Flexible fender mount
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorRodney K. Rowland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle has a steerable wheel on an axle, a fender, and a fender mount for supporting the fender on the axle adjacent to the steerable wheel. The fender mount has a bracket fixed to the axle, an arm fixed to the fender and a flexible bushing coupled between the bracket and the arm. The bushing is rotatably flexible about a torsion axis and is bendably flexible in directions transverse to the torsion axis. The bushing includes a flexible core and a pair of wedge-shaped end caps fixed to opposite ends of the core. The bushing has a central axis which is tilted rearwardly with respect to a fore-and-aft axis of the wheel and which is tilted away from the wheel.
Claims12
In a vehicle having a steerable wheel on an axle, a fender, and a fender mount for supporting the fender on the axle adjacent to the steerable wheel, the fender mount having a bracket fixed to a portion of the axle which pivots with the wheel, an arm fixed to the fender and a flexible member having a first end attached to the bracket and having a second end attached to the arm, characterized by:
- the flexible member comprising a bushing being rotatably flexible about a torsion axis and being bendably flexible in directions transverse to the torsion axis, the bushing having a central axis which extends upwardly and rearwardly with respect to a vertical plane containing a rotation axis of the wheel.
In a vehicle having a steerable wheel on an axle, a fender, and a fender mount for supporting the fender on the axle adjacent to the steerable wheel, the fender mount having a bracket fixed to a portion of the axle which pivots with the wheel, an arm fixed to the fender and a flexible member having a first end attached to the bracket and having a second end attached to the arm, characterized by:
- the flexible member comprising a bushing which comprises a flexible core and a pair of wedge-shaped end caps fixed to opposite ends of the core.
In a vehicle having a steerable wheel on an axle, a fender, an arm with an outer end fixed to the fender, and a fender mount for supporting the fender on the axle adjacent to the steerable wheel, the fender mount having a flexible member coupled between the axle and the arm, characterized by:
- the flexible member comprises a bushing being rotatably flexible about a torsion axis and being bendably flexible in directions transverse to the torsion axis, the bushing comprising a flexible core, and a pair of wedge-shaped end caps fixed to opposite ends of the core;
- a fixture having a base fixed to one of the end caps and a plate extending from the base, the plate being fixed to an inner end of the arm;
- and
- a bracket comprising a base fixed to another of the end caps and a support plate fixed to a part of the axle which pivots with the wheel as it is steered.
In a vehicle having a steerable wheel on an axle, a fender, an arm with an outer end fixed to the fender, and a fender mount for supporting the fender on the axle adjacent to the steerable wheel, the fender mount having a flexible member coupled between the axle and the arm, characterized by:
- the flexible member comprises a bushing being rotatably flexible about a torsion axis and being bendably flexible in directions transverse to the torsion axis, the bushing having a central axis which extends upwardly and rearwardly with respect to a vertical plane containing a rotation axis of the wheel and which extends upwardly and inwardly away from the wheel;
- a fixture having a base fixed to an upper end of the bushing and a plate extending from the base, the plate being fixed to an inner end of the arm;
- and
- a bracket comprising a base fixed to a lower end of the bushing and support plate fixed to a part of the axle which pivots with the wheel as it is steered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.