Bushing replacement assist machine serving as wheel dolly

Abstract

To provide means that enables safe and quick bushing replacement work without requiring a plurality of operators even in a relatively small-scale maintenance factory.SOLUTION: A bushing replacement assist machine serving as a wheel dolly includes: an attachment and detachment mechanism 1 by an attachment and detachment member 11; a slide mechanism 2 attached to the attachment and detachment member 11 and having height position adjustment means and right and left position adjustment means for adjustment by 2 to 8 degrees in right and left; a lift mechanism 3 that enables lifting of the slide mechanism 2; a stabilizer link holding mechanism 4 that holds a stabilizer link in the slide mechanism 2; and a wheel dolly mechanism 5 including a pair of roller forks 57 in a front surface side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheel dolly / bush replacement aid, and more specifically to a wheel dolly / bush replacement aid that not only functions as a wheel dolly used when changing tires on large trucks such as 10-ton trucks and large buses, but also functions as a bush replacement aid used to set stabilizer linkers, also known as stabilizers, in an upright position on a press machine when replacing bushes on stabilizer linkers, which are sometimes called stabilizers, on vehicles equipped with air suspension. [Background technology]

[0002] A tire for a large truck such as a 10-ton truck weighs a total of approximately 100 kg per tire, consisting of the tire and steel wheel. Therefore, when attaching or detaching the wheel, a wheel dolly as described in Patent Document 1, for example, is used.

[0003] The wheel dolly has a pair of L-shaped roller forks attached to the bottom of a carriage that can be raised and lowered, supports at the corners of which can be rotated 90 degrees, slide bars attached to the supports that can slide back and forth, and the dolly can be moved on casters.

[0004] Furthermore, when replacing the bushings of a stabilizer linker, which is a heavy object removed from a truck or the like, repair shops generally use the following two methods.

[0005] The first method involves lifting the stabilizer car with an overhead crane, and is done by two or three workers.

[0006] In this case, since the stabilizer is U-shaped, the rope is usually attached to the flat part that is 15 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick, but this part is very slippery and therefore dangerous.

[0007] The second method is done by hand, in which several workers manually erect the heavy stabilizer linker and keep it upright while other workers use a press to replace the bushings.

[0008] Such work requires delicate alignment in terms of height and left and right, and it is not easy to align a heavy object while supporting it vertically.

[0009] In particular, including the press used to replace the bushings, the stabilizer linker is approximately 1.8 meters tall, is heavy, and is extremely difficult to balance. It is not easy for multiple people to coordinate their efforts to keep it upright, and the work requires careful attention, which not only takes time but also involves great danger.

[0010] To address this issue, a bush replacement assistant described in Patent Document 2 is known.

[0011] The bush replacement assistant machine has a stand with a moving means, a sliding support attached to the stand with a height position adjustment means and a left / right position adjustment means of 2 to 8 degrees left and right, a lifting mechanism that allows the sliding support to be raised and lowered, and a component holding member that holds components on the sliding support, and is movable on casters. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-198601 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-95224 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] Wheel dollies are necessary when removing and installing wheels, and because they are used so frequently, they are always equipped in repair shops that handle large trucks, even if they are relatively small.

[0014] On the other hand, since bush replacement work is not performed frequently, it is difficult for repair shops of a scale where the work is used only about 10 times a year to introduce dedicated bush replacement auxiliary equipment.

[0015] Therefore, in small repair shops, the bush replacement work is actually carried out by two to three workers, and in shops with overhead cranes, the stabilizer linker is removed from the vehicle, hung up, and moved to the location where the press is installed, where one person holds it upright while another performs the bush replacement work.

[0016] In addition, in factories that do not have overhead cranes, the stabilizer linker removed from the vehicle is manually carried to the location where the press is installed and placed on top of an empty drum or similar container.In the case of a stabilizer linker for a large vehicle, two people support it while another person performs the bushing replacement work.

[0017] This type of work, performed by multiple workers, is dangerous and, according to a survey by a tool manufacturer, takes an average of about 60 minutes to complete.

[0018] Therefore, there has been a demand for a means that allows bush replacement work to be performed safely and quickly, even in a relatively small repair shop, without requiring multiple workers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] The means for solving the problems of the present invention are as follows.

