Patent GB-887800-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to vehicles
IPC: B62D61/10
Filed: 1960-04-25
Abstract: 887,800. Vehicles adapted to travel on water. KASSBOHRER FAHRZEUGWERKE G.m.b.H., KARL. April 25, 1960 [April 23, 1959; June 6, 1959: March 11, 1960], No. 14363/60. Class 113. [Also in Groups XXXI and XXXII] A vehicle comprises a central axle upon which are mounted the wheels 19 and upon which are pivoted the arm pairs 8, 8A and 9, 9A carrying the wheel pairs 4 and 5 respectively. The central axle comprises a differential 6 to which are attached extensions each comprising the portions 11, 7 and 17, Fig. 3, the arms 8 and 9 having arcuate bearing portions 25A and 25 respectively which engage the portion 7 through liners 31 and held in place by caps 33 and 34 having bearing liners 35 and 36. The wheels 19 are driven through half shafts 23 and the wheels 4 and 5 through chains from sprockets 21, 21A. In a modification, Fig. 5, the arms 8 and 9 terminate in rings 13 and 13A located axially by caps 40 and 40A. The half shaft 23 is supported at its outer end by a bearing 20B mounted in the portion 17. In both embodiments the chain sprockets 21 and 21A are supported by bearings 20 and 20A. The vehicle body parts 93 and 77, Fig. 11, and the swinging arms 8, 9, 8A and 9A may be made watertight and inflatable rubber tubes may be provided to obtain a vehicle capable of floating, in which case, the driving shafts 114 of the rear wheels may also drive propellers 113. The front and rear sections of the vehicle comprise frames 59 and 60 respectively, the frame 59 being rigidly attached to the differential casing 6 and the frame 60 being pivoted at 61 to the centre axle. Transverse leaf springs are attached by supports 63 to frame members 62 and by jaws 66, Fig. 7, to the oscillating arms. The outer ends of the oscillating arms have projections 67 which are located for vertical but not lateral movement within members 68 attached to the frames. The front frame member 59 carries an engine 72, clutch 73, gear box 74 and a driver's seat 76. An articulated cab may also be carried by the front portion. Pivotal movement of one section relatively to the other may be effected by a double acting hydraulic ram 89, Fig. 6. The rear section may support a load carrying container and front and rear sections may be made watertight to provide an amphibious vehicle. The front wheels are steered from a wheel 95 through a steering box 94 connected by a drop arm to a tie rod 97 pivoted to a tiller arm 98 from which tie rods 100 extend to the wheel arms 101. The rear wheels may also be steered from a tiller arm 102 through tie rods 104 and wheel arms 105, the tillers 98 and 102 being rigid with cranks 106, 107 which are each connected by extensible rods 108, 109 to a pivot pin 111 constrained to move in a channel 112 in the differential casing 6. Clockwise movement of tiller 98, as seen in Fig. 13, will move the pivot 111 downwardly resulting in anticlockwise movement of tiller 102. Instead of the extensible arms 108, 109, arms bendable in a vertical plane may be employed. Alternatively, a hydraulic connection between the tillers may be employed. With front wheel only steering, sharp curves may be followed by pivoting the front and rear sections relatively to one another so that the central axle is raised and steering brakes may be provided on the output shafts of the differential to allow for steering when the front wheels are raised.