US3583326A

US3583326A - Turntable

Info

Publication number: US3583326A
Application number: US794098*A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raoul Poissant
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-01-27
Filing date: 1969-01-27
Publication date: 1971-06-08
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-08

Abstract

A turntable having an inclinable platform provided with a shiftable weight which always keeps the platform in inclined position with one or the other of its end portions resting on the ground ready to receive a vehicle.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor RaoulPoissant 708 Chemin Beauce. Beauharnois, Quebec. Canada [21] Appl. No. 794,098 [22] Filed Dec. 27, 1969 [45] Patented June 8,1971

[54] TURNTABLE 1 Claim, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 104/35, 104/44 [51] lnt.Cl B60s 13/02 [50] Field of Search 104/35, 44, 45, 46, 79, 126; 301/5; ZOO/152.51; 14/71 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 331,450 12/1885 Rothe 30l/5BA 5,373 4/1873 Sellers 104/46 1,160,506 11/1915 GOSS 14/71 1,449,767 3/1923 MacLean 104/44 2,768,588 10/1956 Robb 104/126 3,077,914 2/1963 Fritts 301/5BA 3,314,726 4/1967 Rehnborg 301/5BA Primary ExaminerArthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner D. W. Keen Attorney-Pierre Lesperance ABSTRACT: A turntable having an inclinable platform provided with a shiftable weight which always keeps the platform in inclined position with one or the other of its end portions resting on the ground ready to receive a vehicle.

PATENTED JUN 8197i SHEET 1 [IF 2 INVENTOR Raoul PO/SSANT BY fi+jgtL-" AGENT PATENTED Jun 8 197i SHEET 2 0F 2 INVENTOR ROOUI POISSANT TURNTABLE The present invention relates to a turntable and, more particularly, to a turntable for snowmobiles or motorized snow sleds.

It is a common practice to store a snowmobile in a garage or other shelter when not in use, and because such snowmobiles are usually not provided with a reverse, it is difiicult and it requires much effort to turn the vehicle around or to back up the vehicle for moving the latter out of the shelter.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide means which facilitate the above-noted operation, said means being in the form of a turntable.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a turntable for the purpose described, having similar end portions whereby the snowmobile can climb on the turntable from either end of the latter, said turntable further having shiftable weight means which always maintain one end of the platform or table resting on the ground ready to receive a snowmobile, the arrangement being such that after each turning operation, the turntable is always ready to receive the snowmobile without the operator of the latter having to disembark for inclining the turntable into snowmobile receiving position or without requiring another person to handle the turntable.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a turntable of the character described, to which the rubber endless track of the snowmobile does not adhere, even in below freezing temperature, thereby eliminating the troublesome adhesion of the track to the cement floor of a garage or like shelter due to ice formation.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the turntable of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, on a smaller scale, and showing also a snowmobile about to climb on the turntable;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the turntable and of a snowmobile loaded on the same;

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6, the platform itself not being shown;

FIG. 8 is a plan view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a prong element, attached to the base member shown in cross section; and

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the base member and of the prong element secured thereto.

In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elements throughout.

The turntable of the invention comprises a base member 1, in the form of square or rectangular panel, at the four corners of which are secured ground-engaging prong members 2. These prong members consist of a metal plate, of squareshape, bent at its corners to provide downwardly extending triangularly shaped spurs 3, the prong members being rotatable with respect to base member 1 about the axis of their retaining bolt 4.

A cylindrical member 5 is welded, or otherwise secured, to base member and is provided with an outwardly directly flange 6 at its upper edge.

An upright member or tube 7 is also secured, or otherwise welded, to base member I and is coaxial with cylindrical member 5.

A second cylindrical member 8 is provided with a flange 9 radially outwardly protruding from the lower edge thereof and disposed opposite flange 6 with the interposition of balls 10, said balls being retained by holding elements 11 secured to cylindrical member 5. Flanges 6 and 9 form opposite races for balls 10.

The second cylindrical member 8 is braced by a crossmember 12 having a central hole 13 freely surrounding the upright tube 7.

A triple channel member 14 extends across the top of the second cylindrical member 8 and is secured thereto at its ends. This member 14 overlies the outer end of tube 7 and is supported thereby with the interposition of an axial thrust bearing 15, The cylindrical member 8 is thus supported by the thrust bearing 15 and there is a slight play between the balls 10 and flanges 6 and 9 allowing slight inclination of the cylindrical member 8 with respect to cylindrical member 5.

Bearing 15 and balls 10 allow free rotational movement of member 8 with respect to member 5 about the substantially vertical axis.

To prevent disconnection of member 8 from member 5, bolt and nut 16 connect the upper end of the tube 7 with the triple channel member 14 while allowing rotation between these two parts.

Ears 17 are secured to the ends of triple channel member 14 and upstand therefrom, and these cars are each pivotally connected to corresponding ears 18, which are secured to and extend downwardly from the underside of a platform 19.

Ears l7 and 18 are respectively pivotally interconnected by pivot pins 20, which are axially aligned and their pivotal axis being at right angles to the pivotal axis provided by tube 7.

Platform [9 is of generally rectangular shape and extends substantially equally in the longitudinal direction on each side of the transverse pivotal axis provided by pivot pins 20. The platform 19 is substantially balanced about said horizontal pivot axis. Platform 19 can be swung about the substantially vertical axis of tube 7 and can be rocked about the substantially horizontal axis provided by pivot pins 20.

