ACCESS PORTS FOR ACCESSING COVERED FUEL TANKS OF A WORK VEHICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to work vehicles and, more particularly, to access ports for accessing the covered fuel tanks of a work vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Work vehicles, such as agricultural tractors, earth-moving vehicles and other vehicles, typically include one or more fuel tanks configured to hold fuel for powering the engine. When designing a work vehicle, it is often desirable to hide the vehicle's fuel tank(s) from view for aesthetic purposes. In addition, it may be desirable to provide a protecting covering(s) for a fuel tank(s) in order to prevent damage to the tank(s). However, while fuel tank coverings may serve aesthetic and/or protective purposes, such coverings also serve to limit operator access to the fuel tank(s).

Accordingly, a fuel tank covering or housing that provides an operator with proper access to the fuel tank(s) located underneath would be welcomed in the technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a work vehicle including a cab and a fuel tank coupled to the cab. The work vehicle may also include a cab housing configured to cover the fuel tank. The cab housing may define an access port configured to provide access to the fuel tank. In addition, the work vehicle may include a cover panel configured to be coupled to the cab housing so as to cover the access port.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a left side view of one embodiment of a work vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 2 illustrates a left, rear perspective view of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a right, front perspective view of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates another left, rear perspective view of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a right, rear perspective view of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 illustrates a left, rear perspective view of a portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating a plurality of fuel tanks mounted to the rear of an operator's cab of the work vehicle;

FIG. 8 illustrates a left side view of a portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating a portion of the left side of a housing that covers the fuel tanks coupled to the rear of the operator's cab;

FIG. 9 illustrates another left side view of the portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 8, particularly illustrating a panel of the housing removed so as to provide an access port for accessing the fuel tank coupled to the left rear of the operator's cab;

FIG. 10 illustrates a right side view of a portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating a portion of the right side of the housing that covers the fuel tanks coupled to the rear of the operator's cab;

FIG. 11 illustrates another right side view of the portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 10, particularly illustrating a panel of the housing removed so as to provide an access port for accessing the fuel tank coupled to the right rear of the operator's cab;

FIG. 12 illustrates a right, rear perspective view of a portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating a portion of the rear of the housing that covers the fuel tanks coupled to the rear of the operator's cab;

FIG. 13 illustrates another right, rear perspective view of the portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 12, particularly illustrating a panel of the housing removed so as to provide an access port for accessing the fuel tank coupled to the top rear of the operator's cab; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a partial perspective view of a portion of the work vehicle shown in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating a transparent view of a side housing of the work vehicle to allow the fuel tanks covered by the housing to be viewed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can he used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

In general, the present subject matter is directed to access ports for accessing one or more covered fuel tanks of a work vehicle. Specifically, in several embodiments, the work vehicle may include one or more housings configured to cover one or more fuel tanks mounted to portions of the vehicle. Each housing may define one or more access ports for accessing the fuel tank(s) disposed underneath such housing. Additionally, each housing may include one or more cover panels configured to cover the access port(s). For example, each cover panel may be removably or hingedly coupled to the housing at one of the access ports so that the panel may be removed or otherwise moved away from the access port when access to the fuel tank(s) is needed.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-7 illustrate various views of one embodiment of a work vehicle 20. As shown, the work vehicle 20 is configured as an agricultural tractor. However, in other embodiments, the work vehicle 20 may be configured as any other suitable work vehicle known in the art, such as various other agricultural vehicles, earth-moving vehicles, loaders and/or various other off-road vehicles.

As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the work vehicle 20 includes a pair of front wheels 22, a pair or rear wheels 24 and a chassis 26 coupled to and supported by the wheels 22, 24. An operator's cab 28 may be supported by a portion of the chassis 26 and may house various control or input devices (not shown) for permitting an operator to control the operation of the work vehicle 20. Moreover, the work vehicle 20 may include an engine 30 (FIG, 1) and a transmission 32 (FIG. 1) mounted on the chassis 26. The transmission 32 may be operably coupled to the engine 30 and may provide variably adjusted gear ratios for transferring engine power to the wheels 24 via an axle/differential 34 (FIG. 1).

As is generally understood, the work vehicle 20 may also include or more fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 for containing fuel configured to be supplied to the engine 30 or any other suitable component of the vehicle 20. In several embodiments, the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 may he configured to contain a pressurized or compressed fuel, such as methane or natural gas, hydrogen and/or any other suitable fuels. For example, as particularly shown in FIGS. 7 and 14, each fuel tank 36, 38, 40, 42 may correspond to a pressure vessel (e.g., a pressurized fluid cylinder) for containing the pressurized or compressed fuel. Alternatively, the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 may be configured to contain non-pressurized fuel, such as gasoline or diesel fuel. In such embodiments, the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 may generally have any suitable configuration that allows the fuel to be contained therein.

