US2646237A - Portable stand - Google Patents

Description

July 21, 1953 M. HINESMAN PORTABLE STAND Filed Feb. '7, 1950 v wwzw'rok. 6150265 M. H/A/fSMA/V ATTORNEYS Patented July 21, 1953 'IUNIJTEDQJSTATE VPQRTABLHZE STAND GeorgeM. Hinesman, Galion, Ohio 7 s PATENT] ApplicationFebi-uary 7-, 1950, Serial No. 142,881

. 1 This invention relates to stands and in particular to portable stands for outboard motors.

1 Claim. (01. 248-4) When an outboard motor is dismounted from the craft with which it isused, it is desirable that the motor be supported in a position levated from the ground or floor in order to prevent accumulation of dirt and dust and other injurious particles on working parts of the motor and also to insure thatno damage re the operating parts from contact with hard surfaces will occur. When the motor is to remainidle for a period of time forms apart ofmy inventionj and Figureleisla perspective view of thestand in a foldedor col; lapsed position.

Referring'now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows.

a stand generally indicated at I which embodies the novel features of my invention and which is shown in its erected or upright position'supportsuch as overnight and particularly when it is to I .be stored for a season, it is recommended prac tice that the gasoline and oil be drained therefrom.

Sinc the gasoline and oil ports on present day outboard motors are usually located on the top of the motor unit, it is expedient that the motor be 360 and to be held in various angular positions relative to the ground to facilitate draining of gasoline'andoil and to permit inspection and repair of all parts of the motor. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an outboard motor stand that will permit drainage of gasoline and oil from the motor with a minimum of effort on the part of the operator;

' A further object of my invention is to provide a stand that will permit an outboard motor to be rotated to and'locked in a plurality of selected angular positions relative to the ground to facilitateinspection, maintenanc and repair of the motor. Anotherobject of my invention is to provide a light weight collapsible outboard motor stand that'is easy to carry and set up andwliich ee 'pies a minimum of space in its collapsed position. Another object is to provide a rugged and sturdy outboard motor stand which will safely and firmly support an outboard motor and which is extremely economical to manufacture.

These and other objectswill becomeapparent from the following description of a preferred form of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of my stand in an erected or opera 'tive position showing an outboard motor mounted thereon; Figure. 2, is'a side elevational viewof the top portion of the stand with the cross bar rotated 90 'from'i'ts position shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a plate which ing a conventional outboard motor 2. The stand l is capable of supporting the motor 2 in a plurality of angular positions relative to the ground or floor as will be more fully explained below and therefore the position of the motor shown in Figure]. is merely illustrative of one of those positions.

' The stand l is comprised of a cross bar v3,110

. which the motor is clampedby means of the motor flange l and screws 5. The flange 4 and screws 5 ar standard outboard motor equipment; and

therefcre form'no part of my invention. The I cross bar 3 may be made of wood,'a1though other materials such as metal tubing, plastic andthe like may be used, and preferably has a width of 4 inches'a thickness of 2 inches and a length of 2 feet whereby to permit the motor 2 when w mounted thereon to pivot freely about its own vertical axis without obstruction from other parts of the stand. The cross bar 3 is preferably initially orientated with its wider sides'Sa' and 3b extending substantially vertically as shown to permit mounting of the motor 2 thereon in the same manner as when the motor is secured to mounting board on the rear of the water craft withwhi ch it is used. It will be understood that the above dimensions are given only by way of example and accordingly I do not wish to be limited by'them.

The cross bar 3 has a channel or hole warmed therein extending the lengthof the bar through its longitudinal'axis. The channel 6 is adapte'dto receive a rod. 1, the length ofwhich is greater than the corresponding dimension of channel 6" so that the end portions la and lb of t heirodl' project beyond the respective ends of the'bar 1'3 when the parts are assembled.

In order to support th motor 2 in an elevated position with respect to the ground or floor, two similar supporting members Band I!) are pivotal 1y connected to the ends la and lb of the rod 1 and project therefrom substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axisof thecross bar 3; Each of the supporting members 9 and i0 preferably is a one piece structure formed from a single length of rod or hollow tubular stock into a substantially U-shaped piece as shown. I have found that inch diameter hollow steel or alumi num tubing is a satisfactory material for-the members 9 and I0 and in addition is light in weight whereby to maintain the overall weight of the stand at a minimum, Supporting member 9 when so formed has two substantially parallel leg elements II and I2 connected at one end by a cross piece I3. Supporting member ID is similar in form to member 9 although difiering in dimensions and has leg elements I4 and I connected at one end by cross piec I6.

