Devices for gripping wheels

• US 4,093,006 A
• Filed: 04/04/1977
• Issued: 06/06/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eleutheer A. Hessels
• Original Assignee: Eleutheer A. Hessels
• Inventors: Hessels, Eleutheer A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Al Lawrence
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, James G.
• Application Number:
  US05/784,510
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 144/288 A, 157/1.24
• US Class Current: 157/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/212 Damage
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/521 Tire mounting or removal devices therefor B60B2340/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 30/06 engaging the wheel body, e.g. the rim
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/0539 radially fixing the rim, e.g. with gripping claws
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/0545 with rotary motion of tool or tyre support, e.g. turntables
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/132 for removing and mounting tyres for only seating the beads B60C25/12; for only breaking the beads B60C25/125 ; for locating provisionally the beads of tubeless tyres against the sealing surfaces of the rims B60C25/145

Abstract

The invention pertains to improvements to devices for fitting and removing tires, whereby a clamping device is provided for the rims, characterized by the fact that the latter mainly consists of the combination of three guides attached to a common support so as to form equal angles with respect to each other, whereby said support is fitted so as to be free to rotate around a vertical shaft, on each guide a sliding element which is provided with at least one clamping element which can cooperate with the wheel rim; in connection with each sliding element a link which connects to a second common support which is fixed upon aforesaid shaft; braking means which are provided between aforesaid first common support and an element which is fixed with respect to the frame of the machine, means which permit the adjustment of the pressure between afore-mentioned braking means and the adjacent parts, and means for driving afore-mentioned shaft.

Claims

1. An apparatus for gripping a wheel to permit removal of a tire fitted onto the wheel, comprising:

a vertical drive shaft (20), means (7,

     8) for rotating said drive shaft, a first horizontal support (26, 27,

     29) rotatably mounted around said drive shaft, at least three radial guide arms (33) circumferentially spaced at equal angles around said drive shaft (20) and each having one end fixedly secured to said first horizontal support, at least three slidable members (34) each slidably mounted on a respective one of said guide arms and each having at least one claw member (50) adapted to grip on the rim of a wheel, a second horizontal support fixed on said drive shaft, at least three link members (39) each pivoted at one end (40) on said second horizontal support (23) and each pivoted at the other end (38) on a respective one of said slidable members (33), braking means arranged between said first horizontal support and a fixedly mounted frame member, and means for adjusting the pressure between said braking means, said first horizontal support and said frame member.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second horizontal support (23) is of triangular shape, said one ends of said link members (39) being pivoted at the apexes of said triangular horizontal plate.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first horizontal support comprises a first triangular plate (26) to each of the sides of which one end of a respective one of said three guide arms (33) is fixedly secured, a second triangular plate (29), said first triangular plate being mounted above said second triangular plate (29) arranged below said second horizontal support, and a further plate (27) connected to said first triangular plate (26) and being adapted to support a wheel rim.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said braking pressure adjusting means comprises a spring mounted between a part fixed on said shaft and a tightening nut on said shaft.