A New or Improved Apparatus for Placing Tires on Wheels..
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 12th Feb., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Placing Tires on Wheels..
I, JAMES GODMAN RODGERS, of Springfield, County of Clark, and State of
Ohio, U.S.A., Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for placing rubber tires
upon vehicle wheels.
The invention consists, essentially, of a lever and a stop-block, the lever being.
adapted to swing round the wheel center and having a roller to engage with the
tire and a block being adapted to connect with the wheel and to cooperate with the
lever by holding the tire at one point while the lever travels toward it.
The invention further consists in providing such lever and such block, or either
of them, with a rotatable roller, and in the case of said lever, with means to rotate
said roller to make it travel on the tire, to prevent the crowding of the rubber and
to lessen the manual effort necessary to swing the lever during the last part of its
movement.
In the accompanying drawing on which like reference letters indicate corre-
sponding parts:
Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a vehicle wheel and rubber tire with my apparatus
applied thereto;
Fig. 2, a like view with two levers applied to the wheel;
Fig. 3, a sectional view in detail showing the connection between one of the
sliding heads and its adjusting screw shaft;
Fig. 4, an edge view of another form of lever which may be used when only one
lever is employed;
Fig. 5, a plan view of the lever shown in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6, a transverse sectional view of the stop-block and one spoke;
Fig. 7, a partial plan view of a wheel with such block applied;
Fig. 8, a detail enlarged sectional view of such block and a cross-section of a
wheel rim and channel iron; and
Fig. 9, a similar view of the block in the form having a roller.
At A is shown such a vehicle wheel as is to have put within its channel iron B
a rubber tire, say of the type wherein a metallic cable or wire runs through the
tire. In such cases the retaining cable is of a little greater circumference than the
bed of the channel iron. The rubber is sufficiently turned to embed this retaining
cable in it enough to enable the last part to be inserted to be sprung over the flange
of the channel iron along with the rubber. Such a tire is shown at C.
A central stud D is secured to a support, say E in the nature of a table or
bench. On this stud is mounted the wheel and one lever according to the preferred
form of my invention, or two levers of the modified form shown in Fig. 2. These
levers consist of a plate F and one or more bars G, two bars being the preferred
form of construction. The plate F is adapted to be mounted on a central stud D
and held there by the nut H with its washer I. A slot or space is left between
the bars G when the two bars are used or the equivalent slot J is provided, as

page_text: shown in Fig. 5. A grooved wheel K is carried by the lever and in the preferred
form of lever the shaft L of this pulley is rotatably mounted in an adjustable
head M and has a crank O by which the shaft is rotated, and hence the wheel is
revolved when desired. In the other form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the wheel is
mounted on a fixed shaft L', shouldered as shown at M' and having a nut O¹, with
intervening washers P₁ by which the shaft is clamped to the lever although it is
adjustable as in the other form, yet there is no means to rotate the wheel by hand.
Referring again to the preferred form of lever it will be seen that the head carries
set screws P by which it is fastened to the bars of the lever; and also that on a
stud R, projecting from the head is placed a hollow screw-threaded shaft 2 having a
milled screw S adapted to work against projections T on the plate F so as to
adjust the head M outwardly to bring it practically in line with the flange of the
wheel. Screws U serve to hold the bars G in the projections T.
In using this apparatus either the form of lever shown in Fig. 1 may be used in
conjunction with the stop-block V, or the form of lever shown in Figs. 4 and 5
may be used in connection with such stop-block. The preferred form is the first
one because of the means to rotate the wheel K.
It will also be understood that in some cases I may employ a pair of my improved
form of levers as shown in Fig. 2, in which case the plates F overlap one another
and are both mounted in the central stud D.
Referring to this block V it will be seen that it has a plate W to engage the edges
of a spoke, as clearly seen in Fig. 6, and that it also has a hook plate X whose
hook X engages the channel iron. The block further has a plate Y to prevent wear.
Another form of block is shown in Fig. 9 in which a pulley or wheel Y₁ is employed.
This pulley allows the rubber tire to move across the block without binding and
with less friction, so that if the rubber tends to crowd and unduly compress or
stretch in any one place it is given greater freedom to equalize its condition.
Referring now to the manner in which my apparatus is used it will be seen that
on arranging the apparatus as in Fig. 1, which shows the preferred arrangement,
the tire is in the channel iron except as to a small part. The block V resists the
tire which otherwise would spring inward and out of the channel iron while the
lever is being moved up toward the block. In practice it is found that rubber will
crowd and compress between the lever and block or between two levers, if used as
arranged in Fig. 2. To overcome this crowding of the rubber and the consequent
resistance it offers to bringing the lever up to the block, or the two levers together,
I provide means for rotating the wheel K by hand. By turning this wheel slowly
the lever will travel in the right direction with less manual labor exerted directly
on the lever, thus reducing the labor from what is most irksome to what is exceed
ingly easy, and thus also overcoming the crowding effects of a wheel incapable of
direct rotation. This apparatus has been thoroughly tested in actual use and
performs the work in a most satisfactory manner.
Should the two levers be employed, the wheels may be rotated by hand in the
same manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is: :-
1st. In an apparatus for placing rubber tires on wheels, the combination with a
lever adapted to be mounted on a central stud and to be swung along the wheel rim
and having a wheel to engage the tire, of a stationary stop-block detachably secured
to the outer part of the wheel, and arranged to hold against the inner side of the
tire and prevent the springing of the tire from out of the rim, substantially as
shown and described.
2nd In an apparatus for placing rubber tires on wheels, a lever adapted to be
mounted on a central stud, a wheel mounted on the lever, and means to positively
rotate said wheel on its own axis as the lever is swung on said center, and a
stationary stop-block adapted to resist the springing of said tire out of the rim

page_text: 3rd. In an apparatus for placing rubber tires on wheels, the combination with a
lever having
a slidable head, means to fix the same, and an adjustable screw-shaft,
a wheel mounted on the shaft carried by said head, and crank on said shaft to
rotate said wheel, the lever being adapted to be mounted on a central stud, of a
stop-block having a hook to engage with the vehicle wheel and a plate to engage
with the spoke and adapted to resist a tire.
4th. In an apparatus for placing rubber tires on wheels, the combination with a
lever consisting of a plate, projections on the plate, rods carried by said projections,
a hub slidable on the rods, a shaft rotatable in the hub, a crank on one end
of the shaft and
wheel
a
on the other, а screw-threaded shaft
engaging with the hub and having a nut engaging with the projections on the
plate, of a stop-block having a hook to engage with the channel iron, and a plate
to engage with a spoke, and a plate to resist the tire.
JAMES GODMAN RODGERS,
By Herbert Haddan & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C.