Truck wheel clamp

A clamp for supporting a wheel aligning tool on a wheel rim, said clamp comprising:

• a frame;
• a lower bracket attached to one end of the frame;
• means attached to the lower bracket for engaging the wheel rim by which the one end of the frame can be removably attached to the wheel rim;
• a projecting member attached to the lower bracket for supporting the wheel aligning tool rotatably thereon;
• level indicating means attached to the lower bracket for indicating when the wheel rim and wheel clamp have been rotated to at least one predetermined angle relative to horizontal;
• an upper bracket slidably mounted at the opposite end of the frame, the distance between the upper and lower brackets being adjustable to correspond to the diameter of the wheel rim;
• and
• means mounted on the upper bracket for engaging the wheel rim by which the opposite end of the frame can be removably attached to the wheel rim, said projecting member having an axis for rotation of the wheel aligning tool which is substantially parallel to but displaced radially from the axis of rotation of the wheel rim on which the clamp is mounted.

A clamp for supporting a wheel aligning tool on a wheel rim, said clamp comprising:

• a frame;
• a lower bracket attached to one end of the frame;
• means attached to the lower bracket for engaging the wheel rim by which the one end of the frame can be removably attached to the wheel rim;
• a projecting member attached to the lower bracket for supporting the wheel aligning tool;
• a disc having a plane parallel to the plane of the clamp, three bubble levels having longitudinal axes lying in the plane of the disc and arranged to indicate a first predetermined rotational position, a second rotational position 90.degree. removed from the first rotational position, and a third rotational position 180.degree. removed from the first rotational position;
• an upper bracket slidably mounted at the opposite end of the frame, the distance between the upper and lower brackets being adjustable to correspond to the diameter of the wheel rim;
• and
• means mounted on the upper bracket for engaging the wheel rim by which the opposite end of the frame can be removably attached to the wheel rim.

A wheel clamp system for simultaneously supporting a first wheel aligning tool from a first vehicle wheel rim and a second wheel aligning tool from a second vehicle wheel rim, said first and second wheel rims being transversely opposite one another with respect to the vehicle axis, said wheel clamp system comprising:

• a first wheel clamp including a first bracket affixed to one end of said clamp, said first bracket carrying means to engage said first wheel rim, a first aligning tool support shaft on said first bracket configured to accept the first aligning tool for rotation thereon whereby said first shaft is situated on said wheel clamp at a location closer to the perimeter of the wheel rim than to the rotational axis of the wheel rim, and a first level indicator attached to said first bracket at a predetermined orientation with respect to the wheel clamp, whereby the wheel and clamp may be rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to horizontal as indicated by said level indicator so that the wheel aligning tool is supported on said first support shaft at a particular elevation and attitude below the axis of the wheel;
• and
• a second wheel clamp including a second bracket affixed to one end of said clamp, said second bracket carrying means to engage said second wheel rim, a second aligning tool support shaft on said second bracket configured to accept the second aligning tool for rotation thereon whereby said second shaft is situated on said second wheel clamp at a location closer to the perimeter of the wheel rim than to the rotational axis of the wheel rim, and a second level indicator attached to said second bracket with an orientation opposite to that of the first level indicator on the first wheel clamp, whereby the second wheel aligning tool will be supported on said second support shaft at the same elevation and attitude as the first wheel aligning tool when the second wheel and clamp are rotated to the angle determined by the second level indicator.