DEVICE FOR MOUNTING POWER UNIT ONTO THE CHASSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE

Abstract: The power unit (5) is fixed, using two spring blocks (12), to two plates (16) which are removably joined to two supports (18). These are in turn supported by two side members (17) of the chassis, joined by a cross member (22). The plates (16) of the power unit (5) are joined to the supports (18) of the chassis by strengthening nuts (33) which differ from the bolts (26) which join the cross member (22) to the supports, so that the unit (5) can be assembled or deassembled without removing the cross member (22) from the side members (17).

Description: The present invention relates to a device for mounting the power unit onto the chassis of an industrial vehicle, including two side supports connected to each other by at least one cross member to support said unit, as specified in the preamble of claim 1. As is well known, in industrial vehicles the power unit, which includes the engine, clutch and gear box, is fixed to suspension spring blocks which are fixed to the chassis in a removable manner, for example using bolts, so as to allow the maintenance or repair of the various unit components. In some models used for industrial vehicles, the side supports are fixed by two side members, whereas the spring blocks are fixed onto separate supports joined to a cross member, which is then bolted onto the side supports. In order to remove the power unit from the chassis it is therefore necessary to disassemble the cross member from the chassis. This well-known device for mounting the power unit is hampered by the fact that, during both the disassembly and the assembly of the unit, since the cross member has been removed, the loads on the chassis side members are unbalanced. The supports and/or side members are therefore liable to become deformed (i.e. through flexing or twisting), due to the weight of the engine on a single side member and the weight of possible other structures joined to the outside of the side member which is no longer weighted down by the engine. The object of the present invention is to produce a device for mounting the power unit which eliminates the said inconvenience and allows the unit to be easily assembled and disassembled. To this end a mounting device according to the present invention is characterised by the features specified in the characterising part of claim 1. For a better understanding of the invention, a preferential exemplary method for realising the invention is described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a partial section of a vehicle chassis with the power knit assembled using the assembly device described in the present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale along the line II-II shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is the exploded version of the section shown in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 1, number 5 generically refers to the power unit of an industrial vehicle, which includes the gear box 6, whose driving shaft is integral posterior to a transmission flange 7 which is engaged using the normal friction clutch, not shown in the figure. Two squares 8 are fixed on the two sides of the gear box 6 (Fig.2) and each has an horizontal upper arm 9. A well-known bull's eye spring block 12 is fixed onto this arm 9 using a sturdy bolt 11. Each block 12 is fitted with a middle flange 13 which is fixed by two bolts 14 onto a strong plate 16 which is described more fully below. The vehicle is fitted with a load-bearing chassis comprising two strong side members 17 (Figure 1) joined by several cross members. A bracket or support, which is generically indicated as 18, is fixed onto each side member 17, which includes two horizontal and matching plates 19 and 20, creating a side support for the gear box 6. The normal cross bar support 22 for the gear box 6 is joined to the two support 18. The cross bar support 22 is equipped with two flanges 23 and 24 (Figure 1), whose extreme ends match the upper plate 21 of the two supports 10 and can be fixed by a couple of joining bolts 26 onto the corresponding side support 19, 21. The bolts 26 are inserted through the holes in flanges 23 and 24 and the plates 19 and 21. The holes for each pair of bolts 26 are aligned longitudinally, or in other words are parallel to the vehicle axis. Each bolts 26 has a socket head 27 (Figure 2 and 3), namely with a prismatic screwing cavity, and is tightened onto plates 19 and 21 using a nut 28 which is welded onto the lower part of plate 19. Each plate 16 has two flanges 29 which are folded upwards, and onto which a spacer 31 is welded. This matches the lower plate 19 on the relative support 18 and has a compartment 32 to house the nut 28 integral with plate 19. Each flange 29 of plate 16 is joined to the chassis by a corresponding pair of additional strengthening bolts 33 which pass through the corresponding holes in the flange 23, 24, plates 21 and 19, spacer 31 and flange 29. The holes for each pair of bolts 33 (Figure 1) are transversely aligned and placed symmetrically to the hole of the corresponding bolt 26 on the cross member 22. Each bolt 33 has an hexagonal head 34 which is tightened, using a corresponding nut 36, on the pack formed by flange 29, spacer 31, plates 19 and 21 and flanges 23, 24. To remove the gear box 6 from the chassis it is sufficient to unscrew nuts 36 from the strengthening bolts 33 on each plate 16. The bolts 26, which are tightened by their respective nuts 28, keep the cross member 22 fixed to the supports 18. Since the bolts 26 have a socket head 27, which differs from the head 34 of the strengthening bolts 33, there is no risk that the mechanic might unscrew the bolt 26 from the cross member 22 by mistake. It is clear from the above that the mounting device described in the present invention has several advantages compared to other well-known structures. In fact, in the above-mentioned device, during the removal and reassembly of the power unit 5 onto the chassis, the two side members 17 remain rigidly joined by the cross member 22. Therefore, no excessive unbalancing of weights occurs either on the supports 18, or on the side members 17, thus avoiding any deformation or twisting of the chassis. It is the intention to make various changes and modifications to the above assembly device wihout departing from the general concept of the invention. For example, the form of plate 16 and support 18 may be altered, or the relative position of bolts 26 and 33. In addition, each support 18 may be made from a single horizontal sheet, instead of from two matching sheets.

Claims: A device for mounting the power unit onto the chassis of an industrial vehicle, including two side supports (18) connected to each other by at least one cross member (22) to support said unit (5), and wherein said unit (5) is secured to a couple of spring blocks (12) adapted to be removably joined to said chassis, characterised in that said cross member (22) is joined to each of said side supports (18) by at least a pair of joining bolts (26), and each of said spring blocks (12) is joined to said cross member (22) by a series of additional bolts (33) independent of said pair of joining bolts (26), enabling said unit (5) and said spring blocks (12) to be bodily removed from said side supports (18) independently of said cross member (22). A device according to Claim 1, wherein each one of said side supports is formed by a bracket (18) fixed onto a corresponding side member (17) of said vehicle, characterised in that said pair of joining bolts (26) are substantially aligned longitudinally, and are each one associated with a couple of said additional bolts (33), which are symmetrically located with respect to the associated joining bolt (26) and are aligned transversely therewith. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each said joining bolt (26) is provided with a head (27) having a size and/or a shape different of a head (34) provided onto each said additional bolt (33). A device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each one of said joining bolts (26) is provided with a socket head (27) and is screwed onto a nut (28) to join said cross member (22) with said side supports (18), said additional bolts (33) having a hexagonal head (34) and being screwed each one onto a corresponding nut (36) to join each said spring block (12) to said cross member (22) and to the corresponding side support (18). A device according to Claims 2 and 4, characterised in that each one of said brackets (18) is provided with at least one horizontal plate (19, 21) which matches upwards a portion (23, 24) of said cross member (22), each one of said spring blocks (12) being fixed to a structure (16, 29), said plate (19, 21) matching downwards a zone (29) of said structure (16, 29).

Inventors: RIVA, VITTORIO
Applicants: IVECO FIAT S.P.A.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B60K17
IPC codes: B60K17, B60K5