 34 and the sleeve 36 which screws therein.

Near the rear end of the housing 34, a locking pin 46 is slidable up and down in a lateral guide 48 through a pin and slot coupling 50, 51 while the rear open end of the housing 34 is closed by a removable bung or plug 52.

A cross pin 54 for engagement by an operating tool is provided at the rear end of the sleeve 36, and a stop pin 56 is provided on the push rod 42.

The operating tool, generally designated 58, is shown in Figure 3. It takes the form of a long bar having a slotted head 60 at one end for engagement with the cross pin 54. At its other end, it is provided with a forked hook or claw 62 for engagement with aligned lateral pin-like projections 64 provided on opposite sides of the base leg 32 of the rear lever 18.

In Figure 2, which will now also be referred to, the same reference numerals are employed.

Starting from the locked condition shown in Figure 1, in order to release the spare wheel, initially the locking pin 46 is retracted upwardly.

For security while the wheel has been locked, this may entail first removing a padlock or like device operable by a unique key from the end of the slot 51. Retraction of the pin 46 and removal of bung 52 frees the interior of the housing 34 for insertion of the head 60 of the operating bar, which is engaged with the cross pin 54. The bar is then rotated, to screw the sleeve 36 rearwardly in the housing 34 as far as permitted by the stop pin 56 on the push rod 42. The sleeve 36 is shown in this position in Figure 2.

It is now possible, by pushing forwardly on the operating bar, to push the front lever 14 into the position shown in dotted line in Figure 2. Pivoting occurs at all four pivots 16, 20, 24 and 26. The hook-shaped base portion 30 of the lever 14 thus releases the wheel rim 28, which tends to drop at one side, eventually to rest in an inclined position suspended from one side only on the base leg portion 32 of the rear lever 18. In Figure 2, the wheel rim 28 is shown in a position in which it has just dropped free of the front lever 14, aHowing the latter to restore to a position just beyond its normal closed position (Figure 1) when the operating bar is withdrawn. In Figure 2, the lever 14 is shown in full line in this restored position.

The withdrawn operating bar is now attached to the projections 64 on the rear lever 18 by threading the claw 62 through the centre of the suspended, inclined wheel. By manipulation of the operating bar, it is now possible to ease the wheel off the lever 18 on to the bar and gently slide the wheel down the bar into a vertical position on the ground, ready to be rolled to a point where a wheel is being changed. Thus, manual lifting and other difficult handling of the heavy wheel are substantially avoided.

When a changed wheel is to be mounted, a generally reverse procedure is followed. For further exemplification, this reverse procedure is outlined in Figures 4 to 6, where the same reference numerals are employed in the diagrammatic illustrations.

First, the wheel 29 with rim 28 is rolled into a convenient position adjacent the supporting bracket 10 on the vehicle chassis 11, as indicated in Figure 4. The operation bar 58 is then inserted through the centre of the wheel and hooked by claw 62 on the rear lever 18. Then using the bar 58 as a lever by raising it generally as indicated by arrow A, the wheel 29 is lifted forwardly, as indicated by arrow B, on to the base leg 32 of the rear lever 18. It hangs on said lever 18, in an inclined position, from one side of the wheel rim 28, generally as indicated in Figure 5. At this time, the operable connecting link 22 is in the condition previously described with reference to Figure 2.

The operating bar 58 is removed, and by pushing down on the top of the wheel, as indicated by arrow C, the wheel is swung up, as indicated by arrow D, towards the underside of the supporting bracket 10.

The hook-shaped base portion 30 of the front lever 14 has a curved cam surface 31 (see also Figures 1 and 2), which is engaged by the wheel rim 28 when the wheel 29 is swung up, thereby pivoting the front lever 14 clockwise as illustrated, until the lever is opened sufficiently for its base portion 30 to hook under the wheel rim and automatically close to hold the wheel up. The wheel 29 is now loosely supported, horizontally, adjacent the underside of the base 12 of the bracket 10.

