Abstract:
An adaptor is provided for a jack assembly having a lifting jack carrying a horizontal plate for raising and lowering a heavy component supported by the jack assembly. The adaptor includes a horizontal support plate fastened to and vertically offset from the horizontal plate of the jack assembly by a height. A plurality of elongated arms is slidably mounted between the two plates to move in a generally horizontal plane. Each of arms includes a holding assembly configured to engage portions of the component supported on the support plate to stabilize the component as it is raised and lowered by the jack assembly. The arms are supported in the height between the two plates at different heights so that the arms are capable of a wide range of rotational and linear movements to adjust the position of the holding assembly of each arm relative to the heavy component.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to an adaptor for use with a lifting jack. The adaptor has particular use in supporting an automotive transmission or similar heavy machinery on the lifting jack. 
     Professionals in the automotive repair field as well as do-it-yourself technicians and mechanics must frequently remove components of a vehicle power train to either repair or overhaul the component or obtain access to other components of the power train in need of repair or overhaul. One commonly removed component of the vehicle drive train is the transmission which delivers power from the engine&#39;s crankshaft to the driveline. There are many parts on the inside of a transmission that endure high cyclic rotation and heavy loads that eventually wear out. Depending on the nature and extent of the wear the transmission may be either overhauled or replaced. In either case it is typically necessary to disconnect the transmission from the engine and driveline and remove it from the vehicle. 
     Due to the heavy weight of a transmission, some of which weigh over 200 pounds, the assistance of a hydraulic or mechanical lifting jack is usually necessary. To prevent the transmission from falling off the jack the technician or mechanic must properly secure it onto the lifting jack. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a typical assembly  10  for supporting a transmission T includes a lifting jack  12  having support legs  13  that provide a stable base to support the weight of the transmission T. The lifting jack includes a jack plate or top plate  15  mounted on the jack that provides a surface on which the transmission is seated. The top plate is typically a fixed plate sized for the transmission pan to rest on and may include various flange like components that keep the transmission from falling off the sides of the fixed plate  15 . A strap or chain  16  is secured to one side of the top plate  15 , fed over top of the transmission, and then secured to the other side of the top plate, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The assembly  10  depicted in  FIG. 1  can be sufficient and relatively easy to use when there is ample room around the installed transmission and the transmission has a flat bottom profile. However, with today&#39;s automotive designs this is often not the case. Typically, spacing 
     around components has become more limited making it difficult to reach areas to apply tools or to weave a strap/chain around a transmission. In today&#39;s fast-paced work environment the technician/mechanic is under economic and customer pressure to complete the overhaul/replacement job as quickly as possible. Under this pressure it is not uncommon for a technician to short-cut fully securing the transmission to the lifting jack while physically supporting the transmission as it is lowered out of the vehicle. In a best case scenario two technicians help stabilize the loosely-secured transmission on the lifting jack as it is lowered. Without the strap in place this creates a safety hazard as the transmission may slide off the jack and fall to the ground damaging the transmission itself or injuring the technician. 
     Moreover, the designs of many transmission casings have changed from a flat, easy to stabilize bottom profile, to an often more complex shape that adapts to new technology and accommodates packaging or weight savings constraints. These design modifications has made the removal of a transmission using current adapters a less stable proposition even with the proper use. 
     Consequently, there is a need for an improved adaptor for a lifting jack that is easier to use, safer, and better suited for the needs of the technician or mechanic, 
     SUMMARY 
     An adaptor is provided for a jack assembly having a lifting jack carrying a horizontal plate for raising and lowering a heavy component supported by the jack assembly. The adaptor includes a horizontal support plate defining a support surface for supporting the heavy component, with the support plate fastened to and vertically offset from the horizontal plate of the jack assembly by a height. The adaptor further includes a plurality of elongated arms slidably mounted between the horizontal plate of the jack assembly and the support plate to move in a generally horizontal plane between the horizontal plate and the adaptor plate at selectable angles and horizontal extensions beyond said perimeter of said support surface. Each of the plurality of elongated arms includes a holding assembly configured to engage portions of the component supported on the support plate to stabilize the component as it is raised and lowered by the jack assembly. 
     In one aspect, each of the plurality of elongated arms is mounted between the horizontal plate of the jack assembly and said support plate by a single bolt that extends through an elongated slot in the arms, as well as through the support plate and the horizontal plate of the jack assembly to fasten the plates together at the height. Each of the plurality of arms is positioned at different vertical heights relative to the horizontal support plate and each of the arms is slidably mounted to move in a different corresponding horizontal plane between the horizontal plate and the adaptor plate. 
