GB2349854A

GB2349854A - Wheel handler

Info

Publication number: GB2349854A
Application number: GB9911305A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Alan Bird
Original assignee: Eka Ltd
Current assignee: Eka Ltd
Priority date: 1999-05-14
Filing date: 1999-05-14
Publication date: 2000-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 2019-05-14
Also published as: GB2349854B; GB9911305D0

Abstract

The handler (10) comprises a wheel holding portion and an attitude adjustment means (34) and is adapted to be suspended by a crane lifting means. The attitude adjustment means comprises a ballast weight (34) attached to an arm (32). For attitude adjustment, the angle of the arm (32) relative to the wheel holding portion (16) the length of the arm, or the weight is adjustable. The ballast (34) acts as a counterweight for the wheel (12) about the point of suspension ((26) of the wheel handler (10). The wheel holding portion comprises a frame (30) with three adjustable arms (44) having roller bearing mounted sleeves (42) on prongs.

Description

2349854 WHEEL HANDLER The present invention relates to a wheel handler in

which the orientation of a wheel and in particular the attitude and rotational position of the wheel is adjustable.

When changing wheels on a disabled vehicle, for example in order to replace a punctured tyre, it is necessary to jack the vehicle to lift the wheel to be replaced off the ground prior to removing that wheel and replacing it with either a replacement wheel or the old wheel subsequent to repair thereof.

In the fields of, for example, recovery vehicles and vehicles used in quarries, i.e. dumper trucks and other such high load bearing vehicles, wheels can have a mass in excess of 300 kg. Therefore, the wheels will not be easily manageable by hand. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a means for lifting and positioning a wheel, e.g. on an axle, in which the orientation of that wheel can be varied, and or controlled, in most, if not all, directions.

The prior art teaches lifting and manoeuvring a wheel using, for example, a fork-lift truck. The wheel can be positioned on the forks of the forklift truck and the height, position and attitude of the wheel relative to the axle can be manoeuvred using the manoeuvrability of the fork-lift truck itself, and its hydraulic forklifting/tilting drives. However, by using a fork-lift truck, a large area of ground extending to the side of a disabled vehicle is required in order to position the forklift truck, and hence the wheel, in the correct position and orientation relative to the axle of the disabled vehicle. If the vehicle is on a road, it may be necessary to close off one or more lanes of the road whilst a wheel is replaced.

It would therefore also be desirable to provide a means for handling a wheel that requires minimal road space to the side of a disabled vehicle to which a wheel is to be fitted.

According to the present invention there is provided a wheel handler comprising a wheel holding portion and an attitude adjustment means, wherein the wheel handler is adapted to be suspended from a crane lifting means.

2 Preferably, the attitude adjustment means is in the form of an adjustable ballast.

The wheel holding portion may be in the form of a pronged support frame. Preferably there are two prongs positionable underneath the wheel to be lifted and a third stabilising prong is positionable over the top of the wheel. Preferably, the juxtaposition of the prongs is adjustable. This enables a selection of different sized wheels to be held by the wheel handler. Returns may be provided on the ends of the prongs to retain the wheel's position in the wheel holding portion during handling of the wheel.

The wheel handler may be suspended by a crane on a hook eye provided thereon. The hook eye may be provided on the end of a first arm which may be in the form of a first A-frame connected to the wheel holding portion.

Preferably, the first A-frame is inclined relative to the support frame so that the hook eye is displaced away from the wheel holding portion. This will provide a clearance between the eye or top of the A-frame and the wheel arch or body of the vehicle.

The attitude adjustment means may be in the form of at least one balance arm provided with a ballast. Preferably, the at least one balance arm is pivotally connected to the wheel holding portion. Preferably, two balance arms are provided, connected at their upper ends by a cross member to provide a second Aframe which is pivotally connected at top end thereof to the first A-frame. The ballast acts as a counterbalancing weight, and is preferably mounted on a lower end of the balance arm(s). The mass and/or position of the ballast can be varied to adjust the attitude of the wheel holding portion.

Preferably, a hydraulic or a screw thread adjustment means is provided for adjusting the attitude adjustment means relative to the wheel holding portion.

Preferably, the adjustment means adjusts the relative positions of the wheel and ballast. Further, the distance of the ballast away from the first end of the balance arm(s) may be adjusted, e.g. by sliding the ballast along the arm, or by changing the length of the balance arm. The ballast may also be adjusted by using a plurality 3 of individual weights mounted on one or more poles, or by having the weights manoeuvrable on the poles.

