Abstract:
A snowmobile exhaust system is provided. One aspect of the invention includes a snowmobile comprising an engine that has at least one exhaust pipe configured to carry warm exhaust gases from the engine. At least one seat is coupled to the snowmobile, and the exhaust pipe is arranged so that the seat is thermal communication with at least a portion of the exhaust pipe. Another aspect of the invention includes a snowmobile having a front section and a back section, with an engine located in the front section and an exhaust pipe is coupled to the engine. The snowmobile is configured so that the operator is positioned behind the engine, with the exhaust pipe terminating behind the operator.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/846,591 filed Apr. 30, 2001, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/268,264 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,991) filed Mar. 15, 1999. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to snowmobiles. More particularly, the invention relates to a snowmobile exhaust system.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Snowmobiles are generally used to travel over terrain covered with snow. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional snowmobile has several major components: a front suspension with skis that are connected to a steering mechanism  2 ; a main body  3 , including a frame which houses an engine that drives a continuous belt or track  4 ; a tunnel  5  that covers the upper portion of the track; and a seat  6  for an operator. A rear suspension assembly  7  is located within the area encompassed by the track.  
           [0004]    Flexible track vehicles, such as snowmobiles, present unique suspension problems. A suspension should provide driving comfort and operating safety by absorbing uneven terrain features—this requires the suspension to have a large range of motion, or travel. In an automobile the suspension assembly allows the tire to pivot upwards and downwards, permitting a large amount of travel. In contrast, the suspension assembly for a tracked vehicle anchors the track and only allows the track perimeter to compress and expand, without any pivoting motion of the track as a whole, thus limiting suspension travel, as shown in FIG. 2.  
           [0005]    For example, prior art suspension assemblies, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, are designed to guide the track perimeter into a generally parallelogram shape. An upper track routing  8 , housed within the tunnel  5 , is defined by a drive sprocket  11 , and a set of idler wheels  12 . A lower track routing  9  is defined by another set of idler wheels  12 , and a pair of slide rails  13 . Springs  14  prevent the track from collapsing and shock absorbers  15  dampen the springs&#39; oscillations. Various arms  16  connect the slide rails to the tunnel. When a snowmobile encounters a bump, the lower track routing moves upwards and the track compresses, but the upper track routing remains fixed relative to the frame  3  in the tunnel  5 , as shown in FIG. 2. Once over the bump, the track perimeter expands as the lower track routing resumes its previous position relative to the frame and upper track routing. However, the compression and expansion of the track perimeter is limited because the upper and lower track routings have a substantially fixed length. Therefore, the only sections of the track that can vary in length, permitting suspension travel, are the “side” track routings  10  that connect the upper and lower track routings. This limits the total amount of suspension travel to about 10 inches. Because of this limited suspension travel, a significant amount of the force exerted by bumps is absorbed by the frame  3  and the operator, which can adversely affect operator comfort and vehicle handling.  
           [0006]    Prior art suspensions have employed a variety of devices and concepts in a generally unsuccessful effort to keep the limited travel suspension from compressing completely. This is known as “bottoming.” Stiffer springs that require more compression force can be used, but this degrades operator comfort when traversing relatively smooth terrain as the springs are too stiff to move in response to smaller bumps. Stiffer springs are also heavy and more expensive.  
           [0007]    Another way to keep the suspension from bottoming is to increase the suspension&#39;s stiffness as it is compressed, a “rising-rate” suspension. Put differently, as the suspension is compressed, an increasing amount of force is required to compress it further. Generally, two techniques are currently used to achieve a rising-rate suspension: 1) specially-designed springs; and 2) sophisticated linkage arrangements that pivotally connect the suspension arms to the springs. Under either technique, the components are heavy and expensive. Furthermore, with the sophisticated linkage arrangements of technique (2), each pivot point experiences high forces that can cause binding, making the overall system even more stiff and less able to follow the terrain.  
