초록 ▼

A tractor or similar vehicle which cannot traverse an uphill slope exceeding a certain critical angle of attack. The center of gravity of the vehicle is chosen so that the vehicle is in tipping equilibrium at a certain critical angle of attack which is substantially less than the maximum slope which

A tractor or similar vehicle which cannot traverse an uphill slope exceeding a certain critical angle of attack. The center of gravity of the vehicle is chosen so that the vehicle is in tipping equilibrium at a certain critical angle of attack which is substantially less than the maximum slope which the vehicle otherwise can climb. A tail plate is mounted behind the rear axle of the vehicle to contact the travel path and limit the maximum amount of tipping, so that the front end of the vehicle can rise no more than a limited amount. A limited extent of tipping thus occurs whenever the vehicle operator attempts to exceed the critical angle of attack, providing a relatively limited and non-violent tipping action which forces the vehicle operator to reduce the angle of attack.

대표청구항 ▼

In a tractor vehicle intended for moving or otherwise normally functioning on sloped surfaces while traveling on the sloped surface, the vehicle having a rear axle, front wheels, and having a normal center of gravity forward of the rear axle at a location which establishes the proportion of vehicle

In a tractor vehicle intended for moving or otherwise normally functioning on sloped surfaces while traveling on the sloped surface, the vehicle having a rear axle, front wheels, and having a normal center of gravity forward of the rear axle at a location which establishes the proportion of vehicle weight on the front wheels and thereby normally establishes the maximum angle of forward ascent the vehicle can reach when moving up a sloped surface before tipping back over the rear axle, the method comprising the steps of: providing weight means on said vehicle in back of said normal center of gravity so as to relocate the center of gravity of the vehicle toward the rear axle at a new center of gravity aft of said normal center of gravity, which allows the front wheels of the vehicle to lift away from the sloped surface when the vehicle exceeds a critical angle of forward ascent substantially less than said maximum angle of forward ascent which the normal vehicle otherwise could reach, thereby causing the front of the vehicle to lift away from the sloped surface in a relatively gradual and controlled manner when the vehicle exceeds said critical angle of forward ascent, so as to signal to the vehicle operator that the critical angle of forward ascent has been reached and to inhibit the normal functioning of the vehicle until the angle of forward ascent is reduced below the critical angle, whereby the vehicle returns to a normal stance and functions with all wheels on the sloped surface; and limiting the maximum amount of tipping back over the rear axle which the vehicle with said relocated center of gravity is capable of undergoing when said critical angle of forward ascent is exceeded, so that the front wheels of the vehicle can lift no more than a limited amount, assuring that the vehicle cannot tip back over its rear axle and overturn when exceeding the critical angle of forward ascent and while the normal functioning of the vehicle is inhibited, thereby enabling the driver of the vehicle to regain contact between the front wheels of the vehicle and the sloped surface by reducing the angle of forward ascent of the vehicle on the sloped surface, and allowing the vehicle thereafter to resume its normal function on the sloped surface.