Rotatable sleeves may be provided for the two prongs positionable underneath the wheel, the sleeves being supported on the prongs by roller bearings to allow the wheel to be rotated within the wheel handler. This allows holes in the wheel hub to be aligned with bolts provided on the axle.

The support frame is preferably in the form of a square having three poles extending therefrom in the plane of the square through apertures or sleeve-like mounts provided in the support frame. A first pole may extend through an aperture at a first corner of the square and the other two may extend through apertures provided in the two opposite side members of the square remote from the two sides forming the first corner. The poles may have welded thereto, preferably at right angles, the three wheel holding prongs, one for each pole.

The square support frame of the wheel holding portion enables an open area to be provided at the central portion of the wheel handler thereby allowing access to tighten or loosen nuts on the wheel axle to allow fixing or removal of a wheel tolfrom the axle. A square shape is easy to form from four equal length steel box sections. However, any open centred shape could equally provide this advantage.

The relative distances that the poles extend outwardly from the support frame may be adjustable. The relative positions thereof may be fixable by use of, for example, grub screws, through bolts, or other locking means.

The first A-frame preferably has its legs attached adjacent two opposite corners of the square support frame, each tying either side of the first corner.

The wheel handler may be lifted by a crane actually mounted on the disabled vehicle. Alternatively, a vehicle fitted with a crane lifting means could position itself behind or in front of the disabled vehicle, or in any other position near the disabled vehicle which, in the particular circumstances, would not affect surrounding traffic. By using the crane lifting means, the second vehicle can be used to manoeuvre the wheel handler. Therefore, use of the present invention 4 minimises the space required to the side of the disabled vehicle in order to change a wheel.

A webbing strap and webbing hooks may be provided on the wheel handler. The webbing strap can be wrapped around the wheel to secure the wheel onto or into the wheel handler to enable a pulling force to be applied to the wheel via the wheel handler for removal of a wheel from an axle.

A specific embodiment of wheel handler according to the present invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the wheel handler in use; Figure 2 is a side view of the wheel handler; Figure 3 is a side view of the wheel handler, in use; and Figures 4(a) and (b) are front elevation views of the wheel handler, depicting use with two different size wheels.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a wheel handler 10 carrying a wheel 12 of a truck. The wheel handler 10 comprises a wheel holding portion 16, see Figure 2, and a ballast 34. The wheel holding portion 16 comprises a support frame 30 formed from four box section tubes of equal length welded together to form a square. The square supports three support arms 22, 22, and 24. The arm 24, which is designed to extend over the top of the wheel 12, extends from a first corner of the square, and the other two arms 22, which are designed to extend underneath the wheel 12, extend from two adjacent sides of the square. Each arm 22,24 comprises a pole 44 and a prong 45 welded to the poles 44 at an approximate right angle thereto.

A return 40 is provided at the end of each prong 45 to prevent the wheel 12 from failing out of the wheel holding portion 16. The returns 40 may be rotatable relative to the prongs 45 so that they can be moved into and out of engagement with the wheel 12.

The prongs 45, in use, engage the tread portion of the tyre of the wheel 12 with the poles 44 extending approximately radially against a first side-wall of the tyre. The two prongs 45 extending underneath the wheel 12 are fitted with sleeves 42 supported on roller bearings to aid rotation of the wheel 12 on the prongs since the two lower prongs 45 carry the weight of the wheel, which may be in excess of 300kg. With a very heavy wheel 12, the rotation thereof may be facilitated with the use of a lever bar.

A third sleeve supported on roller bearings may also be provided on the prong 45 extending over the top of the wheel 12.

As can be seen from Figures 1, 4a and 4b, the poles 44 extend through apertures provided in the square support frame 30 and can be locked in place by locking means 46. The locking means 46 can be in the form of bolts, through-pins, grub-screws or other such securing means. Preferably the apertures are sleeved, as shown at 70.

The lower poles 44 have a stop flange 48 provided on an innermost end thereof to prevent the poles 44 from failing out of the apertures under their own weight when the locking means 46 are released.

In Figure 4(a), the two lower poles 44 are extended to their maximum extension for a large wheel 12, and in Figure 4(b), the two lower poles 44 are withdrawn and locked in position by the locking means 46 to support a smaller wheel 12.

