GB909697A - Apparatus for use in manoeuvring vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

909,697. Vehicle movers. M.L. AVIATION CO. Ltd. April 10, 1961 [April 13, 1960], No. 13225/60. Addition to 845,105.. Classes 79(1) and 79(3). Apparatus for manoeuvring vehicles, e.g. aircraft, has mechanism for driving a ground-engaging roller (preferably in the form of two spaced wheels) to propel the apparatus, and for driving second and third rollers in the opposite sense to the first roller, the second and third rollers being spaced apart so that a vehicle wheel on the ground may be disposed between them, at least the second roller being engageable with the lower surface of the vehicle wheel, so that the vehicle can be moved in one or other direction by contact of either the second, or third roller with the wheel, on movement of the apparatus in one or other direction. In Fig. 1, the apparatus has a frame 1 with arms 3 and 4, a housing 6 containing an engine, and an hydraulic pump supplying an hydraulic motor (not shown) driving a shaft 25, a wheel 10 steerable by a hand member 11, and ground-engaging wheels 15. The drive to each wheel is by sprockets 24 on shaft 25, chains 23, sprockets 22, and gearing 20, 19, 18 and 17. Further wheels 122 can be moved to engage the ground by a hand lever 124, lifting the driven wheels 15 off the ground. The third roller 41 is driven by gears 17, 44 through a dog clutch 42 comprising a driving member 43 and the end of roller 41. The second roller 40 is mounted on a carriage 100 movable in guides in the arms 3, 4 by an hydraulic jack 104, so that vehicle wheels of different sizes can be accommodated between the rollers 40, 41. Roller 40 is driven from shaft 25 by chains 114, sprockets 112, a telescopic universally jointed shaft 110, and gearing 108, 106. To introduce the vehicle wheel between rollers 40, 41, the latter is made to swing forwardly when clutch 42 is disengaged, by the mounting shown in Fig. 2. At its end-remote from clutch 42, the roller is mounted in-a block 47 having pivots 48 received in bores 49 in a bracket 50 pivoted by bore 52 and pin 51 in bores 53 in a bracket 54 on arm 3. Bracket 50 is urged clockwise as seen in plan, by spring 57 acting on flange 58, so as to urge the roller towards arm 3 and disengage clutch 42. This is normally prevented by a stop 60, which can be swung under the control of a pedal (not shown) near member 11, Fig. 1, to permit the roller to be moved by spring 57, and disengage roller 41 from clutch member 43. When this happens, the roller is swung forwardly by a spring (not shown) acting on rod 84 and bell crank lever 82, which is pivoted on pin 51 and engages a pin 80 on block 47. Roller 40 is then brought up to the vehicle wheel, which is centred in the apparatus by wheeled guide 120, and roller 41 is swung back to the position shown by a second pedal near the member 11. Dashpot means prevents this return swing from being too violent. To ensure registry of the dog clutch members when the roller swings back, the driving member 43 and the roller are each provided with a pawl and ratchet device to bring it to one of a plurality of suitable positions. The swinging mechanism on arm 3 necessitates placing its wheel 15 rearwardly of roller 41. The other (nearer) wheel 15 is placed as far forward as possible so that the line joining the centres of the wheels passes close,to the area of contact of roller 41, and the vehicle wheel, so as to diminish the turning moment tending to lift wheel 10 off the ground when the towed vehicle is pulled by roller 41, due to roller 41 contacting the lower surface of the wheel.