Abstract:
An adjustable rim assembly  10  is provided for the wheel of a tractor or other industrial vehicle for changing the spacing of the opposed wheels of the vehicle. The mounting rail  20  is rigidly connected to the inwardly facing surface  22  of the rim base 12. Mounting rail  20  is formed in an accordion-like shape which forms a series of alternately axially spaced fore and aft planar mounting panels  24, 26 , and mounting clamps  40  connect between the surfaces of the mounting panels and the opposed faces of the wheel disc  54 . Various spacing of the wheel rim is achieved by changing the faces of the mounting panels  24, 26  to which the mounting clamps are connected.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to wheels for farm tractors and other farm and industrial vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to an adjustable rim assembly for varying the distances between the wheels of a farm tractor and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Some industrial vehicles, such as tractors and towed implements used on farms and operated down the rows of cultivated crops require some adjustability in the lateral spacing of the wheels from each other, both front wheels and rear wheels. For example, the ideal lateral spacing of some row crops is different from the spacing of other row crops, since some crops can be planted closer together to maximize the yield in a given area of land. Therefore, it is desirable that the vehicles operated along the rows of cultivated crops have the ability to increase or decrease the lateral distances between the wheels of the vehicles. 
     One of the common ways of changing the lateral spacing of wheels of a vehicle is to construct the discs of the wheels in a dish-shape, having opposed concave and convex surfaces, so that the hub portion of the wheel disc is axially offset to one side of the center line of the wheel. Therefore, a pair of wheels for the vehicle can be mounted with their convex sides attached to the wheel hub to space the tires further apart, or the wheels can be reversed to mount their concave sides to the wheel hub, placing the tires closer together. 
     While the above-described wheel spacing adjustability is common in the art, other means are required for providing more versatility in wheel spacing of vehicles. Various spacers have been developed over the years for placement between the wheel rim and the tractor hub to refine wheel displacement for the vehicle, but the prior art adjustment elements for wheels is, generally, cumbersome and in some cases not as safe as a standard wheel mount. Also, while various adjustable rim assemblies have been provided for mounting a wheel rim to the outwardly facing surface of the hub of a wheel assembly, it would also be desirable to be able to mount the wheel rim to the inner facing surface of the hub so as to further displace the tire inwardly with respect to the vehicle. While this is physically possible, the prior art does not provide an adjustable wheel rim structure that can be expediently and safely mounted to the interior surface of a wheel hub without sacrificing strength of the connection. 
     Thus, it is to these ends that this invention is directed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly described, the present invention comprises an adjustable rim assembly of a wheel of an industrial vehicle for changing the lateral spacing of the wheel from the vehicle and from the opposed wheel. The rim assembly includes a cylindrical rim base having a central axis of rotation, and a concentric mounting ring or rail rigidly connected about and extending inwardly from the cylindrical rim base. The mounting rail is formed with a series of axially inner and axially outer planar mounting panels, each extending normal to the axis of rotation and alternate ones axially offset from adjacent ones of the mounting panels about the rim base. Intermediate axially extending support panels are joined to the mounting panels. The axially inner mounting panels are positioned in the first common plane and the axially outer mounting panels are positioned in a second common plane. Both the axially inner and axially outer mounting panels define opposed axially inner and axially outer mounting surfaces which extend normal to the axis of rotation of the rim base, and connector openings are formed through the axially inner and axially outer mounting panels. 
     Mounting clamps are positioned in a common plane against either the axially inner or axially outer mounting faces of alternate ones of the mounting panels. The mounting clamps define openings which are sized, shaped and adapted to align with the connector openings of these planar mounting panels of the mounting rail. The mounting clamps extend radially inwardly of the mounting rail and define openings which are alignable with the hub of the vehicle wheel. Bolts connect the mounting clamps to the vehicle hub and other bolts connect the mounting clamps to the mounting rail. 
