US2238665A - Utility vehicle - Google Patents

Description

April 15, 1941. H. J. TROCHE UTILITY VEHICLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 22, 1939 INVENTOR. fff/eMfl/v J 7780075 fl f-M, #7 73 A TTORNEY5 H. J. TROCHE UTILITY vsazcw Filed Nov 22, 1959 April 15, 1941.

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April 15, 1941. H. J. TROCHE UTILITY VEHICLE Filed Nov. 22, 1939 3 Sheets$heet 5 INVENTOR.

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Herman J. Troche, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to 1 J I I The American 'Coach and Body Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio- Company,

Application November 22, 1939, Serial No. 305,664

. 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a utility vehicle having a ladder thereon that is swingable and tiltable with reference to the vehicle for obtaining access to overhead trafiic lights, street lamps, and the like. The invention finds particular application in cities where traffic is heavy, and where provision must be made for reaching an overhead location speedily without interfering with the normal operation of traffic, and without interference from cars which may be parked beside the signal to be attended.

One of the difficulties in mounting a ladder upon a truck has been to make it long enough to reach the desired objectives within the limited space of a vehicle and yet light enough to be oper ated by only one man. An additional difficulty has been the fact that after a ladder has been once adjusted for direction and height, the operator could not move around upon it to different locations without endangering his safety.

The present invention has for one of its objects, an arrangement which permits one man to swing and tilt the ladder quickly to any desired position,

and to provide a platform at the upper'end thereof which will automatically fall into operating position upon the mere act of extending the lad der, and which will enable an operator to move about and always to stand upon a horizontal surface regardless of the angle at which theladder is disposed with reference to the ground.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig.1 is a rear view of a motor vehicle having a ladder emb'ddy} ing my invention mounted thereon and illustrating the ladderin'various positions; Fig. 2 shows the ladder in telescoped, but elevated position; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the ladder and supporting structure showing the ladder in retracted position and locked to the roof of the cabq Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sections taken on'the planes indicated by'the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 3; Figs. 7 and 8 are sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 99 in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a top plan view showing the mechanism for locking the ladderto the cab; and Fig. 11 is a' section taken on the line in Fig. 10.

I have shown the ladder as being mounted upon the floor of a motor vehicle, indicated in general at I0, and as being used for providing access to an overhead lamp. The ladder illustrated is the extensible type, there" being two sections II and I2 indicated in this application. These sections are mounted for telescopic movement with respect to each other in the customary manner, and

for the purpose of description herein, the section reference thereto, and tilted at any desired angle, within its range, with reference thereto. 1 The supporting structure for the ladder may comprise a column [5 which is shown in the form of a cylindrical member that projects upwardly from a base I 6 which, in turn, is rigidly fastened to fthe floor of the truck. The top of the column may have a bearing ring 11 supported thereon for re-' l8 that extends downwardly about the standard with a lower bearing on the ceiving a sleeve tribute the load stresses along a considerable "length of the column. v f a I The mechanism for connecting the ladder to the sleeve [8 preferably embodies a system'of linkage which is connected at one point 29 to. the

ladder, and at spaced-points 2| and 22 to' the sleeve.

links that are preferably spaced equally from the center of the column and on opposite sides thereof.

mechanism is compactly arranged in a relatively small space.

The spaced points of connection 2| and 22 tween the'sleeve and the linkage'mechanism comprise pivotson arms 23 and 24 respectively which 20 and 22 are interconnected by a link 28, thereby providing a linkage system which has a single pivot on the ladder and a double pivot on the supporting sleeve. .This arrangement again distributesthe load along substantially the entire length of the sleeve l8 and provides a compact structure which vpermits rotation of the sleeve through 360 in a relatively restricted space'with:

in a motor vehicle. 1

p The ladder is normally carried for transporta-' tion in a horizontal position as shown in Fig.- 3,

but is adapted to be elevated by tilting-about the pivot 20. This can be quickly accomplishedby pulling downwardly on the bottom of the ladder which. for convenience, has'a downwardly :ex--

tending offset portion 30 that may be readily grasped by the operator and swung "downwardly" M to the broken line position 30a in Fig. 3. The ap-' *par'atus for holding the ladderin position may comprise pins 3| which are disposed within a hollow rung 32 and are normally urged outwardly by springs 33 as shown particularly in Fig. 4. The members 3| normally project beyond the side rail for engagement in the openings of the hollow;

As shown in Fig. 9, there are twosets of Thus, 'the load is equally distributed upon .the supporting structure while. the elevating pivots 21 in the flared end portions 35 of the links 26 (Figs. and 7) This arrangement provides a snap-fastening action that locks the ladder in elevated position as soon as it reaches the broken line position of Fig. 3.

