JPH08175441A - Towing device for trailer and trailer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate the steering operation at the time of running backward in the condition that a trailer is connected to the towing device, and to eliminate the necessity for increasing the strength of a frame of a tow car and a trailer. CONSTITUTION: A connecting member 7 to be fixed to the rear part of a vehicle is formed of a pair of supporting arms 8 and a connecting pipe 9 fixed between the tip of the arms, and each arm 8 is formed with a hole 8c. A towing device 1 is provided with a cross member 2 and a pair of arms 3 fixed to both ends of the cross member 2 so as to be extended in parallel with each other, and the tip of each arm 3 is formed with a hole 4 at a diameter same as the hole 8c. An oilless bearing 5 is projected at a nearly central part of the cross member 2. A bracket 15 having a hole 16 is hanged at a central part of the front part of a platform frame 13 of a trailer 12, and the towing device 1 is connected to the trailer 12 freely to perform the rolling in the condition that the oilless bearing 5 is inserted into the hole 16. The towing device 1 is connected to the connecting member 7 through a special bolt 21 passing through the holes 4, 8c freely to perform the pitching.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a trailer towing device and trailer, and more particularly to a trailer towing device and trailer suitable for towing by a passenger car.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, it has become popular to pull trailers carrying equipment necessary for camping and marine sports to a destination by pulling them with a passenger car. Generally, a coupling device that couples a trailer and a towing vehicle is configured such that the trailer can rotate left and right with respect to the tractor about a coupling portion. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-95980, as shown in FIG. 8, a hitch portion 52 protruding from a rear portion of a tractor (towing vehicle) 51 and a connecting portion 54 protruding from a front portion of a trailer 53 are provided. There is disclosed a coupling device that couples with a coupling pin 55 penetrating in the vertical direction. In this connecting device, the hitch portion 52 and the connecting portion 54 are rotatable left and right within a horizontal plane with the connecting pin 55 as the center of rotation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, there is also a connecting device having a structure in which a hitch portion 56 having a spherical connecting portion 56a at its upper end is provided on the towing vehicle side, and a coupling member 57 for the hitch portion 56 is provided on the trailer side. It has been implemented. In addition to the horizontal rotation in the horizontal plane, this connecting device also allows rolling and pitching of the trailer.

Further, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-137783, as shown in FIG. 10, a front portion of a trailer 53 is attached to a pair of left and right connecting members 58 projecting from a rear portion of a tractor (towing vehicle) 51. A pair of left and right support portions 59 provided on the shaft 60
There is disclosed a configuration in which it is rotatably supported upward through the.

[0005]

When the tractor 51 and the trailer 53 are rotatable left and right around the connecting portion in the horizontal plane, the steering operation when moving backward with the trailer 53 connected is troublesome. is there. For example, in the case of moving backward to the left, when the steering operation is performed in the same manner as when moving backward only by the tractor 51, as shown in FIG. 8A, the steered wheels 51a of the tractor 51 are suitable for moving backward to the left. However, the wheels 53a of the trailer 53 are arranged to be suitable for retreating to the right. If the retreat is continued in this state, the tractor 51 and the trailer 53 are arranged so as to be bent at an acute angle with the connecting portion as a boundary, and a so-called jack knife phenomenon occurs. As a result, the tractor 51 cannot be smoothly retracted in the intended direction. In order to avoid the occurrence of the jack knife phenomenon, as shown in FIG. 8B, first, the steering operation is performed so that the tractor 51 travels in the direction opposite to the target direction, and the direction of the trailer 53 corresponds to the target direction. After that, as shown in FIG.
It is necessary to perform the steering operation so that the steered wheels 51a of the tractor 51 run in the target direction. In addition, since the setting of the steering angle at the time of these steering operations differs depending on the reverse speed, the operation requires skill.

