Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle that can facilitate fastening operation.SOLUTION: In a wheel loader 1 equipped with a front frame 2 forming a front part of a vehicle body, a rear frame 3 forming a rear part of the vehicle body, and a center pin 10 connecting the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3 so that the front frame and the rear frame can be bent in a right-left direction, at least one of the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3 includes holes 51L, 51R, 52L, 52R, 53 formed on both right and left sides of the center pin 10 for hooking a wire rope 6 as a fastening tool.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an articulated work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, when transporting a work vehicle with a trailer or the like, it is necessary to tie down the vehicle body to the trailer using a wire rope or the like. For example, in the wheel loader disclosed in Patent Document 1, a bracket for tying down is welded to the side surface of the vehicle body frame, and it is possible to tie down the vehicle body to the trailer by hooking a wire rope on this bracket.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the bracket for tying down described in Patent Document 1 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle body frame, wheels, fenders, etc. mounted on the vehicle body become obstacles and it is difficult to perform the tying down work.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle that is easy to tie down.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a work vehicle including a front frame that is the front part of the vehicle body, a rear frame that is the rear part of the vehicle body, and a center pin that connects the front frame and the rear frame so as to be bendable in the left-right direction, wherein at least one of the front frame and the rear frame has holes for hooking tying-down tools formed on both left and right sides sandwiching the center pin.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the binding work is easy. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, as an aspect of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention, a wheel loader that performs a loading and unloading operation will be described as an example.

[0010] <Overall Configuration of Wheel Loader 1> First, the overall configuration of the wheel loader 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an external side view showing a configuration example of the wheel loader 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The wheel loader 1 is an articulated work vehicle that is steered by the body folding in the vicinity of the center. Specifically, a front frame 2 that is the front part of the body and a rear frame 3 that is the rear part of the body are rotatably connected in the vehicle width direction (left - right direction) by a center pin 10, and the front frame 2 bends in the vehicle width direction with respect to the rear frame 3.

[0013] In the following description, among the vehicle width direction of the wheel loader 1, the left - hand side direction with respect to the forward direction is defined as the "left direction", and the right - hand side direction with respect to the forward direction is defined as the "right direction".

[0014] Four wheels 11 are provided on the vehicle body. A pair of wheels 11 are provided as front wheels 11A on both sides (left and right) in the vehicle width direction of the front frame 2, and the remaining pair of wheels 11 are provided as rear wheels 11B on both sides (left and right) in the vehicle width direction of the rear frame 3. In FIG. 1, only the front wheel 11A and the rear wheel 11B provided on the left side among the four wheels 11 are shown.

[0015] A working device 4 for performing a loading and unloading operation of excavating a work object such as earth and sand or minerals and loading it into a loading destination such as a dump truck or a hopper is attached to the front part of the front frame 2.

[0016] The working device 4 includes a lift arm 41 rotatably attached to the front frame 2 in the vertical direction, two lift arm cylinders (not shown) for driving the lift arm 41, a bucket 42 rotatably attached to the tip of the lift arm 41 in the vertical direction, a bucket cylinder 42A for driving the bucket 42, and a bell crank 43 rotatably connected to the lift arm 41 to form a link mechanism between the bucket 42 and the bucket cylinder 42A.

[0017] The lift arm 41 rotates upward (rises) with respect to the front frame 2 as the rods of the two lift arm cylinders extend, and rotates downward (descends) with respect to the front frame 2 as the rods of the two lift arm cylinders contract. Although the two lift arm cylinders are not shown in FIG. 1, they are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the left - right direction of the vehicle body.

[0018] The bucket 42 rotates upward (tilt operation) with respect to the lift arm 41 as the rod 420 of the bucket cylinder 42A extends, and rotates downward (dump operation) with respect to the lift arm 41 as the rod 420 of the bucket cylinder 42A contracts. Thereby, the bucket 42 can scoop and discharge (excavate and dump) work objects such as earth and sand and minerals.

[0019] Note that the bucket 42 can be replaced with various attachments such as a blade or a plow. In addition to the cargo handling work using the bucket 42, the wheel loader 1 can also perform various operations such as snow removal work and earth - pushing work.

