GB2317598A

GB2317598A - Load-carrying vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2317598A
Application number: GB9620114A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David John Bowes Brown
Original assignee: Multidrive Ltd
Current assignee: Multidrive Ltd
Priority date: 1996-09-26
Filing date: 1996-09-26
Publication date: 1998-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 2016-09-26
Also published as: GB2317598B; GB9620114D0

Abstract

The vehicle has a single, longitudinally extending box-section chassis 1 and an integral load platform 32. An engine 2 and transmission 3 are mounted at the side of the chassis 1, below the platform 32, between front and rear axles 6, 10 which are driven by respective drive shafts 7, 11 driven by a transfer gearbox 4 which extends from the transmission 3 towards the middle of the vehicle. To facilitate loading and unloading operations, the axles 6, 10 are mounted so as to be independently movable by extendible and retractable struts 26, and a swing-down tailgate 34 and winch 29 fitted below the cab 30 may also be provided. The transfer gearbox 4 may have a series of gears, of which the final output gear (9, Fig 2) drives one drive shaft whilst the preceding gear (5) drives the other. A spare wheel (37) may extend under the chassis 1.

Description

Truck This invention relates to load carrying vehicles, in particular trucks, for example with two, three, or four axles, with 4- or 6-wheel drive, with engines rated at 150 to 220 kW (200 to 300 hp), with a carrying capacity of 5 to 10 tonnes or more, and with a width of about 2.5 m and a length of about 7 m.

A particular problem with vehicles of this type is the location of the engine, radiator, transmission, and transfer gearbox, which typically are located on the centreline of the vehicle between two chassis side rails, with the engine being mounted over the front axle. The engine intrudes into the cab, which impedes access to the engine for maintenance and reduces the space for the driver and passengers. The transfer gearbox location, combined with the engine location, makes the drive to the front and rear axles difficult to achieve, when there is also a requirement for adequate ground clearance in the centre of the vehicle. Typically, two chassis side rails are joined by cross members to form a ladder structure, which is not torsionally resistant, and this lack of torsional resistance can cause chassis and body failures.

The present invention, in one aspect, provides a two, three, or four axled load carrying vehicle, having in combination a single box-section chassis with an integral load platform, the longitudinal centre section of which may be recessed to accommodate a winch rope; an engine and transmission are mounted at the side of the box section chassis below the platform, with a single substantially horizontal transfer gearbox, enabling by two cardan drive shafts the transfer to the front and rear axles.

The transfer gearbox may have 3 or 4 gears, where the front axle(s) is (are) driven from the gear prior to the output to the rear axle(s) (i.e. gear 2 on a 3-gear set or gear 3 on a 4-gear set).

The axles may be pivotally mounted to the chassis, with hydraulic struts being able to position the axles so as to vary the height or the lateral or longitudinal angularity of the vehicle.

A winch may be so positioned under the cab of the vehicle that it can be viewed from the driver's location and provide a straight line pull to front and rear, or over the load platform to the rear for loading in combination with a ramp to skid the load onto the body A hydraulically controlled ramp pivotally mounted on the rear of the load platform may also be used to lift the load so as to reduce the pulling force needed to move the load onto the platform.

A body, integral with the box chassis, may have a lower central section or conduit to accommodate a winch rope and hook or shackle attachments.

A large diameter spare wheel may be mounted horizontally below the chassis in such a way that it extends beyond the centreline of the vehicle without fouling the drive shafts.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a phantom side elevation of a truck, showing three possible heights of the wheels; Figure 2 is a phantom plan view of the truck; Figure 3 is a phantom front view of the truck; Figure 4 is a phantom rear view of the truck; Figure 5 is a side elevation of the truck when loading; Figures 6a to 6g show successive stages, with times in seconds, of a loading sequence; and Figures 7a to 7e show successive stages, with times in seconds and speeds in miles/hour and kilometers/hour, of an unloading sequence; The load-carrying vehicle or truck illustrated has a single torsionally-resistant box-section chassis 1 which extends horizontally along the vertical longitudinal median plane of the vehicle. As can be seen in Figure 4, the cross section of the chassis 1 is generally in the form of a rectangle but with a concave upper side. The chassis forms an integral part of a load-carrying frame defining a load platform.

An engine 2 is placed on the side of the chassis 1 and is arranged longitudinally.

The crankshaft axis of the engine is parallel to the load platform and parallel to the vertical longitudinal median plane of the vehicle. The engine is connected to a conventional transmission or speed-change gearbox 3. The gearbox extends longitudinally behind the engine. The output of the gearbox 3 is connected to the input of a transfer gearbox 4 which extends laterally towards the vertical longitudinal median plane of the vehicle. As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the transfer gearbox 4 is approximately horizontal, being slanted downwards at less than 20C with respect to the plane of the load platform.

In the embodiment illustrated, the transfer gearbox 4 has a series of four gears.

