GB2119334A - Towing devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A towing device has a rope (1) extending through a number of sleeves (11) and secured at each end to an eye (4, 5) or hook by which attachment can be made to a vehicle. The sleeves can be axially separated, in which condition the rope can be coiled or folded, or brought together to form a rigid tube over the whole length of the rope, thereby making a rigid tow-bar. The sleeves may be abutted and axially compressed by a nut (9) to keep the tube complete, or they may be screwed together or otherwise positively engaged end to end. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to towing devices This invention relates to towing devices.

When one vehicle tows another the usuai connection is either a rope or a rigid tow-bar. For a short distance tow in an emergency a rope serves well enough, but it does of course require that the towed vehicle should have its brakes still operational, and it needs to be "driven" by someone who must keep alert and vigilant to an extent almost more than in ordinary driving.

Breakdown vehicles carry a rigid tow-bar, and these are essential for any long distance tow.

However, it is impractical for the ordinary motorist to carry such a bulky and heavy piece of equipment in his car when its use will be extremely rare.

Folding or telescopic tow-bars have been devised but known proposals are complicated and expensive, and still fairly heavy and bulky. It is the aim of this invention to provide a towing device which combines the advantages of a rope and a rigid tow-bar, and which can be stowed in a small space when out of use.

According to the present invention there is provided a towing device comprising an elongated flexible towing element with means at each end to attach to a towing and towed vehicle respectively, and sleeve members through which the flexible element extends, there being means for holding the sleeve members together as a tube which effectively rigidifies the flexible element, these means being releasable to allow the sleeve members to be separated and to enable the flexible element to be bent or coiled.

Preferably, the sleeve members will have complentary ends providing a mating engagement.

These may simply be annular steps or shoulders, in which case the holding means may be a nut which can be turned on a threaded shank portion between the flexible element and one of the attaching means to compress the sleeve members axially together against an abutment adjacent the other attaching means.

In an alternative arrangement, the ends of the sleeve members may have screw-threaded or bayonet type mutual engagement, this constituting the holding means.

In both cases, there will generally be some form of locking device to prevent the sleeve members becoming disengaged.

For a better understanding of the invention, some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure lisa longitudinal section of a towing device in operational condition.

Figure 2 is a similar section of the device in a condition ready to be stowed, and Figure 3 is a detail, in axial section, of part of another towing device.

The device of Figures 1 and 2 has a wire rope 1 extending between two attachment members 2 and 3. In this example, they are shown as having eyes 4 and 5 at the ends of shank 6 and 7, the eye 4 of the member 2 being D-shaped with its shank 6 extending perpendicularly from the centre of the straight section. However, it will be understood that instead of eyes there may be hooks, preferably with sprung keepers, or any other means by which attachment can be made directly or indirectly to the front or rear of a vehicle. The eyes can serve to receive a shackle pin, or a vehicle equipped with a pin towing hitch could have one of the eyes fitted directly.

The wire 1 is welded, brazed or gripped by compression fittings at the end of the shanks 6,7 of the attachment members so that there is no appreciable swelling or local increase of diameter at those regions. The shank 7 of the member 3 is considerably longer than the shank 6 of the member 2, and over a portion 8 of its length, near the end where the wire is attached, it is screw-threaded to receive a main nut 9 and a lock nut 10. Between this threaded portion 8 and the eye 5 the shank 7 reduces in diameter sufficiently for the nuts, when unscrewed, to slide freely back towards the eye.

The wire 1 passes through a number of similar short sleeves 11 with complementary annularly stepped ends. These can be fitted together as shown in Figure 1 to form a continuous tube of considerable rigidity thanks to the mating engagement of the respective sleeve ends. The length of this composite tube is such that, when one end is abutted against the eye 4, the other end registers with the threaded portion 8 so that the nuts 9 and 10 can be screwed on to it to compress the tube axially. When the main nut 9 is tightened and locked, the composite tube is extremely rigid, and so there is a rigid tow-bar.

When out of use, the nuts 9 and 10 are released and slid up towards the eye 5, allowing the sleeves 11 to be separated as shown in Figure 3. The distance by which the nuts can be withdrawn considerably exceeds the sum of the overlaps of the sleeves when fitted together and so they can be spaced freely apart along the wire 1. The device can then be coiled or folded.

The internal diameter of the sleeves must be such that they will clear the screw-threaded portion 8. It is obviously convenient to make them all identical, although there could be different ones, especially at the ends, to increase the abutment area or cooperate more closely with the eye 4 and nut 9. It would also be possible to combine the nut 9 with the adjacent sleeve 11 and have an integral member.

Figure 3 shows part of an alternative arrangement, in which screw-threading is not provided on the longer shank now referenced 12. Instead, this is made as a plain rod and the sleeves 13 can slide freely along it with a fairly close fit. Also, instead of having plain shoulders at the ends of the sleeves, they are screw-threaded at 14 and 15so that they can be more positively joined together. The thread does not have to be fine and extensive, a coarse pitch over a short axial length will suffice, so that adjacent sleeves can be rapidly connected. An alternative is to use a bayonet type fitting. When the sleeves are so interengaged they can be locked in that position by, for example, a split pin 16 passed through a small transverse bore 17 in the shank 12 which will be exposed immediately adjacent the end sleeve 13.

Wire is preferred for the flexible element inside the sleeves. However, it would be possible to use fibre rope or cord. The attachment to the shanks would have to be different: one method would be to make the shanks tubular and have the rope ends passed through them and finished with a stopper knot or splice just behind the eyes.

Claims (8)

1. Atowing device comprising an elongated flexible towing element with means at each end to attach to a towing and towed vehicle respectively, and sleeve members through which a flexible element extends, there being means for holding the sleeve members together as a tube which effectively rigidifies the flexible element, these means being releasable to allow the sleeve members to be separated and to enable the flexible element to be bent or coiled.

2. Atowing device as claimed in claim 1,wherein the sleeve members have complementary ends providing a mating engagement.

3. Atowing device acclaimed in claim 1 or2, wherein the ends are formed with annular steps or shoulders.

4. A towing device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the holding means is a nut which can be turned on a threaded shank portion between the flexible element and one of the attaching means to compress the sleeve members axially together against an abutment adjacent the other attaching means.

5. A towing device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ends of the sleeve members are screwthreaded.

6. Atowing device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ends of the sleeves have bayonet type mutual engagement.

7. A towing device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a locking device is provided to prevent the sleeve members becoming disengaged.

8. Atowing device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.