US3017176A - Engine mounting stand - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 16, 1962 J. w. BREED ENGINE MOUNTING STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

JOHN W. BRA-0 BY 6% a 2% 97' 7" ORA/6' VJ Jan. 16, 1962 w, BREED ENGINE MOUNTING STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1958 IN VENTOR.

JOHN PV. 81956 0 6W4, 4: PW

HTTORNEVS Jan. 16', 1962 J. w. BREED ENGINE MOUNTING STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 JO/l/V w. BMW:

L? on 5 aM/A H T7'ORN6HS Filed Feb. 10, 1958 Jan. 16, 1962 J. w. BREED 3,0

ENGINE MOUNTING STAND Filed Feb. 10, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

JOHN M BREED HTTOR/VAVS Jan. 16, w, BREE ENGINE MOUNTING STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 5- Filed Feb. 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

JO/IN PV. 8/?56'0 3,tl17,i76 ENGINE MOUNTWG STAND John W. Breed, Jackson, Mich, assignor to Kent-Moore Organization, Inc, Warren, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 714,261 4 Claims. (til. 269185) This invention relates to an improved engine mounting stand.

An object is to provide an improved engine mounting stand upon which an internal combustion engine, such as is used in motor vehicles, may be removably supported for movement to adjusted positions at which one or more mechanics may find it convenient .to work on the engine.

A further object is the provision of a stand of the character set forth which is adaptable to receive and support different makes of engines. It is also adapted to be readily and easily shifted to position an engine supported thereon at different angular positions for the convenience of working upon the engine by one or more mechanics.

Another object is the provision of an engine mounting stand of the character described wherein simple hydraulic jack mechanism is so coupled with the engine-supporting platform of the mounting stand as to easily and readily swing the platform to different angular positions.

A meritorious feature of this improved jack mechanism and its connection with the engine-supporting platform of the stand is that the construction is such that the weight of the engine itself upon the platform, acting through gravity, is employed to move the platform in the opposite direction to that through which it is moved by the hydraulic jack.

Another object is the provision of an engine-mounting stand as hereinabove described provided with an enginesupporting platform upon which an engine may be mounted, which platform, in addition to being angularly adjustable, may be rotated to different positions to render the engine mounted thereon most accessible for the workman.

A meritorious feature of my engine-mounting stand is that the rotatable platform upon which the engine is mounted is capable of being rotated to different positions of rotation only when the platform is disposed in the horizontal position or sufficiently close thereto that there is no danger of the platform being unintentionally rotated by gravity acting thereon. Such unintentional rotation of the engine-supporting platform carrying an engine might, because of the heavy weight of the engine, result in injury to a workman.

A meritorious feature is that in order to prevent unintentional rotation of the engine-supporting stand, locking mechanism is provided which automatically locks the stand at the position to which rotated. Simple, effective lock release means is provided to unlock the same but such release means is operable only when the engine-supporting platform occupies a substantially horizontal position.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will more fully appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the engine mounting stand taken from the front;

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the engine mounting stand taken from the rear;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 3;

3,017,176 Patented Jan. 16, 1962 FIG. 7 is a cross sectional fragmentary view through the indexing pin operating cable assembly;

FIG. 8 is a view looking at one end of a side rail of the frame showing the caster and retaining pin construction;

FIG. 9 is a perspective of the indexing pin actuating bracket; and

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a hydraulic operating mechanism.

This engine mounting stand comprises a'frarne having two opposite side rails 20 connected together by a cross piece platform 22. These side rails are of rugged construction and shown as formed of angle sections and the platform is a strong channel-shaped section 22 held upon the side rails by brackets 24 which may be welded or bolted thereto as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

There is mounted upon the cross piece 22 a pair of spaced-apart upright channel-shaped standards 26. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 these standards 26 are fixed upon a base plate 28 which plate is shown as fastened by bolts 3%} or the like to the cross piece 22. The standards are themselves braced apart by cross pieces 32 secured to opposite sides of the standards which cross pieces may be welded at their ends to opposite flanges of the upright standards. These two standards are provided at their upper ends with frame side plates 34 secured by bolts 36 or the like to the standards, one to each standard.

The engine mounting platform and the mechanism associated therewith whereby it is moved from one adjusted angular position to another or rotated about an axis is disposed between these standards 26 and frame plates 34 as hereinafter described. It comprises generally an enginesupporting platform or index plate 38 which is carried by a trunnion plate 40. The trunnion plate 40 is journaled upon complementary opposed trunnions 42 between the frame side plates 34 to swing about a horizontal axis, as

shown particularly in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4.

