FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a pivotal mount for attaching a stand or jockey wheel to a trailer.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention provides a pivotal mount which is equally applicable to jockey wheels or stands (sometimes referred to as jack stands) used to support a trailer drawbar when a trailer is unhitched from a towing vehicle. For brevity the following description and drawings will only refer to a stand.

[0003] Nearly all trailers are fitted with some form of stand so that they can sit level when unhitched, or in the case of jockey wheels to also allow them to be manoeuvred without a vehicle. For convenience the stand is often pivotally mounted to the drawbar of the trailer so that it can be kept at hand when not in use. Pivotal mounts are preferred as they allow the stand to be quickly swung out of the way to provide good ground clearance when not in use.

[0004] The most common form of pivotal mount is in the form of two plates, one attached to the draw bar and one to the stand with a bolt or the like passing between the two to act as an axle for rotation. Usually a spring loaded pin attached to the stand plate passes into the vehicle plate to secure the stand either horizontally or vertically.

[0005] Such pivotal mounts have small contact regions and high leverage between the axle the plates which subjects the plates to concentrated forces and consequently allows slop to easily develop in the mechanism. This gives rise to unwanted movement of the plates and consequently the trailer. The locking pin between the plates can often become jammed or alternatively dislodged by the movement of the plates which can lead to the mount unexpectedly collapsing.

[0006] The object of this invention is to provide a rugged pivotal mount to alleviate the above problem, or at least provide the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In a first aspect the invention provides a mount for rotatably attaching a stand to a trailer, comprising a tubular body and a cylindrical rotor mounted within the body thereby giving a large contact area between the rotor and the body for transfer of force through the mount.

[0008] In preference the body comprises a locking pin and the rotor comprises a plurality of radially disposed slots for selectively engaging the locking pin thereby allowing the body and rotor to be selectively locked at discrete angles with respect to each other.

[0009] Preferably the locking pin is configured for vertical operation and is spring actuated.

[0010] The body may be attached to the trailer and the rotor attached to the stand, or the body may be attached to the stand and the rotor attached to the trailer.

[0011] The mount may be a jockey wheel.

[0012] It should be noted that any one of the aspects mentioned above may include any of the features of any of the other aspects mentioned above and may include any of the features of any of the embodiments described below as appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a trailer with a trailer stand attached to its drawbar by a pivotal mount according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figures 2A and 2B show the trailer stand in a deployed and retracted position respectively.

[0016] Figure 3 shows a pivotal mount in isolation.

[0017] Figure 4 shows the body of the pivotal mount.

[0018] Figure 5 shows the rotor of the pivotal mount. [0019] Figures 6A and 6B show the locking mechanism of the pivotal mount complete and with its casing removed.

[0020] Figures 7A and 7B show a second ruggedized embodiment of the invention from a front view and a cut-away side view.

DRAWING COMPONENTS

[0021] The drawings include the following integers

20 trailer

22 draw bar

30 stand

31 top

32 bottom

33 platform

34 handle

40 pivotal mount - first embodiment

50 body

51 tubular section

52 front circlip

53 rear circlip

54 flat for locking mechanism

55 locking hole

56 drain hole

60 rotor

61 circular body

62 locking apertures

63 mounting tube

70 spring locking mechanism

71 tubular body

72 drain hole

80 locking pin

81 spring flange

82 lifting ring

90 spring

91 bush 92 circlip

400 pivotal mount - second embodiment

402 body

403 rear

404 front cover

405 screw

410 rotor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The following detailed description of the invention refers to the

accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. Dimensions of certain parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration.

[0023] The present invention provides a ruggedized pivotal mount for a trailer stand or jockey wheel. In essence the mount comprises a tubular body in which a rotor attached to the trailer stand rotates. A locking pin attached to the body passes vertically through the body to engage the rotor thus securing the stand in a desired position and making it impossible for the pin to be dislodged.

[0024] A pivotal mount 40 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in context in Figure 1 , attaching a trailer stand 30 to the drawbar 22 of a trailer

20.