     In a further aspect, the adaptor includes a selection of spacers of different heights that are used in different combinations to support each of the elongated arms at their respective different heights. The spacers include a first spacer of height h 1 , a second spacer of height h 2  and a third spacer of height h 3 , wherein h 1 =h 2 +h 3 . Two of the arms use just the first spacer but positioned on opposite sides of the respective arm to support the two arms at different heights. Two other arms use the second and third spacers, with the second spacer on top and the third spacer beneath one of the arms, and the third spacer on top and the second spacer beneath the other of the two arms, to thereby support the two arms at different heights relative to each other and to the other two elongated arms. 
     Each arm assembly includes a holding assembly that includes a holding rod projecting upward therefrom at adjustable heights. Each holding rod is provided with a holding element at its upper end that is configured to engage and/or clamp a surface of the heavy component, such as a transmission. The four holding elements or clamps can be used to pull down on the transmission against the lifting jack creating far greater stability by constraining side-to-side or front-to-back movement of the transmission. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a lifting jack with an automotive transmission strapped to the top plate of the lifting jack. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an adaptor according to the present disclosure for use with a lifting jack, such as the lifting jack depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the adaptor shown in  FIG. 2  mounted on the top plate of a lifting jack. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the components of the adaptor shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of spacers used with the adaptor shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the adaptor shown in  FIG. 2  mounted on a lifting jack with the support arms of the adaptor in a retracted position. 
         FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of the adaptor of  FIG. 2  with the support arms of the adaptor in an extended position. 
         FIG. 8  is a top perspective view of the adaptor of  FIG. 7  with the support arms of the adaptor in a retracted position. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an automotive transmission supported and constrained by the adaptor of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the underside of a vehicle illustrating one method of the present disclosure for engaging an automotive transmission with the adaptor of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the following written specification. It is understood that no limitation to the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. It is further understood that the present disclosure encompasses any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains. 
     According to the present disclosure, the universal adaptor  20  depicted in  FIGS. 2-4  is configured to be mounted to the top plate of a lifting jack, such as the top plate  15  of the lifting jack  12  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . The universal adaptor  20  includes a support plate  22  that defines an upper surface  23   a  within a perimeter  22   b  that is configured to support the weight of a transmission, such as the transmission T shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . In the illustrated embodiment, the upper surface  23   a  is flat and the perimeter  23   b  is generally square, as shown in  FIG. 2 , for supporting a conventional automotive transmission. However, it is understood that the contour and shape of the upper surface  23   a  and perimeter  23   b  can vary depending on the type of heavy component being supported on the support plate  22 . 
     The adaptor  20  includes a plurality of support arm assemblies  25  that are mounted between the top plate  15  of the lifting jack and the support plate  22 , as best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 6 . It should be apparent that the universal adaptor  20  should include at least two arm assemblies; however, three or more such arm assemblies are preferable to provide optimum stability for a transmission or heavy drive train component supported on the lifting jack. It can be appreciated that four arm assemblies provides four points to secure the transmission so that there is little chance for the transmission to slip in any direction on the lifting jack and support plate  22 . 
     Each arm assembly  25  includes an elongated arm  26  that defines a slot  27  extending along the majority of the length of the arm, as best seen in  FIG. 4 . Each slot  27  is sized to receive a mounting bolt  30  that first passes through a mounting hole  24  in the support plate  22 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , four mounting holes  24  are provided that correspond to four bolt holes in the top plate  15  of the lifting jack. The mounting bolts  30  thus pass through both plates  15 ,  22  with the elongated arms  26  of the arm assemblies  25  sandwiched between the plates. A nut  36  is threaded onto the mounting bolts  30  to clamp the universal adaptor  20  to the top plate of the lifting jack, as shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown in the figure, the nuts  36  can be wing nuts that can be manually tightened. It can be appreciated that the support arm assemblies  25  do not bear appreciable load since their purpose is simply to keep the transmission from slipping on the support plate  22 . Moreover, the support plate  22  is loaded vertically by the weight of the transmission so that the support plate is not subjected to significant side-to-side loads. Thus, the engagement between the mounting bolts  30  and wing nuts  36  can be made sufficiently secure by manual tightening the wing nuts. Of course, conventional nuts may be employed that require the use of a wrench to tighten onto the bolts. 