To withdraw the locking pin 3! from the openings 21, I have shown each pin 3| as connected at 36 to an arm 31, and I have shown each arm 31 as being pivotally connected at 33 to a hand controlled lever 39 which in turn may be pivotally connected at 40 to the hollow rung 32. Suitable slots 4|, are provided in the rung 32 and the transverse pins36 are embraced by slots in the arms 31, the arrangement being such that whenever the lever 39 is swung in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, the locking pins 3| will be drawn into the rung sufficiently to clear the openings 2! and to allow the extension 30 to be moved upwardly and the main body of the ladder to be moved downwardly to the horizontal position of Fig. 3. When the ladder is elevated as'previously described, and the pins 3| are cammed inwardly by the flared portions 35 and then outwardly into the openings 21 by the springs 33', the pins 36 move within the slots, the handle 39 remaining stationary.

To lock the entire superstructure that is supported on the standard IS in any desired angular'position about a -vertical axis, Ihave shown a plate 42 which is carried by the standard beneath the sleeve and which has apertures 43 (Fig. 6) extending'at spaced intervals therethrough. A plunger 44 carried by a rod 45 isslidably mounted in lugs 46 and 41 that project from the sleeve as shown'in Fig. 3. The plun-j ger-carrying rod is normally urged downwardly by the spring 48, but is adapted to be'nianually withdrawn or lifted to permit rotation of the sleeve and the accompanying superstructure to a different angular position. The mechanism for lifting the rod is shown as an arm 49 which is pivotally connected'at 50 to the rod which is rigidlyattached to a crossbar 5| that is supported for oscillation in brackets 52', FigJV. which in turn are supported on bearing blocks 53 The bearing blocks may be suitably carried by arms 54 that project outwardly and upwardly from the sleeve. The cross bar 5| terminates'afl each end in a handle 55 which is disposed adjacent a hand wheel 60 where it is convenient for an operator to depress while simultaneouslv manipulating the hand wheel for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

To alter the vertical angular position of the ladder after it has been locked in the tilted position, I utilize a mechanism for swinging the links about the pivots 2| and 22. Such mechanism is shown as comprising threaded spindles 65 which, as shown in Fi 8 extend through threaded cylindrical nuts 66 that are disposed within a sleeve 61 which in turn is mounted within a hollow cross brace 68. The cross brace. in'turn, is rigidly attached at its ends, as by welding, to the links 28. Trusses 69 extend from the central region of the cross brace 68 to points near the upper and lower ends of the links 2 8. at 70 and H respectively. As is shown in Fig. 9, slots 12 in the cross brace and sleeves 6'! allow a limited rotation ofthe nuts 66 with reference to the cross brace so as to permit freedom. of movement of the nuts along the entire threaded portion of the spindle 65 as the angles bt the linkage members vary. Such movement of the nuts "is efl'ective to tilt the ladder SO asi0 vary the inclination of it while it is in elevated position.

The mechanism for rotating the spindles 65 preferably comprises hand wheels'fill which are rigidly mounted upon a shaft 73, which in turn is supported by the bearing blocks 53. The shaft is connected to the threaded spindles by suitable beveled gears, indicated at E5 and i5 respectively, within housings I4 rotatable on the shaft 13.

By utilizing two hand wheel-s and by placing the levers 55 in close proximity thereto, an operator may stand at the foot of the ladder and quickly position the upper end of it in any desired overhead location with dispatch.