The index plate 38 is rotably supported upon the trunnion plate 40 to rotate about an axis which is generally perpendicular to the trunnion plate axis, as shown more specifically in FIG. 3. The mechanism whereby the trunion plate and index plate are swung as as assembly about the horizontal axis established by the trunnions 42 and the mechanism whereby the index plate may be held at rotated positions with respect to the trunnion plate is hereinafter more particularly described.

The index plate 38 is designed to receive an adapter plate, not shown in the drawings. Different adapter plates will be provided to suit different makes of engines. The adapter plate may be secured by studs or the like to the index plate 38. Such studs are receivable within an outer ring of threaded openings 44 formed in and adjacent to the periphery of the index plate 38. The index plate 38 is secured to the trunnion plate for rotation by means of. a stub shaft 46 shown particularly in FIG. 3. The index plate is fastened to the top of this stub shaft. The stub shaft extends through the trunnion plate as illustrated in FIG. 3. The stub shaft 46 is provided with a series of stepped shoulders encircled by roller bearing assemblies. There is an upper roller bearing assembly 48 and a lower roller bearing assembly 50. Each of these roller bearing assemblies is mounted within oounterbores within the trunnion plate as shown in FIG. 3. Such bearings serve to support and position the stub shaft 46 within the trunnion plate for rotation. A pair of nuts 52 and 54 are threaded on the stub shaft as shown in FIG. 3 to retain it in position upon the trunnion plate. A lock washer 56 is interposed between the nuts as shown.

The index plate 38 is provided with a series of index pin-receiving apertures 58, being shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Each aperture is fitted with a bearing sleeve 60. An

index pin 62 is mounted within the trunnion plate 48 and is spring-loaded by means of a spring 64 as shown in FIG. 3 so that it is adapted to be automatically projected into any index bearing sleeve 68 as the index plate is rotated from one position to another. The spring is held in place in the trunnion plate by a nut 66. It is released by a mechanism hereinafter described.

The index plate 38 and the trunnion plate 48, which are swingable as an assembly between the side plates 34 upon the trunnions 42, are swung in one direction by the operation of a hydraulic jack. This hydraulic jack assembly is indicated generally by the numeral 68 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. This hydraulic jack mechanism serves to swing the trunnion plate and the index plate about the trunnions 42 to a horizontal position. As the hydraulic pressure is released, the weight of the engine on the index plate permits the assembly to swing toward a vertical position as shown in FIG. 3. Such return swing under the influence of gravity is due to the fact that the ram 78 of the hydraulic jack assembly is coupled with the trunnion plate oli center its pivotal support by the trunnions 42 as is apparent from FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5.

The hydraulic jack assembly is swung from a bracket 72, which bracket is secured to a cross piece 32 as shown in FIG. 3. The base 74 of the jack has a web portion 76 which is journaled between a pair of spaced side plates 78 carried by the bracket 72 upon a shaft 88 as shown in FIG. 3. Rotating rings 82 are mounted upon opposite ends of the shaft in alternate positions.

This base 74 of the hydraulic jack mechanism carries a generally cylindrical hydraulic fluid-containing reservoir 88 supported upon one end upon the base as shown in FIG. 3. Within this hydraulic reservoir is supported a hydraulic liquid-receiving cylinder 86. Such liquidreceiving cylinder 86 is the ram cylinder. It is not shown in FIG. 3 but FIG. 18 is a diagrammatic showing which indicates the functioning. In FIG. this ram cylinder 86 is illustrated for purposes of convenience separate from the reservoir 88. In such FIG. 10 the reservoir 88 is shown as communicating with the pump 89 by a fluid line 98. The pump 89 communicates by a fluid line 92 with the ram cylinder 86. This fluid line 92 is provided with a relief valve 93 whereby the pressure within the ram cylinder will not be built up too high. The interior of the ram cylinder has an exhaust fluid line 94 which leads to a valve 96 and from such valve through a fluid line 98 back to the reservoir 88. The valve 96 is an exhaust control valve. It may be manipulated to permit fluid fiiiw from the ram cylinder 86 back into the reservdir at such rate as is desired whereby the rate of withdrawal of the ram 78 is controlled. This ram 78 would have a piston 71 mounted thereon and traveling within the ram cylinder 86 as shown schematically in FIG. 10.

As heretofore described when the manually operable handle 188 is actuated, the pump piston 182 is reciprocated. The handle is provided with an arm 184 secured to the outer end of the handle as shown particularly in FIG. 3. This arm is pivotally supported upon a shaft 186. (Note FIGS. 3 and 6.) The shaft 186 is carried by two side plates 188, which side plates are bolted to opposite sides 118 of a pump housing by bolts 112 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. The opposite ends of the shaft 186 carry retaining rings 114 to hold the shat-t in place. The arm 184 has an extension beyond the shaft 186 which extension is indicated as 116 and is shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. This extension has its end bifurcated as at 118 and a pivot pin 128 extends through such bifurcation as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. The pump piston 182 is coupled with the arm through this pin 128 by means of a clevis 124. Retaining rings 122 are secured upon opposite ends of the pin as shown in FIG. 6 to hold the pin in place. The clevis is oversized the pin so as to permit of play during the operation of the handle.