As shown in FIG. 7, in several embodiments, one or more of the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40 may be coupled to the rear of the cab 28. Specifically, as shown, a first fuel tank 36 is coupled to the left, rear of the cab 28 and extends vertically from generally adjacent to a left tire well 44 of the work vehicle 10 to generally adjacent to a top 46 of the cab 28. Additionally, a second fuel tank 38 is coupled to the right, rear of the cab 28 and extends vertically from generally adjacent to a right tire well 48 of the work vehicle 10 to generally adjacent to the top 46 of the cab 28. Moreover, a third fuel tank 40 is coupled to the rear of the cab 28 and extends horizontally generally adjacent to the top 46 of the cab 18 between the first and second fuel tanks 36, 38. In other embodiments, it should be appreciated that any other suitable number of fuel tanks may be coupled to and/or disposed adjacent to the rear of the cab 28, such as less than three fuel tanks or greater than the three fuel tanks.

In addition, the work vehicle 20 may also include one or more fuel tanks 42 located along one or both of the sides of the vehicle 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, two side tanks 42 are located along the left side of the work vehicle 20 at a location adjacent to a cab ladder 50 defining steps 52 configured to provide an operator access to the left side of the cab 28. Although not shown, one or more fuel tanks may also be located on the right side of the work vehicle 20, such as at the location of the side housing 64 (FIG. 3) positioned on the right side of the vehicle 20.

It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the various fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 of the work vehicle 20 may be located at any other suitable location on and/or along the vehicle 20.

Additionally, the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 may generally be configured to be coupled to portions of the work vehicle 20 at their respective positions using any suitable attachments means and/or method known in the art. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40 are coupled to the rear of the cab 28 via suitable brackets 54 and mechanical fasteners 56. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 14, the side fuel tanks 42 are coupled to a portion of the work vehicle 20 adjacent to the cab ladder 50 using suitable brackets 54 and mechanical fasteners 56. In other embodiments, the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 may be coupled to the work vehicle 20 at their respective positions using any other suitable attachments means.

It should he appreciated that, in embodiments in which the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 are configured as pressurized vessels, each tank 36, 38, 40, 42 may include a valve(s) 58 for opening/closing the tank 36, 38, 40, 42, thereby allowing the supply of fuel from each tank 36, 38, 40, 42 to be turned on and off. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 14, each tank 36, 38, 40, 42 may include a tank valve 58 located at one end of the tank 36, 38, 40, 42. In such embodiments, the valve 58 may be configured to be manually opened and closed (e.g., a wheel valve) or automatically opened and closed (e.g., an electronically operated valve controlled via a controller of the vehicle 20). Alternatively, in embodiments in which the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 are configured to contain non-pressurized fuel, each fuel tank 36, 38, 40, 42 may include a fuel cap as opposed to the tank valve to allow the fuel tank 36, 38, 40, 42 to be opened and closed.

Moreover, the work vehicle 20 may also include one or more housings 60, 62, 64 configured to partially or fully encase, surround and/or otherwise cover the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42. For example, as shown in the illustrated embodiments, the work vehicle 20 includes a cab housing 60 configured to cover the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40 coupled to the rear of the cab 28. Additionally, the work vehicle 20 may include a side housing(s) 62, 64 for covering any fuel tanks 42 located along the side of the work vehicle 20. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 14, the work vehicle 20 includes a first side housing 62 (shown as being transparent in FIG. 14) for covering the side tanks 42 located along the left side of the work vehicle 20. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the work vehicle 20 may also include a second side housing 64 for covering any side tanks (not shown) located along the right side of the work vehicle 20. It should be appreciated that the various housings 60, 62, 64 may be configured to serve as protective coverings for the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42. In addition, the housings 60, 62, 64 may also he configured to enhance the overall look, feel and/or design of the work vehicle 20. For instance, as opposed to simply mounting the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 to the exterior of the vehicle 20, the housings 60, 62, 64 may provide a more aesthetically pleasing look to the vehicle's exterior.

In several embodiments, the cab housing 60 may form all or a part of the housing component(s) that are configured to house and/or cover the various structural members and/or interior components of the cab 28. For example, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the cab housing 60 may be configured to extend horizontally along the top 46 of the cab 28 between a front end 66 disposed at the front the cab 28 and a rear end 68 disposed at the rear of the cab 28. Additionally, the cab housing 60 may be configured to extend vertically along the rear of the cab 28 between the rear end 68 and a bottom end 70 located generally adjacent to the tire wells 44, 46. In such an embodiment, the cab housing 60 may be formed from multiple housing components configured to be coupled together or from a single housing component. Alternatively, the cab housing 60 described herein may simply be configured to correspond to the portion of the vehicle housing component(s) that extend around and/or cover the various fuel tanks 36, 38, 40 mounted at the rear of the cab 28.