           [0008]    Complex linkage arrangements are also used to overcome shortcomings associated with existing “suspension geometry.” The “geometry” of a suspension is defined by the arrangement of the lengths and pivot points of the arms, links and other suspension components. For example, the slide rails&#39; movement is controlled by the suspension arms pivoting about their attachment points on the snowmobile frame. One important geometry shortcoming associated with conventional suspensions is the tendency for the front of the slide rail to move independently of the rear. In other words, when initially encountering a bump, the front part of the slide rail moves upwards but the rear part does not, resulting in a tilted slide rail. When the rear part of the slide rail, now tilted, hits the bump, the force absorbed by the suspension, and the operator, is greater. Very complex, heavy and expensive suspension assemblies have been designed in a generally unsuccessful attempt to eliminate slide rail tilting. Slide rail tilting can also cause undesirable slack or tension to develop in the track. If slide rail tilting can be eliminated, springs and shock absorbers can be softer, reducing weight and cost and increasing operator comfort and safety.  
           [0009]    Another shortcoming of conventional suspension assemblies is the difficulty associated with weight transfer. Weight can be transferred from the front of the track (that is, the portion of the track closest to the skis) to the rear of the track (that is, the portion of the track farthest from the skis) by adjusting the slide rails. A slight upward incline shifts the weight to the rear of the track, and a slight downward incline shifts the weight to the front of the track. This changes the amount of weight carried by the front suspension and steering skis. When operating on ice, it is preferable to transfer more weight onto the skis, which helps them to “bite” the ice for better control. When driving on lightly packed snow, less weight on the skis and front suspension helps the skis to ride on top of the snow. Snow conditions may change frequently, but adjusting weight transfer on conventional suspension assemblies is somewhat difficult. Therefore, operators may not always bother to optimize the weight transfer.  
           [0010]    It is also difficult to adjust the springs and shocks on conventional suspension assemblies. Because they arc located within the track, and the track becomes filled with snow during operation, adjusting the springs or shock absorbers requires laying down in the snow and removing all the snow that has accumulated around them.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The present invention addresses the problem of insufficient rear suspension travel on tracked vehicles. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a way to mount an endless track to a snowmobile in a generally triangular configuration.  
           [0012]    More specifically, one embodiment of the invention mounts an endless track for a snowmobile around only three contact areas. As used herein, the term contact area means a portion of a track guide that guides the track to change direction. Inmost snowmobiles, the contact areas are rotating wheels and track sprockets, and the track runs around a portion of the rotating wheels and sprockets and maintains a generally rolling contact therewith. In one embodiment of the present invention, the endless track only changes direction about the three track contact areas to form a generally triangular shape.  
           [0013]    In addition, some embodiments of the present invention address the problem of cold seats on snowmobiles by routing at least a segment of the engine exhaust pipe under the seat The exhaust pipe carries relatively warm exhaust and serves to warm the seat and thus the operator.  
           [0014]    However, the claims alone—not the preceding summary—define the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    The nature, goals, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing—illustrating by way of examples the principles of the invention—in which like reference numerals identify like elements throughout, wherein:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a prior art snowmobile;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the movement of a prior art snowmobile rear suspension;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a prior art snowmobile rear suspension;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the snowmobile of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4, illustrating the engine exhaust pipe routing;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 4, illustrating specific components;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the frame, track sprockets and rear suspension components of the embodiment of FIG. 4;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of specific rear suspension components of the embodiment of FIG. 7;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a slide rail section and a rear suspension arm of the embodiment of FIG. 7;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 10 is a side elevation view illustrating some of the characteristics of the rear suspension movement of the embodiment of FIG. 4;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 is a side elevation view illustrating additional characteristics of the rear suspension movement of the embodiment of FIG. 4;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the rocker arm and damper relationship of the rear suspension of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]    General  
         [0029]    As shown in FIG. 4, a snowmobile according to the invention provides an extended movement rear suspension by configuring the endless track or belt into a substantially triangular shape.  
         [0030]    Conventional snowmobiles have an extended upper track routing that configures the track into a parallelogram shape, as shown in FIG. 3. The length of the upper track routing, combined with a substantial lower track routing, necessary for supporting the snowmobile on the snow, leaves little track available for suspension travel. Conventional snowmobiles use incredibly complex linkage assemblies in an attempt to overcome the inherent shortcomings associated with mounting the entire suspension inside the track, which limits the track movement to compression and expansion of the upper track routing  8  relative to the lower track routing  9 , as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0031]    A rear suspension for a tracked vehicle according to the invention provides a large amount of suspension travel by configuring the track into a triangle, thus “freeing-up” more of the track for suspension movement. The triangular configuration also allows the track as a whole to pivot, thus further increasing available suspension travel.  
