AU618295B2 - Improved wheelguard for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

I1 2 9 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (Original) Class PI5464 17TH NOVEMBER, 1986.

Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: 4 0 o Accepted: Published: Priority: o o Related Art: o 9 Name of Applicant: a 0 "-Address of Applicant: 0 oo. Actual Inventor: A e Address for Service: 0 990906 RIMAL PTY. LIMITED 23B FAIRBROTHER STREET, BELMONT, 6104, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

TERENCE MERVYN HINE WATERMARK PATENT ATTORNEYS, SUITE 18, 159 ADELAIDE TERRACE, PERTH, 6000, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: IMPROVED WHEELGUARD FOR VEHICLES The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

1.

-2- IMPROVED WHEELGUARD FOR VEHICLES This invention relates to a wheelguard for use on vehicles wherein such guards are not incorporated as part of the body structure and in particular, to the rear wheels of a prime mover normally used in conjunction with a trailer to provide an articulated vehicle.

It is customary not to provide whEelguards in relation to the rear wheels of prime movers of articulated vehicles as the body of the trailer, which normally overlies the rear wheels of the prime mover, act in the manner of a wheelguard so that stones and the like thrown off the wheels will collide with the underside of the relevant portion of the trailer body and thereby dissipate a substantial part of I the energy imparted thereto by the rotating wheel. This i4 t to dissipation of the energy of the stones or other objects :ee0 reduces the risk of them contacting surrounding objects, Sosuch as other vehicles or people, and potentially causing t serious damage or injury. However, it is not uncommon for the prime mover to be driven considerable distances without the trailer attached and thus, under these operating conditions, there is no guard over the top portion of the prime mover rear wheels, and operation in this way presents 14 o, a hazard to other vehicles and individuals in the vicinity of the path of the vehicle.

464 In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed to fit complete wheelguard units on either side of the prime mover to extend about the peripheral area of the 44 upper portion of the wheel or the two wheels, where the vehicle is of a tandem-axle construction. Although this 4 form of wheelguard is quite effective in deflecting an object thrown off a wheel, they have the disadvantage that they restrict the airflow about the upper portion of the wheels of the vehicle and accordingly can restrict the cooling effects that such air circulation has on the tyres fitted to the wheels of the vehicle. This restriction of the airflow and the resultant reduction in cooling of the tyres becomes of major importance where the wheels involved i lk Ii tl G 4 4 ii Ioi 4 44 I I s II o 44 4 r4 444 444444 444 4444 are the driving wheels of the vehicle, and where the vehicle is in continuous use for substantial periods of time, as exists in long distance hauling on major highways.

Another problem associated with the provision of fixed wheelguards on prime movers used in articulated vehicles is the extent of movement that may occur between the prime mover and the trailer under certain operating conditions, as when traversing uneven surfaces or manouvering the vehicle in confined spaces, that frequently cause the trailer to contact the wheelguard and may lead to substantial damage or complete wrecking of the wheelguard.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a wheelguard for vehicles that is effective in operation without interference with other parts of the vehicle and if necessary can be readily stored when not required.

With this object in view, there is provided retractable wheelguard for the wheels of the prime mover vehicle of an articulated vehicle unit, said wheelguard comprising 15 a roller supported on the prime mover at a location forward or rearward of the wheels and rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of the wheels, a strip of flexible sheet material of a width substantially equal to the width of the wheels and anchored at one end to the roller and selectively retractable into a rolled condition on the roller in response to rotation thereof, 20 an anchor member supported on the prime mover at the opposite end of the wheels to the roller and adapted to have the free end of the flexible strip releasably attached thereto into an extended condition, at least one guide member supported on the prime mover between the roller and the anchor member for maintaining the flexible strip in a position clear of contact with the wheels when the flexible strip is in said extended condition, said roller having a ratchet mechanism coupled thereto and arranged so the roller can be rotated in a direction to retract the flexible strip when the latter is released from the anchor member, and to tension the flexible strip when the latter is attached to the anchor member, and so the flexible strip may be maintained under -4tension in the extended condition; whereby the flexible strip may be selectively located in said rolled condition on the roller or in said extended tensioned condition between the roller and the anchor member to form a substantially fixed guard over at least the upper portion of the wheels.

Conveniently the guide means may project parallel to the axis of the wheels and across the width of the wheels. Preferably, the guide means may be releasably attached to the prime mover at a level above the top of the wheels. The guide means are required when one or both of the roller and anchor member are located at a level below the top of the wheels. Also the guide means are particularly desirable when the flexible strip extends over two wheels located in a tandem relation. The support provided by the guide means to the strip, reduces the level of tension required in the strip to maintain it in a position clear of contact with the wheels. In a preferred form, and particularly when the flexible strip extends over two or more wheels in tandem, two or more guide means are provided attached to the prime mover at spaced locations, between the roller and the anchor member.