To facilitate manipulation of the ladder by only one operator, I prefer to counterbalance the weight of the ladder, and for such purpose I utilize spring loaded plungers 19, at each side of the support, within casings 83 which are connected to the ladder by flexible cables at. The cables extend over curved top surfaces 32 of brackets 83 which are attached to the'side rails of the lower section. As shown in Figs. 3 and 7, the casing 811 for each device projects through a bracket 85 rigidly carried by the link 28. A shoulder 300., formed upon the casing, effectively restrains the casing and provides a pivotal connection with the slightly crowned face of the bracket.

'To accommodate an operator, I may provide a platform adjacent the top of the movable ladder section that permits him to stand erect regardless of the angular position of the ladder. Moreover, I may so construct the platform that it may swing automatically into operating position whenever the ladder isextended and will automatically move back into idle position upon retraction of the ladder to the storage position.

The upwardly facing concave platform 86 and the support for the same by means of rods '89, which at their upper ends may slide in the extension l2 to allow the folding of the platform, is not claimed herein but in my divisional application No. 327,674, filed April 3,1940.

As an added safety feature for the workman at the top of the ladder, I provide a U-shaped foot guard 92 which connects the rods 89, and I provide hand grip brackets93 which are rigidly attached to the upper end of the movable ladder section. The brackets 93 also permit the attachment of the safety belt as is shown in Fig. 1. An additional safety feature are the truss rods 94 which reinforce the ladder rail-s against deflection and which serve as hand rails'while the workman is moving along the ladder.

To look the ladder in horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3, I have shown a clamping device which is mounted on the top of the cab 95 upon a base 96 which extends transversely thereof. A layer of rubber 91 may be disposed between the base block and the cab roofto protect the roof and to absorb vibration. The base block has attached to it, a clamp supporting member which as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 has a base 98 which may be fastened to the base block by the same securing members which secure it to the cab. The member also has a vertical wall, 99, the upper portion of which is shown as being bent outwardly as at I00, bent inwardly as at llll, and then downwardly as at I02. The part lfll forms a supporting surface for rubber pillow blocks .13 upon which the ladders are adapted to rest. The surface lfll also provides a support for flared ladder guides I04.

Phe rails of the lower section may be provided with a laterally extending flanged portion I which is formed from a strip of metal that is attached to the bottom and side faces of theladder rails. These strips provide a surface against which the ends of arms I06 may engage for clamping the ladder against the blocks I03.

As shownin Fig. .11, the arms I06 are attached to a U-shaped plate I01 which is pivotally-f There are two arms I06 shown in Fig. 11 for engaging opposite mounted at I08 :between the vertical face 99 and the downturned face I02.

sides of the ladder, but the arms are adapted to be moved in unison from the full line to the broken line position I06a in Fig. 11.

The simultaneous movement of the clamping arms I06 may be accomplished by movement of a hand lever from either side of the vehicle. Accordingly, two hand levers I09 are shown that are pivotally connected intermediately at 0,

and are pivotally connected at their respective ends to the brackets I01. The last named con-' nection preferably takes the form of an intermediate link III, one end of which is pivoted at II2 to the member I01, and the other endof' which is pivoted at II3 to the handle I09. Thepivot II2 has its axis extending in a horizontal plane, while the pivot H3 has its axis extending in a vertical plane. This, therefore, provides in effect a universal joint between the part I01 and? the handle I09. The handles are guided for sliding movement in a slot, the upper side of which is formed by a bar II5 which extends to ward the front end of the truck and which is a securely fastened as by welding to the bottom edge of the flange I02 and to the vertical por-i tion or face 99. The upturned forward end of a rod IIB 'may be welded to the plate I I5 and the rear end to the face 99 to complete the passage way within which the arms I09 may be moved.

The clamping mechanism is so arranged that whenever either one of the hand levers I09 is shifted from the full to the :broken line position' I09a in Fig. 10, both ends of the arms are drawn inwardly, thus springing themembers I01 about their pivots I08 and causing the clamping arms, I06 to move outwardly to the broken line position I06a. This releases the ladder for immediate use. line position, then the pivotal connection therebetween them moves past the dead center position shown in Fig. 10, and thus the arms I06 are. automatically maintained in a clamping position.

