GB2142268A

GB2142268A - Road vehicle wheel brace

Info

Publication number: GB2142268A
Application number: GB08401895A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas William Fraser
Original assignee: LAWRENCE TOOLS Ltd WALTER
Current assignee: LAWRENCE TOOLS Ltd WALTER
Priority date: 1983-07-01
Filing date: 1984-01-25
Publication date: 1985-01-16
Also published as: GB8401895D0

Abstract

A road vehicle wheel brace 1 comprises an elongate primary shaft 2, a socket head 6 mounted at or adjacent one end 5 of the primary shaft 2, at an off-set angle with respect to the longitudinal axis 3 of the primary shaft 2, the socket 6 having a hexagonal recess 7, of dimensions to fit a standard wheel nut of a road vehicle, and a secondary shaft 10, one end 9 of which is pivotally attached adjacent the other end 8 of the primary shaft 2, the secondary shaft 10 being displaceable by the user between a non-active position 10A and an active position 10, in which latter position the secondary shaft 10 effectively extends the length of the primary shaft 2, to enable the user to apply increased torque at the socket 6. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Road vehicle wheel brace This invention relates to a road vehicle wheel brace for use in fastening and unfastening vehicle wheel nuts.

It is the standard practice of vehicle manufacturers to provide a wheel brace as part of the vehicle tool kit - for both private cars and commercial vehicles - and it is usually neces sary to employ a compromise design of wheel brace which satisfies the requirements of tak -ing up a minimum amount of storage space and yet being of dimensions capable of applying the necessary torque to the wheel nuts, especially for release thereof, and on many occasions conventional designs of wheel brace are incapable of providing sufficient torque particularly where the nut(s) in question is relatively tight, which may occur due to rusting and/or due to the nut being tightened by a garage using the well-known spider or using an air driven nut runner.

According to the present invention there is provided a road vehicle wheel brace comprising an elongate primary shaft, a socket head mounted at or adjacent one end of the primary shaft of an offset angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the primary shaft, the socket having a hexagonal recess of dimensions to fit a standard wheel nut of a road vehicle, and a secondary shaft, one end of which is pivotally attached adjacent the other end of the primary shaft, the secondary shaft being displaceable by the user between a nonactive position and an active position, in which latter position the secondary shaft effectively extends the length of the primary shaft to enable the user to apply increased torque at the socket.

Thus, to release or tighten the majority of wheel nuts, the user may not need to displace the secondary shaft to its active position, as sufficient torque may be available from the primary shaft alone, whereas to release a relatively tight wheel nut, the secondary shaft is displaced to its active position to enable increased torque to be applied to the socket.

Preferably, in its non-active position, the secondary shaft is adjacent and parallel to the primary shaft, being within the overall length of the primary shaft, presenting in this mode a relatively compact wheelbrace, which is advantageous for storage purposes: It is also preferred for the socket to be mounted on an end portion of the primary shaft which is bent from a principal portiqn of the primary shaft.

Although the bend may be 90 or so, it is preferably at an obtuse angle, so that when the socket is applied to a wheel nut, the primary and secondary shafts become directed away from the vehicle wheel. The socket may have a single or bi-hexagonal recess. It is also preferred for both shafts to be formed from circular section bar material.A convenient construction is to locate the pivotal attachment between the primary and secondary shafts on a pivot axis extending orthorganally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the primary shaft, spaced from the external periphery of the primary shaft, and extending parallel to the plane in which the end portion is bent, so that in the folded, non-active, position, the end of the secondary shaft remote from the pivotal attachment is adjacent the socket and adjacent peripheries of the primary and secondary shafts abut one another, with the shafts parallel to one another; while in the unfolded, active position, the secondary shaft has been displaced through 180 and a portion of the opposite side of the secondary shaft abuts a portion of the side of the primary shaft lying beyond the pivotal attachment, thus making the secondary shaft available to rotate the sockets in one direction only, i.e. anti-clockwise, to provide enhanced torque for nut release only.