In several embodiments, the cab housing 60 may include a first housing portion 72 configured to extend vertically along the left, rear of the cab 28 so as to Bally or partially surround and/or cover the first fuel tank 36. Specifically, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the first housing portion 72 generally extends vertically between the rear and bottom ends 68, 78 of the cab housing 60 along the left, rear side of the cab 28. Additionally, the cab housing 60 may include a second housing portion 74 configured to extend vertically along the right, rear of the cab 28 so as to fully or partially surround and/or cover the second fuel tank 38. For example, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the second housing portion 74 generally extends vertically between the rear and bottom ends 68, 78 of the cab housing 60 along the right, rear side of the cab 28. Moreover, the cab housing 60 may include a third housing portion 76 extending horizontally along the top, rear of the cab 28 so as to fully or partially surround and/or cover the third fuel tank 42. For instance, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the third housing portion 76 generally extends horizontally between the first and second housing portions 72, 74 along the rear end 68 of the cab housing 60.

As indicated above, in several embodiments, the cab housing 60 may be formed from multiple housing components or from a single housing component. Thus, it should be appreciated that the first, second and third housing portions 72, 74, 76 may be formed as separate components (e.g., separate housing panels) configured to be separately attached to one another. Alternatively, the first, second and third housing portions 72, 74, 76 may be formed integrally as a single component (e.g., a single molded housing component).

Additionally, in several embodiments, the third housing portion 76 may configured to accommodate one or more lighting components of the work vehicle 20. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the third housing portion 76 may define a first recess 78 located adjacent to the left side of the cab housing 60 and a second recess 80 located adjacent to the right side of the cab housing 60. In such an embodiment, one or more lights or lighting modules 82 may be configured to be mounted to the cab housing 60 within each recess 78, 80.

Moreover, it should be appreciated that the side housing(s) 62, 64 of the work vehicle 20 may also have any suitable configuration that allows such housing(s) 62, 64 to at least partially surround and/or cover any side fuel tanks 42 of the vehicle 20. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 14, the first side housing 62 may be configured as an elongated cover extending lengthwise between a first end 84 and a second end 86 so as to define a height sufficient to allow one or more side tanks 42 to be positioned within the housing 62 along the left side of the work vehicle 20. Similarly, the second side housing 64 may be configured to define any suitable dimension(s) that allows the housing 64 to at least partially surround and/or cover any side fuel tanks 42 located along the right side of the work vehicle 20.

In one embodiment, the second side housing 64 may also be configured to serve as ladder to allow an operator to gain access to the right side of the cab 28. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the second side housing 64 may define one or more steps 88 that may be used by an operator to move from the ground to a top side 90 of the housing 64 in order to access the right side of the cab 28.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the housing(s) 60, 62, 64 may define one or more access ports 92, 94, 96 to allow an operator to access the fuel tank(s) 36, 38, 40, 42 located underneath each housing 60, 62, 64. For example, an operator may be required to access the fuel tank(s) 36, 38, 40, 42 in order to manipulate the tank valve 58 (or fuel cap) associated with each tank 36, 38, 40, 42, to clean the fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42 and/or to perform any other suitable maintenance and/or service operation(s). Additionally, in such embodiments, the work vehicle 20 may also include one or more cover panels 98, 100, 102 configured to cover the access ports 92, 94, 96 when operator access to the fuel tank(s) 36, 38, 40, 42 is not required.

For example, FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a left side view of a portion of the work vehicle 20 shown in FIGS. 1-7, particularly illustrating a side view of the first housing portion 72 of the cab housing 60. As particularly shown in FIG. 9, the first housing portion 72 may be configured to define a first access port 92 extending along the left side of the cab housing 60 in order to provide access to the first fuel tank 36 disposed therein. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 8, a first cover panel 98 may be configured to be coupled to the cab housing 60 so as to extend over and/or cover the first access port 92. Thus, when access to the first fuel tank 36 is required, the first cover panel 98 may be removed or otherwise moved away from the first access port 92 to allow access within the first housing portion 72.

Similarly, FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a right side view of a portion of the work vehicle 20 shown in FIGS. 1-7, particularly illustrating a side view of the second housing portion 74 of the cab housing 60. As particularly shown in FIG. 11, the second housing portion 74 may be configured to define a second access port 94 extending along the right side of the cab housing 60 in order to provide access to the second fuel tank 38 disposed therein. Additionally, as shown in 10, a second cover panel 100 may be configured to be coupled to the cab housing 60 so as to extend over and/or cover the second access port 94. Thus, when access to the second fuel tank 38 is required, the second cover panel 100 may be removed or otherwise moved away from the second access port 94 to allow access within the second housing portion 74.

