Technical Field of the Invent.ion

This invention relates to a support leg of the type that comprises an upper part being pivotable around a joint between a raised, inactive position and a lowered, active posi¬ tion, and a lower part being protrudable relative to said upper part, said lower part having a support foot for bearing upon the ground when the support leg is in its lowered position, a power mechanism being provided on the upper leg part, said mechanism being capable of applying a tractive force to one end of a flexible tractive means, e.g. a chain, a rope or similar, which is laid around a runner means and which at its opposite end is connected with a fixed fastening point, the application of tractive force upon the flexible tractive means forcing the support leg to pivot around the joint from the lowered, active position towards the raised, inactive position.

Usually, support legs of the type referred to above are mounted on a vehicle, more specifically at the free end of a supporting beam that is telescopically movable relative to the frame of the vehicle, and in their inactive position they are most frequently, although not necessarily, in a position poin¬ ting vertically upwardly from the joint, from which position said leg is pivoted downwards by 180° to a position pointing vertically downwardly, in which position the lower part may be protruded out from the upper part and be borne with its support upon the ground (in some constructions, the support leg is raised from its active position to the inactive one by an angle that is smaller than 180°, for instance 135°, 90° or 45°) .

State of the Art

A support leg of the type referred to in the preamble is previously known from SE 9202417-3. In this known support leg, the power mechanism consists of a spe<cial hydraulic cylinder that is arranged on the outside of the upper part of the support leg, with the cylinder pointing towards the free end of the support leg and with the piston rod connected with the

flexible means. In the lowered state of the support leg, the piston rod is maximally pushed out of the cylinder. When drawing in the piston rod into the cylinder, the support leg is forced to pivot in the direction of its raised position. Albeit this support leg is functionally satisfactory, it has a number of disadvantages. One drawback is that the special hydraulic cylinder per se is expensive to acquire. Moreover, the special hydraulic cylinder requires a complicating cooperation with the established hydraulic system for the main cylinder, having the purpose of shortening and lengthening the support leg.

Objects and Characteristics of the Invention

The present invention aims at removing the above mentioned disadvantages and at providing an improved and simp- lified support leg construction. Thus, a primary object of the invention is to create a support leg which in a simple way may be pivoted while utilizing the power that is developped by the own main cylinder of the support leg at shortening and lengthe¬ ning, respectively, i.e., without the help of any supplementary cylinder. A further object of the invention is to provide a support leg whose adjusting in different raised positions may be effected in a simple way.

According to the invention, at least the primary object is attained by the features that are defined in the characteri- zing clause of claim 1. Further, advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Appended Drawings In the drawings Fig 1 is a front view of a support leg according to the invention, shown in three different adjustment posi¬ tions, Fig 2 is a side view of the lowered support leg as seen from the left in fig 1, Fig 3 is an enlarged and partly cut front view of the support leg according to fig l, and

Fig 4 is a side view, as seen from the right in fig 3, of a so called box comprised by the upper part of the sup¬ port leg.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

In the drawings, a support leg is generally designated 1 and comprises an upper part designated 2 in its entirety and a lower part 3 which at its free end has a support foot 4. In the example, the upper part 2 is composed of two different parts, namely a so called box 5 and a cylinder 6 included in a hydrau¬ lic cylinder mechanism whose piston rod forms the lower part 3. In a conventional manner, this hydraulic cylinder mechanism is double-acting, i.e., the piston rod 3 may be pulled into and pushed out of, respectively, the cylinder 6 and be adjusted into the desired position relative to the same. The support leg 1 is in its entirety mounted upon the free end of a supporting beam 7, more specifically via a joint 8 that makes possible a pivo¬ ting of the support leg relative to the supporting beam. In turn, the beam 7 is mounted on the frame of a not shown vehicle, perpendicularly to the longitudinal extension of the vehicle. The beam is telescopically displaceable relative to the frame, so that the support leg may be conveyed out of an inactive posi¬ tion near one of the sides of the vehicle to an active position that is remote from this starting position. As may be seen in fig 4, the box 5 has a sleeve element

9 which is rotatably mounted in bearings on a shaft pivot (not shown) protruding from the free end of the beam 7. A laterally protruding lug 10 is fixedly fastened upon the free end of this shaft pivot. This lug serves as an attachment for a flexible means 11 which in the example has the form of a chain. More specifically, one of the ends of the chain is attached at a point 12 on the lug 10 and runs over the external side of the sleeve element 9 to the opposite end 13.

