Abstract:
A utility vehicle is provided with a wishbone-shaped frame having a forwardly extending stem terminating rearwardly of the front axle of the vehicle to permit the orientation of the vehicle in a shipping envelope that is significantly smaller in length than the corresponding operating envelope. The floor panel in the operator station is hinged to pivot upwardly, thereby permitting, upon the disconnection of the front axle from the frame, a rearward positioning of the front hood and front axle against the seats of the operator station. A method of configuring the utility vehicle into a compact shipping envelope is also disclosed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to off-road motor vehicles, such as utility or recreational vehicles, and more particularly to a vehicle configuration that will enable the shipping envelope to be smaller than the operating envelope. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Small off-road vehicles such as utility or recreational vehicles are becoming popular for recreational and other general purpose off-road usage. Such utility vehicles can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,770. These utility vehicles have found usage on golf courses and at sporting events, and are particularly adaptable for utilization on a farm. This type of flexibility, and the wide variety of uses necessitates a vehicle that is highly flexible, highly maneuverable, and the like. This demands a vehicle that will afford a high degree of maneuverability and ease of steering. 
   Utility vehicles can be manufactured in a two axle (four wheels) or a three axle (six wheels) configuration. The vehicles are typically shipped in the same configuration as they are operated. To minimize shipping costs, it is desirable to restrict the shipping length (i.e., shipping envelope) of the vehicle. Since these utility vehicles are normally shipped laterally on a truck bed, limitations in vehicle length are highly important as this becomes a critical factor in shipping width. The length of the vehicle is controlled by the diameter of the front tire, the clearance between the front tire and the front fender, the longitudinal length of the operator station (including the floor boards and the seat structure), and the length of the bed. Competitive advantages can be realized if each of these factors could be enlarged. For example, the front tires could be increased in size, greater fender clearance could be provided to allow for sharper steering, and a longer bed to allow for greater carrying capacity could be achieved. In addition, boarding ease and riding comfort could be improved by lengthening the operator station. 
   Increasing the size of these various components results in a corresponding increase in size of the operating envelope, and therefore, the shipping envelope. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a utility vehicle configuration in which the shipping envelope is smaller than the operating envelope. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a utility vehicle configuration in which the shipping envelope is smaller than the operating envelope. 
   It is another object of this invention to provide a utility vehicle that is easily placed into a shipping configuration. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for configuring a utility vehicle into a shipping configuration. 
   It is an advantage of the present invention that shipping costs are minimized. 
   It is another advantage of the present invention that the front axle can be easily disconnected from the frame when the utility vehicle is placed in a shipping configuration. 
   It is a feature of this invention that the floor panel of the utility vehicle can be raised to a vertical position to enable the front portion of the utility vehicle to be moved rearwardly to compact the shipping envelope. 
   It is another feature of the present invention that the frame is formed in a wishbone configuration having a forwardly extending stem and a pair of rearwardly extending legs. 
   It is a further feature of this invention to add a bogey beam pivotally connected at an intermediate point to said frame by a pivot assembly. 
   It is yet another object of this invention to provide a utility vehicle that is durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, carefree in maintenance, easy to assemble, and simple and effective in use. 
   These and other objects, features, and advantages are accomplished according to the present invention by providing a utility vehicle having a frame supported by a steering axle and terminating rearwardly of the drive axle and having a pair of steered wheels pivotally mounted thereon and a drive axle mounted to the frame having a pair of drive wheels mounted thereon, an operator station including a floor panel and a seat, and a front hood assembly. The floor panel has a forward portion pivotally connected for movement into a generally vertical orientation. The vehicle is capable of placement into a shipping configuration having a length smaller than the corresponding operating configuration by disconnecting the steering axle from the frame and moving the forward portion of the floor panel into the vertical configuration to permit movement of the front hood assembly rearwardly toward the seat. 