[0020] First, a detachable mechanism that detachably engages with a receiving member located in the transverse direction on the rear side between the side frames that constitute the wheel dolly mechanism by having a pair of roller forks on the front side, and that constitutes a frame on the rear side of the roller forks; a slide mechanism attached to the detachable member, the slide mechanism having a height position adjustment means and a left / right position adjustment means of 2 to 8 degrees left and right; an elevation mechanism that enables the slide mechanism to be elevated and lowered; a stabilizer linker holding mechanism for holding a stabilizer linker on the slide mechanism; This wheel dolly and bush replacement aid is characterized by the fact that it allows bush replacement by holding the stabilizer linker in a horizontal position on the back side of the roller fork.

[0021] Second, the slide mechanism is composed of a combination of a central circular support column located at the center and an outer cylindrical member located outside the central circular support column, The wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant described in claim 1 is characterized in that three or more, preferably four, and more preferably eight hemispherical protrusions are formed on the same outer circumference of the central circular support, and a gap is formed between the central circular support and the outer cylindrical member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention has the frequently used wheel dolly function, so it can be easily introduced even in relatively small repair shops.

[0023] Therefore, even in a relatively small repair shop, bush replacement work can be performed safely and quickly without requiring multiple workers.

[0024] Furthermore, when a protrusion is formed on the same outer circumference as the central circular support, a gap is formed between the central circular support and the outer cylindrical member, and the central circular support and the outer cylindrical member come into contact at the apex of the protrusion, so that the outer cylindrical member can be combined with the central circular support without any rattling, and the outer cylindrical member can slide smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are rear views showing the state in which the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of the present invention is in use, in which FIG. 1A is a rear view showing the state in the lowest position, and FIG. 1B is a rear view showing the state after the height position has been adjusted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted. It should be noted that the description here is of one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of this embodiment comprises a detachment mechanism 1 using a detachable member 11, a slide mechanism 2 attached to the detachable member 11 and having a height position adjustment means and a left / right position adjustment means of 2 to 8 degrees left and right, a lifting mechanism 3 that enables the slide mechanism 2 to be raised and lowered, a stabilizer linker holding mechanism 4 that holds a stabilizer linker on the slide mechanism 2, and a wheel dolly mechanism 5 having a pair of roller forks 57 on the front side.

[0028] Each of the components constituting the structure of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of this embodiment can be made of steel (iron).

[0029] The detachable mechanism 1 is configured with a detachable member 11 having an inverted U-shaped cross section and formed by integrally connecting side panels facing downward on both sides of a rectangular top panel.

[0030] At both ends of the upper plate of the detachable member 11, mounting holes 11a (see FIG. 2) are formed to engage with two bolt shafts 55 erected on a receiving member 54, which will be described later.

[0031] The slide mechanism 2 is composed of a central circular support 21 with a diameter of approximately 6 cm and a height of approximately 180 cm, which is located approximately at the center of the detachable member 11 that constitutes the detachable mechanism 1 and whose lower end is fixed to the detachable member 11, and an outer cylindrical member 22 which is located outside the central circular support 21, has an inner diameter of approximately 7 cm, a height of approximately 160 cm, and a length shorter than the length of the central circular support 21.

[0032] Here, as shown in Figure 5, on the outer circumference of the central circular support 21, hemispherical protrusions 21a each about 0.5 cm high are formed at eight locations at equal intervals by weld beads at three positions: a position about 50 cm from the bottom, a position about 70 cm above that, and three intermediate positions.

[0033] Therefore, the central circular support 21 and the outer cylindrical member 22 are in contact with each other at the apex of the semi-spherical protrusion 21 a, and a gap is formed between the central circular support 21 and the outer cylindrical member 22 .

[0034] In this way, by combining the central circular support 21 and the outer cylindrical member 22 of different diameters and leaving a gap of about 0.5 cm when they are combined, the outer cylindrical member 22 can slide freely up and down relative to the central circular support 21, making it possible to adjust the height position, and can rotate freely, making it possible to adjust the left and right position.

[0035] At this time, the protrusions 21a attached to the three positions of the central circular support 21 come into contact with the inner surface of the outer cylindrical member 22, eliminating any rattle and reducing resistance when sliding up and down.

[0036] The left-right position adjustment means for the slide support 2 is composed of a combination of a ring member 23 with an inner diameter of approximately 20 mm attached to the outer surface of the outer cylindrical member 22 and an L-shaped rod-like positioning member 24 with an outer diameter of approximately 16 mm that passes through the ring member 23, its lower end fixed to the detachable member 11, and its upper part bent at a right angle.

