Abstract:
A jack for lifting a small wheeled utility vehicle such as a lawn mower. The jack includes spaced bars having a lever actuated jacking mechanism therebetween. A base cross bar is carried by the jacking mechanism up and down the same and has spaced cradles for receiving the wheels of the utility vehicle therein. The spacings between the cradles and within the cradles are adjustable for adapting to the wheels of the vehicle. The jack also includes a base bar extending away from the bars for stabilizing the same and movable to a stored position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field 
         [0002]    This invention relates to lifting jacks, and, more particularly to a mobile jack for lifting mobile small utility vehicles, such as golf carts, riding lawn mowers, ATVs, etc. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and CFR 1.98 
         [0004]    Prior art devices are known for lifting wheeled vehicles such as lawn mowers for servicing and cleaning, such as self-propelled riding type lawn mowers or lawn tractors. This type of lawn mowing equipment is quite heavy and cannot be easily lifted which is often required in the servicing for cleaning, blade replacement or sharpening. 
         [0005]    Heretofore it was necessary to manually lift the front end of the mower or tractor up onto temporary service blocks to provide sufficient clearance for access under the mowing deck of the equipment. 
         [0006]    In recent years, such small tractors, riding lawn mowers and similar vehicles, having a power capacity in the order of roughly 5-25 hp, have been widely sold for such purposes as the cutting of lawns, tilling the soil, plowing snow, hauling and other tasks around the home or farm. Like all mechanical equipment, these vehicles require servicing such as the removal of rotary blades for sharpening or replacement, periodic lubrication and/or oil changes, etc. It is often times inconvenient and always expensive to have such maintenance performed at a central service facility having the necessary lifts to elevate the vehicle bodily for performing these operations since the vehicle must be loaded onto some type of carrier and transported to the facility, and delays in the completion of such servicing are common. Many of these servicing operations are of the type that can be performed by the average owner and indeed many owners would prefer to do this work themselves in order to save time and money and, moreover, insure themselves of satisfactory execution. 
         [0007]    However, many maintenance procedures require that at least one end of the lawn mower or tractor be elevated at least about one food and often somewhat higher above the ground so that the operator can have access to the undercarriage of the vehicle where the mower blade is often situated or the lubrication fittings located. Despite their relatively small size and capacity, these vehicles nevertheless have a considerable weight which typically exceeds the lifting strength of the average person. Of course, conventional jacks of the type used for jacking automobiles and the like could be employed, but as is well known by those familiar with automotive mechanics, these jacks are not sufficiently stable in operation to permit work to be safely performed beneath the vehicle suspended therefrom, but must be used together with jack stands; but since each side of an end of the tractor must be jacked separately and then placed on a separate jack stand for stable elevation, this is inconvenient and time consuming. 
         [0008]    Various kinds of portable jacks have been suggested for various purposes, but none of these are well suited for the function described above. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    It is an object of this invention to provide a lifting jack for lifting a small wheeled utility vehicle such as a lawn mower for servicing the same. 
         [0010]    It is another object of this invention to provide such a lifting jack which firmly anchors the lawn mower to the jack prior to lifting the same. 
         [0011]    These and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing a jack that has provisions for locking the front wheels of the lawn mower in secure position. The jack is easy to operate by actuation of a lever to raise and lower the lawn mower. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the jack of the invention illustrating lifting of a wheeled lawn mower; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the jack alone of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view illustrating the assembly of a width adjusting bar to the framework of the jack of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the jack of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  illustrating the raising of the lawn mower lifting portions of the jack of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a detailed view, partly in cross-section, of a portion of the jack alone of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a view of the jack of  FIG. 1  taken along line  7  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a view similar to  FIG. 7  taken in the opposite direction from  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of the jack alone of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a side elevational view of the jack alone of  FIG. 1  shown in stored folded position. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 1  of the invention, a jack  10  is shown lifting a wheeled lawn mower  11  for servicing the same. Lawn mower  11  is a conventional lawn mower having a driver&#39;s seat  12  and a chassis  13  with front and rear wheels  14 ,  15 , respectively. 
         [0023]    Jack  10  is shown in  FIG. 2  having a framework  16  comprising spaced vertically extending bars  17 ,  18 , which are interconnected at top to a centrally located vertically extending bar  19  interconnected to bars  17 ,  18  by interconnecting bars  20 ,  21 , respectively. Bar  19  has a plurality of vertically extending spaced holes  22  for reasons to be discussed. 
         [0024]    Upright bars  17 ,  18  are secured at bottom to a base bar  23  (see particularly  FIG. 4 ) extending toward lawn mower  10  ( FIG. 1 ) and terminating in a cross bar  24  ( FIG. 1 ). Base bar  23  is comprised of 2 interconnected sections  25 ,  26  as best seen in  FIG. 9 . A flat support plate  27  is secured to section  25  and section  26  pivots between U-shaped section  25  as shown. A locking pin  28  is inserted into aligned holes  29  in the upstanding spaced walls  30 ,  31  to hold section  26  in the position shown in  FIG. 9  for storage. A clip  32  holds pin  28  in fixed position. Thus, as seen in  FIG. 2 , base bar  23 , plate  27  and cross bar  24  support the framework  16  in the position shown in  FIG. 2  but can be quickly and easily folded up for storage to the  FIG. 9  position. 
