DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of transporting vehicle engines and transaxles.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Conventionally, vehicle engines and transaxles are transported from manufacturing units to off-production locations by lifting the engine and the transaxle on a tire/wooden palate used for transporting them. However, the conventional process consumes a lot of time during transporting the transaxle to the engine because precautions have to be taken while transporting the engine and transaxle. Further, a skilled labour has to continually check for the proper alignment of the engine and the transaxle while being transported. As a result, the conventional methods of transporting the engine and the transaxle require a lot of efforts, while still compromising on the safety of the engine and the transaxle.
There is therefore, felt a need for a trolley that effortlessly transports the engines and transaxles.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure are described herein below:
One object of the present disclosure is to provide a trolley for transporting vehicle engines and transaxles.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a trolley that effortlessly transports a vehicle transaxle and engine.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a trolley that is inexpensive.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a trolley that is safe to use.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a trolley for transporting vehicle engines and transaxles to an off-production location.
The trolley comprises a frame supported on wheels, a movable transaxle stand, and a pair of relatively vertical members. The transaxle stand is mounted on an operative first half of the frame. The transaxle stand is configured to mount the transaxle thereon. The vertical members are mounted on an operative second half of the frame. The vertical members are configured to support and balance the engine on the trolley.
In an embodiment, the vertical members include a pair of supporting members and a plurality of locating members. The supporting members are configured to allow the engine to be rested thereon. Each locating member having an alignment pin provided on the top end thereof. The alignment pins is configured to locate the engine thereon.
In another embodiment, each supporting member is provided with an indentation configured on the top portion thereof. The indentation is configured to allow the engine to be rested on the supporting member.
The transaxle stand includes a pair of guide rails and a secondary rolling trolley. The guide rails are fastened to the operative first half of the frame. The secondary trolley is disposed on the guide rails. The secondary trolley is configured to allow mounting of the transaxle thereon. The secondary trolley has a plurality of roller wheels configured to facilitate displacement of the secondary rolling trolley along the guide rails.
In another embodiment, the guide rails are provided with stoppers at each operative end thereof.
In yet another embodiment, the trolley includes a three point support bar.
In still another embodiment, each wheel is provided with a locking mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A trolley, of the present disclosure, for transporting vehicle engines and transaxles to an off-production location will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of the trolley, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Trolley
102 – Frame
102A – Operative first half of the frame
102B – Operative second half of the frame
104 – Wheel
106 – Transaxle stand
108 – Supporting member
108A – Indentation
110 – Locating member
110A – Alignment pin
112 – Guide rails
114 – Secondary trolley
116 – Rollers
118 – Stopper
120 – Locking mechanism
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
When an element is referred to as being "mounted on," “engaged to,” "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element or component from another element or component. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
A trolley (100), of the present disclosure, for transporting vehicle engines and transaxles to an off-production location is described in detail with respect to Figure 1.
The trolley (100) comprises a frame (102), a movable transaxle stand (106), and a plurality of relatively vertical members. The frame (102) is supported on a plurality of wheels (104). The transaxle stand (106) is mounted on an operative first half (102A) of the frame (102). The transaxle stand (106) is configured to mount the transaxle thereon. The vertical members are mounted on an operative second half (102B) of the frame (102). The vertical members are configured to support and balance the engine on the trolley (100).
In an embodiment, the vertical members include a pair of supporting members (108) and a pair of locating members (110). The supporting members (108) are configured to allow the engine to be rested thereon. More specifically, each supporting member (108) is provided with an indentation (108A) configured on the top portion thereof. The indentation (108A) is configured to allow the engine to be rested on the supporting member (108).
Each locating member (110) has an alignment pin (110A) provided on the top end thereof. The alignment pin (110A) is configured to locate the engine thereon, and thereby lock the movement of the engine when mounted thereon.
The transaxle stand (106) includes a pair of guide rails (112) and a secondary trolley (100). The guide rails (112) are fastened to the operative first half (102A) of the frame (102). The secondary trolley (114) is disposed on the guide rails (112). The secondary trolley (114) is configured to allow mounting of the transaxle thereon. The secondary trolley (114) is provided with a plurality of roller wheels (116) configured to facilitate displacement of the secondary trolley (100) along the guide rails (112).
In one embodiment, the guide rails (112) are provided with stoppers (118) at each operative end thereof. The stoppers (118) are configured to restrict the displacement of the secondary trolley (114) beyond the boundaries of the operative first half (102A) of the frame (102).
In one embodiment, the trolley (100) includes a three point support bar configured to load and off-load the engine and the transaxle from the trolley (100).
In another embodiment, each wheel (104) is provided with a locking mechanism (120). The locking mechanism (120) enables the wheels (104) to be locked when the trolley (100) reaches a desired position.
The trolley (100) facilitates effortless displacement of the transaxle and engine from a storage location to an off-production location such as after-market, proto build shop, dealer end or an assembly location without requiring a lot of manual efforts or skilled operators. In one embodiment, the trolley (100) can be modified to adapt to the requirements desired by the off-production location, after-market, proto build shop or dealer end.
In an embodiment, a clutch assembly may be mounted on the trolley (100) to enable retro-fitment of the clutch assembly thereon.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a trolley for transporting vehicle engines and transaxles to an off-production location, that:
• requires little effort for transporting an engine and a transaxle;
• is inexpensive; and
• is safe to use.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, or group of elements, but not the exclusion of any other element, , or group of elements.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, apparatus, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A trolley (100) for transporting vehicle engines and transaxles to an off-production location, said trolley (100) comprising:
• a frame (102) supported on wheels (104);
• a movable transaxle stand (106) mounted on an operative first half (102A) of said frame (102), said transaxle stand (106) configured to mount said transaxle thereon; and
• a plurality of relatively vertical members mounted on an operative second half (102B) of said frame (102), said vertical members configured to support and balance said engine on said trolley (100).
2. The trolley (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vertical members include:
o a pair of supporting members (108) configured to allow said engine to be rested thereon; and
o a pair of locating members (110), each locating member (110) having an alignment pin (110A) provided on the top end thereof, said alignment pins (110A) configured to locate said engine thereon.
3. The trolley (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein each supporting member (108) is provided with an indentation (108A) configured on the top portion thereof, said indentation (108A) is configured to allow the engine to be rested on the supporting member (108).
4. The trolley (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transaxle stand (106) includes:
o a pair of guide rails (112) fastened to said operative first half (102A) of said frame (102); and
o a secondary trolley (114) disposed on said guide rails (112), said secondary trolley (114) configured to allow mounting of said transaxle thereon, said secondary trolley (114) having a plurality of roller wheels (116) configured to facilitate displacement of said secondary trolley (114) along said guide rails (112).
5. The trolley (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said guide rails (112) are provided with stoppers (118) at each operative end thereof.
6. The trolley (100) as claimed in claim 1, which includes a three point support bar.
7. The trolley (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each wheel (104) is provided with a locking mechanism (120).