T e T811178 is cured to the trunnion plate 48 to swing such trunnion plate by means of a trunnion plate block 126 (FIGS. 4 and 5). This block is secured to the underside of the trunnion plate by studs 128. The block is provided with the depending ears 129. The ram 78 has a flatted end portion 138 which is pivoted between these cars 129 upon a pivot pin 132. The ends of the pivot pin are provided with retaining rings 134.

The location of this trunnion plate block 126 and the pivot pin 132 is ofi center the trunnions 42 of the trunnion plate so that outward thrust exerted by the ram 78 upon the trunnion plate swings the trunnion plate toward a horizontai planar position as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5. As described in connection with the description of the functioning of the hydraulic mechanism, the trunnion plate and index plate assembly swings under the influence of gravity toward the at-rest position as hydraulic pressure is released from the hydraulic cylinder 86 by operation of the control valve 96 and the fluid returned to the reservoir 88.

To control the rotation of the index plate 38 about the shaft 46, the index pin 62 is normally held by spring 64 to be projected into any one of the bearing sleeves 68 as shown in FIG. 3. Release mechanism is provided whereby such pin may be withdrawn from any aperture 58. Such release mechanism can function to withdraw the pin only when the index plate and trunnion plate occupy a substantially horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 5 as distinguished from the vertical plane as shown in FIG. 3.

This release mechanism comprises a flexible cable 136 to one end of which is secured a handle 138. This cable extends through tube 148. The end of the cable within the tube carries a slide 142 and the handle is attached to the slide. The outer end of the cable is provided with a button 144. The cable is provided intermediate its ends with a second button 146. This second button 146 is adapted to prevent the cable from being drawn beyond a limited distance through the tube 148 because the button 146 comes up against the end of the tube.

The button 144, which is mounted on the outer end of the cable, is adapted, when the cable is withdrawn and the index plate and trunnion plate assembly occupy a horizontal plane to engage the car 148 as shown in FIG. 5. This car 148 is apertured as at 158 to permit slidable travel of the cable 136 therethrough. This car is a part of an index pin actuating lever device shown in FIG. 9 and indicated generally by the numeral 152. This lever device is U-shaped and has a pair of side walls 154 which are apertured as at 156 to be received over opposite ends of the pin 132 which extends through the flatted end of the ram. (Note FIG. 4). The bottom of this U-shaped lever device 152 is provided with a pair of projecting arms 158 apertured as at 168. A connecting pin 162 extends through index pin 62 and is carried thereby. Opposite ends of pin 162 are disposed within the oversize apertures 168 of the arms 158 whereby these apertured arms 158 when swung by withdrawal of cable 136 withdraw the end of the index pin 62 from the index plate 38 to permit rotation of the plate as shown in FIG. 5.

When the ram is projected as shown in FIG. 5, and the cable 136 is withdrawn, the button 144 swings the lever device 152 from the solid line position shown in FIG. 5 to the dotted line position shown in such figure and the index pin 62 is withdrawn against the pressure of its spring 64. When the index plate 38 and the trunnion plate 48 are disposed in a vertical position as shown in FIG. 3, the end of the cable 136 which carries the button 144- is projected sufliciently forwardly of the car 158 of the lever device 152 that withdrawal of the cable is insuflicient to swing the lever device. Furthermore, the disposition of the parts is not such as to permit withdrawal of the index pin. The index pin may therefore be withdrawn to permit withdrawal of the index plate only when the index plate is disposed in the horizontal plane.

The index plate 38 may be adjusted to come to rest in a plane which is substantially horizontal but not strictly so as determined by the manual adjustment of a pair of eccentrics 164 (FIGS. 3, 4, and 5). These eccentrics constitute adjustable plate positioning means and are mounted upon studs 166 carried by the side plates 34. These studs are rotatably adjustable to vary the position of the eccentrics. The eccentrics determine the at-rest position of the trunnion plate when the ram is projected forwardly as shown in FIG. 5.

The entire stand assembly is capable of being moved over the floor upon which it is placed. Opposite ends of the side rails 20 are provided with casters 168, which caster units are secured to opposite ends of the side rails as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8 by brackets 170. A holding pin 172 extends through each side rail at the forward end and is adapted to engage the floor upon which the stand rests to hold it at the position to which it has been moved.

