ANTI-OVERTURNING IMPLEMENT VEHICLE

• US 3,792,748 A
• Filed: 01/18/1972
• Issued: 02/19/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John W. Regier
• Original Assignee: John W. Regier
• Inventors: Regier, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carroll, John A.
• Application Number:
  US05/218,741
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 280/112R,112A,6R,6.11,6.1,111 180/41,104
• US Class Current: 180/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01916 Mercury-switch type devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/033 characterised by regulating means acting on more than one spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/007 means for adjusting the wheel inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 49/08 having means for preventing overturning or tipping safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends

Abstract

An anti-overturning system for an implement vehicle having a frame, a propelling engine, ground-engaging drive wheels at its sides, an operator'"'"''"'"'s platform, and adapted to carry a groundengaging implement at its forward end for vertical movement to follow ground contour, the system including automatic mechanism operable on laterally inclined ground to maintain the drive wheels, engine, and operator'"'"''"'"'s platform in their normal upright position and to maintain the center of gravity of the engine and operator'"'"''"'"'s platform laterally midway between the wheels so as to prevent lateral overturning, and mechanism operable to inhibit upward movement of said implement, or to exert a positive downward pressure on the implement, when the vehicle is headed downwardly on a slope, whereby to prevent forward overturning or tipping of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An implement vehicle comprising:

a. A frame, b. a wheel carrier mounted at each side of said frame for pivotal movement on a horizontal fore-and-aft axis, c. a ground-engaging wheel carried by each of said carriers for rotation on a horizontal transverse axis, d. means for rotatably driving each of said wheels, e. means for mounting an implement on said frame, f. a carriage carried by said frame for pivotal movement about a horizontal fore-and-aft axis laterally midway between the pivotal axes of said wheel carriers, g. a vehicle engine mounted on said carriage, h. an operator'"'"''"'"'s platform mounted on said carriage and supporting an operator'"'"''"'"'s seat, said engine, platform and seat being substantially balanced above the pivotal axis of said carriage, i. levelling means carried by said frame and operable to pivot said wheel carriers in substantially equal degrees, in the same direction, relative to said frame, whereby said wheels are maintained in substantially vertical planes, whenever said frame is tilted laterally, said levelling means comprising power means carried by said frame and operable to pivot said wheel carriers selectively in either direction, and tilt responsive means mounted on said carriage and operable responsively to tilting of said carriage laterally in either direction to actuate said power means to tilt said carriage in an opposite direction, relative to said frame, whereby said carriage is maintained laterally upright and level, and j. means connecting said carriage and said wheel carriers whereby said carriage is caused to pivot in the same direction, and to substantially the same degree, relative to said frame, as said wheel carriers are pivoted by said levelling means.

2. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein said tilt responsive means is mounted on said carriage for pivotal movement about a horizontal fore-and-aft axis relative to said carriage, and with the addition of manually actuated means operable to tilt said tilt responsive means about its pivotal axis, whereby said power means may be actuated independently of any tilting of the carriage itself.

3. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein said tilt responsive means comprises:

a. a pair of electrically actuated control devices operable when energized to cause said power means to pivot said wheel carriers in respectively opposite directions, b. an operative electric circuit for each of said devices, and c. a pair of tilt responsive switches, each disposed in one of said circuits and mounted on said carriage, whereby both of said switches are open when said carriage is laterally level, but whereby one of said switches will close when said carriage is tilted laterally in either direction.

4. A vehicle as recited in claim 3 with the addition a. a switch housing in which said switches are mounted, b. means attaching said housing to said carriage for pivotal movement on a horizontal fore-and-aft axis, c. means resiliently biasing said housing to a level position with respect to said carriage, and d. manually operable means for tilting said switch housing relative to said carriage against said biasing means, said manually operable means being mounted on said operator'"'"''"'"'s platform.

5. A vehicle as recited in claim 4 wherein said tilt-responsive means includes:

a. movable means operable at one position to lock said power means at ay position to secure said wheel carriers at any desired degree of inclination, and b. means biasing said first named means toward its locking position.