Vehicle leveler system
OwnerC. Lewis Newcomb, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for leveling vehicles such as those used for family camping employs a plurality of jacks secured to the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle. The jacks are adjustable in length and are pivoted to the front and rear bumpers and have a ground engaging fulcrum portion. When the vehicle is driven against the jacks, it tends to rotate the jacks into a vertical condition around the ground engaging ends of the jacks, and thereby partially lifts the vehicle off its spring suspension an amount corresponding to the height of the jack. To restore the vehicle to its operating condition, it need only be driven in a reverse direction, rotating the jacks out of their vertical condition and restoring the full weight of the vehicle to its spring suspension.
Claims7
A leveler system for an over-the-road vehicle having a spring-suspended frame comprising in combination with said vehicle:
- a plurality of jack devices each having an individually adjustable length, a lower ground-engaging portion on each said device,
- and means for pivotally securing the upper portion of each said jack device to the spring-suspended frame of the vehicle adjacent a different corner thereof,
- so that said vehicle can be partially elevated for leveling various individual amounts at each corner by driving the vehicle to move the jack devices in the direction of movement of said vehicle for rotation of the lengths thereof to a vertical condition supporting said vehicle frame and with a partial extension of the spring frame of said vehicle and the vehicle wheels resting on the ground, and so that said vehicle can be restored to normal over-the-road condition by driving the vehicle to rotate said jack devices for the lengths thereof to be inclined to the vertical with said vehicle frame fully spring suspended.
The process of operating an over-the-road vehicle of the motor-home type having a spring-suspended frame and wheels at the four corners of the frame to level said vehicle in stationary condition and to restore said vehicle to normal over-the-road condition by means of the driving force of the vehicle and by the use on said vehicle of a plurality of jack devices respectively mounted adjacent the four corners of the vehicle frame;
- each of said jack devices having an adjustable length, a lower ground-engaging portion, and means for pivotally securing the upper portion thereof adjacent a corner of the spring-suspended frame of the vehicle;
- said process comprising the steps of:
- individually adjusting the lengths of said jack devices to be a length greater than the normal height of the associated frame corner above ground but less than the height to elevate the associated wheel off the ground so as to produce a level condition of said vehicle frame when supported on said jack devices;
- positioning said jack devices adjacent said frame corners with the ground-engaging portions resting on the ground and projecting out from the associated portions of said vehicle frame in the same direction of planned drive of said vehicle;
- driving said vehicle in said direction to rotate said jack devices to project under and support said vehicle frame with partial extension of the spring-suspension of the frame;
- and driving said vehicle to rotate said jack devices to project out from the associated portion of said vehicle frame and to restore said vehicle to normal over-the-road condition with said frame fully supported by the spring suspension thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.