Bearing cup installing tool

A bearing cup installing tool adjustable for installation of bearings of various diameters. The tool has a cross head with a driving handle connected thereto and extending from one side thereof. An adjusting screw associated with the cross head extends outwardly therefrom from a side opposite the driving handle and three jaws are pivotally mounted on the cross head in equally-spaced relation and extending from the same side of the cross head as the adjusting screw and disposed in a circular array with the adjusting screw at the center. Each jaw has a bearing cup engaging notch at a free end thereof. The adjusting screw can be moved lengthwise of the cross head, by coacting structure on the adjusting screw and the jaws, to pivot the jaws to set an effective diameter as defined by the bearing cup engaging notches for engagement with a bearing cup.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention pertains to a universal bearing cup installer tool which is 
of a simple rugged construction and can be easily adjusted for association 
with bearing cups of varying diameters and without the use of 
interchangeable parts. Frequently, in servicing and maintenance of 
equipment, it is necessary to drive a tubular member into a bore in a 
housing. In order to install tubular members of various diameters, a 
driver set is available wherein one of a series of discs of different 
diameters, depending on the diameter of the tubular member, can be 
selected and assembled with a driver member, with the assembled structure 
aligned with the tubular member and the driver member being struck by a 
hammer or associated with a press to seat the tubular member in the bore. 
Use of such a set requires assembly and disassembly when a different size 
tubular member is to be installed in a bore and there is always the 
possibility of losing a driver disc of a particular diameter, so that the 
set can no longer be used for installing a tubular member of that 
particular diameter. 
It is also known in the prior art to have a tool with a series of movable 
jaws arranged in a circular array that can have the effective diameter 
defined thereby varied in order to coact with tubular members of varying 
diameters. These tools do not have structure providing a long useful life 
and simple adjustment. Additionally, the prior art structures do not have 
structural features facilitating the installing of a tapered cone bearing 
cup. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A primary feature of the invention disclosed herein resides in a universal 
installing tool for a tubular member and particularly a tapered bearing 
cup having structure enabling a simple adjustment for use with tubular 
members of a range of diameters and structural strength to transmit the 
force received from hammer blows and still have a long, useful life. 
Other features of the invention relate to a universal installing tool for 
tubular members, such as a bearing cup, having a relatively long driving 
handle to assist in obtaining perpendicularity of the tool and a bearing 
cup to a member having a bore which receives the bearing cup; the 
adjustment of a plurality of jaws having driving notches for engaging the 
bearing cup by structure which is completely independent of 
force-transmitting surfaces between the driving handle and a cross head 
mounting the jaws; the shaping of the bearing cup engaging notches at the 
end of the jaws to have driving surfaces abuttable against the end of the 
bearing cup and aligning surfaces at an angle to the driving surfaces 
closely approximating the taper of the bearing cup to engage within the 
bearing cup and assist in maintaining alignment of the tool with the 
bearing cup; and curved surfaces on the exterior of the jaws to the rear 
of the bearing cup engaging notches which enables entry of the jaws into a 
minimal diameter bore when the bearing cup is to be moved inwardly beyond 
the exterior opening of the bore which receives the bearing cup. 
An object of the invention is to provide a tapered bearing cup installing 
tool comprising, a cross head, a driving handle connected to said cross 
head and extending from one side thereof, an adjusting screw threaded into 
the cross head and extending outwardly from the side thereof opposite said 
driving handle, a plurality of jaws pivotally mounted on said cross head 
and extending from the same side of the cross head as the adjusting screw 
and disposed in a circular array with the adjusting screw at the center, 
each of said jaws having a bearing cup engaging notch at a free end 
thereof, each of said notches having a driving surface for engagement with 
an end of a bearing cup and an aligning surface extending inwardly from 
the driving surface at an angle to closely approximate the taper of the 
bearing cup, and coacting means on the adjusting screw and the jaws 
whereby movement of the adjusting screw lengthwise of the cross head 
pivots the jaws and varies the effective diameter defined by the bearing 
cup engaging notches.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 6, the installing tool is shown in use. A tapered bearing 
cup 10 is being inserted into an opening in a vehicle wheel, indicated 
generally at 12. The tool has a driving handle 15 which is held manually 
and a cross head 16 having jaws 17, 18 and 19. The jaws engage an outer 
end of the bearing cup 10 whereby driving force imparted by a hammer 20, 
struck against an end of the driving handle, drives the bearing cup 10 
into the opening. The driving handle 15 has a substantial length and 
approximately three times the length of the jaws 17-19 whereby visual 
orientation of the tool and the bearing cup to be perpendicular to the 
wheel and thus have the bearing cup properly aligned with the bore is 
facilitated. 
As seen particularly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the cross head 16 has a central 
section 25 provided with a threaded opening to which a threaded end of the 
driving handle 15 connects, as indicated at 26. The central section of the 
cross head and the drive handle have abutting force-transmitting surfaces, 
as indicated at 27. The cross head 16 has three pairs of 
radially-extending arms with one of the jaws associated with each pair of 
arms. Referring particularly to the jaw 18, an end thereof is positioned 
between the arms 30 and 31 and is pivotally mounted to the arms by a pair 
of interfitted roll pins 32 which fit into openings in the arms and 
loosely fit within an opening of the jaw. Mounting of the jaws 17 and 19 
is accomplished in the same manner as that described in connection with 
the jaw 18. 
