Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
Counterweight and Axle Mounting Arrangement
Technical Field
This invention relates to a counterweight and
axle mounting arrangement and more particularly to a
mounting arrangement having a carrier, the carrier has
a first support portion and is pivotally mounted on a
trunnion shaft of a vehicle frame, the axle is mounted
on the first support portion and the counterweight has
an apparatus for releasably connecting a rear slab
member thereof to each of the carrier and axle and a
fastener for connecting an upper deck member of the
counterweight to the carrier which maintains the
releasable connecting means in connection with the
carrier and the steering axle assembly.
Backgroun_Art
Counterweights and steerable wheels which are
pivotally connected to the frame of a vehicle are well
known in the art. Typically, the counterweight, which
is of a unitary one-piece construction, is pivotally
mounted to the frame of a vehicle by a trunnion shaft.
The steerable wheels are mounted on the counterweight
and pivotally movable with the counterweight. An
example of this type of arrangement is shown generally
in U.S. Patent 2,561,300 dated July 17, 1951 to D.N.
Walker.
One problem created by such an arrangement
wherein the steerable wheels are mounted on the
counterweight, involves the inability to remove the
counterweight from the vehicle without removing the
steerable supporting wheels. Thus the vehicle would
have to be supported at the counterweighted end thereof
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by a device, for example, a jack which renders the
vehicle immobile and increases complexity and
flexibility during assembly and disassembly of a
counterweight from the frame. Conversely in order to
remove the steerable wheels and supporting mechanism
from the vehicle frame, the counterweight must also be
removed to provide access for removal of the steerable
wheels and their associated mounting members.
Lift trucks are manufactured in an assortment
of weight capacities for lifting different sized
loads. Often a common frame is provided and the load
capacity is varied by changing the counterweight size.
When the axle assembly is connected to the
counterweight, the vehicle manufacturer must warehouse
the vehicles without the axle assembly and
counterweight, or with a counterweight of a preselected
size or a preselected inventory volume in each of the
counterweight sizes. If stored without the
counterweight and steer axle, movement between stored
locations becomes complicated and time consuming. If
stored with a single preselected sized counterweight,
replacement thereof, by a different capacity
counterweight as demanded by order is frequently
required. If stored in each of the different available
capacities, the warehouse space required increases
substantially.
Usually, the counterweight is mounted on the
trunnion shaft by a bearing arrangement. The bearings
are mounted directly on one of the counterweight or on
the trunnion shaft and directly engageable with the
other of the trunnion shaft and counterweight only
after the counterweight is mounted on the trunnion
shaft. Mounting of the counterweight on the shaft
while maintaining the bearing arrangement in place and
undamaged is quite difficult due to its massive size
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and weight thereof. Also, this massive integral
one-piece counterweight, in itself is difficult to
handle and requires special equipment for removal and
installation purposes.
Another problem related to the above-mentioned
counterweight and steerable wheel mounting arrangement
relates to the counterweight construction. When the
counterweight is utilized as a structural support
member for connecting the wheels to the vehicle frame
it must be made of a high strength material and
designed so as to provide adequate structural
integrity. This adds to the cost and complexity of the
counterweight.
The present invention is directed to
overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth
above.
Disclosure of the Invention
In one aspect of an embodiment of the present
invention, a mounting arrangement for pivotally
connecting a counterweight and steering axle assembly
to a frame of a vehicle is provided which includes a
carrier having a first support portion and is pivotaIly
mounted on a trunnion shaft connected to the frame of
the vehicle, an axle beam of the steering axle assembly
is mounted on the first support portion of the carrier,
a releasable connecting apparatus releasably connects a
rear slab member of the counterweight to each of the
carrier and axle beam, and a fastening arrangement
connects an upper deck member of the counterweight to
the carrier for maintaining the releasable connecting
apparatus in connection with said carrier and said axle
beam.
In another aspect of an embodiment of the
present invention, a mounting arrangement is provided
for independently connecting a counterweight and an
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axle assembly to a trunnion shaft of a vehicle frame
for pivotal movement about the trunnion shaft and
permitting independent removal of at least one of the
counterweight and axle assembly therefrom.
This permits ease of assembly and disassembly
of the counterweight assembly and serviceability,
ability to store the vehicle without a counterweight
thereon and ability to easily transport the vehicle
under its own power and without a counterweight.
The counterweight, not being a structural
member, permits use of lower quality material, which
reduces cost and complexity.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic side elevational
view of a lift truck vehicle showing a counterweight
and steer axle mounting arrangement of the subject
invention;
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic isometric exploded
view of the mounting arrangement showing the
counterweight, steer axle assembly, and mounting
componentry in greater detail; and
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevational view
of the rear end portion of the vehicle showing in even
greater detail the counterweight and steer axle
mounting arrangement, with portions broken away for
better clarity.
