Material-handling vehicle
AssigneeJ.C. Bamford Excavators Limited
InventorDavid John Knight
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A material-handling vehicle comprising a structure having, ground engageable propulsion means, a loader arm mounted for up and down swinging movement, an operator's cab, an engine having an output to provide power for said movement of the loader arm and propulsion of the vehicle and drive to connect the output to the ground engageable propulsion means to propel the vehicle, wherein the output of the engine is kinematically connected to a change speed gearbox which drives at least a rear axle of the vehicle, at least one of the engine and change speed gearbox being connected to the rear axle to provide a sub-assembly and said sub-assembly being mounted on said structure for pivotal movement about an axis which lies in, or is parallel to, a plane which contains the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
Claims41
A material handling vehicle including a structure having, ground engageable propulsion means, a loader arm mounted for up and down swinging movement, an operator's cab, an engine disposed to the rear of the vehicle and having an output to provide power for said movement of the loader arm and propulsion of the vehicle and drive to connect the output to the ground engageable propulsion means to propel the vehicle, wherein the output of the engine is kinematically connected to a change speed gearbox which drives at least a rear axle of the vehicle, the rear axle being a rigid drive axle and carrying at opposite ends thereof ground engaging propulsion means, at least one of the engine and change speed gearbox being connected to the rear axle to provide a sub-assembly and said sub-assembly being mounted on said structure for pivotal movement relative to the structure about only a single pivot axis which lies in, or is parallel to, a plane which contains the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
A material handling vehicle having a loading arm and comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of drive wheels;
- a subassembly, the subassembly comprising:
- an engine, the engine including an output;
- a transmission, the transmission having an input shaft operatively connected to the output of the engine and further having an output shaft, the transmission arranged to provide a plurality of driving speeds;
- and
- a rigid axle, the rigid axle housing means for transmitting driving force to the drive wheels, the means adapted for connection to the output shaft;
- at least one of the engine and the transmission mounted directly to the rigid axle;
- and
- a pivot, the pivot pivotally joining the subassembly to the frame and providing the sole structural connection between the subassembly and the frame, the pivot further defining only a single pivot axis, the pivot axis positioned in a vertical plane that contains a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the pivot arranged to permit the entire subassembly to pivot as an integrated unit about the pivot axis and relative to the frame.
A material handling vehicle having a loading arm and comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of drive wheels;
- a subassembly, the subassembly comprising:
- an engine, the engine including an output;
- a transmission, the transmission having an input shaft operatively connected to the output of the engine and further having an output shaft, the transmission arranged to provide a plurality of driving speeds;
- and
- a rigid axle, the rigid axle housing means for mechanically transmitting driving force from the output shaft of the transmission to at least some of the drive wheels, the means operatively connected to the output shaft of the transmission;
- at least one of the engine and the transmission rigidly mounted directly to the rigid axle;
- and
- a pivot pivotally mounting the subassembly to the frame and arranged to permit the entire subassembly to pivot relative to the frame about a pivot axis, wherein the pivot defines the pivot axis, the pivot axis positioned in a vertical plane that intersects a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the pivot arranged to provide the sole structural support of the subassembly to the frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.