What I claim is:

1. An engine-mo-unting stand comprising, in combination, a frame, a platform assembly swingably supported upon the frame upon a horizontal axis for til-ting movement thereabout from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position and vice versa, hydraulic ram mechanism swingably supported upon the frame and including a ram reciprocable to be projected and withdrawn, said ram pivotally coupled with the platform assembly to tilt the same from a vertical to a horizontal position when the ram is projected, adjustable plate positioning means adjustable to determine the precise projected substantially horizontal position of the platform assembly, said platform assembly including an enginemounting plate pivotally supported for rotation about an axis which is disposed substantially normal with respect to the horizontal axis upon which the platform assembly is swingably supported, said engine mounting plate pivotal axis carried by that portion of the platform assembly provided with the horizontal axis upon which the assembly is supported for rotation, a locking pin operable to engage said engine mounting plate at adjusted positions of rotation to hold the plate against rotation, actuating means coupled with the pin to withdraw the same to permit rotation of the plate, said actuating, means including a cable coupled with the pin and operable upon withdrawal of a determined length of the cable to withdraw the pin to release the plate to rotation when the plate is disposed in said horizontal position, said cable adapted when the plate has been tilted to the vertical position to permit said determined length of cable to be Withdrawn without withdrawing the pin.

2. An engine-mounting stand as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said actuating means which includes the cable also includes a part rockably supported upon the ram and coupled with the pin to withdraw the pin upon determined rockable movement of said part, and wherein said cable extends slideably through said part and is provided with means adapted to engage said part and rock the same to withdraw the pin to release the plate to rotation upon withdrawal of the determined length of cable when the plate is disposed in the horizontal position, said cable being of such a length that said determined length of cable may be withdrawn through said part without rocking the same to withdraw the pin when the plate has been tilted to the vertical position.

3. An engine-mounting stand comprising, in combination, a frame, a platform assembly swingably supported upon the frame upon a horizontal axis for reciprocable tilting movement thereabout between a substantially ver tical position and a substantially horizontal position, the

horizontal axis of the platform assembly offset toward the frame away from the center of mass of the assembly when the assembly is horizontal, hydraulic ram mechanism swingably supported upon the frame and including a ram reciprocable to be projected away from the frame and withdrawn toward the frame, said ram pivotally coupled with the platform assembly offset the horizontal axis away from the frame when the assembly is horizontal to tilt the same from a vertical to a horizontal position when the ram is projected and adapted to support the platform assembly at adjusted tilted positions between the vertical and the horizontal, said platforrn assembly including an engine-mounting plate pivotal-1y supported for rotation about an axis disposed substantially normal to the horizontal axis upon which the assembly is swingably supported, said assembly adapted when the hydraulic pressure on the ram is released to swing from the horizontal toward the vertical position under the influence of gravity, locking means operable to releasably secure the plate at adjusted positions of rotation including mechanism coupled with the ram to be projected and withdrawn therewith and operable to release the plate for rotation, said mechanism responsive to the movement of the plate to a substantially vertical position to be shifted to prevent plate release movement of said locking means.

4. An engine-mounting stand comprising, in combination, a frame, a platform assembly swingably supported upon the frame upon a horizontal axis for reciprocable tilting movement thereabout between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position, the horizontal axis of the platform assembly offset toward the frame away from the center of mass of the assembly when the assembly is horizontal, hydraulic ram mechanism swingably supported upon the frame and including a ram reciproca-ble to be projected away from the frame and withdrawn toward the frame, and said ram pivotally coupled with the platform assembly to tilt the same from a vertical to a horizontal position when the ram is projected, said platform assembly including an engine-mounting plate pivotally supported for rotation about an axis disposed substantially perpendicularly with respect to the horizontal axis upon which the assembly is swingably sup ported, said assembly adapted when the hydraulic pressure on the ram is released to swing under the influence of gravity from the horizontal to the vertical position, a spring-pressed locking element normally held to engage the plate at adjusted positions of rotation to secure the the plate against rotation at such adjusted positions, actuating means coupled with said locking element including mechanism pivotally coupled with the outer end of the ram to be projected and withdrawn therewith and swingable from a position extending forwardly of the ram when the ram is projected to a position depending below the ram when the ram is withdrawn and operable to Withdraw the locking element to release the plate for rotation only when the ram is in the projected position and said mechanism is swung forwardly thereof and the platform assembly is horizontally disposed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,216,552 Dodge Feb. 20, 1917 2,318,791 Mueller May 11, 1943 2,445,016 Bentley July 13, 1948 2,469,644 Harrison May 10, 1949' 2,495,250 Gilley Jan. 24, 1950 2,495,438 Bentley Ian. M, 1950 2,523,734 Stephenson et a1 Sept. 26, 1950

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