Moreover, FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a right, rear perspective view of a portion of the work vehicle 20 shown in FIGS. 1-7, particularly illustrating a perspective view of the right side of the third housing portion 76 of the cab housing 60. As particularly shown in FIG. 13, the third housing portion 76 may be configured to define a third access port 96 at the top, right side of the cab housing 60 in order to provide access to the third fuel tank 40 disposed therein. Additionally, as shown in FIG, 12, a third cover panel 102 may be configured to be coupled to the cab housing 60 so as to extend over and/or cover third access port 96. Thus, when access to the third fuel tank 40 is required, the third cover panel 102 may be removed or otherwise moved away from the third access port 96 to allow access within the third housing portion 76.

It should be appreciated that the particular size of each access port 92, 94, 96 may generally vary depending on the amount of access to be provided to an operator. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, in one embodiment, each access port 92, 94, 96 may be large enough to access all or a significant portion of the corresponding fuel tank 36, 38, 40. However, as shown in FIG. 13, in another embodiment, each access port 92, 94, 96 may only be configured to allow access to a small portion of the corresponding fuel tank 36, 38, 40, such as by providing access to the tank valve 58 associated with the fuel tank.

It should also he appreciated that the access ports 92, 94, 96 may generally be defined at any suitable location within the cab housing 60 that provides access to the fuel tank(s) 36, 38, 40 covered by the housing 60. For example, instead of being defined along the outer sides of the first and second housing portions 72, 74, the first and second access ports 92, 94 may be defined at any other suitable location(s), such as at the rear of each housing portion 72, 74 or along the inner side of each housing portion 72, 74 (e.g., the side facing the opposite housing portion 72, 74). Similarly, instead of being defined at the right side of the third housing portion 76, the third access port 96 may he defined at any other suitable location, such as at the left side of third housing portion 76 or along the rear lace of the housing portion 76 (e.g., along all or a portion of the face along which the lighting recesses 78, 80 are defined).

It should also he appreciated that the cover panels 98, 100, 102 may generally he configured to be coupled to the cab housing 60 using any suitable means that allows each panel 98, 100, 102 to be moved relative to the cab housing 60 in order to allow access to its corresponding access port 92, 94, 96. For example, in several embodiments, the cover panels 98, 100, 102 may be configured to be removably coupled to the cab housing 60 at the location of each access port 92, 94, 96. For instance, suitable fastening mechanisms, such as fasteners, clips, brackets and/or the like, may be used to couple the cover panels 98, 100, 102 to the cab housing 60. In such an embodiment, the fastening mechanisms may be removed, loosened or otherwise manipulated to allow each cover panel 98, 100, 102 to be removed from the cab housing 60 in order to expose the underlying access port 92, 9496. In another embodiment, the cover panels 98, 100, 102 may simply be configured to be inserted into and removed from each access port 92, 94, 96. For instance, each cover panel 98, 100, 102 may be dimensioned such that, when the cover panel 98, 100, 102 is pushed into its corresponding access port 92, 94, 96, the cover panel 98, 100, 102 is retained within access port 92, 94, 96 via contact and/or engagement with the cab housing 60 and/or a component coupled to the cab housing 60 (e.g., a retaining clip or other feature).

Alternatively, the cover panel 98, 100, 102 may be configured to be hingedly coupled to the cab housing 60 at the location of each access port 92, 94, 96. For example, each cover panel 98, 100, 102 may be coupled to the cab housing 60 using a hinge or any other suitable type of hinged or pivoting attachment mechanism. In such an embodiment, each cover panel 98, 100, 102 may be pivoted or otherwise moved relative to the cab housing 60 to allow access to the fuel tank(s) 36, 38, 40 via the corresponding access port 92, 94, 96.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that similar access ports may also be defined in the side housings) 62, 64 to allow access to the interior of such housing(s) 62, 64. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a side cover panel 104 may be coupled to the first side housing 62 to allow access to the side fuel tank(s) 42 contained therein. Similarly, a side cover panel (not shown) may also be coupled to the second side housing 64 to allow access to any side fuel tanks 42 contained therein.

It should also be appreciated that the configuration of the work vehicle 20 described above and shown in the illustrated embodiment is provided only to place the present subject matter in an exemplary field of use. Thus, it should be appreciated that the present subject matter may be readily adaptable to any manner of work vehicle Configuration. For example, the disclosed fuel tanks 36, 38, 40, 42, housings 60, 62, 64, access ports 92, 94, 96, cover panels 98, 100, 102, 104 and/or any combination thereof may be provided on any other agricultural vehicle(s) and/or any other suitable type of work vehicle(s), such as earth-moving vehicles, loaders and/or various other off-road vehicles.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

ACCESS PORTS FOR ACCESSING COVERED FUEL TANKS OF A WORK VEHICLE

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