Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2117128
W~ ;L REPLACEMENT DOLLY FOR HEAVY VEH~CLES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
5 This invention relates to dollies for replacing seized wheels, typically on heavy
vehicles.
Wheel seizure on a vehicle can occur when a rear axle becomes locked, for example
due to wheel bearing failure, a locked diLlerenlial or because of an accident. Towing
10 is not always possible, particularly for rear a~des because of the difficulty of lifting
certain vehicles from the rear. This is particularly true for artic~lating buses which
cannot be picked up from either the front or the rear due to the turntable mechanism
located near the center of the bus. Most large vehicles with one or more rear axles
conventionally must be loaded onto flat bed vehicles for transport to a repair garage.
It would be desirable to provide some means for easily towing such vehicles to arepair location or allowing them to be driven under their own power despite a seized
wheel.
20 Devices for this general purpose have been suggested in the past, such as in United
States Patent No. 1,650,031 to Nash. This patent discloses a combination dolly and
jack. The dolly has two wheels and is attached to the axle of the vehicle and fits
under the tire.
United States Patent No. 1,681,665 to Haynes shows an emergency wheel for vehicles.
A smaller wheel takes some of the weight off a damaged wheel instead of replacing
it.
United States Patent No. 4,629,388 to Riemer shows a towing aid for vehicles. This
device is intended for use on rail bound vehicles.
However, such earlier devices are often not well adapted for replacing seized wheels
on heavy vehicles such as buses, particularly artir~ ting buses. In some instances
2 2117128
they are too difficult to install. In other cases they are not sturdy enough, or would
not provide enough stability, to be driven relatively long distances in place of the
conventional wheel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an i"lprov~d for easily driving or towing a
heavy vehicle, such as a bus, to a repair location with a seized wheel.
10 It is also an object of the invention to provide an h~ ovt;d device for allowing heavy
vehicles with seized wheels to be towed or driven which is simple and rugged in
construction.
It is another object of the invention to provide an illlploved wheel replacement dolly
15 which is easy to install using only conventional tools such as wrenches and jacks.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved wheel replacement dolly
for heavy vehicles which provides enough support and stability so the vehicle can be
driven for significant distances to a repair location.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved wheel replacement
dolly which supports a seized axle the same distance above the ground as the
conventional wheel and tire.
25 It is a still further object of the invention to provide an hllpLov~;d wheel replacement
dolly which does not extend further from the side of the vehicle than the wheel well.
In accordance with these objects, there is provided a wheel replacement dolly for
heavy vehicles which includes a flame having a top and a bottom. There is annular
30 flange at the top of the frame having a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart bolt
holes. A plurality of wheels are rotatably mounted on the bottom of the frame.
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Preferably the frame is triangular, having a bottom with two ends. The wheels are
mounted at the ends of the bottom. For example, there may be four wheels, two ateach end of the bottom of the frame. There may be a stub axle extending from each
side of the frame at each end thereof. The wheels are mounted on the stub axles.
There may be an adapter flange connected to the ~nn~ r flange. The adapter flange
has ch.;ulllferentially spaced-apart, radially elongated slots.
Compared to some earlier devices of this general type, the invention offer .~ignifit~.~nt
10 advantages. For one thing, it can be installed on one side of a disabled vehicle which
can then be driven under its own power. The device can also be installed on bothsides of a vehicle. The vehicle must be towed if the device is on both ends of the
drive axle.
15 Wheel replacement dollies according to the invention can be easily installed in place
of the conventional wheel on the existing wheel hub. It can be mounted on the front
of the vehicle as well as the rear.
The invention allows disabled vehicles to be driven safely even up to highway speeds
20 of 80 km/h.
BRIEF OF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wheel replacement dolly according to an
embodiment of the invention shown installed on the wheel hub of a vehicle,
the vehicle being shown in fragment;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the ~nn~ r flange and adapter flange for adapting the
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replacement dolly for different size wheels; and
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a brake drum and a brake drum cradle
~tt~hment for the dolly.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, and first to Fig. 1, these show a replacement dolly
generally at 10 which is intended for use on a heavy vehicle 12 such as a bus. The
vehicle is conventional and has at least four wheels, each being provided with a wheel
hub 14 which is conventional in design, having a plurality of spaced-apart threaded
studs 16, normally used to secure the wheel rim to the hub. Each wheel is located
in this example in a wheel well 18, again according to the conventional arrangement.