Further, in the device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-137783, the trailer 53 cannot rotate in the horizontal plane with respect to the tractor 51, so that a difficult steering operation is not necessary when the vehicle is retreating. However, since this connecting device has no degree of freedom with respect to rolling, a large stress is applied to the connecting member 58 when traveling on an uneven road surface. Therefore, the connecting member 58 and the tractor 5 to which it is attached
It is necessary to increase the strength of the frames of the trailer 1 and the trailer 53.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to facilitate steering operation when moving backward with a trailer connected, and tow a traction device or a tow vehicle to which the tractor is attached. It is an object of the present invention to provide a trailer towing device and a trailer that do not require the strength of the trailer frame to be increased.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is capable of pitching with respect to a connecting portion provided on either one of the towing vehicle and the trailer and swinging in the left-right direction. A first connecting portion that is immovably connected and a second connecting portion that is connected to the connecting portion provided on the other of the towing vehicle and the trailer so as to be rollable and not swingable in the left-right direction. Prepared

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of arms extending parallel to each other are provided at intervals corresponding to the width of the connecting portion provided at the rear portion of the towing vehicle, and each arm is orthogonal to the arms. A cross member formed with a shaft supporting portion for supporting the shaft is connected to a connecting portion provided at a substantially central portion of the cross member at a front portion of the trailer so as to be capable of rolling and not swingable in the left-right direction. And a second connecting portion.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the towing device provided with the arms extending in parallel to each other is supported by the front portion of the trailer body so as to be rollable and not swingable in the left and right directions, and each of the arms is supported. A first connecting portion that is connected to the connecting portion provided at the rear portion of the towing vehicle so as to be pitchable, not swingable in the left-right direction, and separable is provided.

According to another aspect of the invention, the traction device having the arms extending parallel to each other is connected to the connecting portion provided at the front of the trailer body so as to be pitchable and not swingable in the left-right direction. A second connecting portion, which is connected to a connecting portion provided at a rear portion of the towing vehicle so as to be rollable, not swingable in the left-right direction, and separable, is provided substantially at the center of the towing device.

[0012]

When the tractor according to the first aspect of the present invention is used, when the trailer is towed and the vehicle is running, pitching occurs in at least one of the towing vehicle and the trailer in response to the unevenness of the road surface. The first connecting portion and the corresponding connecting portion rotate relative to each other (pitching). Further, when rolling occurs, the second connecting portion and the corresponding connecting portion rotate relative to each other (rolling). Therefore, unlike the case where the towing vehicle and the trailer are connected via the non-pitching and non-rolling connection part, excessive stress does not act on the connection part. Since the towing device connects the towing vehicle and the trailer so as not to swing in the left-right direction, the so-called jack knife phenomenon does not occur even if the steering operation is performed in the same way as when the trailer is not being towed during reverse traveling.

The traction device according to the second aspect of the present invention is connected to the connecting portion provided at the rear portion of the towing vehicle through the shaft support portion provided on the arm of the cross member. The traction device is connected to a connecting portion provided at a front portion of the trailer at a second connecting portion provided at a substantially central portion of the cross member so as to be rollable and not swingable in the left-right direction. The other actions are similar to those of the first aspect of the invention.

The trailer according to the third aspect of the invention is connected to the towing vehicle in a pitchable manner via a towing device when necessary. The traction device is supported so as to be rollable with respect to the trailer body. Therefore, even if pitching and rolling occur during traveling in a towed state, excessive stress does not act on the connecting portion of the towing device, the towing vehicle, and the trailer.

The trailer of the invention described in claim 4 also exhibits substantially the same operation as that of the invention described in claim 3. Furthermore, since there is only one connecting portion between the towing device and the towing vehicle, the connecting work and the disconnecting work become easy.

