Back to results
US 5,464,243 AGranted
Adjustable axle with shim structure
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsMarvin A. Maiwald, Donald K. Davenport
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsMarvin A. Maiwald, Donald K. Davenport
Estimating the term…
Adjustable axle or similar telescoping structure includes an outer frame tube of square section which telescopingly receives an inner tube having a top shim-contacting surface, two parallel side surfaces, and a lower wall of inverted V-shaped section defining two additional downwardly directed shim-contacting surfaces. Three flat plates of a polymer material are supported between the three shim-contacting surfaces and the outer frame tube. One pad is attached to the upper surface on the inside of the outer tube. The remaining two pads are connected to a wedge-shaped steel bar and are oriented upwardly by the bar to contact the two shim-contacting surfaces on the inverted V-shaped section. The bottom wall of the outer frame tube is drilled and nuts are welded onto the outer surface to receive bolts which are screwed into the nuts to contact the bottom of the bar. When the bolts are tightened, they force the inner tube upward so it contacts the upper pad. Counter bores in the bottom of the bar prevent the bar from moving while axle length is being adjusted.
In a telescoping assembly for a vehicle such as an agricultural sprayer having a fore-and-aft extending main frame, a first tube extending outwardly from the main frame, a second tube telescopingly received by the first tube, the first tube having a generally rectangular cross section with upright sidewalls and upper and lower walls connecting the sidewalls, and the second tube having spaced sidewalls supported between the upright sidewalls and a non-planar wall having a generally V-shaped configuration, first pad structure conforming to the V-shaped configuration supported between the first and second tubes, and an adjustable pad support located between the first and second tubes and contacting the first pad structure for selectively moving the first pad structure against the non-planar wall to locate the second tube relative to the upright sidewalls.
In a telescoping assembly for a vehicle having a fore-and-aft extending main frame, a first tube extending transversely from the main frame, a second tube telescopingly received by the first tube, the first tube having a generally rectangular cross section with upright sidewalls and upper and lower walls connecting the sidewalls, and the second tube having spaced sidewalls supported between the upright sidewalls and a non-planar lower wall having first and second inclined surfaces converging toward the center of the second tube, pad structure supported between the first and second tubes adjacent the inclined surfaces, and means for selectively moving the pad structure against the inclined surfaces to locate and secure the second tube relative to the first tube.
Adjustable length telescoping tube structure for a vehicle, the structure including an outer frame tube of rectangular section, an inner tube telescopingly received in the frame tube, the inner tube having a top shim-contacting surface, two parallel side surfaces, and a bottom wall having at least a partial V-shaped section defining angled shim-contacting surfaces, flat plates of a polymer material supported between the shim-contacting surfaces and the outer frame tube, and shim adjusting means for adjusting the plates relative to the tubes to provide a snug fit between the tubes while facilitating relative axial movement between the tubes to adjust tube structure length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.