Device to reduce mud accumulation for dual wheel assemblies

Abstract

A device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device comprises: - a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

Description

[0001] DEVICE TO REDUCE MUD ACCUMULATION FOR DUAL WHEEL ASSEMBLIES

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention is directed to a device adapted to reduce the accumulation of solids between the wheels of a dual wheel assembly on a vehicle, more specifically the rear dual wheels on trucks or the like.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Many types of trucks are typically used in locations where the road surface is not paved or covered in gravel. As such, trucks accumulate solids, such as mud, as they travel upon such surfaces and the accumulation of these solids can lead to a number of problems as well as make the driving of the vehicle unsafe or risk damage to said vehicle.

[0006] It is noteworthy to point out that there are several patents which are directed at mudguards but none of them are designed to prevent the problem being solved by the present invention and the embodiments described herein. Most prior art patents dealing with reducing mud from rear wheels of trucks are directed to mud flaps, to wit, the following patents disclose various mud flap arrangements: US 3,724,871; US 3,726,544A; US 3,724,871A; US 3,497,238A; US 3,713,669A; US 2,679,403A; US 3,027, 178A; US 2,972, 149A; and US 5,509,690A. These prior art documents are only a sampling of the patents which cover mud flaps.

[0007] Mudguards are intended on reducing the spraying of water or mud (or other solids) by the wheels as they turn but they do not prevent wheels (especially dual wheel assemblies from accumulating solids in the inter-wheel space. However, to the best the inventor’s knowledge there have been no device intended on reducing the accumulation of mud or the like in the inter-wheel space of a rear dual wheel assembly.

[0008] In light of the absence of such an important the existing prior art, there still exists a need for a device which prevents excessive accumulation of mud between tires of a truck, where such accumulation is quite difficult to remove and may result in damage to brakes, tires, wheels or the axle of said truck.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Accordingly, a novel device is herein disclosed which sets out to overcome many of the difficulties of having an accumulation of solids between two wheels of a working vehicle such as a truck. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided A device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device comprises: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device comprises:

[0012] - a circular device comprising a first concave face and a second concave face and a perimeter surface;

[0013] - each one of said first concave face and said second concave face, comprising:

[0014] - a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto a plurality of bolts present on said dual wheel assembly; an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to said perimeter surface therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first concave face will, upon installation onto said bolt assembly, abut said wheel hub and said second concave face will abut a centerplate of the outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly, and wherein said perimeter surface comprising a first edge and a second edge will have said first edge abutting against a rim of said inner wheel of dual wheel assembly and said second edge abutting against a rim of said outer wheel of dual wheel assembly. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein each of said first disk and said second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprise no other aperture other than spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolt assembly.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein first concave face and a second concave face comprise no other aperture other than spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolt assembly.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device consisting of: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing solids accumulation in an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly, said method comprising the steps of:

[0018] - providing said dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel;

[0019] - providing a device comprising: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said wheel, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said wheel, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an outside position of said dual wheel assembly;

[0020] - installing said first disk on said bolts so as to have said external edge of said disk abut said rim portion of said wheel located on said inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and

[0021] - installing said second disk so that said central portion of said second abuts said central portion of said first disk;

[0022] - installing said outer wheel and tire;

[0023] - securing the wheels to the bolts by securing nuts to each one of said bolts.

[0024] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for a device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said kit comprising: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mud-reducing device is intended on being installed on a dual wheel arrangement and is designed in such a way as to reduce the accumulation of solids within a space created by said dual wheels. This space being referred to as the inter-wheel space. Solids (such as mud) can typically accumulate in the inter-wheel space by entering from the front of a wheel through the space created by the spokes (inter-spoke space) or by the space created by the valve stem bore. Solids (such as mud) can also accumulate in the inter-wheel space by the space created between two wheels of the dual wheel assembly. As a vehicle drives through mud, for example, mud is being compressed by the two wheels of a dual wheel assembly and exits from under the compression by either side of each one of the wheels. This situation creates an accumulation of mud (in the described case) between the two wheels and the mud proceeds upwards between the two wheels into the inter-wheel space and consequently creates a substantial mass of foreign material which gets struck in the wheel between within the space defined by the rim. Preferably, the presence of a device as described herein substantially reduces the accumulation from both the front of a wheel and from underneath the inter-wheel space.

[0026] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0027] The detailed description will be better understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0028] Figure 1 is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention being partially installed on a truck wheel arrangement;

[0029] Figure 2 is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention being fully installed on a truck wheel arrangement;

[0030] Figure 3 is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention being fully installed on a truck wheel arrangement with the second wheel being installed;

[0031] Figure 4 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention being fully installed on a truck wheel arrangement showing the inter-wheel gap; and

[0032] Figure 5 is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention installed on a truck wheel arrangement in a muddy field.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] Typically, trucks have four wheels in the rear, as the rear wheels carry most of the truck’s cargo weight. Pick-up trucks can also have pairs of dual wheels, this allows those pick-up truck to have a wide rear track which helps to support and evenly distribute the weight of a payload. Such wheel assemblies also help in providing increased stability to the pick-up truck.