The wheel holding portion 16 has two substantially straight arms 28 extending from the frame 30 up to a cross member 29 to which a hook eye 26 is secured. These arms form an A-frame, its feet being welded to the frame 30 adjacent second and third comers of the support frame, the two corners lying opposite each other and either side of the first corner.

The A-frame is inclined away at an appropriate acute angle a to the plane of the support frame 30 to provide a clearance between the hook eye 26 and a wheel arch or body of the vehicle. Alternatively, the welding may be replaced with a 6 hinged connection so that the angle can be adjusted to allow a greater clearance to be provided on site.

in another construction, the arms 28 may be shaped to circumvent the wheel arch or body of the vehicle.

The ballast 34 is part of an attitude adjustment means for adjusting the angle of the wheel relative to the vertical. The position or weight of the ballast 34 is adjustable in order to move the centre of gravity of the wheel handler 10 relative to both the wheel 12 and its point of suspension, i.e. the hook eye 26. In this way, since the centre of gravity of the wheel handler always should find a point of rest vertically below the point of suspension, the attitude of the wheel can be adjusted.

The ballast 34 is formed of a plurality of weights 35 supported on the lower end portions of balance arms 32, the upper ends of which are connected by a cross member 33, thus providing a second A-frame. This second A-frame is pivotally connected to the top of the first A-frame by pivotally supporting the cross member 33 on the cross member 29.

Between the support frame 30 and the ballast 34, an adjustment means 18 is provided. This adjustment means 18 allows the relative position of the ballast 34 and the wheel 12 to be adjusted so as to move the centre of gravity of the wheel handler 10 relative to the point of suspension. The adjustment means 18 is in the form of a handle and screw and will change the relative angle between the two A-frames. Alternatively, a hydraulic adjustment means, such as a hydraulic ram, could be provided to allow remote adjustment of the ballast 34.

Rather than adjusting the angle between the A-frames, the lengths of the armsllegs of the A- frames, preferably the second A-frame, may be adjustable. Yet further, the weight of the ballast weight could be varied by the provision of more or less weights 35. Alternatively, the weights of the ballast may be moved along the balance arms 32, or may be slidable on poles, rather than being onto the balance arms 32. In this manner, the weights could be moved along the poles or additional or fewer weights could be applied to the poles.

7 The retums 40 and support frame 30 can be provided with webbing hooks or holes for a webbing strap, not shown, for wrapping about or over the wheel 12. The webbing strap allows the wheel to be secured to the wheel holding portion 16, against the support frame 30, to allow the wheel handler 10 to be used to remove a damaged wheel 12 from a vehicle, such removal potentially requidng a substantial pulling force to be applied to the wheel 12.

The size of the square section support frame 30 is sufficiently large to allow access to the wheel nuts connecting a wheel to the axle hub. Further, the ballast 34 can be shaped so as not to block access to this area.

The wheel handler 10 of the present invention allows unidirectional control of a wheel 12 supported therein, i.e. control of the wheel 12 is provided about all three Cartesian axes, namely:

1. Since the wheel handler can be suspended by a crane, rotation of a wheel about the vertical axis, can simply be achieved by hand. If the crane is of fixed geometry, a rotatable link can be used to connect the hook eye 26 to the top ends of the A-frames.

2. Rotation of the wheel 12 about its own central axis will be achieved by virtue of the roller bearings supporting the sleeves 42.

3. Rotation about a hodzontal axis is achieved by the attitude adjustment means.

The present invention has been described above purely by way of example. It should be noted that modifications in detail may be made within the scope of the invention.

8

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. A wheel handler comprising a wheel holding portion and an attitude adjustment means, wherein the wheel handler is adapted to be suspended by a crane lifting means.

2. A wheel handler according to claim 1, wherein the attitude adjustment means is in the form of an adjustable ballast.

3. A wheel handler according to claim 2, wherein the mass andlor position of the ballast can be varied to adjust the attitude of the wheel holding portion.

4. A wheel handler according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the adjustment means 10 adjusts the relative positions of the wheel holding portion and the ballast.

5. A wheel handler according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the distance of the ballast away from the wheel holding portion is adjustable.

6. A wheel handler according to any preceding claim, wherein a hydraulic or a screw thread adjustment means is provided for adjusting the attitude adjustment 15 means.

