WINCH

• US 3,618,898 A
• Filed: 07/02/1969
• Issued: 11/09/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elmer L. Notestine
• Original Assignee: Elmer L. Notestine
• Inventors: Notestine, Elmer L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hornsby, Harvey C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maffei, Merle F.
• Application Number:
  US04/838,495
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 254/187,170,150,166 74/425 308/122
• US Class Current: 254/343
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 1/02 Driving gear
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 2700/0125 Motor operated winches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19828 Worm

Abstract

A winch having a main shaft of uniform diameter throughout its length journaled in spaced-apart bearings interconnecting parallel frame members, and a winding drum rotatable about the main shaft between certain of said bearings to thereby provide a rigid assembly which is longitudinally and laterally torsion stiff under all lateral and longitudinal impact forces throughout its length, and wherein the work load stresses are transmitted through the bearings and not to the main shaft, as in other winches I am aware of.

Claims

1. In a winch including a supporting frame consisting of spacedapart parallel supporting members and means rigidly interconnecting said frame members at spaced intervals lengthwise thereof, the improvement comprising;

first, second and third main bearings carried by said rigid frame-interconnecting members, a main shaft journaled in said main bearings, a rotary winding drum comprising a hollow hub flanged near each end thereof and rotatable about said main shaft, said hub extending outwardly from both flanges of said drum, one of said hub extensions journaled in said first main bearing, said main bearing comprising a combined axial bearing and an axial-radial thrust bearing said thrust bearing engaging one flange of said drum, said axial and axial-radial bearings mounted in spaced relation to each other on said hub, said main shaft beyond the other of said hub extensions journaled in said second and third main bearings, a worm wheel casing supported by said second and third main bearings, on opposite sides of said casing, said second bearing consisting of two axial-radial thrust bearings with the radial portion of one engaging said hub and gear casing and the radial portion of the other engaging one side of the gear casing only, said third main bearing consisting of an axial-radial thrust bearing engaging the opposite side of said gear casing, a worm wheel within said casing permanently secured to said main shaft and rotatable therewith, a worm gear case integral with and arranged at right angles to the bottom of said worm wheel casing, hollow cylindrical housings of an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of said worm gear case, said housings extending into said worm gear case and fixedly secured to the ends thereof, a unitary power driven worm gear shaft rotatably carried by said housings, said worm gear shaft having a threaded portion intermediate its ends, the ends of said threaded portion of said worm gear shaft fully occupying the space between said housing and thereby in rotating contact with the inner ends of said housings, whereby torsional stresses and longitudinal forces applied to said power input worm gear shaft will be absorbed by said housings, and forces transmitted to said worm gear case will be distributed throughout the entire length of said case and not just to the corners thereof one end of one of said extended drum hub portions having diametrically opposed grooves therein, a collar in slidable engagement with said main shaft, the end of said collar adjacent the end of said one of said extending drum hubs having diametrically opposed driving dogs, a crossmember superjacent said collar and secured at both of its ends to said frame members, a shifting yoke in engagement with said collar and including a shifting lever integral with said yoke extending upwardly through said cross member and pivotally attached thereto for selectively interengaging said dogs with said grooves to transmit rotation of said main shaft to said winding drum.