Operator cab having inwardly folding access door
AssigneeGehl Company
InventorsAaron Goddard, Marvin Joray, Robert Claas, Curtiss M. Lee, Anthony Saiia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An operator cab for a skid steer vehicle is equipped with an inwardly folding front access door that can be locked in either a fully closed position or a fully open position. A pair of over-centered cylinders assists with closing and opening of the front access door. A lever, located in the operator cab, may be used to unlock the door from either its fully open position or its fully closed position. The skid steer vehicle may be operated effectively when the front access door is locked in the fully open position.
Claims27
An operator cab for a skid steer vehicle, the operator cab comprising:
- a cab frame that is positioned on a chassis of the skid steer vehicle, the cab frame having an upper frame portion, a lower frame portion, and a pair of side portions that together with the upper frame portion and the lower frame portion collectively define an interior, wherein the cab frame defines a front access opening between the pair of side portions that provides access to the cab frame interior;
- a front panel secured to the cab frame and configured to selectively open and close the front access opening, wherein the front panel includes an upper panel section and a lower panel section that are pivotably connected together and are configured to fold inwardly at least partially into the interior of the of the cab frame to permit ingress and egress through the front access opening;
- and
- a latch arrangement for selectively maintaining the front panel in either a closed position or an open position, wherein the latch arrangement includes:
- an upper latch located toward the upper frame portion of the cab frame and a lower latch adjacent the front access opening;
- at least one engagement member carried by the front panel, wherein the at least one engagement member is selectively engageable with the upper latch for maintaining the front panel in the open position and with the lower latch for maintaining the front panel in the closed position;
- and
- an actuator interconnected with the upper latch and with the lower latch, wherein the actuator is operable to selectively disengage the at least one engagement member from the upper latch and the lower latch to enable movement of the front panel between the open and closed positions.
A skid steer vehicle comprising:
- a chassis;
- an operator cab mounted to the chassis, the operator cab defining a work space for an operator controlling the skid steer vehicle;
- an access door coupled to the frame for movement between an open position and a closed position, wherein the access door is configured to retract into the work space from the closed position toward a retracted position, wherein the access door includes an upper door panel and a lower door panel connected to the upper door panel in a manner that allows the door panels to pivot relative to one another when the access door is being moved from the closed position to the open position;
- and
- an over-center biasing member that biases the access door toward the retracted position and wherein the bias of the over-center biasing member must be overcome to secure the access door in either the closed position or the open position.
An operator cab for a skid steer vehicle comprising:
- a cab frame defining a cockpit and a front access opening into the cockpit;
- and
- a door coupled to the frame and operable to selectively open and close the opening, wherein the door includes an upper door member having a transparent upper window and a lower door member having a transparent lower window, wherein the upper door member and the lower door member are pivotably connected together and fold inwardly into the cockpit to an open position in order to permit ingress to or egress from the cockpit through the front access opening, and wherein the upper door member and the lower door member unfold outwardly to a closed position in which the upper door member and the lower door member cooperate to close the access opening;
- wherein the upper window terminates in a transparent lower edge and wherein the lower window terminates in a transparent upper edge, wherein the transparent lower edge of the upper window and the transparent upper edge of the lower window are located adjacent each other when the door is in the closed position and cooperate to define a transparent interface between the upper and lower door members.
An operator cab for a skid steer vehicle, the operator cab comprising:
- a cab frame that is positioned on a chassis of the skid steer vehicle, the cab frame having an upper frame portion, a lower frame portion, and a pair of side portions that together with the upper frame portion and the lower frame portion collectively define an interior;
- a front panel to selectively open and close an opening into the interior, the front panel adapted to fold inwardly at least partially into the interior of the of the cab frame to a position that is substantially parallel to the upper frame portion to permit ingress and egress through the opening;
- and
- a biasing member that biases the front panel in a partial open position and wherein the front panel may be moved to a closed position when the bias of the biasing member is overcome.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.