The free ends IIa, I211, Ma and Ita of leg elements II, [2, I4 and I5 respectively, that is, the ends of said elements remote from the respective cross pieces I3 and I6, are provided with bearing apertures [1, I8, I9 and 20 respectively for receiving and supporting the end portions la and lb of the rod '1.

When the stand is assembled, the members 9 and ID are arranged with the ends Ila and I2a of leg elements II and I2 respectively disposed adjacent the inner sides of ends Ma and S511 respectively of leg elements I4 and i5 with hearing apertures II, I8, I9 and 20 in axial alignment with each other. The cross bar 3 is then placed between the free ends of the leg elements with channel 6 in alignment with the bearing apertures so that the rod 1 may be inserted therethrough to pivotally secure the members 9 and I3 and the cross bar 3 together. The rod i is secured against lateral displacement by any suitable means such as cotter pins 2i and 2.2 fitted into appropriate holes in the ends of the rod. When the members 9 and it are formed from tubular stock, the ends Ila, 22a, 53a and Ma of theleg elements preferably are flattened as shown in Figure 2 to provide a larger surface which to-form bearing apertures ll, l8, l9 and 2t.

When the stand is placed in an erect or opera-- tive position, the members 9 and is project downwardly from the longitudinal axis or" the cross bar .3 at an angle to each other so that cross pieces I3 and I6 which rest on the ground or floor are spaced apart as shown to provide a firm rigid support for motor 2. Chains 23 and 2d fastened to adjacent leg elements limit the angular spread of the members 9 and iii when the stand is in its erect position.

The end of one of the leg elements, for example end Ida of leg element I4 is provided with a guide aperture 25 formed therein at a predetermined distance from bearing aperture i9. Aperture 25 is adapted to receive a locking pin 26 which is tied to leg element II by means of chain 21, the purpose of said pin being to prevent rotation of the cross bar 3 relative to supporting members 9 and II] as will be explained more fully below.

In order that the stand I may be folded into a convenient position when it is not in use, supporting member 9 is formed from tubular stock having a slightly greater overall length than that used in forming member iii. The spacing between bearing apertures I1 and I3 of member 9 as measured along the center line of the tubular stock will be greater than the corresponding spacing between bearing apertures l9 and 2d of member I0. With these parts formed as described, leg elements II and I2 of member 3 are laterally spaced apart a greater distance than leg elements I4 and I5 of member Hi and cross piece I3 is radially spaced a greater distance from the axis of rotation of said members than is cross piece I6. Thus, the members 9 and it will nest together as shown in Figure 4 when the stand is collapsed or folded, and in this position the stand will require a minimum of space. It will be noted that setting up the stand preparatory to mounting a motor thereon or collapsing it when not in use requires no assembling or dismantling of the component parts and thus the stand is extremely easy to manipulate. I

In order toconveniently and selectively support and secure the cross bar 3 and consequently the outboard motor 2 mounted thereon in a plurality of angles about a horizontal axis, I have provided a plate 28 mounted on the end of the cross bar 3 adjacent the end Ma of leg element I4. As clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, the plate 28 has a pair of inwardly extending flanges 29 and 30 provided with holes 3| and 32 respectively for receiving bolts 33. The cross bar 3 has bolt holes (not shown) through which the bolts 33 are adapted to pass for threaded engagement on the opposite side by nuts 34 thereby nonrotatably securing the plate 28 to the cross bar 3. The plate 28 is formed with a central opening 35 which accommodates the end of the cross bar 3 so that the outside surface 36 of the plate is flush with the end of the cross bar 3 when these parts are assembled. I

The plate 28 preferably is circular in shape and is provided with a plurality of spaced index holes 3'1 formed substantially equally distant from and surrounding the longitudinal axis of the cross bar 3 as shown. The size of holes 3'! is sulficient to snugly receive the locking pin 26 when the same is inserted therethrough. The radial distance of plate index holes 31 from the longitudinal axis of rod '5 when the plate 28 is mounted on the cross bar 3 is the same as the distance between bearing aperture I9 and guide aperture 25 in leg element it so that aperture 25 will register successively with the holes 3? when the plate 28 is rotated relative to the supporting member iii. When pin 23 is inserted through guide aperture 25 and one of the plate index holes 371 in alignment therewith, plate 28, the cross bar 3 and the supporting member iii will be non-rotatably locked together.