[0016]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the traction device 1 has a plate-shaped cross member 2, and a pair of arms 3 forming a first connecting portion at both ends thereof are orthogonal to the cross member 2. Are fixed so that they extend parallel to each other. A circular hole 4 as a first connecting portion and a shaft supporting portion is formed at the tip of each arm 3. At substantially the center of the cross member 2, an oil-free bearing 5 as a second connecting portion is provided so as to protrude on the side opposite to the extending direction of each arm 3. A hole 5a is formed in the center of the oil-free bearing 5, and the hole 5a is also formed in the cross member 2.
Is formed with a hole (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, a connecting member 7 fixed to a rear portion of a passenger car 6 as a towing vehicle includes a pair of support arms 8 each having a mounting portion 8a bent inward at an upper end of a base end thereof.
It is composed of a connecting pipe 9 fixed between the tips of the supporting arms 8. The support arm 8 constitutes a connecting portion of the towing vehicle. The mounting portion 8a is formed with a hole 8b into which the bolt 10 (only one is shown) is inserted. The inner diameter of the connecting pipe 9 is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the hole 4, and each supporting arm 8
A hole 8c having the same diameter as the hole 4 at a position corresponding to the connecting pipe 9.
Are formed. The connecting member 7 is used for the passenger car 6
A mounting portion 8a is arranged at a position corresponding to a hole (not shown) formed in the rear underchassis, and a bolt 10 penetrating the hole and the hole 8b, and a nut 11 screwed into the bolt 10. It is designed to be fixed to the rear under chassis by.

The trailer 12 comprises a carrier frame 13 and a pair of tires 1 supported at the center of the lower part of the carrier frame 13 by a suspension device.
4 and. At the center of the front part of the carrier frame 13, a bracket 15 that constitutes a connecting portion is hung, and a hole 16 into which the oil-free bearing 5 can be inserted is formed in the bracket 15. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the traction device 1 inserts the oil-free bearing 5 into the hole 16 and then attaches the bolt 17 to the traction device 1.
From the front side of the trailer 1, through the washer 18, the hole 5a and the retaining ring 19 and tightened with the nut 20, the trailer 1
It is connected to 2 so as to be able to roll and not swing in the left-right direction. The oil-free bearing 5 is formed longer than the thickness of the bracket 15, and even if the retaining ring 19 is tightened to the oil-free bearing 5 by the nut 20, the bracket 15 can freely rotate.

When connecting the trailer 12 equipped with the towing device 1 to the passenger car 6, the arm 3 is arranged outside the support arm 8 of the connecting member 7 fixed to the rear portion of the passenger car 6,
The hole 4 and the hole 8c are made to correspond. Special bolt 2 in that state
1 is arranged so as to penetrate the connecting pipe 9 from the outside of one arm 3 so that the male screw portion 21a at the tip projects to the outside of the other arm 3, and the nut 22 is screwed to the male screw portion 21a. The special bolt 21 is formed such that the diameter of the unthreaded portion of the shaft portion is slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole 4 and the length thereof is slightly longer than the distance between the outer side surfaces of both arms 3. The diameter of the male screw portion 21a is smaller than that of the shaft portion, and when the nut 22 is screwed to the male screw portion 21a, the arm 3 and the support arm 8 do not receive the tightening force of the special bolt 21 and the nut 22. It is freely rotatable relative to each other.

Next, the operation of the traction device 1 constructed as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting member 7 does not protrude from the rear end of the passenger vehicle 6 when attached to the passenger vehicle 6, and even if it protrudes, the amount of protrusion is small, so that the connecting member 7 is attached even when the towing operation is not performed. Held in. On the other hand, the towing device 1 is stored in a state of being attached to the trailer 12 even when it is not used.

When the trailer 12 equipped with the towing device 1 is connected to the passenger car 6, the special bolt 21 is inserted into the hole 4 and the connecting pipe 9 and the nut 22 is screwed to the male screw portion 21a as described above. Easy to connect. Also, the work of separating the trailer 12 is completed by a simple work of removing the nut 22 and then pulling out the special bolt 21.

