US1871129A - Automatic collapsing wheel elevating device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1932. M C, PIERCE ,87,129

AUTOMATIC COLLAPSING WHEEL ELEVATING DEVICE Filed June 2l, 1927 Patented` Aug. 9, 1932 NT @FFME l 'A "MAUMCE dPIEEcE; or mnmsonwrsconsin AUTOMATIC coLLnPsINe WHEEL 'ELEVATING- DEVICE My invention relates to new and improved devices for the combined purposes of automatically receiving, elevating,l advancing, transferring, holding and lowering of weight 'ii bearing wheels, such devices possessing utilitarian and labor andtime saving qualities.

It is apparent that, until the present time, the onlydependable and universally adopted device for lifting the wheels of heavy vehicles l) while on the road, is the lifting jack.4 I am aware that certain other devices involving levers, eccentrics, inclined planes, etc., have been invented and may Vbein operation `in garages and under certainl given conditions, l5 but such devices are Veither too large and heavy to be conveniently stored in a small space in automobiles -or they are not universally successful under all conditions and.

circumstances'. 1

As regards lifting jacks, it would he diflicult to describe in detail all ofthe disadvantages and disagreeable annoyances accom-A panying their operation.V Among various objections the following may, however, be 25 mentioned.

greasy andsoils the hands and clothing. It necessitates hard and time-wasting labor under the most awkward circumstances, particularly in connection with elevating the 30 backwheels of automobiles and motor trucks, since gasoline tanks, springs, fenders, etc., prevent easy access to the ack axle. The jack must, furthermore, usually be held with one or both hands for proper placement andupright position until its operation has continued sufficiently to wedge'it rmly between the axle and the ground; Thisis especially 'l the case when working on rough or hilly sur# faces, on sandy, muddy, or snow covered earth, or on soft ground, since the base of the jack has a tendency to throw' the device olf the perpendicular-andto press unevenly into the earth. Y f

in a. majority of ,cases the jack operator must eitner kneel, crawl or lie flaton the ground in order to approach his Awork and' this is lruin'ous to line clothing, especially when the ground is wet,muddy, or dusty or when working 1n garageshaving olly or oth' Thejack is usually dirty and e'rwisedirty lioors. Even' when overalls or .application inea aune 21', 1927,. serial no. ecosse.-

other suitable working clothes are at hand, the changing into` and from them causes an additional loss of time andv is particularly impracticable for women operators.. M

Tender `hands become' sorel and blistered and gloves, if used, are instantly ruined.

In rainy, snowy, or excessively hot or'freez.- ing weather the inconvenience of the jack operator isgreat'ly increased through drenching from rain or perspiration or through suffering from Lfrozen hands. l v t Still anotherdificulty, kresulting in-Tin'-v creased loss of time,has beenadded by the almost universal adoption of balloontires which require ainuch greater wheel elevation than formerly was the case with thesmaller ones.A

Also, in the use of' oversized doughnutv tires, suchas are vcoming into extensive'use on airplanes, ,with the probability [of being widely adapted to motor vehicles, with the collapse of the tire, the'aXle willl practically lower on the supporting'g'roun'd surface so as to preclude the use of an ordinary jack."V

Obviously, my invention will'find particularly valuable app lications for use in connectionwith motor vehicles equipped with tiresv of this character.

The object ofmy invention-is tofobvia-te" the above and other disadvantages and inconveniences and t o vsalve time and ,manuali labor through providing a device whi'chfwillbe simple in constructionk and operation, sure and reliable under all conditions, small in size,`liglflt in weight, clean to handle, comall a practical pact, inexpensive', durable, andin fact,A with every 'day device which will elevate, hold in elevation, and lower atywill only, the wheels of vehicles through the utif lization of theV vehicles own motive power;

ground surface dinary ack.

Pre'elldng the as@ eine With these and other objects in view which may be incident to my improvements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations tobe hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that theV several necessary elements comprising my invention may be varied in construction, proportions and arrangement,without departing from the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown inthe accom- A' panying drawing means forcarrying the p same into practical effect,without limitingthe improvements in their useful applications to the particular constructions which, for the purpose ofexplanation, have been made the subject of illustration.

' In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side view. of

my' novel automatic collapsing wheel` elevat-y The inclined plane member 1, is shownasV composed ofv a sectionof channeled steel with tremity ofthe elevated track member is bentV the plane to form a friction Vapproaching apron ,to the plane.

` ing vacuum cup rubber or other suitable nonskid material`V attached to its bottom 8, is connected tothe under side of the plane through a pivotal attachment 9.