[0037] That is, the play of about 4 mm that occurs between ring member 23 and rod-shaped positioning member 24 allows for left and right position adjustment of 2 to 8 degrees left and right.

[0038] Furthermore, the bent portion of the rod-shaped positioning member 24 limits the raised position of the ring member 23.

[0039] As a result, the raised position of the outer cylindrical member 22 is also limited.

[0040] The lifting mechanism 3 of the slide mechanism 2 is composed of a wire 32 having one end connected to a wire attachment ring 31 attached to the outer surface of the outer cylindrical member 22, and a winch 33 for winding up and unwinding the wire 32.

[0041] Although not shown in the drawings, it is also possible to provide a removable hook at the tip of the wire 32 and attach it to the wire attachment ring 31 via the hook.

[0042] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 34 denotes a winch handle for operating the winch 33 when winding up and letting out the wire 32.

[0043] Although not shown in the drawings, the wire 32 may be configured to be wound up and unwound electrically.

[0044] Furthermore, reference numeral 35 denotes a U-shaped support for mounting the winch 33, and the lower end side is fixed to the detachable member 11.

[0045] A winch 33 and a winch handle 34 are attached to the upper end of the U-shaped support 35 via an attachment member 36 .

[0046] The tip of the rod-shaped positioning member 24 bent into an L shape is attached to the side of the U-shaped support 35 .

[0047] The stabilizer linker holding mechanism 4 is composed of an upper support member 41 slidably attached to the upper side of the outer cylindrical member 22, and a lower support member 42 fixed to the lower side of the outer cylindrical member 22 by protruding therefrom.

[0048] The upper support member 41 is composed of a slide ring 411 that engages with the outer cylindrical member 22, T-shaped mounting plates 412 attached to both sides of the slide ring 411, a U-shaped push plate 413 for large diameters that is combined with one of the T-shaped mounting plates 412 using a hinge structure, and a U-shaped push plate 414 for small diameters that is combined with the other T-shaped mounting plate 412 using a hinge structure.

[0049] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 415 denotes a positioning bolt that is attached to a positioning hole (not shown) provided in the center of the slide ring 411.

[0050] The lower support member 42 is composed of a component support plate 421 fixed to the lower surface of the outer cylindrical member 22 so as to protrude from it, and a bracket 422 that supports the component support plate 421 .

[0051] The component support plate 421 has an area large enough to support a stabilizer linker of a large truck equipped with an air suspension, and has edges on both sides that rise at right angles to prevent the stabilizer linker from slipping off.

[0052] In Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 423 denotes a rod that clamps the lower end of the stabilizer linker A to lock it in place and prevent it from slipping, and is inserted into an opening formed on the edge of the component support plate 421.

[0053] The wheel dolly mechanism 5 has a pair of roller forks 57 on the front side and side frames 51 on both sides.

[0054] Casters 52 are attached to the front and rear ends of the bottom surface of each side frame 51, respectively.

[0055] Furthermore, a gripping rod 53 is removably attached to the rear end of the upper surface of each side frame 51.

[0056] A grip 53a is attached to the upper end of the gripping rod 53, which is configured to make it easy to grasp and apply force when moving the wheel dolly / bush replacement assistant, which is a heavy object.

[0057] A receiving member 54 (see FIG. 2) that engages with the detachable member 11 is attached between the side frames 51 in the transverse direction on the rear side.

[0058] Two bolt shafts 55 are provided upright on the upper surface of the receiving member 54 .

[0059] In this embodiment, the receiving member 54 is made of a short member with a rectangular cross section, but it can also be made of a long member located between the side frames 51, although this is not shown in the figures.

[0060] The main frame 56 is located between the side frames 51 .

[0061] A jack 562 is installed in the center of the main frame 56.

[0062] On both sides of the jack 562, there are attached lifting members 561 whose height can be adjusted.

[0063] 1 and 2, reference numeral 563 denotes a link mechanism.

[0064] The link mechanism 563 moves the position of the roller of the roller fork 57 up and down in conjunction with the up and down movement of the jack 562 .

[0065] Next, an example of use of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of this embodiment will be described.

[0066] Normally, only the wheel dolly mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 2 is used alone when the wheeled tire B is attached or detached.