7. A wheel handler according to any preceding claim, wherein the wheel holding portion is in the form of a pronged support frame.

8. A wheel handler according to claim 7, wherein there are two prongs for positioning underneath the wheel to be lifted.

9. A wheel handler according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a stabilising prong for positioning over the top of the wheel.

10. A wheel handler according to claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the juxtaposition of each prong is adjustable.

11. A wheel handler according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein returns are 25 provided on the ends of the prongs.

9

12. A wheel handier according to any preceding claim including a hook eye for lifting the handler.

13. A wheel handier according to claim 12, wherein the hook eye is provided at the end of an arm extending away from the wheel holding portion.

14. A wheel handier according to any preceding claim, wherein the attitude adjustment means is in the form of at least one balance arm provided with a ballast.

15. A wheel handier according to claim 14, wherein one end of the at least one balance arm is pivotally mounted on the wheel holding portion.

16. A wheel handier according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the ballast is. mounted to a lower end portion of the balance arm.

17. A wheel handler according to claim 8 or anyone of claims 9-16 when dependent on claim 8, wherein the two prongs include a sleeve supported by roller bearings.

18. A wheel handler according to any preceding claim, wherein the wheel holding portion comprises a support frame in the form of a square having three poles extending therefrom through apertures provided in the support frame.

19. A wheel handler according to claim 18, wherein a first pole extends through a first corner of the square and the other two poles extend from the two opposite side members remote from the two side members of the square either side of the first corner.

20. A wheel handler according to claim 18 or 19 when dependent on claim 9, wherein each pole has welded thereto one of the wheel holding prongs.

21. A wheel handier according to claim 18, 19 or 20 wherein the poles are adjustable relative to the support frame.

22. A wheel handler substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

22. A wheel handier according to any preceding claim, and including a webbing strap and webbing hooks.

23. A wheel handler substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

k Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIM9.

1. A wheel handier suitable for removing a wheel from a vehicle, compris ing a wheel holding portion and an attitude adjustment means in the form of an adjustable ballast, wherein the wheel handier is adapted to be suspended by a 5 crane lifting means.

2. A wheel handler according to claim 1, wherein the mass andlor position of the ballast can be varied to adjust the attitude of the whee) holding portion.

3. A wheel handier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the adjustment means adjusts the relative positions of the wheel holding portion and the ballast.

4. A wheel handier according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the distance of the ballast away from the wheel holding portion is adjustable.

5. A wheel handier according to any preceding claim, wherein a hydraulic or a screw thread adjustment means is provided for adjusting the attitude adjustment means.

6. A wheel handier according to any preceding claim, wherein the wheel holding portion is in the form of a pronged support frame.

7. A wheel handier according to claim 6, wherein there are two prongs for positioning underneath the wheel to be lifted.

8. A wheel handier according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a stabilising prong for 20 positioning over the top of the wheel.

9. A wheel handier according to claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the juxtaposition of each prong is adjustable.

10. A wheel handier according to any of claims 6 to 9, wherein retums are provided on the ends of the prongs.

11. A wheel handier according to any preceding claim including a hook eye for lifting the handier.

I -?- 12. A wheel handler according to claim 11, wherein the hook eye is provided at the end of an arm extending away from the wheel holding portion.

13. A wheel handler according to any preceding claim, wherein the attitude adjustment means is in the form of at least one balance arm provided with the 5 ballast.

14. A wheel handler according to claim 13, wherein one end of the at least one balance arm is pivotally mounted on the wheel holding portion.

15. A wheel handler according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the ballast is mounted to a lower end portion of the balance arm.

16. A wheel handler according to claim 7 or any one of claims 8-15 when dependent on claim 7, wherein the two prongs include a sleeve supported by roller bearings.

17. A wheel handler according to any preceding claim, wherein the wheel holding portion comprises a support frame in the form of a square having three 15 poles extending therefrom through apertures provided in the support frame.

18. A wheel handler according to claim 17, wherein a first pole extends through a first comer of the square and the other two poles extend from the two opposite side members remote from the two side members of the square either side of the first comer.

19. A wheel handler according to claim 17 or 18 when dependent on claim 8, wherein each pole has welded thereto one of the wheel holding prongs. 20. A wheel handler according to claim 17, 18 or 19 wherein the poles are adjustable relative to the support frame. 21. A wheel handler according to any preceding claim, and including a webbing strap and webbing hooks.