GB2233617A - Support device for a trailer - Google Patents

Abstract

A support device for semi-trailers or the like comprises at least one supporting tube (3), at the lower end of which a foot (4) is mounted to be pivotable about the longitudinal axis (7) of a cylinder (13) extending transversely to the tube (3) in a bearing (12) fastened at the lower end of the tube (3). The foot is also pivotable, against the spring force of a resilient pad, about the transverse axis (6) of the cylinder (13). In order to be able to use the foot joint, without modification, for other forms of support feet, the pad is arranged between the cylinder (13) and an upper wall (15) of the bearing (12) and the cylinder (13) is mounted to be pivotable about its horizontal transverse axis (6) against the spring force of the pad. <IMAGE>

Description

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Support device for a trailer :2:2 3:3 E, -1,7 The present invention relates to a support device for a trailer or the like.

In a support device described in US-PS 3 666 290, universal pivotability of a foot of the device serves for adaptation to uneven ground in order to prevent off-centre loading of the foot and thereby overloading of the foot. The foot has a support plate with a tube stub which is fastened vertically on the plate and pushed onto the lower end of a supporting tube. Passing largely without play through two coaxial holes in the supporting tube and also through two further coaxial elongate holes in the tube stub is a solid hinge pin. A rubber pad is arranged between the foot plate and the plate closing off the end of the supporting tube. If it is desired to use, selectively, a foot with supporting plate, a conventional foot with rollers, or a foot with wheel segm.rVts, wherein the rollers of wheel segments can be simply mounted on the hinge pin or (if the pin is hollow), on an axle passing through the pin, additional measures would be required in order to mount the foot to also be pivotable about an axis extending horizontally and at a right angle to the horizontal longitudinal axis of the pin for adaptation to uneven ground.

There is therefore a need for a support device which is suitable for different kinds of feet, in particular feet with supporting plates, rollers and wheel segments, without the-need for modification of the respectively used supporting foot to achieve universal pivotability.

According to the present invention there is provided a support device for a trailer, comprising a leg provided at the lower end thereof with bearing means, a cross member mounted in the bearing means to extend transversely of the leg and to be pivotable about a substantially horizontal transverse axis of the member, resilient means of elastomeric material arranged between the member and a wall of the bearing means to oppose pivot movement of the member, and a foot mounted on the member to be pivotable about the longitudinal axis thereof.

Preferably, the device comprises at least one supporting tube, at the lower end of which the foot is mounted to be pivotable about the longitudinal axis of a cylinder extending transversely to the supporting tube in a bearing fastened at the lower end of the tube and about the transverse axis of the cylinder against the spring force of resilient means in the form of a rubber-elastic pad. The pad is arranged between the cylinder and a wall of the bearing and the cylinder is mounted to be pivotable about its horizontal transverse axis against the spring force of the pad. Due to the pivotability of the cylinder about its- horizontal transverse axis, rollers or wheel segments, which can be mounted directly on the cylinder, are also pivotable about this transverse axis - which, may extend in the direction of travel of a trailer fitted with the device - while the pivotation continues to take place against the spring force of the pad.

Preferably, the pad is arranged on at least the upper side of the member or cylinder. In this position it can also damp any shocks occurring when placing the foot on the ground under the load of the trailer.

The pad can comprise rubber-elastic bodies disposed at a spacing, which forms a free space into-which the rubber-elastic material can escape on compression of the pad. This increases the spring effect of the pad.

For preference, the pad comprises elongate rubber-elastic bodies extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cylinder at a spacing in circumferential direction of the cylinder.

Such elongate bodies can be readily produced from a longer (endless) rubberelastic strand, in that the bodies are cut from the strand in the desired lengths.

It is also possible to form the bodies as hollow cylinders similar to hose lengths. They then have a particularly high elasticity and yieldability, since the rubber-elastic material when loaded can flow into the hollow space of the bodies.

The cross member can be a hollow cylinder with projections such as flanges which extend radially outwards and engage behind opening rim portions of the bearing means. This permits simple axial securing of the member in the bearing.

The flanges can be constructed as encircling corrugations, which has the advantage that the flanges can be pressed in simple manner out of the material of the hollow cylinder.

Preferably, the bearing means comprises a holder with a transverse top wall fastened at the lower end of the supporting tube and substantially parallel side walls, which project from the top wall at right angles towards the foot and which have preferably circularly arcuate, downwardly open recesses, the opening width of which can correspond to the width of the cross-member. A generally tunnel- shaped bracket can engage around the member from below and be fastened at side walls thereof to the holder between its side walls. The bearing means in this case can be made of merely two parts, namely the hol der and the bracket, whi ch can be connected wi th each other i n simple manner, for example by welding, after reception of the member.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a support unit comprising two telescopic support devices embodying the invention and mounted at both sides of a semi-trailer, the feet of the devices being illustrated in different pivot angle positions; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the devices of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lower part of the support device, the foot being illustrated in two different pivot anqle positions; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a supporting tube of the device, without foot; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the supporting tube shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a cylinder which is mounted in a - bearing of the foot joint of the support device; Fig. 7 is an end elevation of a holder of the bearing of the foot joint; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the holder shown in Fig. 7; Fig. - -9 is a plan view of the holder hown in Fig. 7; Fig. 10 is an end elevation of a bracket of the bearing of the foot joint; and Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 10.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a telescopic support unit which serves for the support of the front part of a semi- trailer and comprises two identical support devices 1, which can be telescoped and are fastened at both sides of the undercarriage (illustrated inchain-dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2) of the semitrailer. Each support device 1 has a four-cornered outer guide tube 2 and a four-cornered supporting tube 3 guided to be axially displaceable therein (Figs. 3 to 5). Pivotably mounted at the lower end of each tube 3 is a foot 4 with a support plate 5. The foot 4 is pivotable, in the direction of the double arrows illustrated in Figs.1 to 3, about two mutually perpendicular axes 6 and 7, which in the case of even horizontal ground are horizontal, in order to adapt the position of the plate 5 to inclined ground surfaces and thereby prevent overloading of the foot 4.