     The mounting clamps can be mounted to various surfaces formed by the mounting rail so as to axially displace the tire carried by the rim base, therefore varying the spacing of the tire from the vehicle. For example, the mounting clamps can be mounted to the axially inner surfaces of the axially inner planar mounting panels or to the axially inner surfaces of the axially outer planar mounting panels, to the axially outer surfaces of the axially inner planar mounting panels or to the axially outer surfaces of the axially outer planar mounting panels. All of these positions can be accomplished with the rim being mounted to the front or axially inner surface mounting surface of the hub. The same flexibility is available with mounting the rim to the rear or axially outer mounting surface of the wheel hub, thereby doubling the possible number of wheel spacings. Likewise, if the hub of the vehicle is reversed on its axle, the mounting rim of the hub is placed in an axially displaced location, and the above-described possible wheel spacings is again doubled. This provides sixteen different wheel spacings for a single wheel and rim assembly. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an expanded, perspective partial illustration of the wheel rim assembly, showing the tire mounted to the rim base and the rim base, mounting rail, mounting clamps, and the hub of the wheel. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the mounting rail. 
     FIG. 3 is a top cross sectional view of the portion of the mounting rail shown in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the rim base and mounting rail, showing how the mounting rail is attached to the rim base. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the rim base, a portion of the mounting rail, a mounting arm and a hub of a wheel of the vehicle, showing how these elements are attached to each other. 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of a mounting arm. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the mounting arm of FIG. 6, taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 8 is a side cross sectional view of the mounting arm of FIG. 6, taken along lines  8 — 8  of FIG.  6 . 
     FIGS. 9A-9D,  10 A- 10 D,  11 A- 11 D and  12 A- 12 D are cross sectional views of a wheel rim, mounting rail, mounting clamps and hub of a vehicle wheel, showing the multiple positions of the wheel rim with respect to the hub of the vehicle. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a wheel rim  10  onto which a vehicle tire  11  is mounted. The wheel rim  10  is illustrated as being a one piece rim, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that multiple piece rims, such as conventional three or five-piece rims can be employed. Wheel rim  10  includes a rim base  12  having opposed side flanges  14 ,  15  with the beads  17 ,  18  of the tire seated at the intersection of the side flanges and the rim base. Generally, the rim base  12  is cylindrical and has a central axis  21  (FIG. 5) which is the axis of rotation of the wheel when the wheel is in motion. 
     Mounting rail  20  is concentric with rim base  12 , and is attached to the inwardly facing surface  22  of the rim base. In the embodiment illustrated, the mounting rail is formed of a continuous length or band of material that is formed in an accordion-like shape with alternate, axially inner and axially outer planar mounting panels  24 ,  26  which are oriented normal to the axis of rotation  21  of the wheel rim, and with support panels  28  extending between adjacent edges of the axially inner and axially outer planar mounting panels  24 ,  26 . Connector openings  30  are formed in both the axially inner and axially outer planar mounting panels. The connector openings are square shaped so as to receive a bolt or other connector element that has a complimentary interfitting shape. The support panels  28  extend approximately axially of the wheel rim, substantially parallel to the axis of rotation  21  of the tire  11 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be noted that the axially inner mounting panels  24  of the mounting rail  20  are mounted by weldments  32  to the inwardly facing cylindrical surface  22  of the rim base  12 , in a position so that the axially outer mounting panels  26  are located adjacent the center line  34  of the wheel rim  10 . This displaces the axially inner mounting panels  24  axially forwardly from the wheel center line  34 . Also, it can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the axially inner mounting panels  24  are of greater outside diameter than the axially outer mounting panels  26 , so that the axially inner mounting panels are connected to the rim base  12  but the axially outer mounting panels do not engage the rim base. If the mounting rail is reversed, the larger diameter mounting panels become the axially outer mounting panels which would be connected to the rim base. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 5, the axially inner and axially outer mounting panels  24  and  26  each have a axially inner surface  36  and an axially outer surface  37 , and each axially outer mounting panel  36  similarly has a axially inner surface  38  and an axially outer surface  39 . The surfaces  36 - 39  are all substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation  21  of the wheel rim. 