         [0032]    The rear suspension is light, simple and easily fabricated. Additionally, the angle of orientation is substantially constant between the lower track routing and the frame throughout the suspension travel. Moreover, access to the spring and shock absorber is improved, and the rising-rate suspension geometry is optimized. Furthermore, an advantageously large leverage ratio between suspension components is obtained.  
         [0033]    Structure  
         [0034]    Referring to FIGS.  4 - 6 , a snowmobile in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is illustrated and designated generally by the numeral  20 . A frame or chassis  21  mounts an engine (not shown) that drives an endless track or belt  23 . When positioned on the seat  24  that is located over a tunnel  25 , a operator steers the snowmobile by a handlebar assembly  26  that communicates with a front suspension having skis  27  pivotally mounted to the frame by conventional arms  28 . Front springs  30  and shock absorbers or dampers  31  support the front suspension.  
         [0035]    Referring to FIGS.  6 - 8 , the engine  22  has a drive chain or other conventional system (not shown) that transmits engine power to a plurality of track sprockets or drive wheels  32 . A conventional track sprocket arrangement is preferred, with the individual track sprockets having a diameter of about seven (7) inches. Preferably, the engine is a 4-stroke type, but 2-stroke engines can also be used. The track sprockets define an upper track routing, or a rolling contact area on the inner surface of the track  23  that is positioned about, and supported by, various rear suspension components. A lower guide assembly, or lower track routing  40  has two slide rails  41  with track guides or sliders  42  that directly contact the track  23  and are made of a suitable low-friction material. Rotatably connected at the forward and aft areas of the slide rails are conventional idler wheels or track support wheels  43  that provide a lower rolling contact area for the track. An idler wheel support or brace  36  is mounted to the slide rail  41  at the front slide rail pivot point  51  and about the idler wheel  43  axle. The brace resists bending forces exerted against the idler wheel by the track  23 .  
         [0036]    As shown in FIG. 6, the track  23  is positioned between the ground or terrain  35 , sliders  42 , and idler wheels  43 . The track terrain contact area  34  is that portion or section of track that contacts the ground when the snowmobile is stationary and positioned on flat, level ground with no operators or objects placed on it. This is known as ride height, or design height.  
         [0037]    A front or forward suspension member or arm  44  pivotally joins the slide rails  41  to the frame  21 . A rear or aft suspension member or arm  45  also pivotally joins the slide rails to the frame. The front and rear arms are preferably constructed from high-tensile strength metal tubing, but alternatives such as aluminum alloys, graphite or any other suitable material may be used. As shown in the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, both arms have a general ‘H’ configuration, with the front and rear arms being equal in length and parallel to each other. Alternatively, the front and rear arms could he unequal in length and not parallel to each other.  
         [0038]    A bell crank or rocker arm  46  is preferably mounted to the front arm  44  by a splined, clamped, bolted or other rigid, yet removable method. In other embodiments, the rocker arm could be fastened to the rear arm  45 , or two rocker arms could be fastened to one or both of the suspension arms, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 8.  
         [0039]    Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8. a shock absorber or damper  47  is pivotally connected to the rocker ann  46  and the frame  21 . In a preferred embodiment, a coil spring  48  is mounted coaxially with the damper, and the damper has adjustable damping features. However, in other embodiments, a tension bar, leaf spring, air spring or any other suitable biasing and damping means could be employed. By locating the damper  47  and coil spring  48  next to the engine, adjustments can be performed quickly and easily. In contrast, conventional spring and damper locations inside the track, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, require the operator lay down in the snow, and remove snow from around the spring/dampers prior to making adjustments.  
         [0040]    Referring to FIG. 9, the rear suspension arm  45  connects to the slide rail assembly  41  at a rear slot or adjustable rear slide rail pivot point  53 . A pivot locating plate  54  is removably mounted to the slide rail by bolts, clips or other fastening means. Interchangeable pivot locating plates position the rear pivot point  53  at a forward, center or aft location in the slot.  
