Modular self-contained pump unit for vehicle mounting

• US 5,553,673 A
• Filed: 03/22/1994
• Issued: 09/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Iconic American Trucks, LLC
• Original Assignee: Simon Ladder Towers, Inc. (Aerial Innovations Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hackman, Scott D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoge, Gary C.
• Application Number:
  US08/215,681
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 169/52, 169/24, 169/25, 296/35.3, 296/197, 296/196, 280/4
• US Class Current: 169/24
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles

Abstract

A pump module for a fire truck includes a self-supporting frame structure of rigid frame members with pump mounting beams laterally spaced in accordance with the spacement of the truck chassis rails. The beams are located generally centrally of the frame structure, which fits with an open truck body chamber with the beams aligned with the rails. The beams include a pump mount plates to which the pump is physically attached. The chassis rails are provided with longitudinally spaced mounting plates secured to the sidewalls of the rails and the pump beams and have similarly spaced mounting plates. The plates are connected by vibration isolation mount units each of which includes a t-shaped rubber mount interposed between the mount plates with a head portion therebetween and a stem portion projecting through the chassis plate. Clamping bolts extend through rubber mount and the mount plate brackets, and compress the rubber mount to establish vibrating isolation of the module and thereby the pump. Enclosing side walls on the module including access openings, have pump connectors, control and monitory instrument displays and control elements. The pump module has an upper chamber overlying the pump unit frame for containing monitoring and control elements, pump hoses and like elements. The sidewalls of the module include access panels for access to the pump control and the module mounting units.

Claims

1. A mobile fire fighting apparatus for over-the-road travel, comprising a wheeled support structure having laterally spaced chassis rails with a mechanically driven power unit located therebetween, a vehicle drive structure secured to a first portion of the support structure, fire fighting equipment secured to a second portion of the support structure, a pump module secured to a third portion of the structure, said pump module comprising a rigid frame structure including a front wall structure, a back wall structure and first and second side wall structures connecting the opposite side edges of said front wall and said back wall, said pump module including a pump mount support secured as an integrated part within said rigid frame structure, said pump mount support having mount elements laterally spaced in accordance with the chassis rails of said vehicle, each of said rails having chassis mount elements rigidly secured to the rail, said chassis mount elements on said chassis rails being spaced in accordance with the pump mount elements of said pump mount support and in alignment with said pump mount elements, and connectors including vibration isolating coupling members interconnecting said aligned mount elements, said connectors being releasable and forming the primary physical interconnection of said pump module to said vehicle chassis, and whereby said pump module is mounted to said chassis as a self-contained pumping unit and is removable from said chassis as a self-contained pumping unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pump mount support includes laterally spaced mount beam members connected between said front wall structure and said back wall structure, said beam members having said pump mount elements between said side walls into alignment with said chassis mount elements.

3. A fire truck comprising a wheeled vehicle having a personnel cab portion and a spaced ladder and equipment portion with a chamber therebetween, said chamber having an open bottom aligned with exposed laterally spaced chassis rails of said vehicle, said vehicle having a vehicle drive system between said chassis rails, a pump module including a rigid housing structure adapted to fit within said chamber and having an opened bottom aligned with said chassis rails and adapted to be vertically moved downwardly into said chamber and over said chassis rails, a rigid pump support structure within said housing structure and said pump support structure including a releasable pump mount assembly spaced in accordance with said rails, a pump unit secured to said pump support structure, and connectors releasably securing the pump mount assembly to said rails, said connectors including vibration isolating units to establish vibration isolation between said pump module and said chassis rails, said pump module with said pump unit secured to said pump support structure forming a subassembly for direct connection to said chassis rails and permitting complete removal of said subassembly from said rails with said pump unit secured in place, said pump unit having a mechanical input adapted to be connected to said vehicle drive system and to thereby establish a pumping action.

4. The fire truck of claim 3 wherein said pump mount assembly includes at least a first and second pump support member aligned with said first rail and third and fourth pump support members aligned with said second rail, said rails having support elements aligned with said support members, and said connectors of said vibration isolating units including separate releasable couplings interconnecting each of said support elements and said support members to establish said releasable mount of said module to said rails.

5. The fire truck of claim 3, wherein said chassis rails each include a mounting angle member rigidly affixed to the chassis rail, each angle member including a substantially horizontal mount leg projecting generally perpendicular from the chassis rail, said mount leg including an extended opening, a rubber mount having a first portion abutting said leg and an integral extending portion extending downwardly through said opening in said leg, said pump mount assembly including a rigid mount plate member resting on said rubber mount and said leg, a clamping unit compressing said rubber mount between said leg and said plate member to thereby compress said rubber mount and establish a vibrational support substantially isolating said pump module from said chassis.

6. The fire truck of claim 5, wherein said clamping unit includes a bolt member extended through said rubber mount and said plate.

7. The fire truck of claim 5, wherein said rubber mount is generally a round member having a T-shaped cross section including a stem portion of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the opening in said leg and a cross bar portion having a diameter greater than the opening and less than the width of the leg.