To clamp the sections of the ladder againstl movement longitudinally with respect to each other during transportation, I have shown in When the levers I09 are in the full Fig. 4 an interlocking hook and eye devicewhichj locks the two sections together whenever the upper ladder section is moved backwardly unt l the end of the rails thereof engage a stop I20 (Fig. 3), which is carried by the lower section and under which a projection I20a on the upper section is wedged. The interlocking device takes the form of a hook I2I which is formed on the.

er the ladder to storage position. The locked position is'shown in Fig. 3 and in broken lines at I2Ia in Fig. 4.

The operation of a ladder made in accordance with my invention is as follows: Assuming that the ladder is carried in the clamped position as is shown in Fig. 3, and that the vehicle has arrived at a location where the ladder is to be used, then the vehicle is stopped in a position which will be as near as possible to the overhead device to be serviced without interferring with the normal flow of traiiic along the street. Thereupon, the operator swings the lever I09 to release the clamps I06 and then he releases the clamp which holds the two sections together by swinging the lever 39 in a direction to disengage the hook I2I from the eye I 22. Thereupon the operator pulls downwardly on the end of the lower ladder section, thereby swinging it about the pivot 20 until the offset portion 30 is in the position indicated at 30a (Fig. 3), at which time the pins 3| automatically engage the hollow pivots 21, and thereby lock the ladder in the elevated position. The ladder may then be extended by pulling the upper section along the lower section in the customary manner as by means of a rope until the top of the movable section is sufliciently close to the article upon which the operator intends to work. If the top of the ladder is not positioned accurately enough by the operation just described, then the operator can revolve it and also vary the angle of inclination to suit the desired location.

The ladder is revolved by pressing downwardly on the levers 55, thus releasing the locking engagement between the ring 42 and the plunger 44, whereupon the ladder may be swung horizontally and then locked in the desired position by releasing the levers 55. This causes a new engagement of the plunger 44 with a different opening 43 in the ring 42. The vertical angular position of the ladder may then be altered, if desired, by rotating the hand wheels 60, which in turn rotate the spindles 65 and. cause the nuts 60 to move along the axis of the spindles. Inasmuch as the nuts are attached to the linkage system which supports the ladder, the links are caused to move about their pivots '2I and 22 so as to alter the angular position, as is shown for example by the broken lines Ila and III) in Fig. 1'.

At the completion of the work for which the ladder was used, it, may be retracted in the reverse order of elevation, and locked in position upon the cab of the vehicle. Due to the lightness in weight, the counterbalancing of the lad der, and the compact arrangement of the operating mechanism, the ladder may be elevated and retracted by only one operator. Moreover, the construction shown enables the ladder to be directed to any overhead position by extendin across any motor vehicles that may be parked alongside the curb or may extend from a position near the curb to an overhead position ad- J'acent the center of a street intersection without interfering with the normal flow of traihc in any direction.

I claim:

1. In combination, a vehicle. a ladder, means for mounting the ladder for swinging and tilt ing movement on the vehicle, said means comprising a column rigidly attached to the vehicle,

.and a sleeve swiveled on the column, saidmeans also including two sets of links .that are connected to the ladder on a common pivot and to the sleeve at spaced pivots, and a screw and nut couple also carried by the sleeve for moving the links and ladder with reference to the sleeve.

2. In combination, a vehicle, a:ladder, means for mounting the-ladder 'for swinging andtihing movement with reference to the vehicle, said means including a column rigidly mounted on the vehicle, a sleeve swiveled. on' the column, a memberpivotally connected to the sleeve and to the ladder, and two links pivotally connected together and also pivotally connected to the lad der and sleeve respectively, means for locking the ladder to one ofthe links, and meansfor moving the'member with reference to the sleeve to tilt the ladderwith reference to the vehicle.

3. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder having a relatively stationary and a relatively movable section, means for mounting the ladder for swinging and tilting movement with reference to the-vehicle, the ladder having an offset portionextending downwardly adjacent the lower end thereof, means adjacent the offset portion for locking the ladder to the mounting means locking means, said device operating to lockthe sections of l the ladder together upon release of the locking connection.