         [0025]    The front wheels  14  of lawn mower  11  ( FIG. 1 ) are supported in spaced cradles  33 ,  34 . Each cradle  33 ,  34  (see particularly cradle  33  in  FIG. 3 ) includes spaced curved brackets  35 ,  36  interconnected by support bars  37 ,  38  to a tubing  39  as by welding or the like. Tubing  39  may be hollow and square shaped as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0026]    Brackets  35 ,  36  are interconnected at front by a tubular support  40  receivable in selective ones of aligned spaced holes  41 ,  42  in the terminal ends of cradles  33 ,  34 , respectively, for adjusting the spacing between cradles  35 ,  36 , rod  40 , and cross plate  43  extending between cradles  33 ,  34  and secured thereto in any suitable manner, such as by welding. A U-shaped bracket  44  is provided at the top of cross plate  43  for securing a strap  45  and buckle  46  thereto for firmly holding wheels  14  in position on jack  10  (see  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0027]    The spacing between cradles  35 ,  36  is adjustable by selectively inserting pin  47  in a hole  48  in tubing  39  and into one of the spaced holes  49  in cross bar  50 . Bar  50  is telescopingly receivable inside of tubing  39 . 
         [0028]    Cross bar  50  extends through a bar  51  ( FIG. 2 ) having a pair of spaced brackets  52 ,  53  ( FIG. 7 ) welded thereto. Each bracket  52 ,  53  is comprised of spaced flanges interconnected at top by rollers  54 . 
         [0029]    Bars  17 ,  18  extend between brackets  52 ,  53  and pins  55  (see also  FIG. 2 ) interconnecting the spaced flanges of each bracket  52 ,  53 . 
         [0030]    As cross bar  50  moves up and down on jack  10 , brackets  52 ,  53  may be prevented from moving downwardly by selectively aligned holes  55  (see also  FIG. 5 ) in bars  17 ,  18  and locking pins  56  mounted therein ( FIG. 7 ). Pins  56  are secured to each bracket  52 ,  53  by wires  57  attached to both pins  56  and ring  58  secured to brackets  52 ,  53 . 
         [0031]    Spaced wheels  59  are rotatably mounted at the bottom of framework  16  (see  FIG. 4 ) by brackets  60  secured to cross bar  61  (see  FIG. 1 ) welded or the like to the bottom of bars  17 ,  18  so that jack  10  can be easily wheeled from one location to the other. 
         [0032]    Bar  51  ( FIG. 2 ) is secured as by welding, or the like, to a housing  63  through which center bar  19  extends. Housing  63  is selectively movable up and down bar  19  by jacking the same as is well known in the art. Thus, as seen in  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  8 , a level  64  having a handle grip  65  at top, is connected to housing  63  by pivot pin  65 . 
         [0033]    Housing  63  includes ratcheting mechanism having ratchet means  100  ( FIGS. 6 and 8 ) adapted to selectively engaged spaced holes  22  (see also  FIG. 1 ) in center bar  19  so as to selectively raise and lower housing  63  along bar  19  as is well known in the art. Thus, pivoting lever  64  raises housing  63  upwardly on bar  19  in the direction of arrow  66  ( FIG. 5 ) thereby raising cradles  33 ,  34 . Brackets  52 ,  53  ( FIG. 7 ) are locked in position using wires  57 , and pins  56  and rings  58  so that, should jack  10  fail for any reason, housing  63  cannot slide down. Arcute bracket  101  ( FIGS. 6 and 8 ) may be moved downwardly to reverse the ratcheting of the mechanism all as is well known in the art. 
         [0034]    In operation, the wheels  14 ,  15  of lawn mower  11  are rolled onto cradles  33 ,  34 . The spacing between plates  43 , rod  40  and brackets  35 ,  36  are adjusted as theretofore discussed to provide for the width and diameter of wheels  14 ,  15  as discussed. 
         [0035]    Straps  45  and buckles  46  are adjusted using brackets  44  to secure the wheels  14 ,  15  and thus lawn mower  11 , in position. 
         [0036]    The spacing between the wheels  14 ,  15  is also adjusted by adjustment of tubing  39  on cross bar  50  also as previously discussed. 
         [0037]    Lever  64  is now activated by moving it in the direction of arrow  67  ( FIG. 4 ) which raises bracket housing  63  thus raising lawn mower  11  upwardly in the direction of arrow  66  as seen in  FIG. 5 . Thus, lawn mower  11  can be serviced or the like. 
         [0038]    Straps  45  and buckles  56  can be untied when the lawn mower  11  is down and it can be wheeled away. Pins  47  ( FIG. 3 ) can be removed and tubing  39  rotated so holes  69  are aligned with a hole  49  in cross bar  50  with pin  47  then inserted into the aligned holes. This rotates cradles  35 ,  34  to the stored position shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0039]    Section  26  is rotated to the upright position shown in  FIG. 9  as previously discussed. Lever  64  is rotated back to the stored position shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0040]    The final stored position of jack  10  is shown in  FIG. 10 . The section  26  of base bar  23  is shown in the upright position and cradles  33 ,  34  are also upright as is lever  64  as seen in  FIG. 10 , the pin  28  being inserted into a hole  29  closer to framework  16 . The jack  10  may now be wheeled to any suitable location for storage. 
         [0041]    It can be seen that there is discussed a jack that can be used to quickly and easily lift a wheeled mobile device such as a lawn mower for servicing the same. It can be folded for storage until needed. 
         [0042]    Although particular embodiment of the investment is disclosed, the invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications thereof may be made. Further, various changes to form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.