# US 8,739,917 B2 · Off-road vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,739,917 B2 - Document ID: US8739917B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/297,897 - Filed: 2011-11-16 - Published: 2012-06-07 - Granted: 2014-06-03 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-17 - Applicants: Sioin Emyr Pierce - Inventors: Sioin Emyr Pierce - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8739917B2 ## CPC - B60G 5/04: with two or more pivoted arms, the movements of which are resiliently interrelated {, e.g. the arms being rigid} - B60G 2300/07: Off-road vehicles - B60G: VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS (air-cushion vehicles B60V; {cycle suspensions B62K25/00}) ## Abstract An off-road vehicle comprising a pair of articulatable chassis members each swivelably connected at or near one end thereof by a generally upright trailing yoke therebetween, each chassis member including means for mounting respective forward, middle and rearward wheel means thereon, the center of the yoke including means for swivelably receiving the trailing end of a rockable cradle for supporting a driver of the vehicle, the cradle being rockable about an axis generally transverse to the wheel axes, the leading end of the cradle forming a leading yoke connected to respectively opposite ends of a pair of pivotable struts, the other end of each strut being pivotally connected to a respective leading part of one of the pair of chassis members, the arrangement being such that independent vertical movement of the or each wheel means is generally isolated from the cradle and hence the driver of the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An off-road vehicle comprising a pair of articulatable chassis members each swivelably connected to a generally upright yoke therebetween, each chassis member including means for mounting respective forward, middle and rearward wheel means thereon driven at least partially by drive means, the center of the yoke including means for swivelably receiving the trailing end of a rockable cradle for supporting a driver of the vehicle, the cradle being rockable about an elevated axis generally transverse to the wheel axes, the leading end of the cradle forming a leading yoke connected to respectively opposite ends of a pair of pivotable struts, the other end of each strut being pivotally connected to a respective leading part of one of the pair of chassis member, the arrangement being such that independent vertical movement of the or each wheel means is generally isolated from the cradle and hence the driver of the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the chassis member comprises a pair of leading and trailing chassis beams swivelably connected together end-on-end by means of a respective central axle for mounting the middle wheel means thereon. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An off-road vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the wheel means are conventional road going vehicle wheels and associated elastomeric tires, each wheel being mounted on a respective stub axle, with the forward and rearward wheels being mounted at the respective free ends of the swivelably connected chassis beams, the vehicle therefore comprising or including six wheels and associated tires. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) An off-road vehicle according to claim 3 wherein the yoke is pivotably connected to the trailing chassis beams about a third of the distance along the beams from the rearward axles relative to the middle axles. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) An off-road vehicle according to claim 3 wherein the yoke is pivotably connected to the trailing end of the rockable cradle generally above the axis of the middle wheel means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An off-road vehicle according to claim 5 wherein the position of the pivotable connection is adjustable. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) An off-road vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the yoke is pivotably connected to the trailing chassis beams about a third of the distance along the beams from the rearward axles relative to the middle axles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) An off-road vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the yoke is pivotably connected to the trailing end of the rockable cradle generally above the axis of the middle wheel means. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) An off-road vehicle according to claim 8 wherein the position of the pivotable connection is adjustable. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the pair of pivotable struts are connected to respective leading chassis beams approximately equidistant between the middle axle and the forward axles. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the pair of pivotable struts are connected to respective leading chassis beams approximately equidistant between the middle axle and the forward axles. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the drive means comprises a pair of battery driven electric motors, one for each side of the vehicle, each motor being drivingly connected to the wheel means on that side of the vehicle via a wormwheel gear train. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the drive means comprises or includes independently operable motors for each wheel means, said motors being electric, hydrostatic or internal combustion engine motors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An off-road vehicle according to claim 13 wherein the wheels on each side of the vehicle are drivingly connected together by a respective pair of wormwheel drive trains. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) An off-road vehicle according to claim 13 wherein the drive train for each set of wheels comprises or includes sprockets and chains. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the wheel means comprises a plurality of wheels on one side of the vehicle and a plurality of wheels on the other side of the vehicle, each being independently driven or drivable to thereby permit the vehicle to be steered. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) An off-road vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a slideably mounted support within the cradle and adapted to be slid from a position within the cradle to a forward position remote therefrom. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) An off-road vehicle according to the claim 17 wherein the slideable support includes a chair moveable thereon to a forward ground-engaging position.