[0025] The pivotal mount 40 allows the trailer stand 30 to move between a deployed position as shown in Figure 2A and a retracted position as shown in Figure 2B. The stand can be locked in either position with the aid of a spring locking mechanism 70 as described below. To move from the retracted position to the deployed position the stand handle 34 is rotated to retract the bottom portion 32 of the stand into the top portion 31 of the stand, thus lifting the platform 33 off of the ground. The lifting ring 82 is then pulled to disengage the spring locking mechanism and then the stand 30 rotated until it is parallel with the draw bar. Releasing the lifting ring will allow the spring locking mechanism to engage once more and hold the stand in the retracted position. To lower the stand the procedure is reversed. As the spring locking mechanism is attached to the portion of the mount attached to the drawbar it

conveniently stays in the same position during deployment and retraction of the stand and being vertically disposed is easy to operate.

[0026] A pivotal mount 40 is shown in isolation in Figure 3. The mount comprises three main components: body 50; rotor 60 and spring locking mechanism 70, which are shown in isolation in Figures 4, 5 and 6 respectively.

[0027] The body 50 of the pivotal mount as detailed in Figure 4 comprises a short tubular section 51 grooved on its inside to accept front circlip 52 and rear circlip 53 which work together to retain the rotor 60. Alternatively a lip could be machined into the tubular section to replace one of the circlips. The circlips provide a robust means of holding the rotor in place, but can be removed if needed to disassemble the mount for maintenance or partial replacement. Flat 54 allows for easy mounting of the spring locking mechanism 70 which controls movement of a locking pin 80 through locking hole 55. Drain hole 56 allows any water or dirt to drain from the body.

[0028] Figure 5 shows the rotor 60 of the pivotal mount which comprises a circular body 61 with peripherally disposed locking apertures 62 for accepting the locking pin 80. Various configurations of locking apertures can be used; preferably four locking apertures are disposed at 90° to each other and when the mount is locked serve to position the stand either parallel with or at 90° to the drawbar. Mounting tube 63 extends from the body for attaching to the stand 30.

[0029] Figures 6A and 6B respectively show the spring locking mechanism 70 complete and with its outer casing 71 removed. The locking mechanism 70 provides a locking pin 80 which is normally extended by spring 90. Lifting pin 82 allows the locking pin to be retracted. The locking pin includes flange 81 which limits the travel of the pin and also supports a first end of the spring 90. The second end of the spring acts against the load bush 91 through which the pin passes and which is retained in the casing 71 by circlip 92. Drain hole 72 allows any water or dirt to drain from the casing.

[0030] A second, heavy duty, embodiment of the invention is shown as the rotating mount 400 in the front view of Figure 7A and the cutaway side view of Figure7B. The mount 400 is a ruggedized version of the mount 40 in which the rotor 410 is retained by being sandwiched between a back plate 403 and an annular front cover 404; in contrast to using circlips as retainers. The rear 403 and front cover 404 are held apart by annular body 402 to form a cavity for the rotor 410. The front cover 404 is held in place by screws 405 allowing the mount to be easily assembled or disassembled if needed. The second embodiment 400 functions in the same way as the first

embodiment 40.

[0031] The invention provides several advantages over the known prior art. The relatively large size of the rotor and housing provides a robust mechanism with a high contact area for spreading loads. The vertical force is taken by the circumference of the mount body as opposed to a relatively small diameter bolt or pin. Consequently wear from the vertical force is virtually eliminated. Having the moving element (i.e. rotor) within a fixed element (i.e. housing) allows the two elements to be easily fixed to each other to prevent lateral separation whilst still allowing relative rotation. With the rotor restrained around almost its entire circumference, inadvertent movement is prevented, keeping the stand upright eliminating transfer of force to the horizontal plane and eliminating any forces acting to dislodge the locking pin. The locking mechanism is also fixed to the stationary element, thus making it convenient to use when the stand is in any position and as the locking mechanism operates vertically it is not subjected to load from the trailer making it easy to engage or disengage and no danger of it being accidentally dislodged. The relatively large size of the housing also provides a large contact area with the trailer drawbar. The housing is welded around its periphery to the drawbar to provide a rigid mount. The design effectively removes the high leverage point of prior art designs thus resulting in a rugged pivotal mount which will maintain its integrity for many years.

[0032] The reader will now appreciate the present invention which provides a rugged pivotal mount that is easy to use.

[0033] The mount has been shown with the fixed portion attached to the trailer and the rotating portion attached to the stand. This is the preferred arrangement simply due to the relative size of the components, the opposite arrangement is also viable and falls within the scope of the invention.

[0034] Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in this field.

[0035] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word "comprising" and its derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.