An adjusting screw 35, with an outer end shaped for engagement by a wrench, 
had a reduced diameter length 36 which is externally threaded and threads 
into an internally threaded opening 37 in the driving handle 15. A disc 40 
is fitted onto the reduced diameter section 36 and abuts a shoulder 41 on 
the adjusting screw. With this construction, the driving handle extends 
from one side of the cross head 16 and the adjusting screw 35 extends from 
the other side whereby adjustment of the jaws is accomplished completely 
independently of the connection of the driving handle to the cross head. 
Rotation of the adjusting screw results in either retraction or advance 
thereof relative to the cross head dependent upon the direction of 
rotation of the adjusting screw with corresponding movement of the disc 
40. The disc 40 coacts with cams formed one on the inner surface of each 
of the jaws 17, 18 and 19 and, as identified at 45-47, respectively. 
Each of the cams has an inclined surface for engagement with the disc and 
the cams are urged into engagement with the disc by an extension spring 50 
which surrounds the jaws and is held in position by engaging in a groove 
formed in the exterior of each of the jaws and as indicated at 51 for the 
jaw 17. 
The three jaws 17, 18 and 19 are arranged in a circular array about the 
adjusting screw 35 and with the adjusting screw being at the center of the 
circular array. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bearing cup installing tool 
is adjusted to set the jaws at approximately their minimum effective 
diameter as defined by notches to be described. In FIG. 4, the jaws are 
set at approximately their maximum effective diameter, as established by 
the disc 40 being advanced to a position closely adjacent the cross head 
and well advanced along the inclined surfaces of the cams 45-47. 
The setting of the jaws, as determined by the location of the disc 40, is 
maintained by means operable internally of the adjusting screw for locking 
the adjusting screw in position. This structure includes an extender rod 
55 movable within a bore extending lengthwise of the adjusting screw and 
positionable by a cap screw 56 threaded into an end of the bore in the 
adjusting screw. An end 57 of the extender rod engages a ball 58 seated at 
an inclined base of the bore in the adjusting screw. As seen particularly 
in FIG. 5, the end of the adjusting screw is formed with cross cut slots 
60 and 61 to permit radial expansion thereof as induced by the ball 58 
being forced against the inclined end of the bore of the adjusting screw. 
With this structure, the cap screw 56 can be rotated to move the extender 
rod 55 inwardly and exert force on the ball 58 which expands the inner end 
of the adjusting screw into tight fitting relation with the threads 37 in 
the bore of the driving handle 15, which maintains the adjusting screw in 
a desired position. 
Each of the jaws 17, 18 and 19 has a bearing cup engaging notch at an end 
thereof which is formed by a pair of angularly related surfaces including 
a driving surface 65 and an aligning surface 66, as shown for the jaw 18. 
The driving surfaces 65 of the jaws engage against an outer end of the 
bearing cup and, in response to force applied to the driving handle 15 
urge a bearing cup into the bore. The aligning surfaces 66 aid in aligning 
the tool with the bearing cup and, as seen in FIG. 4, when the tool is 
adjusted to its approximate maximum effective diameter, the aligning 
surfaces 66 are generally flush with the interior taper of the bearing cup 
for accurate alignment of the bearing cup with the tool. This is 
particularly important with a large diameter bearing cup which may have 
little depth in the direction of insertion into the bore and, thus, 
increases the accuracy of alignment and insertion of the bearing cup. The 
angle of the aligning surfaces relative to the driving surfaces is in the 
range of 13 to 17 degrees whereby, in the position shown in FIG. 4, the 
aligning surfaces closely match the taper of the bearing cup. 
Referring particularly to the installation of a bearing cup of 
approximately minimal diameter, as shown in FIG. 3, the tool is adjusted 
to approximately its minimum effective diameter. In this position, the 
jaws 17-19 extend generally parallel to the adjusting screw 35 and the 
portions thereof immediately adjacent the bearing cup engaging notches are 
curved at 70, 71 and 72 to define a diameter equal to the bore receiving 
the bearing cup whereby the bearing cup may be inserted to a depth beyond 
merely being flush with the surface 75 of a member 76 having the bore 77 
which receives the bearing cup. 
In order to adjust the tool to the operative position shown in FIG. 4 from 
that shown in FIG. 3, the cap screw 56 is backed off to relax the force on 
the ball 59 whereby the adjusting screw is free to rotate in a direction 
to advance the disc 40 along the inclined surfaces of the cams 45-47. When 
the jaws are positioned at the desired effective diameter, the cap screw 
56 is rotated to lock the adjusting screw in position. The tool and 
bearing cup are then properly aligned with respect to the bore receiving 
the bearing cup and a series of blows are struck against the driving 
handle 15 or force exerted by a press to advance the tool and the bearing 
cup inwardly of the bore. 
With the foregoing description, it is evident that the installing tool for 
a tubular member, such as a bearing cup, can be adjusted easily for 
coaction with bearing cups of differing diameters and is of a rugged 
design to assure a long useful life, with improved structural features 
facilitating the alignment and insertion of a bearing cup in a bore.