GB2216478A

GB2216478A - Coupling adjustment in a vehicle trailer

Info

Publication number: GB2216478A
Application number: GB8904146A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans Dreyer
Original assignee: Jost Werke SE
Current assignee: Jost Werke SE
Priority date: 1988-03-11
Filing date: 1989-02-23
Publication date: 1989-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 2009-02-23
Also published as: GB8904146D0; GB2216478B; DE3808104A1

Description

/ 2_ () COUPLING ADJUSTMENT IN A VEHICLE TRAILER The present invention

relates to a vehicle trailer and has particular reference to coupling adjustment in a semi-trailer, in particular adjustment in direction of travel.

In the case of vehicle semitrailers, it is frequently necessary to be able to vary the spacing of the traction-coupling spigot (king pin) from the front end of the semi-trailer rapidly and safely in accordance with the particular use of the trailer. Thus, a greater spacing is frequently necessary for reasons of space when loading the trailer on a railway wagon than in the case of coupling the trailer to a vehicle.

In a known trailer (BE-PS 666 382 or US-PS 2 923 560), the spigot carrier is adjustable in a slot, extending in direction of travel, of a trailer plate (also called "supported trailer Dlate") fastened at the underside of the trailer frame after loosening and removal of headed screws, which form securing elements. These screws pass through holes in side walls of the spigot carrier and holes forming recesses in guide rails at the upper side of the trailer plate and are secured by means of nuts. The carrier and rails are relatively displaced by a desired number of holes in direction of travel and subsequently the screws are re- introduced into the holes and again tightened by the nuts. This manner of adjustment is time-consuming and laborious, especially because it must be undertaken at a relatively inaccessible part of the trailer. There is thus a need for means which may make possible a simpler and more rapid adjustment. 25 According to thepresent invention there is provided a vehicle trailer comprising a chassis frame, a carrier carrying a vehicle couoling element and mounted on the frame to be adjustable relative thereto in the direction of travel of the trailer, and securing means for securing 2 the carrier in a selected position, the securing means comprising a row of recesses arranged in a fixed location on one of the carrier and the frame to extend in said travel direction and a slide which is introduceable transversely to the travel direction into a least one of the recesses and which is held in a fixed location relative to the other one of the carrier and the frame with respect to the travel direction.

The slide can be brought into and out of engagement with the recesses in simple manner in order to adjust the carrier.

Preferably, the recesses are Drovided by the tooth gaps of a toothed rack and the slide has teeth engageable in the tooth gaps. In this manner, it is possible to bring the slide into and out of engagement with several recesses at the same time.

The teeth of the toothed rack can narrow inone transverse direction and the teeth of the slide can narrow in the other transverse direction at equal angles in wedge shaoe. This ensures a uniform mutual bearing of all teeth disposed in interengagement, so that overloading of individual teeth is avoided. By contrast, a uniform tightening of all screws is required in the case of screws and nuts as securing elements, so as to ensure that the traction or thrust force exerted by the vehicle on the coupling element is uniformly distributed over all screws. The slide can be mounted to be displaceable in a guide on the f rame. In this manner, the transverse forces exerted on the slide are transmitted directly to the frame. 25 In this case, the usually provided trailer plate can form the carrier. The toothed rack could then be fastened in simD]e manner to the plate.

3 In this case, it is possible in simple manner for the plate to be arranged to engage in slidingly displaceable manner around the outer lower longitudinal flanges of two double-T longitudinal members of the frame. The members then act at the same time as guide rails for the plate.

It is also of advantage if the introduction of the slide into the recesses is effected by spring force, thus by resilient means. This increases security against an unintended disengagement of the slide from the recesses.

For preference, displacing means for the slide is provided on the frame. This displacing means facilitates actuation of the slide, in particular against the spring force.

Expediently, two substantially parallel rows of recesses are provided and a further slide is arranged to be displaceable in a guide on the frame and in opposite sense to the one slide, the displacing means being arranged to act on both slides. In this manner, higher traction and thrust forces are transmissible by way of the securing means.

The displacing means preferably comprises a manually actuable drive rod, which is coupled by way of lever means to the or each slide.