The use of my stand for draining gasoline and oil from an outboard motor will now be described. The motor is first clamped to cross barB when the stand is erected as shown in Figure 1. With the locking pin 26 removed from guideaperture 25, the motor 2 is rotated manually to an inverted angle so that the gasoline and oil ports are disposed downwardly at a proper angle for drainage. The motor may then be secured in this inverted position by inserting pin 25 through guide aperture 25 and one of the plate index holes 3'! in alignment therewith. At any desired point in this procedure, the gasoline and oil caps may be removed from their respective ports on the motor and the gasoline and oil drained from the motor by force of gravity into suitable receptacles without further attention from the operator.

It will also be seen from the above description that inspection and repair of an outboard motor is greatly simplified and facilitated by my stand since the motor mounted thereon may be rotated conveniently at any desired rate to expose all external parts of the motor to the operators eyes. Furthermore, if the motor requires repair and/ or maintenancewherein the motor must be fixed in position for a period of time, the motor may be conveniently rotated to any desired vertical angle and secured in the selected position in the manner described above, thus eliminating cumbersome and awkward handling operations.

As is well known, conventional outboard motors are provided with a swivel type mounting flange which permits the motor to pivot about its own vertical axis when mounted on a water craft for the purpose of steering the craft. My stand is constructed so as to permit the outboard motor 2 when mounted on the stand to rotate about its own vertical axis without obstruction. When the motor is mounted on the cross bar 3, preferably midway between its ends, pivoting of the motor relative to the mounting flange is possible since there are no protruding or obstructing parts of the stand in the path of movement of the motor. Thus my stand permits the supported motor to be rotated in both a vertical and horizontal plane and insures complete and convenient access to all parts thereof for maintenance and repair operations.

It will be apparent from the above description that I have provided a unique portable outboard motor stand that is light in weight, economical to manufacture and easy to set up. The stand eliminates the necessity of manual lifting and shifting of. a relatively heavy outboard motor during maintenance thereof through the provi-' sion of means forcompletely rotating "the supported motor with respect to the .stand and means forlocking or securing the motor in any desired working position. The stand is compact I though sturdy and is collapsible so as to facilitate transporting it from one place to another.

While I have described my invention with some degree of particularity, it will be apparent that modifications may be made to the above described embodiment thereof by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, means other than the plate 28 may be employed topermit locking the cross bar 3 in a plurality of angular positions. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is given by way of example, it

' bar and disposed in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said cross bar, said plate having integral inwardly projecting mounting flanges disposed adjacent opposite sides of said cross bar, means for non-rotatably securing said flanges to said cross bar, said plate having a plurality of holes therein located substantially concentrically of and surrounding the longitudinal axis of said cross bar, a rod disposed within the channel in said cross bar and having portions projecting beyond the ends of said cross bar, a pair of substantially U-shaped supporting members projecting from the ends of said cross bar at substantially right angles to the longitudinal axis of said cross bar, each of said supporting members comprising a pair of leg elements and a cross piece connecting corresponding ends of said pair of leg elements, the other ends of each of said pair of leg elements having bearing apertures therein disposed to receive said projecting portions of said rod, the leg elements of one of said supporting members being laterally spaced apart a greater distance than the leg elements of theother of said supporting members and the cross piece of said one of said supporting members being spaced a greater distance from the longitudinal axis of said cross bar than the cross piece of said other of said supporting members to permit said members to nest together in the same plane when the stand is collapsed, one of said leg elements having a guide aperture therein adapted to register successively with said plate holes as said plate is rotated relative said one of said leg elements, and pin means adapted to be inserted through said guide aperture and one of said plate holes in alignment therewith whereby to lock said cross bar against rotation relative to said one leg element.

GEORGE M. HINESMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,453,547 Culver et a1 May 1, 1923 1,469,734 'Staley Oct. 2, 1923 1,579,627 Bell et al. Apr. 6, 1926 1,790,711 Johnston Feb. 3, 1931 2,231,277 Mepham Feb. 11, 1941 2,505,723 Rees Apr. 25, 1950 2,561,432 7 Tranter' July 24,1951

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