   The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description that follows, in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is side perspective view of a utility vehicle incorporating the principles of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the frame and drive mechanism with the chassis removed for purposes of clarity; 
       FIG. 3   a  is a top plan view of the vehicle chassis depicting the operating envelope; 
       FIG. 3   b  is a top plan view of the vehicle chassis depicting the shipping envelope according to the principles of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4   a  is a side elevational view of a utility vehicle depicting the operating envelope; 
       FIG. 4   b  is a side elevational view of a utility vehicle depicting the shipping envelope; and 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic side elevational view of the operator station configured in the shipping envelope. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , a utility vehicle incorporating the principles of the present invention can best be seen. 
   The utility vehicle  10  includes a frame  12  supported above the ground G by a pair of steered wheels  22 ,  23  mounted on a front steering axle  20  and by a pair of driven wheels  25  mounted on a rear drive axle  24 . In the preferred embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 1-2 , a middle drive axle  27  is provided with a pair of opposing support wheels  28 . The frame  12  supports an operator compartment  13  including seats  14  for the comfort of the operator and control apparatus, such as a conventional steering wheel  15  and a gear shift lever  16 . A throttle control (not shown) and a brake control (not shown), along with other conventional control devices, are also included within the operator compartment  13  for the control of the vehicle  10 . The frame  12  also supports a load bed  19  rearwardly of the operator compartment  13  over the middle and rear drive axles  27 ,  24  respectively, to carry cargo over the surface of the ground G. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the frame  12  with the axles  20 ,  24 ,  27  mounted thereon can best be seen. The rear drive axle  24  is rotatably supported on the frame  12  and is powered by a drive mechanism  26  powered by an engine  11  supported by the frame  12 . The middle axle  27  is pivotally supported from the frame  12  by a pair of support links  29  and is connected to the rearward end of a bogey beam  30 , which will be described in greater detail below. The middle axle  27  is preferably formed as a pair of stub shafts  27   a ,  27   b  connected to said respective support links  29 . A support beam  32  is pivotally mounted on a rearward end of the bogey beam  30  for oscillatory movement about a longitudinally extending pivot axis  33 . The support wheels  28  on the middle axle  27  are driven by respective chain drives  26   a  to provide a four wheel drive capability for the vehicle  10 . 
   The frame  12  preferably is formed in a “wishbone” configuration with the legs  12   a  extending rearwardly to support the rear axle  24 , the bed  19 , and the drive system  11 . The stem  12   b  extends forwardly from the central bight portion  12   c  to support the front module  20   a  and the bogey beam  30 . The operator station  13  would be located substantially over the central bight portion  12   c . The floor panel  13   b  in the operator station  13  is preferably hinged at axis  13   c  so that the forward portion of the floor panel  13   b  can be pivoted upwardly into a vertical orientation to form the shipping envelopes as will be described in greater detail below. 
   Front axle  20  and the mounting member  35  are attached to the forward end of the bogey beam  30 , and, therefore, also pivot about axis  33 . The bogey beam  30  is pivotally connected to the frame  12  by a pivot assembly  37  positioned beneath the operator compartment  13  to provide an oscillation of the bogey beam  30  about the transverse pivot axis  38 . Accordingly, the front steering axle  20  and the middle axle  27  generally oscillate in opposing vertical directions on opposite ends of the bogey beam  30  due to the pivotal mounting thereof by the pivot assembly  37 . 
   The pivot assembly  37  can be formed as a simple pin assembly connecting the bogey beam  30  to the frame of the vehicle  10  to define the transverse pivot axis  38 , as is shown in the drawings. The pivot assembly  37  can also suspend the bogey beam  30  from the frame  12  by providing a link (not shown) that pivotally connects at one end of the bogey beam  30  and is centrally connected to the frame  12  with the opposing end of the link being connected to a spring mechanism (not shown) that provides some resiliency between the bogey beam  30  and the frame  12 . Under such a suspended bogey beam arrangement, the transverse pivot axis  38  would be located at the pivotal connection between the link (not shown) and the bogey beam  30 , but would be vertically movable relative to the frame  12  about the pivotal connection between the link (not shown) and the frame  12 . The spring mechanism (not shown) interconnecting the frame  12  and the link (not shown) offset forces encountered by the bogey beam  30 . The location of the central pivot of the link (not shown), pivotally connecting the link to the frame  12 , is positioned between the opposing ends of the link to provide the desired resiliency for the selected size of the spring mechanism. 