As described so far, the support leg 1 is substantially previously known by SE 9202417-3. However, in to the previously known support leg the flexible tractive means is connected with a movable piston rod included in a special hydraulic cylinder

that is mounted on the outside of the upper part of the support leg. Contrary thereto, according to the present invention, the chain 11 is connected with a rod designated 14 in its entirety. More specifically, the end 13 of the chain 11 is connected with the rod 14 in the region of one of its ends, at the same time as the opposite end of the rod is actuatable by the support foot 4. The rod is displaceably movable by being arranged on one hand in a guiding collar 15, and on the other hand in a cross-sectio- nally U-shaped guide 16 placed on the outside of the box 5. The guiding collar 15 is fixedly attached to the outside of the cylinder 6 by means of a clamping means 17. The guide 16 has two separate, mutually parallel side walls 18, 18' with holes for a shaft 19, on which is arranged a roller 20 forming a pulley means for the chain 11. More specifically, this pulley means separates inner and outer parts 11' and 11", respectively, of the chain. At its upper end, the rod 14 is cross-sectionally U- shaped, with an inner web that may pass within the roller 20, and with two flanges that may pass in the spaces between the flanges 18, 18' and the roller 20. According to the shown, preferred embodiment, the rod

14 is composed of two telescopically inter-movable parts 14' , 14", which may be adjusted and locked in different positions relative to each other, for instance by means of at least one cotter that may be introduced into either of a number of holes 21 in at least one of the two parts.

In the sleeve element 9 are made diametrically opposed holes 22 through which may be led a locking pin for locking of the support leg in a transport or parking position. More speci¬ fically, the locking pin may be introduced into one of several diametrically opposed holes through the shaft pivot on which the sleeve element 9 is rotatably mounted in bearings.

The described support leg functions in the following way: In the active position of the support leg according to fig 2 and 3, the support foot 4 is held pressed against the ground by means of the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder 6. In this condition, the lower end of the rod 14 is distanced from the support, although the same is situated in a lower end position

in which the inner part 11' of the chain 11 has a minimal length. When the support leg, after having fulfilled its task, shall be brought to a raised or parked position, the piston rod 3 is pulled into the cylinder 6. During this motion, the support foot 4 hits the rod 14 which is carried in a direction upwards, along the upper part of the support leg. By the fact that the chain 11 is laid around the roller 20, which works as a pulley means, this will have the consequence that the inner part 11' of the chain is extended, at the same time as the outer part 11" is shortened. The shortening of the outer chain part 11" brings about that the support leg in its entirety is forced to pivot around the joint 8, more specifically to an upper end position or parking position that is determined by the length of the rod 14 (provided that the support foot 4 is always brought to one and the same inner end position relative to the cylinder 6) . In case the rod 14 has maximal length by the movable telescopic part 14" having been adjusted into an outer end position in relation to the telescopic part 14 ' , the support leg will be pivoted by 180° into a parking position in which the support leg points vertically upwards from the joint 8. By decreasing the length of the rod 14 in a suitable manner, the support leg may be brought to pivot to another angle than 180°, e.g. to the different positions which in fig 1 are designated 45°, 90° and 135°, respectively. When the support leg is to be lowered from a parking position to its active position, vertically from the joint 8, one proceeds in the reverse order. The piston rod 3 is pulled out of the cylinder 6, whereby the support foot 4 is distanced from the cylinder and allows the rod to move in a direction away from the joint 8. In case the support leg in the parked position extends by an angle to the vertical plane, it will by its own weight automatically pivot downwards, in the direction of the active position, as the support retreats from the joint of the support leg. In case the support leg in the parked position is directed vertically upwardly from the joint, a light manual force may initially be required in order to get the support leg start pivoting around the joint.

A substantial advantage of the invention is that neces¬ sary pivoting of the support leg between the parked position and the active position may be performed by very simple and inexpen¬ sive means. Furthermore, the desired parked position may be chosen merely by the simple measure of lengthening or shortening the rod that serves as the power mechanism.

Feasible Modi ications of the Invention

The invention is not restricted solely to the embodi- ment as described and shown in the drawings. Thus, it is also feasible to apply the invention on such support legs which comp¬ rise upper and lower parts in the form of tubes being telescopi- cally movable relative to each other, within which the necessary hydraulic cylinder is mounted. Moreover, instead of specifically a chain, it is also possible to use other flexible tractive means, such as ropes, wires or similar.