[0020] On the rear frame 3, there are provided a cab 12 for the operator to board, a machine room 13 for housing various devices necessary for driving the wheel loader 1 inside, and a counterweight 14 for maintaining the balance with the working device 4 so that the vehicle body frame does not tip over. In the rear frame 3, the cab 12 is arranged at the front, the counterweight 14 is arranged at the rear, and the machine room 13 is arranged between the cab 12 and the counterweight 14.

[0021] <Configuration of the vehicle body> Next, the specific configuration of the vehicle body will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the front frame 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the rear frame 3. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the holes 51L and 51R, as seen from below the vehicle body. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the holes 51L and 51R and the front frame 2, as seen from below in a state where the front frame 2 is bent leftward.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the front frame 2 includes a pair of side plate portions 21L and 21R arranged side by side with a predetermined interval in the left - right direction of the vehicle body, a front - side connection portion 22 that connects the pair of side plate portions 21L and 21R on the front side, and a pair of rear - side connection portions 23A and 23B that are arranged side by side with a predetermined interval in the up - down direction of the vehicle body and connect the pair of side plate portions 21L and 21R on the rear side.

[0024] The front - side connection portion 22 is inclined downward toward the front side, and a bracket 220 to which a working device 4 (lift arm 41) is attached is provided on the upper - end side. The bracket 220 has a pair of attachment pieces 221L and 221R arranged side by side with a predetermined interval in the left - right direction of the front - side connection portion 22. Insertion holes 222 through which a connection pin (not shown) for attaching the lift arm 41 is inserted are formed in the pair of attachment pieces 221L and 221R, respectively. The lift arm 41 is rotatably attached to the bracket 220 via the connection pin between the pair of attachment pieces 221L and 221R.

[0025] Each of the pair of rear - side connection portions 23A and 23B extends toward the rear - frame 3 side from both left and right sides, which are connection portions with the pair of side plate portions 21L and 21R, toward the center, and corresponds to a front - side convex portion that protrudes toward the rear - frame 3 side.

[0026] In each of the pair of rear connection parts 23A and 23B, a pin hole 230 through which the center pin 10 is inserted is formed in the central portion that extends most toward the rear frame 3 side.

[0027] In the following description, among the pair of rear connection parts 23A and 23B, the upper rear connection part 23A is referred to as the "first rear connection part 23A", and the lower rear connection part 23B is referred to as the "second rear connection part 23B".

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the rear frame 3 has a pair of side plate parts 31L and 31R arranged side by side with a predetermined interval in the left - right direction of the vehicle body, and four connection parts 32A to 32D arranged side by side with a predetermined interval in the up - down direction of the vehicle body and connecting the pair of side plate parts 31L and 31R at the front side.

[0029] Each of the four connection parts 32A to 32D extends toward the front frame 2 side from both the left and right sides, which are the connection parts of the pair of side plate parts 31L and 31R, toward the center, and corresponds to a rear convex part that protrudes toward the front frame 2 side.

[0030] In each of the four connection parts 32A to 32D, a pin hole 320 through which the center pin 10 is inserted is formed in the central portion that extends most toward the front frame 2 side.

[0031] In the following description, the four connection parts 32A to 32D are, in order from the upper - most one, referred to as the "first connection part 32A", the "second connection part 32B", the "third connection part 32C", and the "fourth connection part 32D". That is, the first connection part 32A is arranged at the uppermost position, and the fourth connection part 32D is arranged at the lowermost position.

[0032] Between the first connection part 32A and the second connection part 32B, the first rear connection part 23A of the front frame 2 is fitted with a gap therebetween, and the first connection part 32A, the second connection part 32B, and the first rear connection part 23A are rotatably connected by the upper pin part of the center pin 10.

[0033] That is, the distance between the first connecting portion 32A and the second connecting portion 32B is set to a distance that allows the first rear connecting portion 23A of the front frame 2 to be interposed between the first connecting portion 32A and the second connecting portion 32B without contacting the first connecting portion 32A and the second connecting portion 32B.

