Pseudo four-leg vehicle leveling system with independent leg lock-out
AssigneeActuant Corporation
InventorRobert H. Schneider
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pseudo four-leg leveling system for a vehicle, such as a recreational vehicle or the like, includes four jacks in the form of hydraulic cylinders mounted in pairs at the front and rear of the vehicle. A power system supplies hydraulic fluid to extend and retract the jacks thereby adjusting the attitude of the vehicle relative to level. The front two jacks are driven in parallel and the rear jacks are driven separately and independent of the front jacks. When the power system is de-energized the front jacks are hydraulically isolated to improve the stability of the system when static. Pressure operated valves automatically control the isolation of the jacks driven in parallel, as well as return passage to the tank, without the need for additional electronically controlled valves.
Claims13
A leveling system for a vehicle comprising:
- a plurality of extendible and retractable jacks mounted to a frame of a vehicle for stationarily supporting the vehicle on a ground surface in an extended position of the jacks, the plurality of jacks including first and second jacks located toward a first end of the vehicle and third and fourth jacks located toward an end of the vehicle opposite the first end;
- a control mechanism;
- a power system interposed between the control mechanism and the jacks for supplying hydraulic fluid to the jacks to extend and retract the jacks when energized and thereby adjust the attitude of the vehicle relative to level;
- wherein hydraulic fluid is supplied to the first jack independently from the hydraulic fluid supplied to the other jacks, hydraulic fluid is supplied to the second jack independently from the hydraulic fluid supplied to the other jacks, and hydraulic fluid is supplied in common to the third and fourth jacks independently from the hydraulic fluid supplied to the first and second jacks and wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth jacks are independently hydraulically lockable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.