When the passenger car 6 travels while the trailer 12 is being pulled, if at least one of the passenger car 6 and the trailer 12 is pitched in response to the unevenness of the road surface, the arm 3 and the support arm 8 have the special bolt 21. Relative rotation or pitching is performed in the vertical direction about the shaft. or,
When rolling occurs in at least one of the passenger car 6 and the trailer 12, the cross member 2 and the carrier frame 13 relatively rotate or roll around the oil-free bearing 5. Therefore, unlike the case where the trailer 12 is connected so as not to allow pitching and rolling, excessive stress does not act on the connecting portion. The connecting member 7, the traction device 1 and the bracket 15 do not need to have a large strength against twisting or bending, and the strength of the chassis (frame) of the passenger vehicle 6 to which the connecting member 7 is fixed can be small. As a result, it is possible to connect the trailer 12 to passenger cars other than passenger cars such as off-road passenger cars having a high frame strength, and the number of applicable vehicle types to which the trailer 12 can be towed increases.

The towing device 1 connects the passenger car 6 and the trailer 12 so as not to swing in the left-right direction. Therefore, the so-called jack knife phenomenon does not occur even if the steering operation is performed only in the intended direction, as in the case where the trailer 12 is not towed when traveling backward. Therefore, the steering operation when traveling backward is facilitated.

Further, since the trailer 12 does not swing right and left in the horizontal plane, the distance between the trailer 12 of the passenger car 6 and the trailer 12 can be shortened. Further, in this embodiment, since the oil-free bearing 5 is used as the second connecting portion for connecting the traction device 1 and the trailer 12 in a rollable manner, the maintenance becomes easy.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the structure of the connecting member 7 and the structure of the arm 3 of the traction device 1 are different from those of the previous embodiment. The same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A clevis 23 as a first connecting portion and a shaft supporting portion is integrally formed at the tips of both arms 3 of the towing device 1. The connecting member 7 is a pair of support arms 8.
And a connecting pipe 9 that connects the support arm 8 at an intermediate portion thereof. A hole 8c into which the clevis pin 24 is fitted is formed at the tip of the support arm 8, and a hole 8d for locking a hook or a wire when pulling a broken vehicle is formed near the base end of the support arm 8. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting member 7 has bolts 10 and bolts on the rear under chassis of the passenger car 6 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment so that the tip of the support arm 8 is located at substantially the same position as the rear end of the passenger car 6. It is fixed by the nut 11. When the traction device 1 is connected to the connecting member 7, the clevis 23 is made to correspond to the tip of the support arm 8 and the clevis pin 24 is formed in the hole 8.
Then, the nut 25 is screwed onto the tip of the clevis pin 24. In the case of this embodiment, the traction device 1 can be connected to the connecting member 7 without using the long special bolt 21. Other functions and effects are similar to those of the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but may be embodied as follows, for example. (1) The towing device 1 may be connected to the trailer 12 so as to be capable of pitching and not swingable in the left-right direction, and may be connected to be capable of rolling with respect to the towing vehicle and not swingable in the left-right direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a cross member 27 having an oil-free bearing 26, which constitutes a connecting portion, fixed to the center rear end thereof.
And the supporting arm 8 are integrally formed to form the connecting member 7. Then, the traction device 1 has a hole 2 as a second connecting portion into which the oil-free bearing 26 is fitted and inserted in the center of the cross member 2.
a is formed. The trailer 12 is formed with connecting arms 28 having holes 28a on both left and right front portions. Then, the tip of the arm 3 of the traction device 1 is rotatably connected to the connecting arm 28 via the support pin 29. Also in this case, the long special bolt 21 is not necessary, and the connecting portion between the connecting member 7 and the towing vehicle is provided at one place, so that the connecting work and the disconnecting work are easy.

(2) When the connecting member 7 and the traction device 1 are connected in a rollable manner, the traction device 1 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and no oil is added to the center of the cross member 2 of the connecting member 7 in FIG. A hole into which the bearing 5 is fitted may be formed.

(3) As shown in FIG. 7, the clevis 23 is formed on the support arm 8 side of the connecting member 7, and the clevis pin 2 is formed.
The connecting member 7 and the traction device 1 may be connected by means of 4.
Further, the hole 8d may be omitted.

(4) Bearings are fixed to the tips of the arm 3 and the support arm 8 as a shaft support, and the arm 3 and the support arm 8 are rotatably connected in the vertical direction via a support shaft fitted into both bearings. You may. In this case, the pitching operation is performed more smoothly.