Best Mode for CarrYing Out the Invention
A vehicle 10, such as a lift truck is shown in
the drawings. The vehicle 10 has a frame 12, a lift
mast 14 mounted on a front end 16 of the frame 12 and a
counterweight 18 mounted on a rear end portion 20 of
the frame 12. The frame 12 has a longitudinal frame
axis 22 which is located between opposite sides of the
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vehicle frame and extends in a horizontal direction the
full length of the vehicle. A front pair of wheels 24
are connected to the vehicle frame 12 adjacent the
front end 16 thereof and drivingly connected to a prime
mover (not shown). A rear pair of wheels 26 are
mounted on the rear end portion 20 of the frame 12 and
pivotally actuatable for steerably guiding the vehicle.
A trunnion shaft 28, having a elongated
cylindrical shape is connected to the rear end portion
20 of the frame 12 and extends from the rear end
portion in a direction towards the counterweight and
along the frame axis 22.
A steering axle assembly 30 having an
elongate, preferably box section axle beam member 32,
first and second steering knuckles 34 and 36 and a
linear motor 38 is provided to steerably mount the rear
wheels 26 on the vehicle frame 12. The first steering
knuckle 34 is pivotally connected to one end 40 of the
axle beam and the second steering knuckle 36 is
pivotally connected to the opposite end 42 of the axle
beam. The first and second steering knuckles each have
an axle shaft 44 extending outwardly therefrom for
rotatably mounting a respective one of the rear pair of
wheels 26. The axle shafts are axially aligned with
one another and define a longitudinal beam axis 46.
A mounting arrangement 47 is provided for
independently pivotally connecting the counterweight 18
and steering axle assembly 30 to the trunnion shaft
28. The counterweight 18 has an upper deck member 48
and a rear slab member 50. The upper deck member 48
and rear slab member 50 are separate members
constructed of either a low grade iron or steel so as
to facilitate ease of handling and result in a less
expensive, less complex construction. The upper deck
member 48 is preferably a truncated rectangular shaped
plate.
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The mounting arrangement 47 has a carrier 52,
which may be fabricated of several parts or formed in
one piece, having a pair of spaced apart rectangular
plates 53 defining first and second spaced apart
support portions 54 and 56. A tube 57 located between
the plates is connected to each of the plates,
interconnects the plates and maintains them at a
preselected spaced apart distance. A bore 58 is
disposed in the pair of plates and opens in the tube
57. The first support portion 54 extends to a location
below the bore 58 and the second support portion 56
extends to a location above the bore 58. The first
support portion 54 has a first support surface 60 at
its extreme lower end and the second support portion 56
has a second support surface 62 at its extreme upper
end. The first and second support surfaces 60 and 62
are oriented to face in opposite directions and
parallel to one another. The bore 58 is located
between the first and second support surfaces 60 and 62
and parallel to both of said surfaces.
Means 64 for releasably connecting the rear
slab member 50 to each of the carrier 52 and axle beam
32 is provided. The connecting means 64 includes a
first hook member 66 which is connected to the rear
slab member 50 and engageable in a cutout 68 disposed
in the second support portion 56 of one of the plates
53 of the carrier 52. More specifically, the first
hook member 66 has an end portion 70 which is nested in
the cutout 68 and in engagement with the second support
portion 56 of the carrier 52. The first hook member 66
is preferably connected to an upper end portion 72 of
the rear slab member 50.
The connecting means 64 further includes a
second hook member 74 and a beam hook member 76. The
second hook member 74 is hookingly contactably
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engageable with the beam hook member 76. The beam hook
member 76 has a first plate portion 78 and a second
plate portion 80. The first plate portion is connected
to the axle beam member 32 and extends therefrom in a
direction parallel to the longitudinal frame axis 22
and towards the rear slab member 50. The second plate
portion 80 is connected to the first plate portion 78
and extends therefrom in a direction normal to and
towards the longitudinal frame axis 22. The second
hook member 74 has an end portion 82 which is connected
to the rear slab member 50 and extends therefrom in a
direction normal to and away from the longitudinal
frame axis 22. Preferably, the second hook member is
connected to a lower end portion 84 of the rear slab
member 50.
It is to be noted that the beam member 32 is
connected to the first support surface 60 of the first
support portion 54 of carrier 52, such as by welding.
However, other methods of fastening the carrier's
second support portion to the axle beam such as by
bolting and the like should be considered appropriate
especially if the steering axle assembly 30 is to be
removed from the carrier without removal of the
counterweight 18.
Means 86 for fastening the upper deck member
to the carrier 52 and for maintaining the releasable
connecting means 64 in connection with the carrier 52
and the axle beam 32 is provided. The fastening means
86 includes a plurality of fasteners 88 which are
disposed in a respective plurality of apertures 90 in
the upper deck member 48 and screwthreadably engaged in
a plurality of tapped holes 92 in the carrier 52. The
upper deck member 48 is supportingly positioned on the
second support portion 56 of the carrier 52 and
retained thereon by said fasteners 88. Since the upper
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deck member 48 is adjacent the rear slab member 50 in
an overlying manner, elevational movement of the rear
slab member is restricted to a slight amount or
preferably none since an upper end 94 of the rear slab
member is contactable or in contact with the upper deck
member 48. Therefore, to remove the rear slab member
50 from the carrier 52 and steer axle assembly 30 one
must first remove the upper deck member 48 in order to
release the first hook member 66 from disposition in
the cutout 68 and from engagement with the second
support portion 56 of the carrier 52, and the second
hook member 74 from engagement with the beam hook
member 76.