[0035] Of course, this is the case for a truck having a single axle in the rear but the greater the weight being carried, the higher the number of axles required. As mentioned, the four wheels are divided up in two pairs, one on either side of the truck. The pair of wheels are mounted on the same bolts which explains that the wheel rims are concave. Once mounted on the truck and secured onto the bolts with the appropriate number of nuts, there is a space created between the inside wheel (closer to the middle of the cargo bed) and the outside wheel (closer to the outside edge of the truck’s cargo bed). This space is referred to as the interwheel space. Under wet weather conditions and poor road conditions, solids such as mud, ice, snow, and dust can accumulate in the inter-wheel space and cause substantial problems to the wheels and the truck as well as becoming dangerous for the operator.

[0036] To better understand how dual wheel assemblies can accumulate solids in their inter-wheel space, it is incumbent to understand the various elements which make up a wheel. A wheel on which tires are mounted comprise a number of elements:

[0037] - the outboard face which is the face of the wheel which makes the design visible when looking at the vehicle and provides structure for the wheel;

[0038] - the center bore - an empty hole in the center of the wheel which is often covered by a center cap with the manufacturer’s logo so it isn’t visible when the wheel is on the vehicle;

[0039] - the center disc / plate which is the central section around the center bore that contains the lug holes; it bolts to the wheel hub, while the spokes connect the rim to the plate;

[0040] - the spokes which are the structures that connect from the center plate to the edge of the rim; the spokes play a large part in determining the weight and strength of a wheel;

[0041] - the rim which is the outer diameter of the wheel;

[0042] - the bolt circles which are the circle that created by the centers of the lug holes, where the lugs affix the wheel to the hub; and

[0043] - the valve stem bore which is the hole that allows air to be added to the tire; the valve stem can be made of rubber or metal.

[0044] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a device intended on reducing the accumulation of solids in the inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly, for example, rear wheel truck assemblies which commonly use pairs of dual wheels to support the loads the trucks carry in their cargo bed.

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the solids comprise a mud.

[0046] Preferably, the device is made of two concave circular plates wherein said shape is adapted to substantially contour the shape of a truck wheel rim. More preferably, the concave shape creates a void in the space defined by the between the inner wheel and the outer wheel of a dual wheel assembly. Preferably, the concave shape is also made to contour the inside of the outer wheel. The abutment of the first and second disk with one another greatly decreases the volume of the interwheel void where matter such as dirt can accumulate. As mentioned above, truck wheels used in dual wheel assemblies have a concave wheel rim so as to be able to mount the two wheels of a dual wheel assembly on the same bolts. Given such an arrangement, there is oftentimes an accumulation of hard to remove solids (such as, but not limited to, mud) in the inter-wheel space in a dual wheel assembly. Preferably, the device, in this embodiment, allows for both easy and quick installation onto the bolts of the dual wheel assembly.

[0047] A person skilled in the art will understand that the device according to a preferred embodiment is designed to reduce the accumulation of solids between the two wheels and not necessarily between the two tires of a dual wheel assembly, as the device does not extend beyond the rim of the wheels. In any event, since the accumulation is substantially reduced, any remaining mud or solids accumulated between the tires can be removed by driving on a road surface which does not contain any further solids which may accumulate between the tires.

[0048] The installation of a preferred embodiment of this device according to the present invention, simply require the removal of the nuts (90 on Figure 4) of a dual wheel assembly, followed by the removal of the outside wheel, once this has been accomplished, the installation of a first half (10) having a flat surface (11) and a concave section (12) of the mud-reducing device is done by installing it on the bolts (60) and abutting the edge (13) thereof against the inner wheel (40) rim’s edge (42) of the inside (or inner) wheel (as can be seen in Figure 1). It is seen that the first half (10) of the device pictured does not extend onto the tire (41) but remains edge to edge with the rim (42).

[0049] This step is then followed by the installation of the second half (20) having a flat surface (21) and a concave section (22) and an edge (23) of the device onto the bolts (60) where, this time the second half is positioned in the opposite direction so as to abut against the outside (second or outer) wheel’s rim edge upon installation of the outside wheel (as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3). Once the outside wheel is installed and the edge (23) of the second half (20) of the mud-reducing device is abutted against the outer wheel (50) rim’s edge (52), the nuts (90) are installed on the wheel bolts and secured according to specification. Edge (52’) is provided to show completed assembly with the outer wheel (50) and tire (51) installed. The installation is complete and can be seen in Figure 3. It is seen that the second half (10) of the device pictured does not extend onto the outer tire (51) but remains edge to edge with the rim (52) or more specifically, the edge of the disk abuts to the edge of the rim creating in sort a seal to prevent matter from accumulating in the void created by the abutment of the disk. The second half (20) of the device is visible through the holes (54) present on the outer wheel (50). Accumulation of solids through holes (54) is minimal as the concave shape of the second half (20) of the device closely adopts the shape of the wheel (50).

