Back to results
US 6,264,231 B1Granted
Axle suspension connection
AssigneeThe Boler Company
InventorRobert M. Scully
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeThe Boler Company
InventorRobert M. Scully
Estimating the term…
In a tandem axle suspension a system for connecting the end of a rectangular axle housing to bushing in the eye at the adjacent end of a walking beam. The system comprises an axle bracket mounted on the bushing in the walking beam eye. The axle bracket has a platform on which the end of the axle housing is supported on a pair of lower axle housing corner engaging clamps. The upper corners of the axle housing are engaged by a pair of upper axle housing corner clamps which may be identical with the lower clamps. Bolts are used to clamp the assembly of four axle housing corner clamps to the four corners of the axle housing and to the platform on the axle bracket. The clamping force applied to each corner of the axle housing is equal and opposite to the clamping force applied to the diagonally opposite corner. With each clamping force being counter balanced by an equal and opposite clamping force there is no tendency to distort the axle housing whereby re-torquing of the assembly is not required even after long periods of service.
In a tandem axle walking beam suspension including a pair of transverse axle housings having rectangular ends and a pair of fore-and-aft walking beams extending between the rectangular ends of said axle housings on opposite sides of said suspension, means for connecting each rectangular end of an axle housing to the adjacent end of a walking beam, comprising, an axle bracket mounted on the end of said walking beam, a first pair of lower axle housing corner engaging clamps seated on said axle bracket and engaging the opposite lower corners of said rectangular axle housing end, a second pair of upper axle housing corner engaging clamps seated on and engaging the opposite upper axle housing corners of said rectangular axle housing end, and bolts extending through each set of four sets of vertically aligned bolt holes adjacent the ends in each pair of said lower and upper clamps on opposite sides of said axle housing and in said axle bracket, each said clamp having an axle housing corner engaging surface that applies to the engaged corner of the axle housing the clamping force provided by said bolts in a direction approximately bisecting the engaged axle housing corner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.