The third gear 5 drives a front axle 6 through a cardan drive shaft 7. The third gear 5 is connected to the output drive shaft 7 by a multi-plate clutch 8 for selective engagement of the drive to the front axle 6. The fourth gear 9 of the transfer gearbox 4 is directly connected to a rear axle 10 by a cardan drive shaft 11.

A radiator 12 is mounted at the opposite side of the chassis 1 with respect to the engine and transmission. The engine, transmission, transfer gearbox, and radiator are supported by a sub-frame 13 which is attached to the chassis 1.

Near the front end of the chassis 1 there are two axle location mounts 14 which are pivotally attached to a Y-shaped radius rod 15 which is in turn pivoted at a central point 16 located on top of the housing of the front axle 6. The Y-shaped radius rod 15 precludes sideways movement while allowing vertical movement of the front axle 6.

Two radius rods 17 each have one end pivotally attached to a respective pivot point 18 on the sub-frame 13 and the other end pivotally attached to the underside of the housing of the front axle at a respective pivot point 19.

The rear axle 10 is located by an A-frame 20 rigidly fixed to the rear axle housing and pivotally attached at 21 to a structure 22 fixed on the chassis 1. The rear axle 10 is constrained from lateral movement by a panhard rod 23 pivotally attached to the chassis 1 at 24 and to the rear axle 10 at 25.

The axles 6 and 10 are positioned vertically by four hydraulic suspension struts 26 each of which is pivotally connected to the chassis 1 at one end 27 and pivotally connected to the respective axle at the other end 28. The suspension struts 26 are hydraulically extendible and retractable under the control of a control valve unit 26a which is supplied with hydraulic fluid by a pump 26b driven by the engine and which can be controlled from the driver's cab, to selectively vary the height of either side of the vehicle or the height of either end of the vehicle. Figure 1 shows three possible heights of the wheels of the vehicle, the minimum height being displaced by 150 mm from the normal height and the maximum height being displaced by 350 mm from the normal height.

A winch 29 is fitted below the cab 30 and gives three possible positions for line pulls 31, 33, and 35, each comprising a wire rope or strand with an attachment such as a hook (or a shackle) at its end. The first possible line pull 31 extends forwards under the cab 30. The second possible line pull 33 extends rearwards over a platform body 32 under a hydraulically operated two-part ramp 34. The third possible line pull 35 extends rearwards over the ramp 34 and enables a load to be winched onto the platform body 32 by lowering the ramp 34. The platform body 32 has a lower central section 36 (Figure 4) to accommodate the winch rope and hook.

A large-diameter spare wheel 37 is positioned under the chassis 1, there being sufficient space for the spare wheel because of displacement of the front axle drive shaft 7 away from the vertical longitudinal median plane of the vehicle.

Figures 6a to 6g show a sequence of stages for loading two 5 tonne pallets, involving raising the front of the vehicle and lowering the rear of the vehicle by means of the hydraulic struts 26, and winching each pallet over the ramp 34.

Figures 7a to 7e show a rapid unloading sequence for use, for example, in a hostile environment. The pallets are unloaded by raising the front of the vehicle, lowering the rear of the vehicle, and lowering the ramp 34 while driving slowly forwards.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For instance, the transfer gearbox could have three gears instead of four.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A load-carrying vehicle comprising: a load-carrying frame consisting of a single box-section chassis extending longitudinally and an integral load platform; at least one front axle and at least one rear axle mounted to the frame; an engine and transmission mounted at the side of the chassis, below the platform, between the front and rear axles; a transfer gearbox extending from the transmission towards the middle of the vehicle; and front and rear drive shafts driven by the transfer gearbox and driving the front and rear axles.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the transfer gearbox has a series of gears including a final output gear which drives one of the drive shafts, the other of the drive shafts being driven by the gear preceding the final output gear.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, including a spare wheel mounted substantially horizontally below the platform at the side of the chassis opposite the engine and transmission, the spare wheel extending under the chassis.

4. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the front and rear axles are mounted to the frame so as to be independently movable, extendible and retractable struts being connected between the axles and the frame for varying the height of front and rear portions of the frame.

5. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, including a raisable and lowerable ramp pivotally mounted on the rear of the frame.

6. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, including a winch positioned under a driver's cab.

7. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the frame has a longitudinal central conduit for accommodating a pulling line.

8. A load-carrying vehicle comprising a load-carrying frame, at least one front axle, at least one rear axle, the front and rear axles being mounted to the frame so as to be independently movable, and extendible and retractable struts connected between the axles and the frame for varying the height of front and rear portions of the frame.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, including a raisable and lowerable ramp pivotally mounted on the rear of the frame.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8 or 9, including a winch positioned under a driver's cab.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10, in which the frame has a longitudinal central conduit for accommodating a pulling line connected to the winch.

12. A load-carrying vehicle substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.