Trailer Drawbar Support Automatic Lift Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Trailer drawbar supports, or jockey wheels, are often manually retracted and can be damaged if left in a lowered position during towing, as they can come into contact with the ground, leading to potential damage from forward or rearward movement.
Innovation Solution
An automatic lift mechanism is integrated into the trailer drawbar support system, featuring a sliding member within the drawbar tube that moves in response to the towing vehicle's movement, a latch member that pivots to release the back plate, and a spring biasing the back plate towards a horizontal orientation, allowing the jockey wheel to automatically lift into a stowed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drawbar support is manually retracted using coarse and fine adjustments, then the jockey wheel can be positioned to avoid ground contact, but the operation requires manual intervention and time
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism enables the drawbar support to automatically lift itself into the retracted position using the vehicle's own movement as the activating force. The sliding member moves within the drawbar tube when the vehicle moves forward, which triggers the latch member to release and allows the back plate to rotate, lifting the jockey wheel without any manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism performs the retraction action in advance of potential ground contact damage. By automatically lifting the jockey wheel as soon as the vehicle moves forward, the system prevents the harmful ground contact from occurring in the first place, rather than requiring manual intervention after the fact.
2Ease of operation
If the drawbar support is left in the lowered position, then manual operation is minimized, but the jockey wheel can be damaged by ground impact when the trailer moves
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects when the vehicle moves forward and self-activates to lift the jockey wheel into the protected position. The sliding member's movement within the drawbar tube during vehicle motion triggers the entire lifting sequence, eliminating the need for manual operation while simultaneously preventing ground impact damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism applies a counter-action in advance by lifting the jockey wheel before ground impact can occur. The automatic lifting mechanism counteracts the potential harmful effect of ground contact by raising the wheel into the retracted position as soon as vehicle movement is detected, preventing the harmful factor from taking effect.
3Reliability
If an automatic lift mechanism is added to the drawbar support system, then ground contact damage is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism merges multiple functions into a single integrated system. The sliding member, latch member, and back plate work together as a unified mechanism where the vehicle's movement directly drives the lifting action. This combination reduces the need for separate actuators, sensors, and control systems that would otherwise be required for an automatic system.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding member acts as an intermediary that converts the vehicle's forward movement into the lifting action. Instead of requiring a complex motorized system, the sliding member translates the simple linear motion of vehicle movement into the rotational motion needed to lift the jockey wheel, simplifying the overall mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism effectively prevents ground contact and damage by automatically raising the jockey wheel into a transit position as the vehicle moves forward or rearward, enhancing safety and reducing manual operation requirements.
Implementation Method 1
A spring biasing the back plate towards a horizontal orientation, allowing the jockey wheel to automatically lift into a stowed position
Data Source
AI summary
A trailer adapted to be coupled to a tow vehicle and including a frame including a draw bar tube defining a longitudinal axis. The trailer includes a drawbar support pivotally coupled to the draw bar tube and rotatable relative to the drawbar tube about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis. The drawbar support is biased toward a substantially horizontal orientation. A sliding member is receivable in the drawbar tube and is configured for movement along the longitudinal axis in response to movement of the tow vehicle. A latch member is connected to the sliding member. The latch member is configured to move in response to movement of the sliding member from a first position wherein the drawbar support is retained in a substantially vertical orientation to a second position wherein the draw bar support is free to rotate toward the substantially horizontal orientation.