The elevated track member l0, is likewise composed ofasection of channeled steel, al-l though somewhat wider than that which composes the inclined plane,and its end which connectsk with theplane is similarlycut to` provide rounded extensions 11, to connect with the pivotf4'. The opposite or free exupward VAto form a bumper or stopper 12. rI he stop 12acts -as an indicator to advise an operatorY that the wheel of the'vehicle is elevated onY the Vdevice toisuch a vdistance Vthat e further movement of thefvehicle may be cony i trlolledand discontinued at any desired'point.

'A combinedsupport forboth the plane and theelcvated track is provided by means of a forwardly .inclined pivotal ieg 13, with aa An pproa'ching friction ,apronlbaser7, havextended and wide chisel edgedbase 14. 'Ihe vacuum cupped rubber, or other suitable known non-skidding material adapted4 to the bottom 8 of the apron base 7 and the chisel edged base 14 on thepivotal leg 13, provide for a desirable slow collapsing of the device when the tension member 23 (to be later described) is released. The top end. ofY thisv support is 'cut in a suitabley angular manner 15, and is attached with a pivot bolt 16, to the 'elevated track member at or near the latters point of connection with the plane.

The provision of this middle support is necessary ,for the elevating ofvery heavy vehicles,'l such as automobile busses and trucks, but might be eliminated when the device 4is ldesigned specially' for vlight passenger cars without materially altering my invention.

The pivotal arrangement connecting the plane and the track would in the latter event be slightly alteredfor increased strength.

To the underl side ofthe elevated track memberland at or near its free upturned extremity is attached a secondV forwardly inclined support 17, having a wide, extended and chisel edged base 18, its upper extremity being cut at a suitable angle and pivotally connected by means of a swing bolt v19. The

, supports 13 and 17, together with the trans? verseextension of the thin wide chisel edged bases 14 and 18, insure the device against longitudinalmovement and toppling laterally when the vehicle wheel Ais supported thereon.

A tension or spacer member 20, is provided and connects pivotally with the two supporting legs at or near their respective bases lby means of swing bolts 21, and 22. The climinati'on of thefmiddle support would obviate the necessity for this tension member.

A second vtension or spacer member 23, isY swingingly attached Vto the under side of the inclined plane nearthe latters base 24, and fits at its opposite extremity -onto a. projecting pin bolt 25, firmly insertedv in the middlesupJ port 1 3, near the latters base. I tension member is provided ywith a knob 26,

suitable for striking with a Vhammer for unlocking purposes and further' with an attachedsmall chain and handle 27, likewiseV for unlocking purposes. l Y

f Incase the middle support were to be elimi-. nated this latter tension' member 23 might be lengthened so as'to'conne'ct and lock onto the second or outer leg17 and could berfiexible instead of rigid without materially altering;

my invention.

"Preliminary to describing'the manipulation of my device in vconnection with its actual lifting operation, I desireto call attentionto itsv complete `collapsibility feature designed for compact storage purposes.

It will be observed that, by freeing from rthe bolt pin the vfastening tension member 23 which connects the bases of the inclined plane y. and middle supportf'l, the device will iin- This second 1 riesame' mediately fallflat on'the ground. Y This fall-1 ingflat on the; groundis fortunate rinfthatit assists lin. and nearly accomplishes ithe coinplete collapsing, storage purposes;

All that is required t'o completelyfold the d-evice for storage is to pivot-theinclined Y,plane member upwarduntil it swings-down fon'to a resting-position on the top of the run- W waymember. YIt is, then,in2this compa'ct'and spaceeconomizing'form thatmv device will be found when wanted for use. The extremely siinple opera-tion of vice may be described as follows Presuiningthat anV lautomobile while'= on the road or in the garage is'observed toirequire acliang'eof wheel orthat one orinoreof the wheels must be lifted free frointhe ground for any otherlreason; inyrdeviee will'th'enbe removed from 'its storage space Awit-hin 'the car. swingingthe inclined plane member downward andslipping the aperture-near thev free-` extremity ofthe tension member'on to the mounted the inclined plane and' has come to rest on the upper `surfaceo'f Vthe elevated track. The wheel has Vthus been :lifted in an instant and without physical effort.

vAt this point it may beidesirableto' set= the emergency brake ofthe can In order to absolutely insurel the success mi of theabcve mentioned elevation operation,

it is well toobserve the following slightpre-v cautionsstraight forward inee-Xactlinewith'the body 41.51. ofthe automobile. j Y f Second, my device, as previously stated, should be placed exactly straightgin the. path ofthe wheel te be lifted. c Y i fllhird, the ca r should be drivenpreferably 59T sion/'ly forward and in an exact straight line. Fourth, brakes should be applied-as soon as the wheel has rolled past the apexof the inclined plane. Y

rlhe overwhelming advantages of this type "55" of elevating as compared with' the employ-V inent of lifting jacks will-ibe'realized asa result of the foregoing description, butthe realization becomesA all theme-re striking when one reflects upon the: e'nornious'weights z5@ to be'liftedwhen elevatingwheels ofrloadedr Y busses,trucls, etc. 1

