Abstract:
An all terrain vehicle with a plurality of independent winches is provided. One winch may be mounted on the front of the all terrain vehicle. Another winch may be mounted at the rear of the all terrain vehicle. The winches are controlled independently of each other. For example, the front winch can be driven in a forward direction or a reverse direction independently of the rear winch, and the rear winch can be driven in a forward direction or a reverse direction independently of the front winch. Additionally, the front winch and the rear winch may be engaged to operate simultaneously.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to an all terrain vehicle (ATV) with multiple winches, and, more particularly, to an ATV with two independent winches, one mounted in front and one mounted in the rear of the vehicle. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   All terrain vehicles (ATVs) are multipurpose vehicles that are popular for recreational use, such as camping and fishing, and utility use either on the job or around the house. The adaptability and versatility of an ATV can support many off-road tasks within agriculture, forestry, horticulture and similar outdoor industries. In addition, this adaptability and versatility make ATVs ideal for military use. ATVs easily traverse various off-highway trails, reach rugged locations that other vehicles cannot, and offer business operators the opportunity to accomplish work in the field at significant financial savings when compared to using a truck or tractor. Utility ATVs, especially suited for hauling and towing as well as trail riding, are as popular as ATVs for weekend recreational riding. ATVs operate in all climates and are among the most versatile vehicles in operation today. 
   ATVs are off-road vehicles characterized by having four wheels (two front and two rear) with low pressure tires, handlebars connected to the front wheels for steering, a straddle-type seat designed for a single rider (although the seat may be designed to accommodate multiple passengers), laterally extending footrests on opposite sides of the vehicle, and an engine and transmission located generally beneath the straddle-type seat and substantially between the footrests. ATVs are generally not wider than about 50 inches; most commonly about 44 to 48 inches in overall width. The transmission typically is connected by a suitable drive train to the rear wheels. In many applications, it is desirable to have all four wheels driven by the engine. Four wheel drive ATVs usually have one drive train connecting the transmission to the rear wheels and a separate drive train connecting the transmission to the front wheels. 
   ATVs are occasionally fitted with a winch. A winch is a stationary motor-driven or hand-powered machine used for pulling, hoisting, hauling or to assist in the extraction of the ATV from a stuck position. A typical winch has a cable made of wound metal strands, rope, chain, or other similar material having high tensile strength wound around a drum. In addition, the winch may have a hook at one end of the cable useful for attaching the cable to a desired object. The winch may also include opposed cylindrical rollers attached on each side of the cable to facilitate winding and unwinding. Motor-driven winches often have an operator control switch mounted on or near the handlebars. The motor is generally electric and is powered by the ATV&#39;s battery or electrical system. 
   The winch can be used in a variety of ways. For example, one end of the cable may be attached to a stationary object and the winch used to help move or extricate the ATV from an entangled position. Additionally, one end of the cable may be attached to an object in order to hoist or haul it. 
   ATVs occasionally have either a front or a rear mounted winch, but not both. Some ATVs have a transfer system that allows a single winch to be moved to a front mounting location or to a rear mounting location. In such transfer systems, power for the winch is supplied simultaneously to both the front and rear electrical harnesses. That is, if a second winch was added to the mounting location not occupied by the first winch, the winches would operate simultaneously unless the operator unplugged one of the winches from its electrical harness. For example, if the operator actuates the front winch, the rear winch would be actuated too. 
   The transfer design can render the winch useless in many situations. If an ATV becomes stuck, it is time consuming, inconvenient, or impossible to transfer the winch from one end of the ATV to the other. For instance, if one end of the ATV is submerged or butted up against an object, the winch at that end is not accessible. If the winch cannot be transferred to the appropriate position for a given situation it cannot be utilized for its intended use. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention improves upon the winch transfer system by providing an all terrain vehicle with front and rear motor-driven winches that are independently operable. In one embodiment, an operator selector switch may be used to select which of the winches, front and/or rear, may be selected for operation. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side profile view of an ATV in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front profile view of an ATV in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a rear profile view of an ATV in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an elevated view of a winch attached to an ATV in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is an elevated perspective view of a winch attached to an ATV in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a side profile view of a winch attached to an ATV frame in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of an operator selector switch attached to an ATV in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an operator control switch in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram showing an operator control switch and an operator selector switch in an embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention includes an ATV  10  having a front end  12  and a rear end  14 . The ATV  10  comprises chassis carrying seat  16 . In one embodiment, the seat  16  is sufficiently narrow to be straddled by a vehicle rider. ATV  10  also has a pair of front wheels  18  and a pair of rear wheels  20  and at least one laterally extending footrest  22 . The ATV may also include a front support rack  24  attached to chassis or frame. ATV  10  also includes a steering member that may be used for steering ATV  10 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the steering member comprises handlebars  26 . ATV  10  also includes an engine that is carried by the chassis. The engine is preferably coupled to at least some of the front wheels  18  and/or rear wheels  20  of ATV  10  via a drive train for propelling ATV  10 . The engine may be used to power each rear wheel, and in some cases also each front wheel. 
   In some embodiments, ATV  10  includes means to generate electrical power to provide source power to a plurality of winches and other electrical components, such as headlights  28  and taillights  30  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The power source may be an internal battery carried by the ATV  10 , a generator connected to the engine, or another energy storage device. Preferably, the power source is DC, although AC may be used if an appropriate AC to DC converter were also employed. In another embodiment, the winches could be powered by an AC power source. 