[0034] Similarly, between the third connecting portion 32C and the fourth connecting portion 32D, the second rear connecting portion 23B of the front frame 2 is fitted through a gap, and the third connecting portion 32C, the fourth connecting portion 32D, and the second rear connecting portion 23B are rotatably connected by the lower pin portion of the center pin 10.

[0035] That is, the distance between the third connecting portion 32C and the fourth connecting portion 32D is set to a distance that allows the second rear connecting portion 23B of the front frame 2 to be interposed between the third connecting portion 32C and the fourth connecting portion 32D without contacting the third connecting portion 32C and the fourth connecting portion 32D.

[0036] The distance between the second connecting portion 32B and the third connecting portion 32C is set wider than the distance between the first connecting portion 32A and the second connecting portion 32B and the distance between the third connecting portion 32C and the fourth connecting portion 32D. Pipes, electric wires, etc. extending from the rear frame 3 to the front frame 2 are arranged in the space formed between the second connecting portion 32B and the third connecting portion 32C.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of holes 51L and 51R are formed on both the left and right sides (both sides of the center pin 10 in the vehicle width direction) of the fourth connecting portion 32D of the rear frame 3 with the center pin 10 (pin hole 320) interposed therebetween. The pair of holes 51L and 51R are for hooking a wire rope 6 (see FIG. 7), which is a fixing tool used when fixing the wheel loader 1 to a trailer or the like. In this embodiment, they are formed in a perfect circle shape.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the front frame 2 is bent with respect to the rear frame 3, at least a part of the pair of holes 51L and 51R is blocked by the front frame 2. In other words, the pair of holes 51L and 51R are located at positions where they do not overlap the front frame 2 in the vertical direction when the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 is less than a predetermined angle, and at positions where they overlap the front frame 2 in the vertical direction when the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle. Note that this "predetermined angle" is an angle that can be arbitrarily set based on the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 when the wheel loader 1 is in a straight-ahead posture.

[0039] In FIG. 5, as an example, a state where the front frame 2 is bent to the left with respect to the rear frame 3 is shown. In this state, about half of the area of the hole 51L arranged on the left side overlaps the front frame 2 in the vertical direction (is blocked by the front frame 2).

[0040] In this embodiment, the pair of holes 51L and 51R are arranged symmetrically about the center pin 10 in the rear frame 3 and at positions where at least a part of them is blocked by the front frame 2 when the front frame 2 is bent with respect to the rear frame 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. At least one of the holes 51L may be formed at any position in the left region of the center pin 10, and the other hole 51R may be formed at any position in the right region of the center pin 10.

[0041] <Method for Securing the Wheel Loader 1> Next, a method for securing the wheel loader 1 to a trailer or the like will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a view showing the wheel loader 1 on the trailer X. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state where the wire rope 6 is hooked on the right hole 51R.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 6, the wheel loader 1 is transported by a transport vehicle such as a trailer X. At this time, in order to prevent the wheel loader 1 from moving during transportation and falling off the trailer X, it is fixed to the trailer X using a wire rope 6 (see Fig. 7) or the like. Note that the fixing tool for fixing the wheel loader 1 to the trailer X does not necessarily have to be the wire rope 6, and there is no particular limitation as long as it can firmly fix the wheel loader 1 to the trailer X.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 7, in the fixing operation of fixing the wire rope 6, the operator first hooks the hook 60 on one end side of the wire rope 6 into the holes 51L and 51R formed in the rear frame 3. Subsequently, the operator pulls the wire rope 6 and hooks the hook on the other end side to the trailer side. Thereby, the wheel loader 1 can be fixed to the trailer. Note that Fig. 7 shows, as an example, the case where the hook 60 is hooked into the right hole 51R.

[0045] In this case, since the holes 51L and 51R for hooking the hook 60 are formed near the center pin 10 in the rear frame 3, the operator can easily access the holes 51L and 51R and perform the fixing operation efficiently.

[0046] Further, in the present embodiment, since the holes 51L and 51R are formed in the fourth connection portion 32D disposed at the lowermost position among the four connection portions 32A to D, the wire rope 6 is less likely to interfere with other devices and pipes, etc., and the fixing operation is easier.