In as much as the ultiigiiate object of the abovetlescribed4 operationlis to leavethe elevated wheel freely suspended above the '55 lground, it is apparent that an@ auxiliary hold--V so ydesirable fort :compact lt will instantly Ibe made ready byY er'or. supportion to which the lifted weight,

isV transferred must accompany vmy device. Such: holder must obviouslybe placedin supporting position between the v ground and some substantial part of the vehicle nearfthe lifted wheel.

lt is notinyintention at this'tinie'to'irecommend or prescribe any particular kind of support, automatic or otherwise,- with which to holdthe axle in abnormal elevation. It in'ayib'e esseiitialand at the saine time suflicientthatl pointrout the existence of sufficient supports for'this purpose. ln asmuch as the lifting ack is adjustable and designed to. bear-"heavy --weights, it' may, for instance,

be used asa holder after the worl'of lifting hasV been performedby tliefca'r with the aid' of'niy device. i l

Assuniin then'that a 'ack or other su port, has'been` paced underthe elevated endV ofthe axle and has been adjusted to properA height, there is only one slight, action requiredto complete the suspending operation.

rllhis action consists in .grasping thelliandle Y at the free end ofthe chain' attachedto the tensionineinber 23 engagin'gextremity and imparting an outward jerlrto the latter'. A slight outward blow impartedto the knob Vwill also:accomplisli'the same purpose..v The immediate*result is thatthe Vfree endof the tensionmeniber slips 0E from vthe projecting bolt pin and the device falls-to theground leaving the elevated wheel freely'suspended inithe air. 1 y A i y After achange ofwheel ortirev or necessary repairs have been completed, the lowering tothe ground of the suspended wheelfis Y in order. This may be siinplyandinstantly accomplished in'one of many ways, allwithoutpliysical effort'. `Settingaside, however, all other possibilities the following description willexplainhow my invention may be First,- the front wheels shouldl pointl the-same'manner ofemployment.

It will aOain be set in o eratin Yositi'on e g ere-1 ieri its

lic

inthe lpath ofthe elevated wheel,but vthis timelonthe opposite orreverse side thereof? andwedged tightly betw-een the latter and the ground. The caristhen driven slowly in irs the opposite directionffrommthat ofthe firstobtaining servi'ceability and reliability `under all conditions.- vThe following- :features are pos:

emphasized' because they are Hbelieved to sess *outstandingA unique utility. Y

- Theposition and outward diagonal slant of theY supporting legs havegiven the best re- 1 of the second leg support at the free end of the elevated track has,l been found to'be the best guard against the possible topplingover forward of the device when the advancing wheel bumps against the upturned stopper.

The forwardly inclined slant of the supporting legs holds their non-skid bases in the best position for securely gripping loose and insecure ground surfaces.

The diagonal cut of the upper or connecting end of the second leg together with the position of its pivot affords a most suitable rest for the track, and offers a most effective resistance against Vswinging backward when under pressure of anadvancing wheel, yet permits easy forward pivoting when desired..

Thedouble angular cut of the upper or conf necting end of the middle Yleg 13 together with the position of its pivot presents a most suitable rest for the connecting extremities of both the inclined plane and lthe elevated track, assists in holding the leg in its intendedy angle position without 'fear ofv back swing when underpressure of an advancing wheel,

and gives support to both elevated members when subjected to, the heaviest weights, yet permits easy forward pivoting when desired for collapsing.

The results obtained with tension holding members vhave justified their employment in preference to other kinds, quite asidel from the principle that any member subjected to pull may be very light in proportion to its' holding capacity. As employed with my de-v vice, they, very fortunately, hold the various bases firmlyk in position and assist most effi-y ciently in forming a solidly braced frame capable of receiving and supporting theheaviest weights.l

Another fortunate and perhaps novel .fea-v ture is the locking device which is not only ,Y strong, reliable7 quick, and simple in operation,but absolutely necessitates that the hand of the operator be -well clear ofthe device when thelatter falls tothe ground. This is highly desirableand Vcomes as a result of the outwardly directed jerk or blow imparted to the fastening member atV itsV lockingv extremity.