   Any load placed in the load bed  19  will be transferred to the rear axle  24  through the mounting thereof with the frame  12  and to the bogey beam  30  via the pivot assembly  37 . The weight carried by the bogey beam  30  will be shared in a proportionate manner between the front steering axle  20  and the middle axle  27 . The respective proportions will be determined by the location of the pivot assembly  37  along a length of the bogey beam  30 . Accordingly, any load transferred to the bogey beam  30  will always be proportionately divided between the front steering axle  20  and the middle axle  27 . As a result, the steering characteristics will not be impacted by any load placed into the load bed  19 , as the middle axle  27  cannot overpower the front steering axle  20 . 
   The front steering axle  20  is operatively associated with a steering mechanism  40  to effect turning movement of the steered wheels  22 ,  23 . The steering mechanism  40  is actuated through manipulation of the steering wheel  15  by the operator through the universal connecting linkage  42 . The steering mechanism  40  includes a rack and pinion assembly  45  which includes a conventional pinion (not shown) rotatably associated with the steering wheel  15  and a conventional rack  47  that is linearly movable in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion  46  in a known manner. 
   The rack  47  is pivotally connected to a first bell crank  50  at a first connection point  48 . The first bell crank  50  is pivotally mounted on the mounting member  35  for movement about a pivot  51 . The connection point  48  is positioned forwardly of the pivot  51  to effect pivotal movement of the first bell crank. The right steered wheel  22  includes a spuckle  52  having a steering arm  53  extending rearwardly therefrom. The first bell crank  50  is connected to the right steering arm  53  by a steering link  54  that extends laterally and rearwardly from the first bell crank  50  to the rearward end of the steering arm  53 . 
   The steering mechanism  40  also includes a second bell crank  55  pivotally mounted on the mounting member  35  for movement about a pivot  56 . The second bell crank  55  is connected to the first bell crank  50  by a tie rod  60  for coordinated movement therebetween. Accordingly, pivotal movement of the first bell crank  50  is transferred to the second bell crank  55  through connection with the tie rod  60 . The left steered wheel  23  includes a spuckle  57  having a steering arm  58  extending rearwardly therefrom. The second bell crank  55  is connected to the left steering arm  58  by a steering link  59  that extends laterally and rearwardly from the second bell crank  55  to the rearward end of the steering arm  58 . Accordingly, the left and right steered wheels  22 ,  23  are steered in concert with one another in response to a manipulation of the steering wheel  15  by the operator. 
   The support beam  32  at the rear end of the bogey beam  30  has the stub axles  27   a ,  27   b  mounted directly to the laterally opposing ends of the support beam  32 . The support beam  32  also has a pair of mounting brackets  34  projecting rearwardly therefrom interiorly of the stub shafts  27   a ,  27   b  to pivotally connect with the support links  29 . The support links  29  pivotally interconnect the frame  12  just forward of the rear drive axle  24  and the mounting brackets  34  on the support beam  32 . While the drawings depict the support links  29  connected to the frame  12  and the rear drive axle  24  fixed to the frame  12 , an alternative configuration can suspend the rear drive axle  24  from the frame  12  such that the rear drive axle  24  is vertically movable relative to the frame  12 . In such a configuration, the support links  29  would preferably be mounted to the rear drive axle  24  to be vertically movable therewith, but pivotable about an axis that is not coincidental with the axis of the rear drive axle  24 . Furthermore, the pivotal connection between the support links  29  and either the frame  12  or the rear drive axle  24  will be positionally adjustable in a fore-and-aft direction to provide for adjustment of the tension in the chain drive mechanism  26   a.    