As indicated in Figure 6 by arrow E, the operating bar 58 is now inserted into the connecting link 22 to engage the slotted head 60 with the driving pin 54 on the screw sleeve 36, and the bar is rotated to drive the sleeve forwardly (towards the condition shown in Figure 1), compressing the spring 44. Towards the end of the tightening action, as the housing 34 and sleeve 36 tend to lock into a solid condition in view of the high resistance to further compression of the rear fully compressed spring 44, continued rotation of the operating bar 58 tends to draw the complete assembly of housing 34 and sleeve 36 rearwardly.The front lever 14 is pulled anticlockwise tightly to clamp the wheel rim 28, and the complete arrangement of levers 14, 1 8 and connecting link 22 locks solid, with a small gap created at 45 between the extension 44 of the push rod 42 and the end guide 38 of the housing 34, as indicated in Figure 1.

Withdrawal of the operating bar 58 allows the locking pin 46 to drop, enabling a padlock or locking chain to be inserted through the end portion of slot 51. Bung 52 is then replaced. The wheel 29 is then tightiy clamped in mounted position to the bracket 10, with the connecting link 22 securely locked to avoid risk of the wheel being illegally removed. As with demounting the wheel, the mounting of the wheel is accomplished without requiring manual lifting or other difficult wheel handling actions.

It will be appreciated that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

More especially, various other arrangements of operable connecting link can be devised which, by the use of a separate, special, operating tool, enable the wheel to be released from one lever to hand suspended, ready for lowering to the ground, from the other lever.

Claims

Claims

1. An arrangement for mounting a spare wheel to the underside of a vehicle, comprising a supporting bracket fixed or fixable on the vehicle chassis, two levers carried by the bracket at a spacing generally corresponding to the inner diameter of the wheel rim, each lever being shaped to engage under the wheel rim to support the wheel on one side thereof, an operable connecting link articulated between the levers, said link being operable by a detachable operating tool to effect relative pivoting of the levers between a condition in which the wheel rim is clamped against the underside of the supporting bracket and a condition in which one side of the wheel rim is released from one lever so that the spare wheel is loosely suspended from the other lever.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connecting link is operable by the operating tool only after release of a locking pin.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the locking pin forms part of a security device adapted for locking by means of a unique key.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the connecting link comprises a cylindrical housing pivoted to one lever, a spring-loaded sleeve screwable in the housing, and a push rod slidable through the sleeve and pivoted to the other lever, the arrangement being such that rotation of the sleeve to compress the spring results in a bracing of the levers into the wheel clamping condition and rotation of the sleeve to allow expansion of the spring enables pivoting of the levers into the second condition.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the operating tool is a bar insertable in the housing to rotate the sleeve.

6. An arrangement according to claim 5 when appendant to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the locking pin in its locking position protrudes into the interior of the housing to block access of the operating bar to the sleeve.

7. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operating tool is adapted for attachment to the said other lever to permit the spare wheel loosely suspended from said other lever to be lowered to the ground on said tool.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7 when appendant to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the operating tool is a bar having a head at one end adapted for driving the sleeve and a head at the other end adapted for attachment to said other lever.

9. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the said one lever has a cam surface engageable by the rim of a spare wheel swung up from a suspended position on said other lever to cause said one lever to pivot open until able to pivot closed under the wheel rim.

10. A vehicle spare wheel mounting arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

New Claims or Amendments to Claims filed on 18/3/82.

Superseded Claims 1.

New or Amended Claims:

1. An arrangement for mounting a spare wheel to the underside of a vehicle, comprising a supporting bracket fixed or fixable on the vehicle chassis, two levers carried by the bracket at a spacing generally corresponding to the inner diameter of the wheel rim, each lever being shaped to engage under the wheel rim to support the wheel on one side thereof, an operable connecting link articulated between the levers, and being comprised of two relatively rotatable parts, said link being operable by a detachable operating tool to effect relative pivoting of the levers between a condition in which the wheel rim is clamped against the underside of the supporting bracket and a condition in which one side of the wheel rim is released frmm one lever so that the spare wheel is loosely suspended from the other lever wherein the link is adjustable in length by rotation of a first part relative to a second part thereof.