Each device 1 also comprises a spindle which is arranged in the interior and is drivable by means of a hand crank 9 from a gear 8 and further bevel gears in the interior of the device. Each spindle engages into a nut (not illustrated) connected with the tube 3 to be secure against rotation. When the hand cranks 9 are not actuated, they are pivoted downwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and retained by hook-shaped holders 10. The hand cranks 9 are omitted in Fig. 2. Two bevel gears in the devices 1 are connected by-a shaft 11 so that the tubes 3 of the two devices 1 are drivable in common by way of either crank 9.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 to 5, each foot joint includes a bearing 12, which is fastened at the-lower end of the tube 3 and in which a hollow cylinder 13 extends. The centre transverse axis of the cylinder 13 represents the pivot axis 6, about which the cylinder is pivotable against the spring force of a pad 14 of resilient material, for example rubber or other elastomeric material. The pad 14 is arranged on the upper side of the cylinder 13 between this side and an upper wall 15 of the bearing 12. By virtue of this arrangement, the pad 14 enables not only pivotation of the foot about the transverse axis 6 extending in direction of travel of the semitrailer, but also damping of loading shocks when the semi-trailer is set down.

The pad 14 consists of two elongate rubber-elastic parts, which extend parallelly to the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 13 and have a spacing in circumferential direction of the cylinder 13, so that they can be easily produced by cutting from an endless strand of rubber-elastic material and so that an adequate escape space is available for the rubberelastic material when loaded. Alternatively, the pad parts can be hollow cylinders in order to secure high resilience.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 as well as in the detail illustration of Fig. 6, the cylinder 13 has flanges 16 which project radially outwards in the shape of encircling corrugations pressed out of the cylinder. The bearing 12 has a holder 17 (see, in particular, Figs.

7 to 9) which has a transverse top wall 15 fastened, for example welded, to the lower end of the tube 13. Two mutually parallel side walls 18 project from the top wall 15 at right angles towards the foot 4. The side walls 18 have circularly arcuate, downwardly open cut-outs 19, the width of which corresponds to the external diameter of the cylinder 13. The flanges 16 of the cylinder 13 engage behind the rims of these cut-outs 19 in order to secure the axial position of the cylinder 13. The bearing 12 also includes a bracket 20 (see, in particular, Figs. 10 and 11) which engages over the cylinder 13 from below and is fastened, for example welded, by its side walls 21 to the holder 17 between the side walls 18 thereof. The holder 17 engages by short edge portions 22, which are bent downwardly at the top wall 15, over the edges, lying against the underside of the wall 15, of the side walls 21 of the bracket 20.

As shown in Fig. 3, each foot 4 is mounted by side walls 23, which project upwardly from the plate 5, to be rotatable or secure against rotation on a further hollow cylinder 24, which extends coaxially through the cylinder 13 and is rotatable therein. Split pins 25 serve for axial securing of the foot 4 on the cylinder 24.

Alternatively, each foot 4 can be mounted to be rotatable directly on the cylinder 13, wherein the cylinder 13 merely needs to be constructed to be correspondingly longer and the cylinder 24 is redundant. If so desired, the cylinder 13 can then be constructed to be solid. In a further modification of the illustrated embodiment, the pad is constructed in one part. Alternatively, it can be a hollow cylinder and surround the cylinder 13. 25 In the case of, in particular, solid construction of the cylinder 13, the flanges 16 can be formed by rings which are welded to the cylinder 13 or formed integrally therewith. Other forms of supporting feet, for example rollers or wheel 1 1 f- - 8 segments, can be mounted on the cylinder 24 or on the cylinder 13 in place of the supporting foot 4, without modification of the foot joint.

The term "trailer" in the description and claims includes any vehicle to which the support device of the invention might be applied.

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Claims (11)

1. A support device for a trailer, comprising a leg provided at the lower end thereof with bearing means, a cross member mounted in the bearing means to extend transversely of the leg and to be pivotable about a substantially horizontal transverse axis of the member, resilient means of elastomeric material arranged between the member and a wall of the bearing means to oppose pivot movement of the member, and a foot mounted on the member to be pivotable about the longitudinal axis thereof.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the member is substantially cylindrical.

3. A device as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, the resilient means being arranged at least at the upper side of the member.

4. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the 15 resilient means comprising a plurality of spaced apart bodies of elastomeric material.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, the resilient means comprising a plurality of bodies of elastomeric material extending substantially parallellyto the longitudinal axis of the member and spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the member.

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6. A device as claimed in either claim 4 or claim 5, wherein each of the bodies has the shape of a hollow cylinder.

7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the member has the shape of a hollow cylinder with external projections engaging aperture rim portions of the bearing means.

8. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the projections are encircling corrugations of the member.

9. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the bearing means comprising a holder, which comprises a transverse top wall fastened at the base of the leg and two substantially parallel side walls depending from the top wall and provided with downwardly open recesses receiving the cross member, and a closure bracket engaging around the cross member from below and secured to the holder between said side walls, the width of each recess being substantially the same as that of the cross member.

10. A support device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A trailer provided with a support device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

Published 1991 at The Patent Office. State House. 66171 High Holborn. LondoniVC I R 4TP. Further copies mzkx. be obtained front The Patent OfficeSales Branch. St Mary Cray. Orpington. Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques lid. St Mary Cray. Kent. Con. 1/87