However, Fig. 1 shows the dolly 10 installed in place of the usual rim equipped with
a rubber tire. The dolly has a triangular frame 20 having a top 24 and a bottom 26
as shown in Fig. 1, and a first side 28 and a second side 30 shown in Fig. 2. There
is a bottom member 22 extending along the bottom 26. In this embodiment the
bottom member is a box section, having a first end 32 and a second end 34.
The frame also has two side members 36 and 38 which extend upwardly from the
ends of the bottom member lowards the top 24 of the frame. These members are
also box sections in this embodiment.
An annular flange 40, shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, is connected to the top of the frame
and is supported thereby. The flange includes an outer cylindrical band 42 and an
~nn~ r disk 44 inside the band and connected thereto. A plurality of gussets 46 are
spaced-apart circu-llrerentially about the inside of the band and the outer periphery
of the disk and are connected to both. The disk has a plurality of spaced-apart bolt
holes 47 arranged in a circle as shown in Fig. 3. An adapter flange 48 is connected
to the flange 40 by a plurality of nuts and bolts 49 extending through the bolt holes
47 and corresponding holes in the adapter flange. The adapter flange is fitted against
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the annular flange from behind the latter from the point of view of Fig. 1 and 3. The
adapter flange has radially elongated bolt apertures 51, which are spaced apart
circumferentially thereabout, and a large central aperture 53 for receiving wheel hub
14 as shown in Fig. 3. The studs 16 of the hub extend through the apertures 15.
Nuts 17 are fitted on the studs, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. The elongated
apertures 51 allow the dolly to fit a variety of wheels having diLrerelll diameters
between the wheels studs.
The frame 20 of this embodiment also includes a vertical support member 50 whichextends between the bottom of the ~nn~ r flange 40 and the top of the bottom
member 22 as seen in Fig. 1. This member helps di~ ule the load over the entire
member 22.
There are short box sections 54 and 56 at the ends 32 and 34 of the bottom member
22 respectively. These members extend perpendicularly with respect to the bottommember to each side 28 and 30 of the frame. Plates 58 and 60 are connected to the
ends of box section 54. These plates are round in this embodiment. Similar plates
62 and 64 are connected to the ends of box section 56.
A stub axle 66 is connected to each of the plates as illustrated for plate 58. There
is an aperture 68 in each of the plates for receiving the stub a~e. In this embodiment
all of the connections between the frame members, the ~nm~ r flange and
components thereof and the stub a~es are welded. However it should be understoodthat other conventional connections could be subsliluled including various fasteners.
Furthermore, the shape of the frame and the types of components used are not
critical and could be altered by someone skilled in the art.
The dolly 10 has four wheels including two outside wheels 70 and 72 and two inside
wheels 74 and 76, all of which are shown in Fig. 1. The wheels are all the same and
include a rim 78 and a hub 80 as shown for wheel 70 in Fig. 1 and 2. As seen in Fig.
2, each wheel hub has interior roller bearings 82 and 84 and are conventional indesign. The roller bearings serve as means for rotatably mounting the wheels on the
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stub a~es 66. The outer wheels 70 and 72 are positioned so they extend outwardlyfrom the vehicle the same distance as the conventional wheel and within the wheel
well 18 in this example.
5 In an alternative embodiment the adapter flange 48 is deleted. The :~nn~ r flange
40 and its bolt holes 47 are then dimensioned to fit a particular wheel.
An operation, if some problem is encountered which prevents normal rotation of awheel on the vehicle 12, the axle of the vehicle is jacked up to raise the wheel off the
10 ground. The wheel is then removed in the conventional manner by unthreading the
nuts received on stud 16 and pulling off the wheel. The dolly can easily be slipped
in position over the hub 14 and the nuts put back in place to secure the dolly in
position. In many cases the vehicle can then be driven back to a repair location, even
if the disabled wheel is a drive wheel. If so, the dirrerenlial allows the wheel on the
15 opposite side of the vehicle to power it back to the repair location.
In some instances, for example if the studs 16 are sheared, it may not be possible to
bolt the wheel to the dolly as described above. In this instance a brake drum cradle
90, shown in Fig. 4, is utilized. The cradle is a hollow semi-cylinder with a semi-
20 circular flange 91 at one end. The flange has a plurality of bolt holes 93 which areused to connect the cradle to the dolly by means of its bolt ape-lures 51. The cradle
has a channel 94. Brake drum 92 of a vehicle is lowered onto the cradle so its flange
96 rests in the channel.
25 It should be understood that many of the details provided above are by way ofexample only and can be altered or deleted without departing from the scope of the
invention which is to be inlellJreted with lererellce to the following claims.