     The mounting bolts  30  can be in the form of carriage bolts with a square head portion  31  adapted to be received in complementary square mounting holes  24  to prevent rotation of the mounting bolts  30  as the wing nuts  36  are tightened. The mounting bolts can interface with the slot  27  in the elongated arms  26  by way of a bushing  34  that is configured for a close running fit within the slot. The slots  27  in the arms  26  allow the arms to translate relative to the bushings  34 , and more particularly relative to the mounting bolts  30  that are at a fixed location in the top plate  15  and support plate  22 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the bolts  30  provide anchor points for translation and rotation of the elongated arms of the arm assemblies  25 . Since only a single anchor point is provided for each arm assembly, the arm assemblies are not restricted to movement in a single degree-of-freedom, namely linearly along the axis of the elongated arm  26 . Instead, each are is free to translate and rotate about the mounting bolt  30  as desired, and more particularly as needed to align with the transmission or component to be lowered by the lifting jack  12 . The multiple degree-of-freedom movement capability of the arm assemblies  25  can be seen by comparing the configuration of the universal adaptor  20  in  FIGS. 7-8 . 
     In order to accommodate a wide range of angular orientations of the arm assemblies  25 , the universal adaptor  20  of the present disclosure includes an arrangement of spacers  32   a ,  32   b ,  32   c  between the two plates  15 ,  22  and the elongated arms  26 . The three spacers are provided with different heights h 1 , h 2  and h 3 , corresponding to the spacers  32   a ,  32   b  and  32   c , respectively. The height h 1  is equal to the heights h 2 , h 3  combined so that the single spacer  32   a  and the combination of the smaller spacers  32   b ,  32   c  maintain the two plates at a uniform spacing D. This spacing D is equal to the height h 1  plus the thickness of the elongated arms  26 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The spacers  32   a ,  32   b ,  32   c  are selected for each elongated arm assembly to provide each arm assembly with the maximum angular degree of freedom possible. Thus, as shown in  FIGS. 2-3 , a spacer  32   a  is positioned beneath one elongated arm  25   a  (i.e., between the arm and the top plate  15 ) and the same size spacer  32   a  is positioned above a different arm  25   b  (i.e., between the arm and the support plate  22 ). For elongated arm  25   c  the smallest spacer  32   c  height h 3 ) is beneath the arm (i.e., between the arm and the top plate  15 ) while the intermediate spacer  32   b  (height h 2 ) is above the arm (i.e., between the arm and the support plate  22 ). 
     The spacers  32   a ,  32   b ,  32   c  support the weight of the support plate  22  and any component mounted thereon. In order for the arms  26  to remain free to rotate and translate even when the support plate is loaded with the transmission or other heavy component, the bushings  34  may be slightly thicker than the thickness of the arms  26 . The bushings thus participate in bearing the weight along with the spacers  32  that contact the bushings. The thicker bushing thus insulates the arms  26  from the vertical load, thereby allowing the arms to move freely at any time. 
     In accordance with one feature of the present disclosure, the support arm assemblies are supported between the two plates in a manner that prevents the elongated arms  26  from striking each other. It can be appreciated that when the arms are fully retracted, as shown in  FIGS. 2, 8 , the inner ends of the arms will contact the spacers of the other arms, thereby limiting the available rotation angles in the retracted position. However, when the arms are extended, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the arms can rotate through a much wider angular range, limited only by contact mounting bolts of adjacent arm assemblies. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the mounting bolts  30  are positioned away from the center of the support plate  22  and closer to the corners of the plate. This places the rotation axis for the arm assemblies as outboard as possible when the arm is translated outward so that bolt contacts the inboard end  27   a  of the slot  27 . In certain embodiments, each arm  26  can be fully retracted within the space between the plates  15 ,  22  with the bolt  30  in contact with the outboard end  27   b  of the slot  27 . Depending on the dimensions of the support plate  22  a certain portion of the arm  26  may project beyond an opposite edge of the plate, as depicted in  FIG. 2 . 
     The slot  27  can have a width designed to allow for an additional swivel pad adaptor to be inserted anywhere along the length of the slot. This adaptor may be used if a particular clamping location is not available on the transmission. The adaptor may be threaded to allow a mounting bolt to pass through a bolt opening in the transmission body for bolting to the swivel pad adaptor. 
     The support arm assemblies  25  each support a corresponding holding assembly  40 , as best illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 4 . The holding assembly  40  includes a mount  41  that with a base  41  configured to rest on the upper surface at the outboard end  29  of the arm  26 . The base  41  defines a bore  42  for receiving a mounting bolt  43 . The bolt passes through a corresponding bore  28  in the outboard end  29  of the arm and mates with a wing nut assembly  44  to fasten the mount  41  to the arm  26 . The wing nut assembly  44  allows the mechanic/technician to manually tighten the bolt to clamp the holding assembly  40  to the arm assembly  25 , or to manually loosen the bolt  43  to reposition the holding assembly. 