The longitudinal edges of the platform are bent to form side guards 21 having an inverted U-shape cross section, these side guards protruding upwardly from the top surface of the platform. The side guards are hollow and each also serves to house a tube 22, retaining within the side guard by cross rods 23 or other means.

Each tube 22, one for each side of the platform, extends substantially the entire length of said platform and is closed or plugged on both ends 22.

Each tube 22 is half filled with a liquid 24, preferably a liquid which does not freeze at normal winter weather or tem perature. For instance, water to which an antifreeze has been added, such as Diethylene Glycol or salt. Each tube 22 thus provides substantially equal volumes on each side of the transverse horizontal pivotal axis provided by pivot pins 20 and the liquid 24, upon inclination of the platform, will tend to automatically move to one end of the tube, all on one side of the platform, thereby positively maintaining the platform in the last inclined position. Tubes 22 and the liquid 24 therein form shiftable weight means in which the weight, namely the liquid, is automatically movable along the platform upon inclining the latter.

To facilitate manipulation of the platform, the four corners thereof are preferably fitted with handles 25. The central part of the platform is lined with a rubber mat 26. Similarly, the center top portion of each side guard 21 is covered with a rubber lining or the like 27 to prevent slipping when disembarking a vehicle on the platform.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the platform of the present invention is symmetrically constructed and its two ends 28 are adapted to alternately rest on the ground; therefore, a vehicle, such as a snowmobile A, can climb on the platform from either end thereof and can leave the platform also from either end of the same. Thus, in practice, the liquid 24 in tubes 22 always maintains the platform in an inclined position ready to receive a snowmobile A or the like vehicle.

The snowmobile is driven onto the platform until the center of gravity of the snowmobile is substantially over the horizontal pivotal axis of the platform, then the operator can disem' bark from the snowmobile A by stepping on the lining 27 of one or the other of the side guards 21, and then down on the ground; he then lifts one or the other end of the platform to rotate the same, together with the vehicle, at such that the vehicle is now ready to start in forward direction out of the garage or shelter, in which the platform is located.

' When the vehicle has moved out of the platform, the latter will remain in its last inclined position ready to again receive the vehicle; thus the operator does not have to get off the vehicle to keep the platform suitably inclined while driving the vehicle onto the platform. From the foregoing, it is clear that the turntable of the invention can be manipulated by one person only, namely: the vehicle operator, and is always in a position ready to receive a reverseless motor vehicle such as a snowmobile.

The handles 25 facilitate the lifting and turning of the turntable platform with the vehicle thereon.

l claim:

ll. In a turntable, a base member, a substantially flat platform mounted on said base member for vertical rocking movement about a substantially horizontal axis and a horizontal swinging movement about a substantially vertical axis, said platform substantially balanced about said horizontal axis and having similar opposite end portions substantially equally distant from said horizontal axis and adapted to alternately rest on the ground with the platform in a corresponding inclined position, a shiftable weight means carried by said platfonn and including a weight automatically movable along the platform across said horizontal axis upon inclining said platform so as to keep one or the other of said platform end portions resting on the ground, with the platform remaining in its last inclined position, said shiftable weight means comprising straight tubes closed at both ends and extending longitudinally of said platform and terminating at points substantially equally spaced from said horizontal axis on both sides thereof and a liquid in said tubes filling a maximum of about half the volume of said tubes and having a freezing point below the freezing point of water, hollow-elongated straight side guards upstanding from said platform along the longitudinal edges thereof, said tubes housed in said side guards, an upright member secured to said base member, a crossmember rotatable on said upright member with the interposition of a thrust bearing, ears upstanding from said crossmember, second ears secured to and depending from the underside of said platform and pivotally connected to the ears of said crossmember about said horizontal axis, large diameter opposed ball bearing races secured to said crossmember and to said base member respectively and balls interposed between said races, said ball races coaxial with said upright member, there being a slight play between the balls and said faces.

Claims

1. In a turntable, a base member, a substantially flat platform mounted on said base member for vertical rocking movement about a substantially horizontal axis and a horizontal swinging movement about a substantially vertical axis, said platform substantially balanced about said horizontal axis and having similar opposite end portions substantially equally distant from said horizontal axis and adapted to alternately rest on the ground with the platform in a corresponding inclined position, a shiftable weight means carried by said platform and including a weight automatically movable along the platform across said horizontal axis upon inclining said platform so as to keep one or the other of said platform end portions resting on the ground, with the platform remaining in its last inclined position, said shiftable weight means comprising straight tubes closed at both ends and extending longitudinally of said platform and terminating at points substantially equally spaced from said horizontal axis on both sides thereof and a liquid in said tubes filling a maximum of about half the volume of said tubes and having a freezing point below the freezing point of water, hollow-elongated straight side guards upstanding from said platform along the longitudinal edges thereof, said tubes housed in said side guards, an upright member secured to said base member, a crossmember rotatable on said upright member with the interposition of a thrust bearing, ears upstanding from said crossmember, second ears secured to and depending from the underside of said platform and pivotally connected to the ears of said crossmember about said horizontal axis, large diameter opposed ball bearing races secured to said crossmember and to said base member respectively and balls interposed between said races, said ball races coaxial with said upright member, there being a slight play between the balls and said faces.