In the case of two slides, a single drive rod is sufficient for both slides.. Nevertheless, the actuating force to be exerted manually can be kept small by reason of the lever means.

In place of the drive rod, the displacing means can comprise a piston-cylinder unit. This makes possible a remote control of the slide or slides and the force effort to be exerted manually in the case of the drive rod is dispensed with.

4 Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particular ly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying draw ings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a partially sectional plan view of the front end of a first semi-trailer embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a partially sectional front elevation of the front end of the semi-trailer of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail, to enlarged scale, of the view of Fig. 1; and Fi g. 4 is a partially sectional plan view of the front end of a second semi-trailer embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 to 3 the front part of a semi-trailer 1 which is provided with a plate 5 (or "supported trailer plate") near its front end at the underside of a frame 2. The frame 2 has two lateral longitudinal carrier rails 3, which are double-T-shaped or I-shaped in cross-section, and a base plate 4 connected therewith. The plate 5 serves as carrier of a traction- coupling spigot 6, which passes through a hole 7 in the plate 5 and is fastened in conventional manner by means of screws in a receiving plate 8 which itself is fastened by means of screws to the upper side of the plate 5. The central axis of the spigot 6 intersects the longitudinal central axis 10, extending in direction 9 of travel, of the semi-trailer 1.

The plate 5 engages around the outer lower longitudinal flanges or webs 12 of the rails 3 by rim portions 11, which extend in direct ion 9 of travel and are welded (as illustrated) to the edges of the plate 5 or c-onstructed integrally therewith. By this means, the plate 5 - 5 is guided by the rails 3 and slidingly displaceable therealong.

Fastened,for example by welding, to the upper side of the rim portions 11 are respective toothed racks 13 extending in the direction 9 of travel, the racks having teeth 14 which face upwardly beside the in- ward sides of the rails 3. The gaps 15 between the teeth 14 of the racks 13 form respective series of recesses, into which slides 16 serving as securing elements and with corresponding teeth 17 at their undersides are introduceable transversely to the direction 9, as is illustrated by dashed lines in Fig. 3.

A housing 19, which bounds a downwardly open longitudinal channel and a transverse channel 21, is fastened, for example welded, between the inner transverse webs 18 of each rail 3. A respective one of the racks 13 is guided to be displaceable in each channel 20, whilst each transverse channel 21 serves as a guide for a respective one of the slides 16. A drive device 22, comprising a manually actuable drive rod 23 with a handle 24 and a lever arrangement 25, is associated with the slides 16. The lever arrangement 25 transmits a traction force exerted on the driving rod 23 in translated form uniformly to the slides 16 against the force of compression springs 26. For this purpose, that end of the drive rod 23 which is remote from the handle 24 is articulated at one end of a lever 27, which is mounted to be pivotable about a pivot pin 28 fastened to the base plate 4 of the frame 2. Further levers 29 and 30 are each articulated by one end thereof to the lever 27 at a respective side of the pivot pin 28. The other ends of the levers 29 and 30 are articulated to the free ends of posts 31 of the slides 16, wherein the springs 26 each surround a respective one of the posts 3 and bear on the one hand against an associated one of the 6 housings 19 and one the other hand against radially projecting flanges of guide members 32 which are fastened at the free end of the post 31.

The rod 23 is also orovided with a first detent 33 in the form of a recess in one longitudinal edge thereof in the proximity of the handle 24 and with a second detent 34 in the form of a recess in the other longitudinal edge at a spacing from the first detent 33, this spacing corresponding to an actuating stroke of the rod 23. Fastened at the underside of the lower outer transverse flange 12 of one of the rails 3, and on the sides of the handle 23 guided below this, are the ends of a U-shaped bracket 35, which thus engages over the rod 23 from the underside. Welded to the flange 12 lying at the side of the handle 24 is an eyelet 36, into which a spring catch hook 37 can be hooked when the rod 23 is in the illustrated position in which one limb of the bracket 35 is detented in the detent 33. The hook 37 is captively fasten- ed to the frame 2 by means of a chain 38.