[0047] Further, in the present embodiment, since the holes 51L and 51R are provided on both the left and right sides sandwiching the center pin 10, both the left and right sides of the wheel loader 1 are evenly pulled by the wire rope 6. Thereby, the wheel loader 1 is fixed to the trailer X in a stable state.

[0048] Also, in the present embodiment, the holes 51L and 51R are located at positions where they do not overlap the front frame 2 in the vertical direction when the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 is less than a predetermined angle, and at positions where they overlap the front frame 2 in the vertical direction when the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle. Therefore, when performing the binding operation, the operator can check whether the wheel loader 1 is in a straight-ahead posture by looking at the state of the holes 51L and 51R (whether they are blocked by the front frame 2).

[0049] <First Modification Example> Next, the holes 52L and 52R according to the first modification example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0050] FIG. 8 is a perspective view when looking at the vehicle body from below, showing a configuration example of the holes 52L and 52R according to the first modification example. FIG. 9 is a plan view when looking at the state where the front frame 2 is bent to the left from below, showing the positional relationship between the holes 52L and 52R according to the first modification example and the rear frame 3.

[0051] In FIGS. 8 and 9, for the components common to those described in the above embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and their description is omitted. The same applies to the second and third modification examples below.

[0052] In this modification example, instead of the pair of holes 51L and 51R according to the embodiment, a pair of holes 52L and 52R are provided on both the left and right sides sandwiching the center pin 10 (pin hole 230) in the second rear connection portion 23B of the front frame 2.

[0053] Regarding the pair of holes 52L and 52R according to this modification, similar to the pair of holes 51L and 51R according to the embodiment, they are formed in a perfect circle shape. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, when the front frame 2 is bent with respect to the rear frame 3, at least a part of the pair of holes 52L and 52R is blocked by the rear frame 3. In other words, the pair of holes 52L and 52R are located at a position where they do not overlap the rear frame 3 in the vertical direction when the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 is less than a predetermined angle, and are located at a position where they overlap the rear frame 3 in the vertical direction when the bending angle of the front frame 2 with respect to the rear frame 3 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle.

[0054] Note that in FIG. 9, similar to the case shown in FIG. 5, it shows a state where the front frame 2 is bent to the left with respect to the rear frame 3. In this state, a part of the hole 52L arranged on the left side overlaps the rear frame 3 in the vertical direction (is blocked by the rear frame 3).

[0055] Thus, the holes 52L and 52R for hooking the binding wire rope 6 may be provided in the front frame 2, and in this case as well, the same operations and effects as those in the embodiment are achieved.

[0056] <Second Modification Example> Next, the holes 51L, 51R, 52L, and 52R according to the second modification example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0057] FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the holes 51L, 51R, 52L, and 52R according to the second modification example, and is a perspective view when the vehicle body is viewed from below.

[0058] This modification example is a configuration example combining the embodiment and the first modification example, in which a pair of holes 51L and 51R are provided in the rear frame 3, and a pair of holes 52L and 52R are provided in the front frame 2, respectively. That is, on the outer periphery of the center pin 10, four holes 51L, 51R, 52L, and 52R are arranged so as to surround the center pin 10.

[0059] Thus, the holes 51L, 51R, 52L, and 52R for hooking the wire rope 6 for restraint may be provided in both the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3. Even in this case, the same operations and effects as those in the embodiment are exhibited.

[0060] Furthermore, in this modified example, since both the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3 of the wheel loader 1 are restrained by the wire rope 6, it is securely restrained in a more stable state with respect to the trailer X.

[0061] <Third Modified Example> Next, the hole 53 according to the third modified example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0062] FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the hole 53 according to the third modified example and is a perspective view when the vehicle body is viewed from below. FIG. 12 shows another configuration example of the hole 53 according to the third modified example and is a perspective view when the vehicle body is viewed from below.

[0063] The hole 53 according to this modified example is formed in an oval shape (elongated hole) extending in the left - right direction of the vehicle body. In FIG. 11, it is provided on the rear side of the center pin 10 (pin hole 320) in the fourth connection portion 32D of the rear frame 3, and in FIG. 12, it is provided on the front side of the center pin 10 (pin hole 230) in the second rear - side connection portion 23B of the front frame 2, respectively.

