US1496251A - Tire tool - Google Patents

Description

June a, 1924. 1,496,251

T. F; WARD TIRE TOOL Filed Oct. 29, 1923 Patented dune 3, 1924.

TIMOTHY F. WARD, OF EARLEYS, NORTH CAROLINA.

TIRE TOOL.

Application filed (Jctober 29, 1923. Serial No. 671,412.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY F. WARD, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Earleys, in the county of Hertford and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tire Tools, of which the following is a specification.

, This invention relates to tools for expanding 0r collapsing wheel rims, especially split rims used with pneumatic tires on automobiles, the object being to provide an improved and simple device for the purpose stated, having various advantages of construction'and operation as will be more fully apparent from the following description.

I am aware that tools for this purpose have heretofore been used or proposed, which are attended with certain defects intended to be remedied by the present invention. ()ne of these defects is that rocking grippers or jaws are used which, when pressure is applied, tend. to bend or buckle the rim, so that when the ends of the rim aredrawn toward'each other they have a tendency, in consequence of the buckling action of the grippers, to bend or flare the ends outwardly or distort the true circle, so that it is difiicult to lap the ends. And also when the screw pressure is applied to expand the rim thetendency is to buckle the ends inwardly so that it is difficult to meet them in proper relation, without straining the rim by other tools or by hand.

A further defect of such tools is that in order to obtain the proper leverage the; tools have to be made so long or large that the rim is gripped too far from the ends, or joint, and the tool is inconvenient to carry. By means of the presentinvention the rim can be gripped quite near its ends, and the tool occupies but little space so that it may readily be carried in the tool box or pocket of an automobile.

Also certain rims have lugs, veins, or projections on the inside, and a tool employing an ordinary straight faced gripping jaw cannot be used where said projections interfere. The present invention provides U-shaped gripping jaw, the branches or arms of which grip the rim near its edge, outside of such lugs, veins, or projections.

Furthermore, the invention provides an improved manner of connecting the gripper hooks to the body by a special headed pin so that they automatically take hold, without the use of threaded bolts and nuts which I In the drawing, 6 indicates a section of a 7 split rim, across the joint of which the tool is applied. The tool includes a screw 7 threaded right and left at opposite ends and provided at the middle with a hand wheel 8 which may have lugs 9 to which a bar can be applied if desired, to-turn the screw. Each end of the screw is threaded into a yoke 10 the opposite arms 11 of which are provided at their ends with outwardly projecting pivots 12 which engage in the sides of a U-shaped cam piece or gripper 13, the engagement being effected at the inside of the arms or branches of the cam piece between which the arms of the yoke project. A pair of grips or hooks 14; are connected to the outer side of the arms of the cam piece, by' means of a cross bolt or pin 15 each end of which is provided with an enlarged conical head 16. The holes in the hooks 11 thru which the pin 15 extends are elongated, as indicated at 17, and countersunk as shown at 18, so that a universal connection is formed, and when not under tension, the hooks'ltcan be leaned or canted laterally, or toward the heads 16 of the pin, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 5, so as to engage or'disengage the outer'fianges or edges of the rim, so when tension is applied, the hooks will slip laterally down the inclines of the conical heads 16 so as to adjust themselves close beside the gripper. This action is automatic with the application of pressure by means of the screw, and the use of a hand nut to effect the engagement is made unnecessary. Also, since the heads 16 are larger than the holes 17 the parts cannot become detached and lost after they are assembled, the head 16 being formed by a swaging or riveting action if desired.

It will be noticed that the gripping edges 19 of the cam piece 18 are formed at the outer ends of its two arms, and have a curvature corresponding approximately with that of a rim, These cam pieces are rocked, by

Site side'of the pivots. 15. any pressure of.

the screw tending to separate the ends would cause the grippersto soengagetherim as to tend to bend, or buckle, said, ends inwardly. In other words, the line of thrust of the screw v'vould, be distant from the point of application of the grippingforce to the rim,

, and consequently there would exist a tendenoy to distort the rim at said point. But with the present invention, the application ofithe screw tension is almost in'line with the points at which the rim is gripped, and the gripping action ofthe surfaces 19 is in the same direction as the, pressure of the screw, instead of in the opposite direction as inthe supposed, case above referred to, and the gripping action is between the adj acent or directly opposite edges of. the surfaces 19 and the liooks'lt, with the latter engaged over the flange ofthe rim, instead of, being between diagonally opposite edges of said surfaces and hooks, asin the prior art referred'to above. Thus, referring to Fig. 1, if 'the screw is turnedto eXpand the rim the cam pieces 13 rockoutwardly or in the same direction-as the thrustof the screw and the rim is gripped by the inner endsor corners of theends 19 and hold the flangesof the rim inengagement by tlie hooks 1 without anytendency to buckle or distort the rim. and the ends ofthe rim when separated remain in a; true circular line instead ofbeing pinched one way or the other. so also when the screw isturned to. contract. the rim, the cam pieces l3 rock. until they take hold, and then the points of tensionfof the surf-aces'lf) against the rim are almostin direct line with the axis of the screw, so there is no tendency to buckle the rim or flare its ends. outwardly as in the former constructions, The practical advantages of this are considerable, and

the screw can be made so short that the tool will occupy but little space and can be used on a rim quite close to the split ends thereof.

The end of one of the arms of the yoke 11 may be provided with a curved extending linger 30 adapted, to contact with the bend or web of the U-shaped piece 13 so that it will not reverse itself when loose, and on the opposite side the bend or back of the yoke may be flared outwardly as indicated at31 for a similar purpose. i

I claim 1. A rim tool comprising a pair of U- shaped cam pieces, rim hooks pivoted to the opposite sides of the cam pieces, and a pressure device connecting the cam pieces and pivoted thereto, the last-named pivot being located between the first-named pivot and the rim when the tool is applied to a rim whereby the rim is gripped between adjacent edges of the hooks and cam pieces,

2. A tool as set forth in claim 1, said pres sure device comprisinga screw.

3. A tool as set forth. in claim 1, said pressure devicecomprising a screw and a yoke on each end of'the screw, the arms of the yoke being pivotally connected tothe cam piece at the inside of the branches thereof.

1-. A rim tool comprising a pair of' U- shaped cam pieces, a pair of hooks attached to opposite sides of each cam piece, the arms of the U-shaped cam piece being presented toward the hooks, and a screw pivotally connected to the cam pieces, said pivotal connectionbeing'located nearer the ends ofsaid arms than the pivots of the hooks, whereby the force of the screw is applied between the last-named.pivotand the rim when the tool is applied to the rim andthe rim is gripped between adjacent edges of the hook and, cam pieces.

In testimony whereof, I afiixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

TIMOTHYF. WARD.

Witnesses;

' V. B. STRroK AND,

O. W; HALE.

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