(5) When the traction device 1 is connected to the trailer 12 or the connecting member 7 in a rollable manner, the oil-free bearing 5 is inserted into the hole 16 or the oil-free bearing 26 is inserted into the hole 2a. Ordinary bearings may be fixed to the cross members 2, 27 and the bracket 15, and they may be connected via a support shaft fitted into the bearings. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a circular hole is simply formed and the support shaft is inserted into the hole so as to be relatively rotatable.

(6) Instead of detachably fixing the connecting member 7 to the passenger car 6 with the bolt 10 and the nut 11, the support arm 8 may be fixed to the chassis by welding. (7) The number of arms 3 and support arms 8 is not limited to two,
It may be three or more. When the pulling device 1 is connected to the connecting member 7 in a rollable manner, the support arm 8 is
The book may be arranged in the center of the rear part of the towing vehicle.

(8) The trailer 12 is not limited to two wheels, and may be three wheels or more or one wheel. Inventions other than those described in the claims that can be grasped from the embodiments and modifications will be described below along with their effects.

(1) In the invention described in claim 2 or 4, the second connecting portion is an oil-free bearing. In this case, rolling can be performed more smoothly and maintenance can be facilitated.

[0037]

As described in detail above, the first to fourth aspects of the invention are described.
According to the invention described in (1), the steering operation when moving backward with the trailer connected is facilitated, and it is not necessary to increase the strength of the connecting member or the frame of the tow vehicle or trailer to which the connecting member is attached. Further, claim 4
According to the invention described in (1), the work of connecting and disconnecting the towing device with respect to the towing vehicle can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a towing device and a trailer according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view in which a trailer is connected to a passenger car.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic perspective view of a passenger car.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a modified example.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of another modification.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of a conventional device when traveling in reverse.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional device.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of another conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Traction device, 2 ... Cross member, 3 ... Arm which comprises a 1st connection part, 4 ... Hole which comprises a 1st connection part and a shaft support part, 5 ... Oilless bearing which comprises a 2nd connection part , 6 ... Passenger car as a towing vehicle, 7 ... Connecting member, 8 ... Support arm forming a connecting portion, 8c ... Same hole, 12 ... Trailer, 1
5 ... Brackets forming a connecting portion, 16 ... Same holes, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Special bolt, 23 ... Clevis which comprises a 1st connection part and a shaft support part, 28 ... The connection arm as a connection part.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Matsumoto 2-chome, Toyota-cho, Kariya city, Aichi stock company Toyota Industries Corp.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first connecting portion which is connected to a connecting portion provided on one of the towing vehicle and the trailer so as to be capable of pitching and not swingable in the left-right direction, and the other of the towing vehicle and the trailer. And a second connecting portion that is connected to the connecting portion provided on the rear side so as to be capable of rolling and not swingable in the left-right direction. 2. A plurality of arms extending parallel to each other at intervals corresponding to the width of a connecting portion provided at the rear portion of the towing vehicle, and each arm having a shaft supporting portion for supporting an axis orthogonal to the arm. The formed cross member, and a second connecting portion that is provided substantially in the center of the cross member and that is rollable with respect to the connecting portion provided at the front of the trailer and that is not swingable in the left-right direction. Trailer traction device with. 3. A towing device provided with arms extending parallel to each other is supported by a front portion of a trailer body so as to be rollable and not swingable in the left-right direction, and each arm is provided at a rear portion of a towing vehicle. A trailer provided with a first connecting portion that is connected to the connecting portion such that it can be pitched, cannot swing in the left-right direction, and can be separated. 4. A traction device provided with arms extending parallel to each other is connected to a connecting portion provided at a front portion of a trailer body so as to be pitchable and not swingable in the left-right direction,
A trailer provided with a second connecting portion that is connected to a connecting portion provided at a rear portion of the towing vehicle so as to be capable of rolling, not swingable in the left-right direction, and detachable from the pulling device at a substantially central portion thereof.