[0064] This hole 53 has a major axis longer than the maximum dimension in the width direction of the center pin 10 and is formed across the left and right sides of the center pin 10. In the case of this modified example, the hook 60 of the wire rope 6 can be hooked on each of the left and right end portions of the hole 53.

[0065] Thus, the hole 53 for hooking the wire rope 6 for restraint does not necessarily have to be divided into a plurality of paired holes such as the holes 51L, 51R or the holes 52L, 52R according to the embodiment, the first modified example, and the second modified example, and may be one as long as the end portions of the hole 53 are located on both the left and right sides sandwiching the center pin 10.

[0066] That is, the statement "holes are formed on both the left and right sides sandwiching the center pin 10" includes that a plurality of holes (holes 51L, 51R or holes 52L, 52R) are formed separately and arranged on both the left and right sides sandwiching the center pin 10, and that one hole (hole 53) with its ends arranged on both the left and right sides sandwiching the center pin 10 is formed.

[0067] Note that the hole 53 according to this modification example does not necessarily have to be provided only in one of the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3, and may be provided in both the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3 respectively as in the second modification example.

[0068] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modification examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, a part of the configuration of this embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of this embodiment. Furthermore, for a part of the configuration of this embodiment, addition, deletion, or replacement with other configurations is possible.

[0069] For example, in the above embodiment, the wheel loader 1 has been described as an example of one aspect of the work vehicle, but it is not limited to this, and other work vehicles may be used as long as the vehicle body is divided into front and rear frames.

[0070] Also, in the above embodiment, the holes 51L, 51R, 52L, 52R, and 53 were all circular, but they do not necessarily have to be circular, and there is no particular limitation on the shape as long as it is possible to hook the wire rope 6.

[0071] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the holes 51L, 51R, 53 are provided in the fourth connection portion 32D at the lowermost position in the rear frame 3, and the holes 52L, 52R, 53 are provided in the rear connection portion 23B at the lowermost position in the front frame 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the holes may be provided in the first connection portion 32A, the second connection portion 32B, the third connection portion 32C of the rear frame 3, or the first rear connection portion 23A of the front frame 2.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0072] 1: Wheel loader (work vehicle) 2: Front frame 3: Rear frame 6: Wire rope (securing tool) 10: Center pin 23A: First rear connection portion (front convex portion) 23B: Second rear connection portion (front convex portion) 32A: First connection portion (rear convex portion) 32B: Second connection portion (rear convex portion) 32C: Third connection portion (rear convex portion) 32D: Fourth connection portion (rear convex portion) 51L, 51R, 52L, 52R, 53: Holes

Claims

1. A front frame that forms the front part of the vehicle body, a rear frame that forms the rear part of the vehicle body, a center pin that connects the front frame and the rear frame so as to be bendable in the left-right direction, In a work vehicle equipped with At least one of the front frame and the rear frame has holes for hooking a securing tool formed on both left and right sides sandwiching the center pin. A work vehicle characterized by this.

2. In the work vehicle according to Claim 1, The front frame includes a front convex portion that protrudes toward the rear frame side, The rear frame includes a rear convex portion that protrudes toward the front frame side, The center pin connects the front convex portion and the rear convex portion, The hole is formed in at least one of the front convex portion and the rear convex portion. A work vehicle characterized by this.

3. In the work vehicle according to Claim 2, The front convex portion and the rear convex portion are each arranged in a plurality with a space in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, The hole is formed in at least one of the front convex portion and the rear convex portion arranged at the lowermost position. A work vehicle characterized by this.

4. In the work vehicle according to Claim 1, The hole in the one frame When the bending angle of the front frame with respect to the rear frame is less than a predetermined angle, it is arranged at a position that does not overlap the other frame in the vertical direction, When the bending angle of the front frame with respect to the rear frame is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, at least a part of it is arranged at a position that overlaps the other frame in the vertical direction. A work vehicle characterized by this.

5. In the work vehicle according to Claim 1, The holes are provided on both left and right sides of each of the front frame and the rear frame sandwiching the center pin. A work vehicle characterized by this.

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