         [0041]    When the rear pivot point is centered in the slot  53 , the slide rail assembly  41  is parallel to a reference plane on the snowmobile frame  21 . When the rear pivot point is forward in the slot, as shown in FIG. 9, the front of the slide rail assembly  41  is slightly higher than the rear of the slide rail assembly so that the slide rail assembly has a slight upward tilt. When the rear pivot point is aft in the slot, the front of the slide rail assembly  41  is slightly lower than the rear of the slide rail assembly so that the slide rail assembly has a slight downward tilt.  
         [0042]    Therefore, the weight supported by the slide rail assembly  41  can be shifted from the front to the back of the slide rail by tilting the slide rail assembly. When the weight is transferred to the back of the slide rail assembly, more weight is carried by the front suspension and skis  27 . Conversely, when the weight is transferred to the front of the slide rail assembly, less weight is carried by the front suspension and skis. It is desirable to change the weight carried by the front suspension and skis to adjust to changing terrain conditions—more weight for icy conditions, and less weight for deep snow conditions. Alternative methods for shifting the location of the rear slide rail pivot  53  include using hydraulic or electric means.  
         [0043]    Referring to FIGS. 7 and 9, a group of idler wheels  43  are rotatably mounted on an axle  56  that is positioned in a channel  57  at the afl end of each slide rail  41 . These idler wheels can be adjusted in the forward and aft direction by conventional means, such as a threaded lock-nut (not shown), thereby permitting the removal, installation and adjustment of the track  23 .  
         [0044]    Referring to FIG. 5, an engine exhaust pipe  60  is connected to the engine  22 , which can be either a 4-stroke or 2-stroke design. The exhaust pipe is routed underneath the seat  24 , heating the seat as the hot exhaust gasses heat the exhaust pipe. The warm seat helps to keep the operators&#39; lower extremities warm. Also, inadvertent contact with the hot exhaust pipe is greatly minimized by the under-seat routing. Preferably, a single exhaust pipe is routed under the seat, but in other embodiments, two or more exhaust pipes may be routed under the seat. Alternatively, the exhaust may terminate with a split tip (not shown) that splits a singe exhaust pipe into two separate exhaust pipes. In another embodiment, the tip of each exhaust pipe  60  of a multiple exhaust pipe under-seat routing may be split into two or more tips (not shown), forming a plurality of split tips.  
         [0045]    Operation  
         [0046]    Referring to FIG. 10, a portion or segment of the rear suspension travel or movement is illustrated. The front arm  44  has a length X, and the rocker arm  46  has a length Y, and both pivot about frame pivot point  50 . In a preferred embodiment, the X-length is about 20 inches, and the Y-length is about 10 inches. Therefore, the front arm is about twice as long as the rocker arm, that is, the leverage ratio between the front arm and the rocker arm is 2:1 (“2 to 1”). Alternatively, the X- and Y-lengths could vary from a minimum leverage ratio of about 1,5:1 to a maximum leverage ratio of about 4:1. With a leverage ratio of 2:1, the distance Z that slide rail pivot point  51  travels is twice the distance W that upper rocker arm pivot point  49  travels.  
         [0047]    One advantage of a leverage ratio between the front arm  44  and the rocker arm  46  is that a smaller, more compact damper  47  and coil spring  48  can be used. Because of the 2:1 leverage ratio, the suspension movement of the present invention can be twice the stroke length of the damper. Conversely, conventional suspensions locate the spring and damper units within the track, thus limiting suspension movement to the stroke length of the damper, or to about 10 inches.  
         [0048]    The leverage ratio also contributes to the extremely large range of motion, or suspension travel of about 16 inches, which is significantly more than conventional snowmobile suspensions. For example, referring to FIG. 10, the suspension travel starts when the slide rail  41  is farthest from the tunnel  25 , shown approximately in solid lines, and the suspension is completely extended. When the slide rail is closest or uppermost to the tunnel  24 , and the suspension is totally compressed, or bottomed (not shown) the suspension travel is complete.  
