Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DUAL TIRE DEBRIS CLEANER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicles and in particular to a
method and apparatus for clearing debris from between dual tires of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In many industries, trucks and other heavy vehicles are used to haul material.
Frequently such trucks utilize two tires mounted to each side of an axel so as
to increase load carrying capacity of the vehicle and reduce ground pressure.
One disadvantage of such dual tire configurations is that rocks and other
debris may become lodged between the tires. In particular, in mining
industries and the like, rocks are known to become lodged between the tires
leading to puncture and damage to the tires.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed an
apparatus for clearing debris from between tires of a vehicle comprising a
mounting base securable to an underside of a vehicle at a location above a
pair of dual tires, a bracket securable the mounting base and a rigid bar
pivotably suspended from the bracket so as to have a free distal end
suspended between the pair of tires.
The bracket may comprise a pair of parallel spaced apart plates. The rigid
bar may be located between the plates. The rigid bar may be pivotally
supported between the plates by a bolt extending between the plates.
The base may include a base plate with mounting plates extending therefrom
wherein the bracket is securable to the mounting plates. The bracket may be
locatable between the mounting plates. The bracket may be securable to the
mounting plates with fasteners. The fasteners may be selected to have a
shear strength between 60,000 and 100,000 pounds.
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The mounting plates may be formed as part of a cap body having a top
surface adapted to be secured to the base plate. The top surface of said cap
body may be angled relative to a horizontal by an offset angle wherein the
mounting plates extend vertically therefrom. The offset angle may be
selected to be between 0 and 10 degrees.
Each of the plates may comprise a base portion and an extended portion.
The rigid bar may be pivotally suspended between the base portions of the
plates. The extended portions may include a connecting plate extending
therebetween. The bar may have a substantially rectangular cross section.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed
a
method for clearing debris from between tires of a vehicle comprising securing
a bracket to an underside of a vehicle at a location above a pair of dual
tires
and pivotally suspending a rigid bar from the bracket so as to have a free
distal end suspended between the pair of tires.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to
those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description
of
specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying
figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar
characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for clearing debris
between
tires mounted to the underside of a vehicle above a pair of dual
tires.
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the apparatus of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a rear view of the apparatus of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in a first
position.
Figure 5 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in a second
position.
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Figure 6 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in a third
position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to Figure 1, an apparatus for removing debris from between tires 8
of a vehicle 6 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown
generally at 10. The apparatus 10 comprises a rigid bar 12 suspended from a
bracket 20 which is supported by a mounting base 40. The bracket 20 is
secured to the underside of a vehicle 6 at a position such that the rigid bar
12
is suspended between a pair of dual tires 8 so as to remove debris from the
gap 9 therebetween.
The rigid bar 12 comprises an elongate member extending between first and
second ends, 14 and 16, respectively wherein the first end 14 includes a bore
18 proximate thereto. The bore 18 is sized to receive a bolt 60 or other pivot
member therethrough as will be more fully discussed below. The rigid bar 12
has cross sectional dimensions and is formed of a material so as to provide
sufficient strength to the rigid bar to prevent breaking during operation. By
way of non-limiting example, a rigid bar formed of steel such as, by way of
non-limiting example, T100 and having a rectangular cross section of 1.5 x 5
inches (35 x 127 mm) has been suitable for use in mining operations although
it will be appreciated that other dimensions may be suitable as well for other
applications.
The bracket 20 comprises a pair of parallel spaced apart plates, 22 and 24,
respectively spaced apart by a distance sufficient to receive the rigid bar 12
therebetween. In practice, it has been found that a gap distance of between
1/16 and 1/4 inches (1.5 and 6 mm) wider than the rigid bar has been useful
although it will be appreciated that other gap distances may be useful as
well.