4. In combination, a vehicle having a platform, a ladder having an extensible section, means for mounting the ladder for swinging and'tilting movement upon the platform, said means including a column affixed to the platform, a sleeve swivelled-on the column, the column having an apertured ring rigidly mounted thereon beneath the sleeve, a shiftable member carried-by the sleeve and adapted to engage an aperture in the ring for locking the sleeve againstrotation with respect to the column, a pluralityof links pivotally connected to one section of the ladder, a screw. and-nut couple carried by the sleeve for actuating the links to alter the angular-position of the ladder, a hand wheel for actuating one member of the couple, and a lever pivotally mounted on. the sleeve and disposed adjacent the-hand wheel for releasing the locking connection between the sleeve and column, said wheel and member being accessible for manipulation by. an-operator positioned at the base of .the ladderand in front thereof.

5. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladder for swinging and tiltingmovement withreference to the vehicle, said means including a column rigidly mounted on thevehicle, a sleeve swiveled on the column, a member pivotally connected to the sleeve and to the ladder intermediate theends of the ladder, a. shaftjournaled onthe sleeve and extending transversely of the ladder, a hand wheel on each end of the shaft and disposed'outside the path of tilting. movement of the ladder, a screw and nut couple operatively connected to said shaft and to said member respectively, and means car ried. by the ladderadjacent the bottom thereof forlooking it in tilted position to thesleeve.

6. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladder for swinging and. tilting movement with reference to the vehicle, said means including a column rigidly, mounted on the vehicle, a sleeve swiveled on the column, a member pivotally connected to the sleeve near the lower end thereof andpivotally connected to the ladder intermediate the ends thereof, a screw shaft journaled on the sleeve, a nut coacting with said screw shaft and swivelly mounted onxsald .membernear; the-mid-portion' thereof, a. tubecarried by; the member and a spring actuated device mounted within the tube and connected to the'ladderand operating as a counterbalance therefor.

7. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladderfor swinging and tilting movement with reference -to the vehicle, said means including a column rigidly mounted: on the vehicle, a sleeve swiveled on the'column, a link pivotally connected to the sleeve andto the ladder, a shaft journaled onthe sleeve andextendingtransversely of the ladder, means :for rotating the shaft, aiscrew. and-nutrcouple-operatively connected to said shaft and to said link respectively, coacting means on the sleeve and ladder for locking the ladder in: a tilted position, said last named means including a tubularmember on the ladder, a? rod mounted therein and means for selectively, moving the rod to project a portion thereof outside the tubuiar member.

8. In combination, avehicle, a ladder mounted thereon for swinging-and tilting movement, said mounting including a column-rigidly attached to the vehicle, and a sleeve supportedbythecolumn for rotation thereon, and a linkpivoted to the sleeve and connectingithe sleeve to the ladder, and other means connecting'the sleeveto the ladder, said mounting also including-a screw and nut couple connecting the link and: thesleeve for moving the link about said pivotto tilt the ladder with-- relation to' the sleeve, said couple having one member thereof carried" by the sleeve and the other'member thereof swiv-- eled on the link at alpoint intermediate theends thereof.

9. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladder for swinging andtilting movement on the vehicle, said means comprising a column rigidly attached to the vehicle, and a sleeve swiveledonthe column, anda link pivotally connected to the sleeve and to the ladder and an additional'connection' between the sleeve and ladder comprising a pair of links pivotally joined together, said means also including ascrew and nut couple connectingthe link first mentioned and the sleeve for moving the ladder withreferenceto the sleeve, means sleeve and ladder, said.= means alsoincludingascrew and nut couple connecting. the link first mentioned and the sleeve formoving the'ladder with reference to the sleeve, a hand operated wheel for actuating one member, ofthe couple, a device for locking the ladder inpredetermined positions of swinging movement, anda member having a hand engaging, portion disposed adjacent the wheel for releasing the lockingdevice, said wheel and member being accessible for manipulation by an operator positioned at the base of the ladder andin front thereof.

HERMAN J. TROCl-IE.

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