The carrier 52 is pivotally mounted on the
trunnion shaft in the following manner. A first
bearing 96, which is preferably of the sleeve type,
having a flange 98 is securely positioned in the bore
58 with the flange 98 contactably engaged with a first
end 100 of the carrier. A second bearing 102, which is
also of the sleeve type, has a flange 104. The second
bearing 102 is securely mounted in the bore 58 of the
carrier 52 adjacent a second end 106 of the carrier
with the flange 104 contactable therewith. The carrier
52 with the bearings secured therein is mounted on the
shaft with the first 96 and second 102 bearings and the
carrier 52 being rotatable relative to the shaft. A
retainer 108, which is preferably in the form of a
cylindrical disc, is mounted on an end 110 of the
trunnion shaft 28 in any suitable manner, such as by a
plurality of bolts 112. The retainer is contactably
engageable with the flange 104 of the second bearing
102 so as to retain the carrier on the shaft 28 and
prevent axial movement of the carrier 52 thereon.
It is to be noted that the axle beam member 32
is oriented on the carrier so that the longitudinal
beam axis 46 is normal to the longitudinal frame axis
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22 and spaced beneath the bore 58 of the carrier 52.
Therefore, pivotal movement of the carrier 52 about the
trunnion shaft 28 will be observed as suspended
oscillating movement of the steering axle assembly 30
and the counterweights 18.
The rear slab member 50 of the counterweight
18 has first and second fender portions 114 and 116 and
a middle elongate portion 118. The middle elongate
portion is oriented substantially normally to the
longitudinal frame axis and extends in a passing
relationship with the trunnion shaft and protects the
trunnion shaft 28, the carrier 52 and steering axle
assembly 30 from damage due to contact with external
obstacles and obstructions. The fender portions 114
and 116 and the upper deck member ~8 are positioned
relative to the steerable rear vehicle wheels 26 in an
overlying manner therewith at a preselected minimum
distance "D" therefrom. This clearance "D" is
substantially less than normally provided in a vehicle
where the counterweight is rigidly affixed to the frame
and the wheels 26 are pivotally oscillatably movable
relative to the counterweight. Since the relationship
between the wheels and the counterweight always remains
the constant, due to the movement of both the wheels
and counterweight together, this small distance is
permissible. Also this reduced clearance enables the
counterweight to be lower relative to the ground and
vehicle frame and thereby improve operation visibility
and vehicle stability due to a lower center of gravity.
Industrial Applicability
In operation and with reference to the
drawings, the arrangement for pivotally connecting the
counterweight 18 and steering axle assembly 30 to the
trunnion shaft 28 which is cantileverly connected to
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the rear end portion 20 of vehicle frame as previously
described permits assembly and disassembly of either
one of the counterweight 18 and steering axle assembly
30 thereon and therefrom without requiring this
assembly of the other. Since the steering axle
assembly 30 and the counterweight 18 are each secured
to the carrier 52 either one may be removed without
removal of the other.
Since the counterweight 18 is comprised of two
separate parts, the upper deck member 48 and rear slab
member 50, removal and installation thereon is
simplified due to the reduction in the total mass of
the counterweight.
The first 66 and second 74 hook members of the
rear slab member permits mounting of the rear slab
member on both the carrier 52 and the steering axle
assembly 30 simply by hooking it thereon. Placing the
upper deck member 48 on the carrier 52 and securely
fastening it thereto results in retention of the rear
slab member 50 in hooking engagement with the carrier
and the steering axle assembly 30.
Since the counterweight 18 functions only as a
weight and not a structural portion of the vehicle's
steering axle suspension system, the loads placed on
the steering axle are transferred directly to the frame
via the carrier 52. Also, the counterweight 18 may be
removed from the vehicle 10 while maintaining the
steering axle assembly 30 in connection with the
vehicle frame 12 for supporting the vehicle 10 and
permitting movement of the vehicle under its own power.
Finally, the clearance between the rear slab
member 50 and upper deck member 48 and the steerable
rear vehicle wheels 26 may be kept at a minimum since
the entire counterweight 18 and steering axle assembly
pivotally oscillate with the carrier and thereby
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maintain this constant clearance while permitting the
axle assembly 30 to oscillate for improved ride and
vehicle stability and operator visibility.
In view of the foregoing, there is provided a
mounting arrangement for a trunnion mounted
counterweight and steering axle which eliminates the
aforementioned problems in a unique and inventive
manner.
Other aspects, objects and advantages of the
invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings,
disclosure and appended claims.