         [0049]    Conventional belts or tracks  23  are generally manufactured in two lengths: 121 and 136 inches. For a conventional suspension having only 10 inches of travel, the percentage of suspension travel to track length is only 8% ( 10  divided by 121) for a 121 inch track, and 7% ( 10  divided by 136) for a 136 inch track. The suspension travel of the present invention is about 16 inches. The percentage of suspension travel to track length is now 13% for 121 inch tracks, and 12% for 136 inch tracks. This is a 5% increase over conventional suspension systems.  
         [0050]    The large, desirable arcs circumscribed by the front and rear arms,  44  and  45  respectively, arc the result of unique “suspension geometry.” Superior suspension geometry is achieved by very carefully arranging the lengths and pivot points of the suspension arms.  
         [0051]    Referring to FIG. 10, one advantage of the suspension geometry of the present invention is that an angle of inclination, or orientation  61  is constant between the slide rail  41  and the frame  21  throughout the range of motion of the slide rails. As the slide rails move in suspension travel, their orientation with respect to any fixed arbitrary plane  62  that passes through the snowmobile frame remains constant. For example, if plane  62  is parallel to the sliders  42  on the bottom of the slide rail  41 —when the slide rail is positioned closest to the tunnel  25 —the arbitrary plane and the slide rail will still be parallel when the slide rail is positioned farthest from the tunnel  25 . Thus, the angle of inclination, or orientation  61 , between the slide rail and the frame remains constant throughout the range of motion of the suspension.  
         [0052]    This preferred suspension geometry is achieved because the front and rear aims,  44  and  45  respectively, are equal in length and parallel, and because in one embodiment of the invention, both arms have a fixed, or substantially constant length. Conventional suspensions join the slide rails to the frame with arms or links that are not substantially constant in length, such as springs or dampers that compress and expand. This results in a tilting slide rail that does not maintain a constant orientation with respect to the frame. Complex linkages have been developed in an unsuccessful effort to “couple” the various suspension arms together to keep the slide rail at a constant orientation. The present invention uses substantially constant length suspension arms to join the slide rails to the frame—eliminating springs and dampers from the slide rail to frame connection—and achieves constant orientation slide rail movement.  
         [0053]    Another important feature of the suspension geometry of the present invention is that the frame pivot points  50  and  55  for the front and rear arms,  44  and  45 , respectively, are located at the front area of the tunnel  25 , near the track sprocket  32 . This has several advantages. As shown in FIG. 11, the track sprocket  32  location is constant as the suspension and track  23  move in their range of motion. Therefore, pivot points located inside the track perimeter, but near the track sprocket will not interfere with or contact the track as it moves with the suspension. A “no-track-interference zone” can be determined by moving the suspension throughout its range of motion and identifying the path of the track. Depending on the suspension geometry, and the suspension travel, the no-track-interference zone can extend up to about three track sprocket  32  diameters from the track sprocket rotational axis  33 .  
         [0054]    Another advantage of having the frame pivot points  50  and  55 , respectively, located at the front area of the tunnel  25  is that the front and rear arms,  44  and  45 , respectively, are positioned at an angle with respect to the slide rail  41 , allowing long suspension and that move in arcs having a long radius. Also, the beneficial leverage ratio of about 2:1, described above, can be achieved with long arms. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the idler wheels  43  in the tunnel  25  can be eliminated, allowing the triangular track  23  configuration. This removes the long fixed length of track between the track sprockets and upper idler wheels of conventional suspensions, shown in FIG. 3 as upper track routing &amp; One embodiment of the present invention eliminates the fixed length upper track routing, and uses the track  23  length gained thereby for increasing suspension travel. Alternatively, one or more idler wheels  43  could be located near the track sprockets  32 , thereby decreasing the fixed length of track between the track sprockets and idler wheels to about one-half of the slide rail track length A, shown in FIG. 11.  
         [0055]    In addition, careful location of the frame pivot points in the area around the track sprocket  32 , minimizes any slack or tension in the track  23  during suspension movement. Conventional snowmobile suspension systems have an extended forward section on their long slide rails to absorb track slack generated during suspension movement. In the present invention, as the slide rail moves, the lengths of the sides of the suspension triangle change. As a result, the lengths of the track  23  routed about the suspension triangle change—but the sum of the lengths of the suspension triangle remains substantially the same, thereby minimizing any slack.  
