Tire chain tension sources and stabilizers
OwnerRay R. Millerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Tire chain elastic tension sources and non elastic stabilizer components for providing sources of tension for returning deflected cross chains to their natural operating positions during chain mounting and for combined action of the two devices for stabilizing a tire chain on the wheel, in operation, and acting in combination with suitably constructed tire chains to optimize chain mounting and operation.
Claims11
A tire chain tightener comprised of a tension source section and a stabilizer section, for use on a vehicle tire chain mounted about the tire-to-ground contact area of a tire, and said tire chain comprises
- a generally circular, flexible side chain forming a loop on the inner face of the tire, and a like chain on the outer face of the tire, said inner face and outer face side chains each having two ends and an attachment device at one end, and
- said tension source section comprises one or more elastic tension members, each having a first end, manually fastenable by hooking to the outer face side chain, at or near said side chain attachment device, and
- the opposite, second ends of said tension members are attached under tension by hooking to the outer face side chain diametrically opposite the side chain attachment device, and
- the tension of the tension members is transmitted to the outer face side chain, and through the cross members to the inner face side chain, and said stabilizer section comprises one or more members of flexible, non-elastic steel, such as steel chain, each manually attachable to opposite sides of the outer face side chain, and
- the stabilizer section and the tension source section are generally oriented at right angles to each other, and
- in an initial mounting position, with the end-of-chain space mounted about the tire-to-ground contact area, the tension source section is attached in a nominally vertical orientation, from end to end, and the stabilizer section is attached in a nominally horizontal orientation, from end to end, and
- the tension from the tension source section, and the interaction of the interconnected chain parts places the stabilizer section under tension, and maintains the stability of the chain, in operation.
A method of mounting a link construction, ladder pattern tire chain, in combination with a tire chain tightener having an elastic tension source means and a flexible, non-elastic stabilizer means, on a tire resting on the ground, the method comprising
- a) draping said tire chain over said tire in a manner such that the end cross chains of the tire chain are centered on the tire-to-ground contact area, and
- b) attaching the inner face side chain into a loop on the tire, and
- c) manually aligning the cross chains into their natural operating positions on the tread, and
- d) attaching said stabilizer means in horizontal orientation by hooking to the outer face side chain at or near the wheel center elevation in a side chain position estimated to be the natural operating position of the side chain, and
- e) attaching the outer face side chain into a loop on the tire, by closing the side chain attachment device in a condition of tight side chain, and
- f) attaching a tension source means in vertical orientation by hooking to the outer face side chain at or near the side chain attachment device and diametrically opposite at a side chain link which is an attachment point for a cross chain, and
- g) driving the vehicle a short distance to a safe stopping place to allow any chain slack in the outer face side chain to automatically migrate to the location of the side chain attachment device, and
- h) stopping the vehicle to unhook the tension source means and the side chain attachment device and re-hook the attachment device to provide a side chain taut condition, and re-hook the tension source means into position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.