US 5,472,073 AGranted

Vehicle drive shaft disconnect assembly

OwnerEarl W. Hayinventor

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Abstract

A vehicle drive shaft disconnect assembly adapted to be retrofitted into the conventional tubular drive shaft of the vehicle for disconnecting the vehicle automatic transmission from its rear wheels to prevent damage to the automatic transmission while the vehicle is being towed. The tubular drive shaft is cut to provide a first shaft portion extending rearwardly of the vehicle to the rear wheels and a second shaft portion extending forwardly to the vehicle automatic transmission. A core member is inserted into the tubular shaft and extends between the first and second shaft portions. The portion of the core positioned in the second shaft portion is fixed therein while the first shaft portion is rotatably mounted on the portion of the core positioned therein. An apertured flange is fixed to the first shaft portion and a spring biased flange having pins insertable into the apertures of the fixed flange is axially slidable on the second shaft portion so that the shaft portions can be selectively connected and disconnected from each other. In one embodiment a latch assembly is employed for pulling and holding the slidable flange away from the fixed flange, and in another embodiment, a plurality of bolt and nut assemblies and a spacer are employed for disconnecting and holding the slidable flange away from the fixed flange.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A vehicle drive shaft disconnect assembly for disconnecting a vehicle automatic transmission from the rear wheels of the vehicle when the vehicle is being towed, comprising, a core member, a vehicle drive shaft being tubular and cut to provide a first rear wheel shaft portion for extending rearwardly of a vehicle and a second automatic transmission shaft portion for extending forwardly of a vehicle, said core member being inserted in said tubular shaft and extending between the first and second shaft portions, one of said first shaft and second shaft portions being rotatably mounted on the portion of the core positioned therein, the portion of the core positioned in the other of said first and second shaft portion being fixedly mounted therein, whereby the first shaft portion is rotatable relative to the second shaft portion, a first flange fixedly connected to the outer wall surface of the first shaft portion, at least one axially extending aperture provided in said first flange, a second flange axially slidable on the outer wall surface of the second shaft portion, at least one axially extending pin connected to said second flange and slidable within the aligned aperture in said first flange, whereby the first and second shaft portions can be selectively connected and disconnected, and spring means biasing the second flange and associated pin into engagement with the first flange on the first shaft portion, whereby the first and second shaft portions are normally interconnected, the second flange being slidable against the biasing force of said spring means to disconnect the first and second shaft portions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.