It is apparent that the successfulopera'-` *tion of my device is much dependent on its non-skidding and nonslipping features, namely, the friction surface of theinclined plane and the three different ground grips applied toits bases, and in addition thereto the approaching friction apron. Experiments have shown me ythe necessity of com -l bining groundfgripsV of thesel sorts Vas an absolute guarantee against circumstances of hard and soft, sem1-hard4andsemi-softsurfaces and as against rough and smooth surfaces'as for instance, concrete, asphalt,- brick, sand, mud, snow, ice, wood, macadam, dirt, stones, rocks, sod, hills, holes, ruts, slopes, etc., and in addition thereto it-wasvfound necessary to considertheeffects of water and oil on all surfaces. V

A knowledge of lifting jacks together with my experiments with the device above de- A scribed `have shown the necessity for large surfaced bases to accompany lifting devices which may be used on soft ground as a preventionv againstV their sinking into the earth.

Y My device has therefore'been provided with Vslightest weight yhad -been transferred onto its upper surface. The plane bumped away from the wheel, so to speak. To prevent this occurrence, I supplied the plane with its approaching apron which extendsouft onto the ground so flatly that no wheel will refuse to roll:v ontoit. The weight of the wheel having been actuallytransferred to' an attachedpart` of the. plane, the result is that the-.plane is caught, as it were, and held in position 'until the weight is actually pressed, in turn, down# ward on the upper'surface of the plane itself. This was found sufficient under ordinaryvcirycumstances to hold the plane fast to the road as the operation continued. Y r

. Experiments' on slippery concrete and asphalt soon proved however, that'a'pla'ne of any appreciable ascent wouldrefuse entirely to accept an advancing wheel no matter Vhow slowly it was rolled forward. This necessitated the adoption of the vacuum cup bottom to the vbase of the plane as the mostcertain means of preventing skidding on smooth, hard surfaces. I

Experimentson soft dirt, sand', snow,ice, etc., showed the necessity.l for still vanother kind ofground surface grip and consequent- ,ly the broad extending chisel edged bases pose and may havea` claim to novelty in a vdevice ofexactly this kind-,although l rec`- ognize in it aV very-:old method of vstopping an advancing wheel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a device for the purpose set forth, two channeled members having their ends pivotally connected, one designed to be arranged horizontally` and the other at an angle, the lower end of the angle member being cut ldiagonally and having pivotally secured thereto and extending therebeyond a base plate, a friction surface on the under face of the base plate, a support pivoted to the under face of the horizontal member and having its ends cut angularly to underlie both the horizontal and the angle members and having its lower end widened and formed with a sharpened extension, a second angularly disposed support pivoted beneath the outer end of the horizontal member and having its outer end widened and sharpened and removable tension bars between the supports and the angle channel member, for the purpose set forth.

2. A foldable and collapsible device for the purpose set forth, comprising a channeled member designed to provide a track or runway and having one end rounded to form a stop, a second channeled member designed to be arranged at a downward inclination from the lirst mentioned member and being pivoted to the straight end thereof, said second channeled member having a friction stripfixed on its inner face and extending from the outer end thereof, and its said outer end cut diagonnally, a base pivotally secured to and supporting the outer end of the said second channel Amember and projecting therebeyond and receiving the friction strip thereof, said base having its under faceprovided with a friction surface, a forwardly inclined intermediate support pivoted to the flanges of the first mentioned channeled member and having its end cut at opposite angles to underlie this member and the second channeled member, Y said support having its lower end widened v and formed with a sharpened tooth, a second forwardly inclined outer support pivotally secured between the flanges of the runway and contacting with the base thereof, said outer support having its lower end widened and toothed, a tension brace removably pivoted to the supports, a second notched member pivotally secured to the inclined channel member, a headed pin on the intermediate support to receive the notch of said member therein and a pull chain on the free end of the said member. Y

3. A device for elevating a wheel on moveconnected to the raising means to facilitate mounting of the wheel thereommeans toprevent longitudinal movement, means associated with the raising means tomai'ntain the wheel elevated, and means on the raising means to indicate thereon. Y

6. A device for-elevating a wheel on movement thereof, comprising means to raise a the elevation of the vehicle I i Y85 wheel to an elevated horizontal plane, means f connected to the raising-means to facilitate mounting the wheel thereon, means to prevent longitudinal movement, means associated with the raising means to maintain the wheel elevated, means to collapse the device with the wheel elevated thereon, and means associated with the device-to retardV collapsing thereof.V n

' kA device for elevating a wheel on movement thereof,y comprising means to raise a wheel to an elevated horizontal plane, means connected to the raising means to facilitateV mounting of the wheel thereon, means to prevent longitudinal movement, and means associated with the raising means to maintain the wheel elevated, the wheel elevating means being mounted against lateral tipping or toppling movement. Y n

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

MAURICE C. PIERCE.

inent'thereof comprising Vmeans to raise a wheel to an elevated horizontal plane, means v connected to one end ofthe raising means to facilitate mounting of the wheel thereon, means associated with the same end to prevent longitudinal movement, and means associated with the raising means to maintain the wheel elevated.

4c. A device for elevating a wheel on move-

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