초록 ▼

A towable wheeled vehicle releasably attachable to a towing vehicle at two horizontally spaced apart points provides a frame supporting a deck, a wheel carriage having a leaf spring suspension and a tubular steering axle with rotatable and turnable wheels at each end, and an electrically powered pne

A towable wheeled vehicle releasably attachable to a towing vehicle at two horizontally spaced apart points provides a frame supporting a deck, a wheel carriage having a leaf spring suspension and a tubular steering axle with rotatable and turnable wheels at each end, and an electrically powered pneumatic system. Airbags communicating between the steering axle and the frame inflate and deflate to axially rotate the steering axle in axle sleeves carried by the leaf spring suspension reversing the caster and camber of the wheels responsive to activation of the towing vehicle's back up lights.

대표청구항 ▼

What I claim is: 1. A towable wheeled vehicle having a frame with two spaced apart parallel side beams and a steering axle, said towable wheeled vehicle releasably attachable to a towing vehicle having a power source operatively communicating with back up lights energized when the towing vehicle mo

What I claim is: 1. A towable wheeled vehicle having a frame with two spaced apart parallel side beams and a steering axle, said towable wheeled vehicle releasably attachable to a towing vehicle having a power source operatively communicating with back up lights energized when the towing vehicle moves rearwardly, the towable wheeled vehicle comprising in combination: a first airbag lever arm and a second airbag lever arm structurally attached to the steering axle extending radially therefrom and angularly to each another; a first airbag communicating between the first airbag lever arm and the frame, and a second airbag communicating between the second airbag lever arm and the frame; an air pump electrically communicating with the power source; a pneumatic switch communicating with the air pump, with the first airbag and with the second airbag; an electric circuit operatively communicating with the back up lights and with the pneumatic switch, wherein the pneumatic switch directs pressurized air to the first airbag when the back up lights are not energized, and wherein the pneumatic switch directs pressurized air to the second airbag when the back up lights are energized wherein inflation of the first airbag rotates the steering axle axially in axle sleeves providing positive caster and inflation of the second airbag rotates the steering axle axially in the axle sleeves providing negative caster; and two spaced apart frame extensions carried by the towing vehicle and extending rearwardly therefrom, each towing vehicle frame extension having a rearward end portion defining a hole for a towbar fastener pivotally connecting each towing vehicle frame extension to a forward end portion of one spaced apart parallel side beam of the towable wheeled vehicle frame. 2. The towable wheeled vehicle of claim 1 further comprising: a first leaf spring depending from a first frame side beam and a second leaf spring depending from a second frame side beam; wherein the axle sleeves comprise a first axle sleeve carried on the steering axle and affixed to the first leaf spring, and a spaced apart second axle sleeve carried on the steering axle and affixed to the second leaf spring; a spindle yoke structurally carried at each opposing end of the steering axle, each spindle yoke angled relative to the steering axle to provide camber to an attached rotatable wheel; an axle spindle journaled by each spindle yoke, each axle spindle having a king pin sleeve defining a channel for a kingpin axle, a stub axle perpendicular to the kingpin sleeve carrying the rotatable wheel, and a tie rod arm perpendicular to the kingpin sleeve and perpendicular to the stub axle; and an elongate tie rod communicating with the tie rod arm of each axle spindle and extending therebetween. 3. The towable wheeled vehicle of claim 1 further comprising: an axle locking mechanism having, an air cylinder bracket with an upper end portion carrying a pivoting lever arm, a forward edge portion carrying a locking pin sleeve defining a channel therethrough, and a bottom end portion, said air cylinder bracket structurally attached to the steering axle; an air cylinder having an air cylinder housing and a piston rod axially movable relative to the air cylinder housing, the air cylinder communicating between the bottom end portion of the air cylinder bracket and an end portion of the lever arm opposite the locking pin sleeve; a locking pin axially movable in the channel defined by locking pin sleeve and pivotally interconnected to end portion of the pivoting lever arm opposite the piston rod; a locking mechanism pneumatic switch pneumatically communicating with the air pump and with the air cylinder; an axle lock switch electrically communicating with the power source and having a first open position and a second closed position; an electric circuit operatively communicating with the axle lock switch and with the locking mechanism pneumatic switch, wherein the locking mechanism pneumatic switch directs pressurized air to the air cylinder causing the piston rod to move in a first direction when the axle lock switch is in the open first position, and wherein the locking mechanism pneumatic switch directs pressurized air to the air cylinder causing the piston rod to move in a second direction when the axle lock switch is in the second closed position; a tie rod parallel to and spacedly forwardly adjacent the steering axle; and a tie rod plate carried by the tie rod below adjacent the locking pin sleeve, the tie rod plate defining a hole for engagement with a portion of the locking pin extending through the locking pin sleeve. 4. The towable wheeled vehicle of claim 1 further comprising: a biasing spring having, a lever arm structurally attached to the steering axle and extending radially therefrom; and a spring having a first end portion communicating with the lever arm and a second end portion communicating with the frame wherein the spring biases the lever arm toward the second end portion of the spring. 