In order to avoid or compensate for play between the teeth 14 and 17 in the illustrated end position of the slides 16, in which the teeth 17 of the slides engage into the gaps 15 between the teeth 14 and block displacement of the plate 5 and thereby of the spigot 6 in direction 9 of travel, each of the slides 16 bears against a respective adjusting screw 39 which passes through a threaded bore in a wall of the associated housing 19 and is locatable by means of a locknut 40.

After unhooking of the hook 37, which prevents lateral pivotation of the rod 23, out of the eyelet 36, the rod 23 can be brought out of engagement (brought out of detent) through lateral pivotation by the one limb of the bracket 35 and drawn transversely to the direction 9 of travel. Thereby, the slides 19 are pushed laterally outwardly against the force of the spring 26 until their teeth 17 come out of engagement with the teeth 14 of the racks 13. In this end position, the second detent 34 of the rod 23 can be brought into engagement with the other limb of the bracket 35 and the plate 5 together with the spigot 6 can be displaced in the direction 9 or oppositely thereto by the desired number of teeth 14, as is indicated by the double arrow 41. Through return pivotation of the rod 23,the detent 34 can again be brought out of detent engagement with the bracket 35 and the springs 26 effect a resetting of the slides 16 and the rod 23 into the illustrated initial position, in which the slides 16 are again disposed in engage- ment with the racks 13 and block further displacement of plate 5 and spigot 6. In this position, the hook 37 is hooked back into the eyelet 36, so that unintended actuation of the rod 23 is prevented.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 4 differs from that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 merely to the extent that, in place of the manually actuated drive device 22, a pneumatic or hydraulic double-acting piston-cylinder unit 221 is provided with two pistons and acts by way of rods 29' and 30', and against the force of the springs 26, directly on the slides 16 in order to bring them out of engagement with the racks 13 so as to permit displacement of the semi-trailer plate 5. The piston-cylinder unit 221 is similarly fastened to the semi-trailer frame.

Claims

CLAIMS t

1. A vehicle trailer comprising a chassis frame, a carrier carrying a vehicle coupling element and mounted on the frame to be adjustable relative thereto in the direction of travel of the trailer, and secur ing means for securing the carrier in a selected position, the securing means comprising a row of recesses arranged in a fixed location on one of the carrier and the frame to extend in said travel direction and a slide which is introduceable transversely to the travel direction into a least one of the recesses and which is heldin a fixed location relative to the other one of the carrier and the frame with respect to the travel direction.

2. A trailer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recesses are provided by the gaps between teeth in a rack and the slide is provided with teeth engageable in the gaps.

3. A trailer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the teeth of the rack narrow in one direction transverse to the travel direction and the teeth of the slide narrow in complementary manner in a direction transverse to said one direction.

4. A trailer as claimmed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the slide is arranged to be displaceable in a guide on the frame.

5. A trailer as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier is provided by a plate.

- 9

6. A trailer as claimed in claim 5, wherein the frame comprises two double T-section longitudinal frame members and the plate is slidably engaged with outer lower longitudinal flanges of the members.

7. A trailer as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, compris- ing resilient means urging the slide into said at least one recess.

8. A trailer as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising displacing means for displacing the slide, the displacing means being mounted on the frame.

g. A trailer as claimed in claim 8, the securing means comprising a further such row of recesses substantially parallel to the firstmentioned row and a further such slide, the further slide being arranged to be displaceable in a respective guide on the frame and in opposite sense to the first-mentioned slide and the displacing means being arranged to act on both slides.

10. A trailer as claimed in either cliam 8 or claim 9, the displacing means comprising a manually actuable drive rod which is latchable in each of two end positions of the or each slide.

11. A trailer as claimed in claim 10, the displacing means further comprising lever means coupling the drive rod to the or each slide.

12. A trailer as claimed in either claim 8 or claim 9, the displacing means comprising a piston-cylinder unit.

13. A vehicle trailer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A vehicle trailer substantially as hereinbefore described with 5 reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Pubbshed 1989 atThe Patent Office, State House. 68-71 High Holbornj ondonWC1R 4TP. Purther copies maybe obtained from The Patent Office. Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington. Kent BRS 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent, Con. 1/87