S0:: Conveniently the prime movers provided with fixed rigid wheelguard 0 0 a section to the rear of the wheels and extends in an upward direction to approximately the S horizontal level of the top of the wheels. This rigid wheelguard section may terminate above or below that horizontal level. The anchor member may form part of, or be attached to, this rigid wheelguard section. In this construction, the roller will be 00. a 0mounted on an appropriate support forward of the front of the wheels and may be °o°C mounted on a rigid wheel guard section, as referred to above, attached to the vehicle at a a location forward of the wheels.

o The roller is conveniently in the form adapted at one end for receipt of an S 25 appropriate arm or handle to facilitate manual rotation of the roller during the extension and retraction of the flexible strip. Preferably the ratchet mechanism permits the roller to freely rotate in the direction to withdraw the flexible strip and wrap it about the roller and has a pawl or tongue which engages the teeth of the ratchet to prevent free rotation of the roller in a direction to unwind the strip from the roller.

The provision of the ratchet enables the pawl or tongue to be manually released whilst the flexible strip is withdrawn to I" I pass over the wh wheels and be attached to the anchor member. Thereafter, the operator may rotate the roller in a direction to wrap the strip about the roller and thereby place the strip under tension. Upon reaching the required tension, the pawl or tongue will engage with a tooth on the ratchet and thereafter the strip will be maintained in that tensioned condition whilst in use.

The guide means are preferably in the form of one or a number of bars which are releasably attached to the prime mover so as to project above the level of the wheels across the width of the wh:e wheels to maintain the flexible strip at the required clearance distance above the wheels so as to not contact the wheels as the vehicle suspension undergoes normal movement during operation of the vehicle. Also, it will be appreciated that as the strip is of a flexible material, it can accommodate a minor degree of contact with the wheels without damage occurring.

o Preferably the flexible strip is comprised of a reinforced S rubber material, preferably with a woven cloth-type reinforcement which provides a minimum of elasticity or resilience in the strip but still allows substantial flexibility therein.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of one practical arrangement of the wheelguard as applied to a tandem drive axle prime mover as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of the rear portion of the prime mover with an embodiment of the wheelguard fitted thereto and in the retracted position; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 from the opposite side of the vehicle with the wheelguard in the operational position; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the ratchet mechanism incorporated on the end of the roller, as seen in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a view from the rear of the anchor plates as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

-6- Referring now to the drawings, there is depicted portion of a prime mover rearward of the driver's cab which incorporates a chassis 10 of conventional construction including two spaced longitudinal chassis rails 11 and a central releasable turntable 13 of known construction. The pair of tandem axles 14 -tdds are mounted to the chassis in the conventional manner, incorporating appropriate springing therebetween, each axle on each side of the chassis carrying a pair of dual wheels 16 and 17.

There is mounted on the chassis rails 11 on either side of the chassis 10, a front rigid guard member 18 secured to the chassis rail 11 via the plate 19 and bracket The rigid guard member 18 extends upwardly from a 2o location forward of the front wheel 16 and approximately at o0 axle height to a position slightly above the wheel 16 and oo, forward of the plane of the centre line of the axle 14. It 0 will be noted that the rigid guard 18 does not extend o0 to the prime mover to form an articulated vehicle.

Mounted on the rigid guard member 18 is a roller S support bracket 25, having upstanding plates 26 at either oaoO1 end, with the roller 27 supported in bearings or apertures o 0 provided in the plates 26. Portion of the roller 27 00..0. projects through the plates 26 at the outerside of the rigid 0 t o guard 18. The roller 27 carries a ratchet wheel 28 rigidly 00000 4 secured thereto and providing an outwardly directed :0 hexagonal head portion 29. The hexagonal head portion 29 is Sof a size to fit the conventional wheel brace used to ob o 0 tighten or loosen the nuts that hold the wheels 16 and 17 in assembly with the axle 14. The providing of the head 29 of this size avoids the necessity of providing a particular crank mechanism to operate the roller 27, and avoids the necessity of the driver of the prime mover to carry another component for this purpose.

The pawl 30 is pivotally mounted to the upstanding plates 26 by the bolt 31 so that it will engage in a known -7manner with the teeth on the ratchet wheel 28. When viewed in a direction as illustrated in Figure 2, the roller 27 can freely rotate in the anticlockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 or 3 but is inhibited from rotation in the clockwise direction by the action of the pawl At the rear of the tandem-axle assembly is a rear guard member 35, rigidly mounted to the chassis rail 11 by a plate 36 and bracket 37, similar to the corresponding components 19 and 20 at the front of the axle assembly.