8. The fire truck of claim 5, wherein said rubber mount extends downwardly through an opening in the mounting angle member and wherein said rubber mount expands outwardly of said opening in said mount leg and between said mounting leg and said mount plate of said mounting angle member.

9. A modular pump module for supporting a pump unit and adapted to be releasably interconnected within a chamber behind the cab structure of a fire truck, said chamber being open on the top and on the opposite sides of the fire truck and with chassis rails of said truck exposed within a bottom opening of said chamber, said pump module comprising a compartment frame including four corner posts interconnected to each other by a rectangular upper frame member, said compartment frame having a lateral width slightly less than the lateral extent of said chamber between the opposite sides of the fire truck and greater than the lateral spacing of said chassis rails, said frame having bottom frame members connected to each corner post, and each bottom frame member extending outwardly from the corner posts with the spacement between the outer ends of said bottom frame members being substantially equal to the lateral width of said chamber, a pump mount arm connected to each of said corner posts and projecting laterally inwardly from its respective corner towards the opposite respective corner post and terminating substantially in spaced relation to its respective opposite pump arm in accordance with the spacing of said chassis rails, a pump mount beam member extending longitudinally between the longitudinally spaced pump mount arms and including a pump mounting angle for interconnection of a pump unit thereto compartment frame mount members rigidly affixed to and projecting from said pump mount beam members and spaced in accordance with said chassis rails for alignment with the chassis rails, a plurality of chassis mount members adapted to be secured to said chassis rails in spaced relation to each other and precisely corresponding to the spaced relation of the compartment frame mount members, said compartment frame located within said chamber with said compartment mount members aligned with said chassis mount members, a plurality of rubber isolating coupling units each including a rubber mount interposed between said aligned compartment mount members and chassis mount members and an elongated clamping member extending through the aligned members and said rubber mount and compressing said rubber mount to establish a rubber isolating interconnection of the pump module to said chassis rails and essentially establishing the sole interconnection of said compartment frame to said truck chassis whereby said compartment frame is adapted to be assembled with said pump unit to form a subassembly which is directly mountable and removable from said chassis rails by releasing of said elongated clamping members and lifting said pump compartment frame upwardly from said chamber.

10. The modular pump module of claim 9 wherein said compartment frame chassis and mount members each being plate-like elements having aligned openings to receive said clamping member, the opening in each said chassis mount member being substantially wider and longer than the opening in said compartment frame mount member, said rubber mount having a first portion located between said plate-like elements and a second integral portion extended through said opening in said compartment frame mount member.

11. The modular pump module of claim 9, wherein said corner posts and said upper frame member are adapted to be located substantially below the level of the cab structure of said truck, an upper housing assembly secured to said upper frame member and projecting upwardly therefrom to define a housing for containing pump instrumentation.

12. The modular pump module of claim 11, wherein said upper housing assembly includes a laterally extended opening throughout the width said upper housing assembly and defining an open chamber for supporting of a hose adapted to be coupled directly to the pump unit.

13. The modular pump module of claim 9, including pump hose connectors at the opposite sides of said compartment frame, and support members extending longitudinally between the longitudinally spaced bottom frame member and defining running boards adjacent said pump hose connectors.

14. A modular pump module for releasable interconnection within a chamber between a cab structure and a fire equipment structure of a fire truck, said chamber having an open top and open sides and an open bottom with chassis rails of said truck exposed within said open bottom, said pump module comprising a self-supporting frame structure having first and second elongated pump-mount elements spaced in accordance with said chassis rails, said pump mount elements being located generally centrally of said self,supporting frame structure and with said frame structure extending above and below said chassis rails in the assembled position, vibration isolating couplings connected to said pump mount elements and adapted to be connected to said chassis rails, and each of said couplings including aligned first and second plate-like members secured respectively to said chassis rail and said pump mount element, a resilient member interposed between said aligned plate-like members, and a clamping unit connected to said plate-like members and compressing said resilient member therebetween to attach said frame structure to said chassis rails.

15. The modular pump module unit of claim 14, wherein said first plate-like member adapted to be secured to said chassis rail is located below said second plate-like member, said plate-like members having aligned openings, said resilient member is a rubber member having an opening aligned with said aligned openings and having a first portion located between said plate-like members and an integral second stem portion extending downwardly through said aligned opening in said lower plate-like member, said clamping unit including a clamping member extended through the aligned openings and compressing said rubber member between said plate-like members to thereby compress said first and second portions of said rubber member and establish a vibrational support substantially isolating said pump module from said chassis.

16. The pump unit of claim 15, wherein said clamping member includes a head bolt member having a head and clamping nut with washers located abutting the head and the clamping nut.

17. In the apparatus of claim 15, wherein said rubber member is generally a round member and said stem portion has a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the opening in said lower plate-like member and wherein said rubber member expands outwardly to fill said opening.