     Mounting clamps or clamps  40  are positioned in abutment with either the axially inner mounting panels  24  or the axially outer mounting panels  26 . As illustrated in FIGS. 6-8, the mounting clamps  40  are approximately T-shaped, in that they include a relatively wide clamp plate  42  and a relatively narrow clamp stem  43  positioned intermediate the ends of the clamp plate  42 . A pair of square clamp plate openings  44 ,  45  are formed in the clamp plate  42 , and an oval clamp stem opening  46  is formed through clamp stem  43 , so that the openings  44 ,  45 ,  46  form a triangular relationship with one another. 
     The clamp plate openings  44 ,  45  are sized, shaped and spaced apart so as to align with the connector openings  30  of mounting rail  20  as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The mounting clamps  40  are placed in abutment either with the axially inner or axially outer surfaces  36  or  37  of the axially inner planar mounting panels, or with the axially inner or axially outer surfaces of the axially outer mounting panels, and connector bolts  50  of corresponding shape are inserted through the aligned connector openings  30  of the mounting rail and the clamp plate openings  44  or  45  of the mounting clamps to rigidly connect the mounting clamps to the mounting rail. This places the clamp stem  43  of the mounting clamps inwardly of the mounting rail  20 , as illustrated in FIG.  2 . 
     As illustrated in FIG. 3, it will be noted that the width of the clamp plate  42  is less than the length of either of the axially inner or axially outer mounting panels  24  and  26 , so that the mounting clamps can be mounted to either side of the axially inner and axially outer mounting panels. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 5, one of the optional mounting arrangements of the wheel rim assembly  10  to the disc  54  of the wheel is to place the mounting clamps  40  in abutment with the axially outer surface  39  of the axially outer mounting panel  26  of the mounting rail  20 , and then mount the axially outer surfaces  40   a  of the mounting clamps to the axially inner surfaces  59  of the annular perimeter flange  58  of the wheel disc  54 . This places the wheel rim assembly  10  at its farthest outward position with respect to the vehicle. This is also illustrated in FIG.  10 A. 
     FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate the positions of the wheel rim  10  when the mounting clamps  40  are positioned on alternate, axially inner or axially outer surfaces  36  or  37  of the axially inner mounting panels  24 . FIGS. 9C and 9D illustrate similar alternate positions of the mounting clamps  40  with respect to the axially inner mounting panels  24  of the mounting rail, but with the mounting clamps alternately connected to the axially inner or axially outer surfaces of the annular perimeter flange  58  of the wheel disc  54 . 
     FIGS. 10A-10D correspond to FIGS. 9A-9D, but with the mounting clamps  40  mounted to the aft mounting panels  26 . 
     FIGS. 11A-11D correspond to FIGS. 9A-9D, but with the wheel disc reversed. 
     FIGS. 12A-12D correspond to FIGS. 10A-10D, but with the wheel disc reversed. Therefore, it can be seen that there are  16  different wheel rim connections that can be achieved with respect to the hub  56  of the vehicle. 
     As will be noted from FIG. 5, the mounting rail  20  has a larger inside diameter than the annular perimeter flange  58  of the wheel hub  56 . Only the clamp stems  43  (FIG. 2) protrude radially inwardly of the clamp rail  20 . This permits the wheel rim assembly to be tilted or turned with respect to the wheel hub  56  so as to be passed beyond the wheel hub, and then turned back to its normal position which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel hub, so as to be placed either in front of or behind the wheel hub. This is illustrated in FIGS. 9C,  9 D,  10 C,  10 D,  11 B,  11 D,  12 B, and  12 D. 
     The T-shape of the mounting clamps  40  and the provision of two clamp plate openings  44  and  45  that register with connector openings  30  of the mounting rail assures that the connection made through the mounting rail  20  is very strong and capable of resisting forces equal to the limitations of the force resistance of the other components of the wheel rim assembly. 
     Also, the triangular arrangement of the clamp plate openings  40 ,  45  and the clamp stem opening  46  assures the strongest relationship between the clamp rail and the wheel hub. Although the mounting clamps  40  are illustrated as being T-shaped, other shapes, such as more triangular shapes, can be utilized if desired. 
     Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiment can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.