         [0056]    For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the length A of track  23  against the slide rail  41  remains generally constant because the length of the slide rail does not change. When the suspension is completely extended, length B is about 23 inches, and length C is about 48 inches. When the suspension is completely compressed, or bottomed, length B′ is about 22 inches, and length C′ is about 49 inches. Thus, length B becomes a slightly shorter B′ and length C becomes a slightly longer C′ as the slide rail  41  moves upwards towards the tunnel  25 . The present invention minimizes track slack by carefully locating the frame pivot points,  50  and  55  respectively, for the front and rear arms,  44  and  45  respectively, in the area around the track sprocket  32 . in a preferred embodiment, the distance from the track sprocket rotational axis  33  to the front arm pivot point  50  is about 5 inches, and the distance from the track sprocket rotational axis to the rear arm pivot point  55  is about 10 inches. Alternative embodiments could position the front and rear arm pivots within about 20 inches of the track sprocket rotational axis and achieve similar results.  
         [0057]    The rising-rate arrangement of the present invention will now be explained with reference to a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 12. Rocker arm  46  is fixed relative to front suspension arm  44 , and both components pivot about frame pivot point  50  as the snowmobile encounters bumps. Damper  47  is pivotally connected to the rocker arm at the upper rocker arm pivot point  49  and to the frame  21  at the damper pivot point  29 . In this preferred embodiment, a coil spring  48  is mounted coaxially about the damper, as shown in FIG. 7. When the snowmobile encounters a bump, the front suspension arm and the rocker arm both pivot about frame pivot point  50 . As the rocker arm pivots, the damper is compressed. As the damper is compressed, the angle D, which is less than 90 degrees, becomes larger and reaches 90 degrees at D′ when the suspension is completely compressed or bottomed. Therefore, the rate of compression of the damper increases and the damper efficiency or resistance also increases. Thus the resistance to compression becomes progressively greater as the suspension travels toward the completely compressed position.  
         [0058]    An advantage of the present invention is that the characteristics of the rising-rate can be quickly changed or adjusted to suit different operating conditions. When traversing extremely bumpy terrain, a more progressive rising-rate is desired, and can he quickly achieved by moving the damper pivot point  29  to pivot point  29 ′. The angle D is significantly smaller when the damper is mounted at pivot point  29 ′, thus the rate of damper resistance is even more progressive. Conversely, when the damper is mounted at pivot point  29 ″, the angle D is larger than 90 degrees, and the damper becomes less effective as the suspension is compressed. This is ‘falling-rate’ configuration, suitable for terrain with very small bumps.  
         [0059]    Again referring to FIG. 12, another advantage of the present invention is that the leverage ratio, discussed above, can be quickly changed or adjusted by pivotally attaching the damper  47  to upper rocker arm pivot points  49 ′ or  49 ″. Operators may desire different leverage ratios when carrying different loads on the snowmobile. Increasing the leverage ratio decreases the amount of force at the end of the suspension arms  44  or  45  to compress the damper. When the damper is mounted at pivot point  49 ′, the effective length of the rocker arm  46  is now shorter as the damper is attached closer to the frame pivot point  50 . This changes the leverage ratio to as much as 4:1. Alternatively, the leverage ratio can be decreased by attaching the damper to pivot point  49 ″, which lengthens the effective length of the rocker arm, decreasing the leverage ratio to about 1.5:1.  
         [0060]    Alternatively, a bell crank (not shown) is pivotally connected to the rocker arm  46 , frame  21  and a suspension arm. V/hen die suspension arm pivots, the rocker arm pivots about the frame pivot point, actuating the rocker arm, that compresses or expands the damper  47 .  
         [0061]    Other Embodiments  
         [0062]    Certain preferred embodiments have been described above. It is to be understood that a latitude of modification and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and that these modifications and substitutions are within the literal scope—or are equivalent to the claims that follow.  
         [0063]    Accordingly, it is appropriate that the following claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein described.