GB2167716A - Wheel brace support - Google Patents

Abstract

To tighten or loosen wheel hub nuts 21, the projecting limb of wheel brace 22 is held substantially horizontally by locating in whichever one of a purality of notches 13 formed in the edge of an upstanding metal plate 10 is at an appropriate height. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Wheel brace support This invention relates to a wheel brace support.

As is weil known, a wheel brace consisting of a two-limbed, substantially right-angled implement with a socket at the end of one limb is used for tightening and for loosening nuts which hold vehicle wheels onto respective vehicle axle hubs in the case of single ortwin wheel arrangements. On a heavy goods vehicle, there may, for example, be six, eight or ten nuts arranged in a circle around each wheel hub. These nuts are secured to corresponding bolts which project through the relevant axle hub, and through holes in the wheel hub in question.

To tighten (or loosen) these nuts, the socket of the wheel brace is placed over each nut in turn so that the first limb of the brace (which carries the socket) projects outwards from the side of the vehicle and the second limb of the brace lies in a plane approximately parallel to the side of the vehicle. The second limb is then rotated and hence rotates the socket and the nut received therein.

To enhance the leverage of the wheel brace, an extra bar, which may be over 1 m in length, is often fixed to the end of the second limb, as an extension thereof, e.g. by a socket at one end of the bar fitting onto the end of the second limb of the brace.

Unfortunately, as the brace is rotated there is a tendancy for the socket at the end of the first limb to slip off the nut primarily because the first limb tends to incline downwards from the socket to the rightangle bend where it merges into the second limb. In an attempt to hold the first limb substantially level, so as to avoid such slipping, it is customary to place wooden blocks or the like below the first limb adjacent the bend to prop it up at this end. This practice is not particularly satisfactory since each nut on any particular wheel hub is positioned at a different height above the ground and, of course, each wheel can come to rest in any disposition so even the set of heights will vary between wheels and also each time the vehicle stops.In other words, a support block may be suitable for tightening one particular nut, but it cannot be generally used for all the wheel hub nuts on a vehicle or on a particular wheel.

It will be appreciated that it is extremely important that wheel hub nuts are properly tightened. Indeed, in cases where they have not been properly tightened, they have been known to work loose resulting in one or more wheels falling off a moving vehicle.

This is obviously extremely dangerous and could result in a fatal road accident. It is also costly to lose wheels in this way since they sometimes cannot be found when the vehicle's route is re-traced.

It will also be appreciated that where a wheel brace repeatedly slips off a nut which a driver or mechanic is attempting to tighten, the required tightening will probably not be achieved.

There is therefore a need for a wheel brace support which is relatively inexpensive, easy to use and can be used for all the nuts on all the wheel hubs of any vehicle. In the past, a telescopic axle stand which is mounted on a tripod has sometimes been used for supporting a wheel brace in use. However, since this is telescopic it is limited in height to twice the minimum height of about 30cm and this is insufficient for the highest wheel hub nuts on many heavy goods vehicles, Moreover, such an axle stand is unsuitable for use in the many cases where the wheel hub is recessed relative to the tyre surface since there is insufficient room for it to be positioned between the tyre surface and the second limb of the wheel brace which is essential if the brace is to be rotated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheel brace support which properly fulfils the aforesaid need, that is to say which is relatively inexpensive, easy to use and can be used for lithe nuts on all the wheel hubs of any vehicle.

With this object in view the present invention provides a wheel brace support comprising an upstanding element having a plurality of notches formed at different levels above its base.

Preferably, the upstanding element comprises an approximately rectangular metal bar or plate having notches formed one above the other along one vertically disposed edge.

Advantageously, notches are formed one above the other along both vertically disposed edges of the metal bar or plate, the positions of the notches at the respective edges being staggered.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a preferred practical embodiment of the wheel brace support of the inventon; Figure 2 is a plan view of the support shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows the support of Figures 1 and 2 in use.

As illustrated, a preferred practical embodiment of the wheel brace support of the invention comprises an upstanding element in the form of an approximately rectangular steel bar 10 welded to a transverse base plate 11 of the same material. A vertical supporting member 12 which imparts rigidity to the support is welded to the bar 10 and the base plate 11.

It is disposed perpendicular to and substantially centrally of the bar 10.

The bar 10 is approximately 71cm high and along each vertical edge it is formed with a plurality of notches or recesses 13. At one side there are nine notches and at the other side, eight notches. At each side the notches 13 are arranged at a spacing of approximately 6cm (when measured between similar points of adjacent notches). However, the positions of the notches 13 at the two sides are staggered so that the difference in height between alternate notches 13 at one side, then the other is only about 3cm. All the notches 13 are disposed towards the upper end of the bar 10 so that the lowest notch 13a is about 18 to 20 cm above the base plate 11 whilst the highest 136 (at the same side) is about 64 to 67 cm above the base plate 11, very close to the top of the bar 10.

The support is thus very simple in design yet also very strong.

In use, as shown in Figure 3, the above-described support is placed adjacent a vehicle wheel 20 on which the wheel hub nuts 21 are to be tightened (or loosened). The socket of a wheel brace 22 is fitted onto each nut 21 in turn and the projecting limb of the wheel brace 22 is held substantially horizontal by locating in one of the notches 13, whichever is at the most appropriate height, adjacent the right-angled bend 23 in the wheel brace 22. The other limb of the wheel brace which extends approximately parallel to the vehicle side can then be rotated with (as shown in Figure 3) or without an extension bar 24 and with considerable force without the brace socket slipping from the nut 21.

The heights of the lowest notch 13a and of the highest notch 1 3b are chosen so that nuts at the lowest and highest possible levels on commercial heavy goods vehicles can be tightened by a brace supported in the manner just described.

The support is, of course, sufficiently slender to fit between the tyre surface of a wheel and the outer limb of the wheel brace when the wheel hub is recessed.

Although the wheel brace support has been described in relation to standard wheel braces and heavy goods vehicles, it should be appreciated that it can also be used to supporttorquewrench-type wheel braces and its dimensions can be modified for use in relation to other vehicles and other vehicle wheel hubs.

It should, of course, be understood that the foregoing is merely illustrative and not limitative of the scope of the invention and many variations are possible. For example, the upstanding element may be somewhat different in design and may include a central recess in its top surface which can also be used to support a wheel brace at a corresponding height above the base plate.

Claims (6)

1. Awheel brace support comprising an upstanding element having a plurality of notches formed at different levels above its base.

2. A wheel brace support as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upstanding element comprises an approximately rectangular metal bar or plate having notches formed one above the other along one vertically disposed edge.

3. Awheel brace support as claimed in claim 2 wherein the rectangular bar or plate has notches formed one above the other along both vertically disposed edges, the positions of the notches at the respective edges being staggered.

4. Awheel brace support as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein a vertically arranged supporting member is fixed substantially perpendicular to the upstanding element.

5. Awheel brace support as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a base plate is provided at the lower end of the upstanding element.

6. Awheel brace support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.