   Support beam  32  is also connected to a central support bracket  31  which, in turn, is connected to the rearward end of the bogey beam  30  by a ball joint  33   a  defining the oscillation axis  33 , which permits the middle axle  27  to oscillate about a longitudinally extending axis  33  and permits the middle axle  27  to follow ground undulations. The central support bracket  31  also defines a pivotal connection between the bogey beam  30  and the support beam  32  such that the support beam  32 , which is fixed to the central support bracket  31 , is free to pivot about a bolt defining a transversely extending pivot axis  31   a  that is eccentric with respect to the transverse axis of the middle axle  27 . Accordingly, the middle axle  27  is capable of simultaneous pivotal movement about the transverse axis  31   a  and the pivotal connections between the support links  29  and the mounting brackets  34 . Preferably, the pivotal connection between the support links  29  and the mounting brackets  34  are in alignment with the stubs shafts  27   a ,  27   b  defining the middle axle 27 . The transverse pivot axis  31   a  is located below the line of the middle axle  27 . 
   The pivotal connection of the support links  29  to the frame  12  (or alternatively to the rear drive axle  24 ) is preferably formed as an assembly that is longitudinally movable to control the tension in the chain drive mechanism  26   a . One skilled in the art will readily recognize that a fore-and-aft movement of the support link  29  will cause pivotal movement of the support beam  32  about the transverse pivot axis  31   a  carried by the rearward-end of the bogey beam  30 . Accordingly, the normal operative position of the support beam  32  will be at an orientation above the bogey beam  30  to allow for wear adjustment of the chain mechanism  26   a.    
   Referring now to  FIGS. 3   a - 5 , the differences between the operating envelope and the shipping envelope can best be seen. By raising the forward portion of the floor panel  13   b  to a vertical position, as best seen in  FIG. 5 , and disconnecting the front hood assembly  13   a  from the frame  12 , and the steering axle  20  from the bogey beam  30 , the front module  20   a  of the utility vehicle  10 , including the front hood assembly  13   a  and the steering axle  20 , can be moved rearwardly to compact the shipping envelope, as is depicted in  FIGS. 3   b  and  4   b . In this shipping configuration, the front module  20   a  of the utility vehicle  10  could be temporarily connected to the remainder of the vehicle, or even shipped separately in a different crate. As can be seen in a comparison between  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , as well as in a comparison of  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the overall length of the operating configuration of the utility vehicle  10 , as seen in  FIGS. 3   a  and  4   a  is significantly larger than the overall length of the utility vehicle  10  when placed into the compact shipping configuration, as seen in  FIGS. 3   b  and  4   b . As illustrated in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the roof assembly  17  could also be detached for shipping purposes. 
   Once received by the dealer, the front module  20   a  of the utility vehicle  10  would be reconnected to the remaining portion of the utility vehicle  10  by reattaching the steering axle  20  to the bogey beam  30 , reattaching the front hood  13   a  to the frame  12 , and lowering the floor panel  13   b . The roof assembly  17  would be reconnected and the operating envelope, as depicted in  FIGS. 3   a  and  4   a , would be re-established. 
   In alternative embodiments, for example, the floor panel  13   b  can be overlapping so as to telescope. Such an embodiment would permit the front module  20   a  to be moved rearwardly toward the seat  14  and place the utility vehicle  10  in the shipping configuration. In another embodiment of the invention, the floor panel  13   b  can be fully detachable from the frame  12 , and could be shipped either in the bed  19  of the utility vehicle  10  or could be shipped separately from the utility vehicle  10 . In yet another embodiment of the invention, the floor panel  13   b  is fixed to the frame  12  and the front module is configured to slide rearwardly over the top of the floor panel  13   b  toward the seat  14 , thus placing the utility vehicle  10  into a compact shipping configuration having an overall length that is significantly less than the normal operation configuration. 
   The invention of this application has been described above both generically and with regard to specific embodiments. Although the invention has been set forth in what is believed to be the preferred embodiments, a wide variety of alternatives known to those of skill in the art can be selected within the generic disclosure. The invention is not otherwise limited, except for the recitation of the claims set forth below.