Suspended from this rear guard member is a conventional flexible flap 38 usually made of reinforced rubber material.

The rear guard member 35 carries a hook 39 located centrally of the width of the guard member Between the front and rear guard sections, there 4are provided on either side of the chassis 10 two support arms 40 each removably supported in respective pockets 41 provided on the chassis rail 11. It will be noted that the 00 support bars 40 are spaced a distance above the chassis rails 11 so as to be at a height well clear of the height of the wheels 16 and 17, and are preferably vertically above the respective axles 14. The arms may be a push or screw o fit into a socket or onto a spigot fixed to the chassis.

4oo Supported on the roller 27 is a strip 42 of fibrereinforced rubber material which is flexible but substantially non-elastic or non-resilient. As seen in Figure 1, the flexible strip 42 is wound on the roller 27 and thus is not performing any function in regard to a guard o for the wheels, and normally when in this condition, the S 44 support bars 40 would be removed from the pockets 41 and stowed, such as in the tool box of the vehicle.

When the prime mover is to be driven on the public road without a trailer attached thereto, the flexible strip 42 will be unwound from the roller 27 to extend across the support bars 40 and have the ring 43 attached to the free end thereof engaged with the hook 39 attached to the rear guard member 35. Once this attachment has been effected, the roller is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, and anticlockwise, as viewed in Figures 2 and 3, -8so as to place tension on the flexible strip 42. When suitably tensioned, the pawl 30 is permitted to engage the ratchet 28 and hence lock the roller so as to maintain the flexible strip in a tensioned condition.

When so tensioned, the strip is of sufficient strength to impede the path of any rocks or stones or other objects thrown off the tyres of the wheels 16 and 17 as the vehicles is travelling. Further, in view of the ability to store the flexible strip in a rolled up condition on the roller 27 when the prime mover is coupled to a suitable trailer, and as the support bars 40 are removable, there is no structure above the wheels which is likely to interfere with the free operation of the prime mover and trailer, or 0 0 to be damaged as a result of the relative movements Soo therebetween during nomal operation.

0 0 In the preceding description of the inventiona nd the practical embodiment thereof, reference has been made to *o a. articulated vehicles and prime movers therefor, however, it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to other vehicles wherein retractable wheel guards are applicable and can be used to advantage. Also the wheel o guards of the present invention may be applied to a single ooo wheel of a vehicle or to any number of wheels singularly or collectively under one or several more wheelguards.

0 o 00 a ac 4 0

Claims (6)

1. A retractable wheelguard for the wheels of the prime mover vehicle of an articulated vehicle unit, said wheelguard comprising a roller supported on the prime mover at a location forward or rearward of the wheels and rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of the wheels, a strip of flexible sheet material of a width substantially equal to the width of the wheels and anchored at one end to the roller and selectively retractable into a rolled condition on the roller in response to rotation thereof, an anchor member supported on the prime mover at the opposite end of the wheels to the roller z:.nd adapted to have the free end of the flexible strip releasably attached thereto into an extended condition, at least one guide member supported on the prime mover between the roller and the anchor member for maintaining the flexible strip in a position clear of contact with the wheels when the flexible strip is in said extended condition, tesaid roller having a ratchet mechanism coupled thereto and arranged so the roller can be rotated in a direction to retract the flexible strip when the latter is released from the anchor member, and to tension the flexible strip when the latter is attached to the anchor member, and so the flexible strip may be maintained under tension in the extended condition; whereby the flexible strip ,ay be selectively located in said rolled condition on the roller or in said extended tensioned condition between the A 4a roller and the anchor member to form a substantially fixed guard over at least the upper S 4 portion of the wheels. ro r•

2. A retractable wheelguard as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide member or members project substantially parallel to the axis of the wheels and across the width of the wheels.

3. A retractable wheelguard as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide member or members are releasably attached to the prime mover at a level above the top of the wheels. I _I _11 II; 10

4. A retractable wheelguard as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roller is mounted on a fixed front guard located forward of the wheels, said fixed front guard being rigidly attached to the prime mover.

A retractable wheelguard as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the anchor member is mounted on a fixed rear guard located rearward of the wheels, said fixed rear guard being rigidly attached to the prime mover.

6. A retractable wheelguard for the wheels of the prime mover vehicles substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. o, DATED this 11th day of July, 1991. I 4 RIMAL PTY. LIMITED WATERMARK PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS 'SUITE 18 159 ADELAIDE TERRACE EAST PERTH WA 6004. <t< I 1