Tire chain installation tool
OwnerRonald J. Whiteinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The tool includes an elongate rigid bar with fixed chain leaders extending from the bar near ends of the bar. A removable chain leader is provided between these two fixed chain leaders. In one form of the invention, the bar is hollow and a pin translates within this hollow core. A slot in the bar allows a proximal link of the removable chain leader to pass into the hollow core of the bar where the pin can removably capture this proximal link. Because the removable chain leader is provided on the bar, it can initially be captured to the bar for use along with the fixed chain leaders to position a tire chain onto a dual wheel pair. Then, the removable leader can be removed from the bar and act as a handle on a middle elongate section of the tire chain to assist in connection thereof.
Claims18
A tire chain installation tool particularly for dual wheel pairs, the tool comprising in combination:
- an elongate rigid bar extending between a left end and a right end;
- a left flexible leader fixed to said bar on a portion of said bar closer to said left end than to said right end;
- a right flexible leader fixed to said bar on a portion of said bar closer to said right end than to said left end;
- a middle flexible leader removably attachable to said bar between said left flexible leader and said right flexible leader;
- and
- each of said leaders having a distal end with a coupler thereon.
A method for installing tire chains onto a dual wheel pair, the method including the steps of:
- placing an elongate rigid bar of a tool through holes in a rim of the dual wheel pair, the tool including the elongate bar sufficiently long to have a left end thereof adjacent to a left side of the dual wheel pair and a right end adjacent to a right side of the dual wheel pair while the bar extends through at least one hole in the rim, and the bar oriented substantially perpendicular to a direction of dual wheel pair rolling;
- coupling links of elongate sections of dual wheel tire chains adjacent a first end of the dual wheel tire chains to the tool through leaders extending laterally from the bar of the tool, the leaders including a left flexible leader fixed to the elongate bar on a portion of the bar closer to the left end than to the right end, a right flexible leader fixed to the elongate bar on a portion of the bar closer to the right end of the bar than to the left end, and a middle flexible leader coupled to the elongate bar between the left flexible leader and the right flexible leader, the middle flexible leader removably attachable to the elongate bar;
- rolling the dual wheel pair at least a majority of one full revolution, so that the tire chains are caused to be draped around most of treads of tires of the dual wheel pair;
- and
- connecting a second end of the elongate sections of the dual wheel tire chains to the links at the first end of the tire chains.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.