Each of the plates 22 and 24 include a base portion 26 and an extended
portion 28 as illustrated. The base portions 26 include bores 30 therethrough
sized to receive the bolt 60 therethrough. As illustrated, the extended
portion
28 extends from and has a width less than the base portion. A stop rotation
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brace 32 extends between the extended portions 28 of the plates 22 and 24
so as to prevent further rotation of the rigid bar 12 therepast. The stop
rotation brace 32 may be formed of a hardened steel such as, by way of non-
limiting example, QT400.
The mounting base 40 is adapted to be secured to the underside of the
vehicle 6 by any known means, such as, by way of non-limiting example,
welding, adhesives or fasteners. As illustrated, the mounting base 40 is
formed of a base plate 42 and a pair of mounting plates 44. The mounting
plates 44 may include mounting bores 46 therethrough corresponding to
bracket mounting bores 34 on the plates 22 and 24 which may be secured
thereto with mounting bolts 38. The base plate 42 is formed between top and
bottom surfaces, 50 and 48, respectively wherein the mounting plates 44
extend from the bottom surface 48 and the top surface 50 is adapted to be
engaged upon the underside of the vehicle. As illustrated in Figure 3, the
mounting plates 44 may be formed as part of a cap body 45 having top
surface 47 adapted to be secured to the bottom surface of the base plate 42.
The top surface 47 may be angularly oriented relative to horizontal by an
offset angle 52 so as to permit the rigid bar 12 to extend substantially
vertically from a vehicle with a non-horizontal bottom surface. Optionally,
the
base plate 42 may be formed with the offset angle 52. It will be appreciated
that the mounting base 40 may be rotated 180 degrees to permit mounting to
either side of the vehicle with the same part. In practice it has been found
that
the offset angle 52 should be selected to correspond to the vehicle it is
intended to be used with such as, by way of non-limiting example, between 0
and 10 degrees for use on mining vehicles.
The bolts 38 may be selected to have a shear strength less than the rigid bar
12 and/or bracket 20 such that upon encountering an object which is not
dislodgable from between the tires 8, one or more of the bolt 38 will break
thereby releasing the bracket 20 and rigid bar 12 and preventing damage to
other components. In particular, it has been found that a strength suitable of
between 60,000 and 100,000 pounds has been useful for vehicles in the
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mining industry, although it will be appreciated that other shear strengths
may
be useful as well.
The bolt 60 may be sized to pass through the bores 30 in the plates 22 and 24
and the bore 18 in the rigid bar 12 so as to pivotally suspend the rigid bar
from
the plates 22 and 24. The bolt 60 may be secured through the bores 30 and
18 with a nut 62, such as, by way of non-limiting example, a nyloctm nut to
prevent inadvertent removal therefrom.
In operation, the mounting base 40 may be secured to the underside of a
vehicle 6 at a position corresponding to the gap 9 between a pair of tires as
illustrated in Figure 3. Thereafter, plates 22 and 24 may be secured to the
mounting plates 44 as set out above and the rigid bar 12 may be located
between the plates 22 and 24. The bolt 60 may then be passed through the
bores 30 and 18 and secured with a nut 60 to be suspended in the gap 9 in
the position shown in Figure 4. While driving, if a rock or other object
becomes lodged between the tires 8, the rigid bar would then impact such
object and dislodge it from the gap as the rigid bar is prevented from further
rotation by the stop rotation brace 32. When an object within the gap is
encountered which is too firmly lodged, the bolts 38 will break thereby
freeing
the bracket 20 and rigid bar 12 from the mounting base 40 as illustrated in
Figure 5. After a maintenance personnel has removed the object from the
tires, new bolts 38 and/or a bracket 20 and rigid bar 12 may be secured
thereto as set out above.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the rigid bar 12 may optionally include a tap
70with a
bore 72 therethrough. During maintenance on the tires 8, a string, wire or
other object may be passed through the bore 72 to hold the rigid bar 12 out of
the way of the maintenance activity as illustrated in Figure 6.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and
illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the
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invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance
with the accompanying claims.
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