Patent Publication Number: US-2007102598-A1

Title: Vehicle hub support

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
      This is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 11/078,613 filed Mar. 11, 2005  
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to vehicle support stands and more specifically, to those supports that hold a vehicle by the hub in an elevated position for maintenance.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Vehicles such as cars and trucks must be elevated for access to the vehicle underside. While professional shops have large, floor mounted lifts, the home do it yourselfer is usually limited to a jack and jack stands. Certain hub stands have been used for years and are used by first jacking the vehicle, then bolting the hub stand to the hub. Known hub stands are bulky, non-foldable and have limited applications.  
      Prior vehicle support devices, such as Pitt U.S. Pat. No. 1,640,293 are known in the art but are not seen to provide the structural advantages of applicant&#39;s invention.  
      The present invention is intended to be a hub support stand which solves previous deficiencies in hub stands. It is foldable, sturdy, efficient, and believed to be safe under all known normal conditions of use.  
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
      The objects of the present invention are:  
      To provide an improved hub support stand;  
      To provide such a hub support stand which is foldable and safe in use for all known conditions of use;  
      To provide such a hub support stand which is easy to store; and  
      To provide such a hub support stand that is economical of manufacture and well designed for the intended purpose.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The hub stand is comprised of a top mounting plate which is universally connectible to vehicle hubs by stud bolts, and a pair of legs spread in A fashion. The legs have bottom foot pads and a crossbar that is attached to the legs by removable pins. The size and strength of the hub stand is commensurate with the vehicle to be supported.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a hub support stand embodying the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a top planar view of the hub support stand.  
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view showing the hub support stand in relation to a vehicle hub.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a packer panel within the cotton handler lift basket.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing details of the packer panel.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the reference numeral  1  generally designates a vehicle hub stand embodying the invention. The stand  1  is preferably formed of steel bar stock of sufficient strength to support a vehicle and generally consists of a pair of spread apart legs  2  and  3  diverging in an “A” form. The legs  2  and  3  are telescoping square channel stock and terminate at lower ends in pivotally mounted foot pads  6  and  7 . The foot pads are flat stock but may be formed with rollers for moving a vehicle supported by the stand  1 .  
      Upper ends of the legs  2  and  3  are joined by a flat stock connecting plate  10  and pivot on bolts  12  and  13  for folding the legs  2  and  3  together. A crossbar  15  extends across midsections of the legs  2  and  3  and is connected by removable fasteners such as push-pull pins  16 , which prevents the legs from spreading further apart than allowed by the crossbar  15 . A hub mounting arrangement  17  is provided at the top of the stand  1 . In the illustrated example, tabs  18  and  19  extend inwardly from the arms  2  and  3  and have holes to fit hub stud bolts through them and into a vehicle hub. A universal bracket  20  connects to the connecting plate  10  by a removable bolt  22  and includes a plurality of holes  24  suitable for connecting a bolt to a wide variety of vehicle hubs. Alternate holes in the crossbar  15  and bracket  20  allow the stand  1  to be adjusted to fit substantially any hub type.  
      In use,  FIG. 3 , the stand  1  is adjusted so that either studs  26  or bolt holes in a vehicle hub  25  are aligned, the stand mounted against the hub and secured by nuts  28 .  
      The stand is height adjustable by the use of telescoping square tubing in the legs secured by hole and pin means. The height adjust provides versatility in use. As an alternative, the foot pads  6  and  7  can be fitted with rollers to allow rolling the car on stands about a work area floor. Sleeves of hardened material or of smooth bearing material may be provided around all rotational connections to provide smooth operation and long life. The bottom of the foot pads may be faced with non-slip material. All these modifications and more are within the scope of the invention, the scope to be limited only by the claims set forth.