     The mount  41  is generally L-shaped with the base  41   a  forming the base of the L in contact with the arm  26 , and an upstanding collar  41   b  projecting upward from the base. The upstanding collar  41   b  defines a through bore  46  configured to receive a holding rod  50  in sliding contact. The rod  50  and bore  46  are complementary configured and may be circular to allow the rod to rotate fully within the bore. Alternatively, the rod and bore may be non-circular to prevent the rod from rotating or to permit specific fixed angular positions of the rod within the bore. The rod  50  is free to slide vertically through the bore  46  and can be held in a particular vertical location by a locking assembly  53 . The locking assembly  53  may be in the form of a T-bolt set screw that passes through a set screw bore  52  that intersects the through bore  46  and is configured to bear against the holding rod  50  therein. The locking assembly  53  may be of different configurations that are capable of applying sufficient pressure to the rod  50  to hold it in position relative to the mount  41 . Thus, the locking assembly may include a knob  54  for rotating the set screw in a threaded engagement with the set screw bore  52 . In a further alternative, the locking assembly may be in the form of a push-pull pin that can engage one of a series of holes spaced along the length of the rod  50 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 4 , the mount  41  can be oriented on the arm  26  with the bore  46  positioned directly over the end  27   b  of the slot  27 . The holding rod  50  can thus pass through both the mount  41  and the arm  26 . Alternatively, the mount  41  can be rotated on the end  29  of the arm  26  so that the upstanding collar  41   b  of the mount is outboard of the arm  26 , as depicted in  FIG. 7 , for instance. This feature allows for optimum positioning of the holding assembly  40  relative to a transmission being supported on the universal adaptor  20 . 
     The holding assembly  40  further includes a holding element  55  at the upper end  51  of the holding rod  50 . The holding element projects transversely from the holding rod and is configured to engage the casing of the transmission or other heavy component. As shown in  FIGS. 1, 4 , the holding element  55  can be generally hooked shaped to grasp features on the transmission case, such as the transmission mounting flange or oil pan flange.  FIG. 9  depicts the holding assemblies  40  on one side of a transmission with one assembly engaging the oil pan flange and the other assembly engaging a projecting portion of the transmission case.  FIG. 9  further illustrates a desirable range of vertical movement of the holding rod  50  to allow the holding assembly to find purchase at different locations on the transmission T. 
     The holding elements  55  may be fixed to the end  51  of the holding rod  50  at a predetermined angle of inclination. Alternatively, the holding elements may be fixable at or toggle between angles of inclination, or may be spring-biased to allow different inclinations upon contacting the transmission casing. 
     The universal adaptor  20  is shown in use in  FIGS. 9, 10 . A transmission T is supported by the adapter  20  on a conventional lifting jack  12  and is secured by the holding assemblies  40 , two of which can be seen in  FIG. 9 .  FIG. 10  depicts a scenario in which the lifting jack  12  has been elevated underneath a vehicle with the support plate  22  in contact with the oil pan of the transmission T while the transmission is still connected to the rest of the vehicle drive train. With the support plate  22  in position, the technician can manipulate the support arm assemblies  25  and holding assemblies  40  to provide optimum points of engagement between the holding elements  55  and the transmission casing. Once all of the holding assemblies have been engaged, the transmission T is stably supported and the technician can disconnect the transmission from the drive train and lower it to the position shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     The universal adaptor  20  is configured to support the weight of heavy components, such as an automotive transmission without bending, buckling or fracturing. Thus, the support plate  22  is formed of a strong metal in a thickness that can meet the strength needs identified above. The plate may thus be a ¼-½ inch thick steel plate. The plate may be configured to coincide with the horizontal plate  15  of the jack  12 , such as in a square or rectangular configuration. However, the support plate  22  may have other configurations as desired to support a particular component, with the only limitation being that the bolt openings  24  defined in the plate  22  must coincide with the bolt openings in the jack plate  15 . 
     The elongated arms  26  may also be formed of a strong metal, although the arms are not load-bearing in the same manner as the support plate  22 . The arms may thus be formed of steel or aluminum or other suitable material. The spacers  32   a ,  32   b ,  32   c  and the bushings  34  carry the weight of the component being supported by the jack so they need to be formed of a material that can withstand high compressive loads. In addition, since the elongated arms may slide against these components the bushings  34  are preferably formed of a material that presents a low friction sliding surface for the arms. The spacers and bushings may be formed of a metal, such as steel, or may be formed of a high strength plastic or resin material. The holding rods  50  and holding elements  55  optimally do not bear any significant load, but they must be strong enough to withstand some lateral load as the heavy transmission shifts on the support plate  22 . The rods and holding elements can thus be formed of a strong metal, such as steel. 
     While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that only the preferred embodiments have been presented and that all changes, modifications and further applications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.