   The ATV includes a plurality of winches. In one embodiment, the ATV  10  includes a front winch  32  as shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 2 , and a rear winch  34  as shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 3 . Front winch  32  and rear winch  34  are independently operable as explained below. Front winch  32  can be attached to ATV  10  in any location that allows a substantially rigid and sturdy connection between front winch  32  and ATV  10 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , front winch  32  may be attached to support rack  24 , which is in turn connected to a frame or chassis of the ATV. Front winch  32  can be attached by any means to form a rigid and sturdy connection to the ATV  10 . For example, front winch  90  may be attached to ATV  10  with bolts or rivets  36  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
   Rear winch  34  can be attached to ATV  10  in any location that allows a substantially sturdy connection between rear winch  34  and ATV  10 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , rear winch  34  may be attached to chassis  38 . Rear winch  34  may be attached by any means to form a rigid connection. For example, rear winch  34  may be attached to ATV  10  with bolts or rivets. 
   Each winch is typically comprised of a cable wound about a drum connected to an electrical motor. As shown in  FIG. 4 , each winch may also include a hook  40  attached to the free end of the cable, and a plurality of rollers  42  useful for facilitating the winding and unwinding of the cable as driven by the winch&#39;s electrical motor  44 . 
   Front winch  32  and rear winch  34  are independently operable. The operator can selectively control front winch  32  or rear winch  34  with operator selector switch  46 . The operator selector switch  46  may be located anywhere on ATV  10 . Referring to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the operator selector switch  46  is located on headlight housing  48 . In this embodiment, the operator selector switch  46  is a three-position switch with positions labeled FRONT, REAR, and OFF. In the FRONT position, the front winch  32  only is selected for actuation. In the REAR position, the rear winch  34  only is selected for actuation. In the OFF position, neither winch  32 ,  34  is selected for actuation, such that neither winch operates. 
   In one alternate embodiment, the operator selector switch  46  includes a fourth position that selects both the front and rear winches  32 ,  34  for simultaneous operation. In another embodiment, the selector switch  46  may have only a first position to connect the power source to the front winch  32  and a second position to connect the power source to the rear winch  34 . 
   The operator can control the direction, winding or unwinding, of the selected winch or winches with operator directional control switch  50 . Control switch  50  may be mounted anywhere on the ATV  10 . Referring to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , operator control switch  50  is located on handlebar  26 . In this embodiment, the operator control switch  50  is a manually operated three-position switch. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the three switch  50  positions are OUT, IN, and OFF. OUT is chosen by manually toggling the switch  50  leftward. IN is selected by manually toggling the switch  50  rightward. OFF, although not labeled, is chosen by allowing the position to rock back to center. The operator control switch  50  defaults to the off position. That is, the switch  50  is spring biased to return to the center, “off” position in the absence of any force toggling the switch  50  leftward or rightward. 
   Although control switch  50  is shown as a toggle switch in  FIG. 8 , it is understood that any functional equivalent directional control mechanism may be substituted that allows the operator to manually select at least IN, OUT, and OFF. 
     FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment showing the electrical connections between the power source  52 , operator control switch  50 , operator selector switch  46 , front winch  32  and rear winch  34 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the directional control switch  50  connects to the operator selector switch  46 . The selector switch  46  allows the operator to select which winches  32 ,  34  (or others) are actuated in or out by the control switch  50 . 
   In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , the operator selector switch  46  is a manually operable four-position switch. The operator selector switch  46  setting routes the electrical power to the desired winch or winches  32 ,  34 . In this embodiment, the operator selector switch  46  includes a first position to connect the power source to the front winch  32  only, a second position to connect the power source to the rear winch  34  only, a third position to connect both the front winch  32  and the rear winch  34  to the power source, and a fourth position to prevent connection between the power source and both the front winch  32  and the rear winch  34 . 
   The operator directional control switch  50  is shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , in the “off” position (shown as N or neutral in the diagram), the control switch  50  opens the connection between the power source and the operator selector switch  46 . When manually toggled to the IN position (shown as I in the diagram), the operator control switch  50  connects the power source to the operator selector switch  46  with one voltage polarity, for example, positive. In this position, the selected winch or winches  32 ,  34  will wind. When manually toggled to the OUT position (shown as O in  FIG. 8 ), the operator control switch  50  acts as a crossover switch and connects the power source to the operator selector switch  46  with the opposite polarity. In this position, the selected winch or winches  32 ,  34  will unwind themselves. 
   In an alternate embodiment, the operator selector switch  46  and operator control switch  50  may be combined into a single multiposition switch. This multiposition switch could include positions such as front-in, front-out, rear-in, and rear-out. For example, the mulitposition switch could include a front-in position for directing power to the front winch  32  of the proper polarity to wind front winch  32 . 
   As another alternative embodiment, the power source may be connected to the operator selector switch  46 . The operator selector switch  46  would route the signal to one or more operator control switches  50  capable of independently winding or unwinding both front winch  32  and/or rear winch  34 . 
   It is noted that an ATV is merely an example vehicle for which the present invention may be used. Although the present invention is shown and described in the context of an ATV, the present invention can also be employed for other utility and recreation vehicles, e.g. snowmobiles, in a manner that would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.