[0067] When the stabilizer linker bushing needs to be replaced, the detachable member 11 of the detachable mechanism 1 is combined with the receiving member 54 of the wheel dolly mechanism 5, but it is also possible to leave the detachable member 11 of the detachable mechanism 1 combined with the receiving member 54 of the wheel dolly mechanism 5 at all times.

[0068] The assembly is performed by aligning the bolt shaft 55 with the mounting hole 11a and fastening the nut 12 (see FIG. 1).

[0069] The wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of this embodiment is then moved to the vicinity of the large truck to be serviced by gripping the grip 53a of the gripping rod 53 and manipulating the direction of the wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant of this embodiment.

[0070] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6(A), the heavy stabilizer linker A, which is the part to be worked on and has been removed from the truck, is placed on the lower support member 42 with the outer cylindrical member 22 at the lowest position.

[0071] Here, the small diameter compatible U-shaped push plate 414 is used to adjust the position according to the length of the stabilizer linker A to match the diameter of the stabilizer linker A, and is fixed with a positioning bolt 415, thereby supporting the upper side of the stabilizer linker A with the upper support member 41.

[0072] The lower end of the stabilizer linker A is locked by two rods 423 that are passed through the edge of the lower support member 42 to prevent slippage.

[0073] Thereafter, the operator holds the grip 53a of the gripping rod 53 and moves to a position in front of a press machine (not shown).

[0074] When moving, the center of gravity is at the bottom when the outer cylindrical member 22 is at the lowest position, so that the moving operation can be performed in a stable state.

[0075] After moving it to the front of the press, the gripping rod 53 can be removed, and the bushing of the stabilizer linker A can be easily replaced.

[0076] Thereafter, the winch handle 34 is operated to adjust the height as shown in FIG. 6(B).

[0077] After adjusting the height, the press is slightly moved forward and the left and right positions are adjusted so that the center of the bush to be replaced is positioned accurately at the specified position of the press.

[0078] Here, the left and right position can be adjusted delicately by slightly rotating the outer cylindrical member 22 relative to the central cylindrical support 21 by the amount of play provided by the ring member 23.

[0079] In addition, in the case of a large diameter stabilizer linker A with a different diameter, it can be accommodated by using a large diameter corresponding U-shaped push plate 413 on the opposite side.

[0080] In addition, each component constituting the detachment mechanism 1, slide mechanism 2, lifting mechanism 3, stabilizer linker holding mechanism 4, and wheel dolly mechanism 5 can be disassembled during transportation, thereby reducing the packaging volume required for transportation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1 Detachable mechanism 11 Detachable member 11a Mounting hole 12 nuts 2 Slide mechanism 21 Central circular column 21a Protrusions 22 outer cylindrical member 23 Ring member 24 Rod-shaped positioning member 3 Lifting mechanism 31 Wire attachment ring 32 wires 33 Winch 34 Winch handle 35 U-shaped strut 36 Mounting material 4 Stabilizer linker retention mechanism 41 Upper support member 411 Slide Ring 412 T-shaped mounting plate 413 U-shaped push plate for large diameters 414 Small diameter U-shaped push plate 415 Positioning bolt 42 Lower support member 421 Parts support plate 422 Bracket 423 Lot 5 Wheel dolly mechanism 51 Side frame 52 Caster 53 Gripping rod 53a Grip 54 Receiving member 55 bolt shaft 56 Mainframe 561 Lifting member 562 Jack 563 Link Mechanism 57 Roller Fork A stabilizer linker B Wheeled tires

Claims

1. a detachable mechanism that detachably engages with a receiving member located in the transverse direction on the rear side between the side frames that constitute the wheel dolly mechanism by having a pair of roller forks on the front side, and that constitutes a frame on the rear side of the roller forks; a slide mechanism attached to the detachable member, the slide mechanism having a height position adjustment means and a left / right position adjustment means of 2 to 8 degrees left and right; an elevation mechanism that enables the slide mechanism to be elevated and lowered; a stabilizer linker holding mechanism for holding a stabilizer linker on the slide mechanism; This wheel dolly and bush replacement aid is characterized by the fact that it allows bush replacement by holding the stabilizer linker in a horizontal position on the back side of the roller fork.

2. the slide mechanism is composed of a combination of a central circular support column located at the center and an outer cylindrical member located outside the central circular support column, 2. The wheel dolly and bush replacement assistant according to claim 1, wherein a hemispherical protrusion is formed on the same outer periphery of the central circular support, and a gap is formed between the central circular support and the outer cylindrical member.

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