Conveniently, the pivotal attachment between the secondary shaft and the primary shaft is effected by welding a "U"-shaped yoke towards the end of the primary shaft remote from the socket, with parallel cheeks of the yoke projecting beyond the external periphery of the primary shaft, in which projections are provided a pair of circular through holes, a similar hole adjacent one end of the secondary shaft being aligned with the cheek holes for the insertion of a pivot pin.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1, is a plan view of a wheel brace in accordance with the invention; Figure 2, is a part sectional side elevation of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a view in the direction of arrow A of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, a road vehicle wheel brace 1 comprises a circular section, elongate primary shaft 2, having a longitudinal axis 3.

The primary shaft includes a principle portion 4 and an end portion 5 bent at an obtuse angle from the principle portion 4, the end portions 5 terminating in a socket 6 having a single or bi-hexagonal recess 7, to fit a standard wheel nut of a road vehicle.

At end 8 of the primary shaft 2 remote from the socket 6 is pivotally attached one end 9 of a circular section elongate secondary shaft 10, having a longitudinal axis 11. Pivotal attachment is effected by welding a Ushaped yoke 12 to the end 8 of the primary shaft 2, the yoke 12 having parallel cheeks 1 3 projecting laterally beyond the primary shaft 2 which cheeks carry a pivot pin 14 passing through a hole appropriately dimensioned diametral in the end 9 of the secondary shaft 10, the pin 14 providing a pivot axis 1 5 extending orthogonally with respect to the longitudinal axis 3 of the primary shaft 2, which axis 1 5 is firstly spaced from the external periphery 1 6 of the primary shaft 2 and secondly extends parallel to the plane in which the end portion 5 is bent.

The secondary shaft 10 is illustrated in full line in the drawings in its active, unfolded position, where the effective length of the primary shaft 2 is extended, so that enhanced torque may be applied to the socket 6, through the pin 14 and with periphery 1 7 of the secondary shaft 10 bearing on periphery 1 6 of the primary shaft 2, while the nonactive, folded position of the secondary shaft is illustrated 10A in chain dotted line in Fig.

1, which is the position for normal use of the wheel brace 1, and for storage, with the opposite periphery 18 of the secondary shaft 10 bearing on the periphery 1 6 of the primary shaft 2.

Claims

1. A road vehicle wheel brace comprising an elongate primary shaft, a socket head mounted at or adjacent one end of the primary shafr at an offset angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the primary shaft, the socket having a hexagonal recess of dimensions to fit a standard wheel nut of a road vehicle, and a secondary shaft, one end of which is pivotally attached adjacent the other end of the primary shaft, the secondary shaft being displaceable by the user between a nonactive position and an active position, in which latter position the secondary shaft effectively extends the length of the primary shaft to enable the user to apply increased torque at the socket.

2. A wheelbrace as claimed in Claim 1, wherein in its non-active position, the secondary shaft is adjacent and parallel to the primary shaft, being within the overall length of the primary shaft.

3. A wheelbrace as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the socket is mounted on an end portion of the primary shaft which is bent from a principal portion of the primary shaft.

4. A wheelbrace as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the bend is approximately 90 .

5. A wheelbrace as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the bend is at an obtuse angle, so that when the socket is applied to a wheel nut, the primary and secondary shafts become directed away from the vehicle wheel.

6. A wheelbrace as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the socket has a single or bi-hexagonal recess.

7. A wheelbrace as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein both shafts are formed from circular section bar material.

8. A wheelbrace as Claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the pivotal attachment between the primary and secondary shafts is on a pivot axis extending orthorgonally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the primary shaft, spaced from the external periphery of the primary shaft, and extending parallel to the plane in which the end portion is bent, so that in the folded, non-active, position, the end of the secondary shaft remote from the pivotal attachment is adjacent the socket and adjacent peripheries of the primary and secondary shafts abut one another, with the shafts parallel to one another; while in the unfolded, active position, the secondary shaft has been displaced through 180 and a portion of the opposite side of the secondary shaft abuts a portion of the side of the primary shaft lying beyond the pivotal attachment, thus making the secondary shaft available to rotate the sockets in one direction only.

9. kwheelbrace as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the pivotal attachment between-the secondary shaft and the primary shaft is effected by welding a "U' '-shaped yoke towards the end of the primary shaft remote from the socket, with parallel cheeks of the yoke projecting beyond the external periphery of the primary shaft, in which projections are provided a pair of circular through holes, a similar hole adjacent one end of the secondary shaft being aligned with the cheek holes for the insertion of a pivot pin.

10. A road vehicle wheelbrace as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.