5. A towable wheeled vehicle releasably attachable to a towing vehicle having a power source operatively communicating with back up lights energized when the towing vehicle moves rearwardly, the towable wheeled vehicle comprising in combination: a frame supporting a deck, said frame having, a first side beam and a parallel spaced apart second side beam, each side beam having a forward end portion defining a hole for a releasable tow bar connector, and a rearward end portion, a first leaf spring depending from the first side beam and a second leaf spring depending from the second side beam, a first axle sleeve defining a channel therethrough affixed to the first leaf spring with plural U-bolts, and a second axle sleeve defining a channel therethrough affixed to the second leaf spring with plural U-bolts; a tubular steering axle carried by, and axially rotatable within, the channels defined by the axle sleeves, the tubular steering axle having, a spindle yoke structurally carried at each opposing end, each spindle yoke angulated relative to the steering axle to provide positive camber to an attached rotatable wheel, an axle spindle having a king pin sleeve defining a channel therethrough for carriage of a kingpin axle, a stub axle perpendicular to the kingpin sleeve carrying a rotatable wheel and a tie rod arm perpendicular to the kingpin sleeve and perpendicular to the stub axle, one axle spindle journaled by each spindle yoke on the kingpin axle extending through the kingpin sleeve, an elongate tie rod communicating with the tie rod arm of each axle spindle, the tie rod parallel to and spacedly forwardly adjacent the steering axle, a first airbag lever arm and a second airbag lever arm structurally attached to the tubular steering axle extending radially therefrom and angularly to one another, each airbag lever arm carrying an airbag seat at an end portion opposite the steering axle, an elongate sway bar parallel to and spacedly rearwardly adjacent the steering axle, the sway bar carrying a first airbag base spacedly adjacent the first airbag seat and a second airbag base spacedly adjacent the second airbag seat, a first airbag communicating between the first airbag seat and the first airbag base, and a second airbag communicating between the second airbag seat and the second airbag base, a biasing spring lever arm structurally attached to the steering axle and extending radially therefrom, a spring communicating between the biasing spring lever arm and the sway bar to bias the lever arm toward the sway bar, and a self centering stabilizer shock having an inner end portion communicating with the tie rod and an outer end portion communicating with the frame; a pneumatic system having, an air pump pneumatically communicating with an air reservoir and electrically communicating with the power source, an airbag pneumatic switch pneumatically communicating with the air reservoir, with the first airbag and with the second airbag, an electric circuit operatively communicating with the towing vehicle back up lights and with the airbag pneumatic switch, wherein the airbag pneumatic switch directs pressurized air from the air reservoir to the first airbag when the back up lights are not energized, and wherein the airbag pneumatic switch directs pressurized air from the air reservoir to the second airbag when the back up lights are energized wherein inflation of the first airbag moves the first airbag seat away from the first airbag base rotating the steering axle axially in the axle sleeves providing positive caster, and inflation of the second airbag moves the second airbag seat away from the second airbag base rotating the steering axle axially in the axle sleeves providing negative caster; an axle locking mechanism, said axle locking mechanism having, an air cylinder bracket with an upper end portion carrying a pivoting lever arm, a forward edge portion carrying a locking pin sleeve defining a through channel, and a bottom end portion having a flange, the air cylinder bracket structurally attached to the tubular steering axle and extending radially therefrom, a double acting air cylinder having a cylinder housing and a piston rod movable axially into and out of the cylinder housing, the air cylinder communicating between the air cylinder bracket flange and end portion of the pivoting lever arm opposite the locking pin sleeve, a locking pin pivotally interconnected to end portion of the pivoting lever arm proximate to the locking pin sleeve and axially movable in the channel defined by locking pin sleeve, a locking mechanism pneumatic switch pneumatically communicating with the air reservoir and with the locking mechanism air cylinder, an axle lock switch having a first open position and a second closed position in electrical communication with the power source, an electric circuit operatively communicating with the axle lock switch and with the locking mechanism pneumatic switch, wherein the locking mechanism pneumatic switch directs pressurized air from the air reservoir to the air cylinder causing the piston rod to move in a first direction when the axle lock switch is in the first open position, and wherein the locking mechanism pneumatic switch directs pressurized air from the air reservoir to the air cylinder causing the piston rod to move in a second direction when the axle lock switch is in the second closed position, and a tie rod plate carried by the tie rod below adjacent the locking pin sleeve the tie rod plate defining a locking pin hole for engagement with an end portion of the locking pin; and two spaced apart rearwardly extending frame extensions carried by the towing vehicle, each frame extension having a rearward end portion configured for releasable engagement with the forward end portions of the towable wheeled vehicle frame side beams, each rearwardly extending frame extension defining a hole to carry a releasable towbar fastener extending therethrough.