[0050] Figure 4 shows the inter-wheel space between the inner (41) and outer (51) tires which is now substantially occupied by the presence of the two halves (10 and 20) of the mud-reducing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 5 shows the mud accumulation of mud on a dual wheel assembly on a truck in a mud fdled road. It can be seen that approximately an inch and a half to two inches of mud have accumulated onto the tires. The accumulation of mud is so substantial that it is difficult to discern the outer tire (51) from the inner tire. This very thick clay mud is very difficult to remove and if the device was not employed, could damage several essential parts of the truck wheels, axle or the brakes. To perform proper removal of mud in a situation where a preferred embodiment of the mud-reducing device of the present invention is not used, one would be forced to remove the outside wheel, clean thoroughly the inter-wheel space (possibly have to remove the inside wheel), and then re-install the wheels onto the bolts and secure them again. This is extremely inconvenient as truck wheels are typically quite heavy and require some equipment to lift up the wheel (such as a jack), equipment to remove the wheel off of the bolts and probably a supply of water with a pressure washer or the like. This can be quite time-consuming and, in some cases, simply too impractical to be performed.

[0052] In northern Alberta, the work sites (roads, well installations and the like) are often located in areas comprising thick clay. When this type of clay gets wet, it squishes through the wheels and pack into the brake caliper. Preferably, this device is designed is to protect disc brake setups. When the mud packs in the inter-wheel space, it is virtually impossible to scoop out or clean. The most commonly used approach is to drive until mud dries then chip it out. Sometimes using this approach can take days.

[0053] One could go to a car wash, but as it is extremely difficult to remove all of the accumulated mud or clay, the remaining solids can lead to wheels being out of balance. Unbalanced wheels then cause excess wear and vibration throughout the entire vehicle. Premature tire wear, damage to wheel bearings, shocks and driveline components. During the winter, there is a lot of work in muskeg covered areas. Muskeg is soft and fluffy and when a vehicle rolls on muskeg, the pressure it creates pushes it between the wheels and gets stuck there and eventually freezes which in turn, will cause the same list of issues as mud.

[0054] Preferably, the device prevents any foreign bodies from potentially damaging brakes or suspension.

[0055] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a concave disk adapted for insertion onto bolts of a wheel set-up, where the shape of said concave disk is adapted to substantially follow the shape of the wheel so as to substantially reduce any accumulation of solids between the disk and the wheel.

[0056] As is understood by the person skilled in the art to which this disclosure is addressed, the sealing member described and disclosed in this description can take different forms but still be considered to be part of the inventive concept as described and illustrated herein. The embodiments described herein are to be understood to be exemplary and numerous modification and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims appended hereto, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device comprises: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

2. A device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device comprises:- a circular device comprising a first concave face and a second concave face and a perimeter surface;- each one of said first concave face and said second concave face, comprising:- a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto a plurality of bolts present on said dual wheel assembly; an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to said perimeter surface therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first concave face will, upon installation onto said bolt assembly, abut said wheel hub and said second concave face will abut a centerplate of the outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly, and wherein said perimeter surface comprising a first edge and a second edge will have said first edge abutting against a rim of said inner wheel of dual wheel assembly and said second edge abutting against a rim of said outer wheel of dual wheel assembly.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprise no other aperture other than spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolt assembly.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein first concave face and a second concave face comprise no other aperture other than spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolt assembly.

5. A device adapted for installation on an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said device consisting of: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

6. A method of reducing solids accumulation in an inter-wheel space of a dual wheel assembly, said method comprising the steps of:- providing said dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel;- providing a device comprising: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge;wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said wheel, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said wheel, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an outside position of said dual wheel assembly;- installing said first disk on said bolts so as to have said external edge of said disk abut said rim portion of said wheel located on said inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and- installing said second disk so that said central portion of said second abuts said central portion of said first disk;- installing said outer wheel and tire;- securing the wheels to the bolts by securing nuts to each one of said bolts.

7. A kit for a device adapted for installation on an inter- wheel space of a dual wheel assembly comprising: a wheel hub; a bolt assembly; an inner wheel and an outer wheel, wherein said kit comprising: a first disk and a second disk, each of said first and second disk having a concave shape and comprising: o a substantially flat central portion having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures adapted to fit onto said bolts of said bolt assembly; o an exterior section extending outwardly from an edge of said central portion to a pre-determined distance therefrom defining an external edge; wherein said central portion of said first said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut a wheel hub assembly of said wheel and said external edge of said disk will abut a rim portion of a wheel located on an inside position of said dual wheel assembly; and wherein said central portion of said second said disk will, upon installation onto said bolts of said bolt assembly, abut said central portion of said first disk and said external edge of said second disk will abut a rim portion of said outer wheel of said dual wheel assembly.

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