Patent Application
20140263935
This application relates to engine support stands and, more particularly, to engine support stands for repairing or removal of automotive engines.
Jack stands are commonly used for supporting a raised load, such as supporting a raised motor vehicle so that the shop personnel may perform repair and maintenance work on the vehicle.
Many of the major maintenance or repair operations on a motor vehicle are only possible after removal of the engine from vehicle. These major operations include, among others, the renewal of crankshaft main bearings, the removal and refitting of the crankshaft, and removal and refitting of the intermediate shaft. The engine of a motor vehicle is connected to the vehicle's frame via engine mounts, usually made of rubber and metal. The metal portion connects to the engine on one side and to the frame on the other side. The rubber is between the metal portions to provide some flexibility and absorb the impact to the vehicle from the engine.
The first step of removing the engine is to lift the gearbox and the engine from the engine compartment. A hoist of 150 kg capacity will be needed to lift the engine approximately 1 meter.
Standard car jack stands cannot be used to lift the engine directly, because the substantial pressure on the jack stand produced by the weight of the engine will pierce the oil pan of the engine. Mechanics usually place a wooden block on top of a regular jack stand to lift the engine to reduce the pressure on the harmonic balancer or the oil pan.
A need exists to provide an improved jack stand that can be used directly to fully support and lift the engine without damaging or denting the engine during automotive repair and maintenance. The present invention provides an improved high rise lifting jack of the type used for repair and replacement of automobile engines and the like. Another object of the present invention is to provide a supporting device that can provide minor adjustment of the angle and position of the engine as the engine is being lifted. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide fine tuning of the height of the engine being lifted.
The invention provides a supporting device to be used in lifting and supporting an automotive vehicle engine during repair of the engine. The support device has a middle plate having an internally threaded aperture extending through the middle plate. The middle plate is located above a lower base and the middle plate is supported by four legs extending between the lower base and the middle base. The device also has a vertically oriented threaded shaft extending through the aperture in the middle plate and an internally threaded middle reinforcing grip fixed to the underside of the middle plate. The threads of the vertically oriented shaft engage the threads of the threaded aperture in the middle plate and in the middle grip. A substantially flat engine support platform is rotatably mounted on an upper end of the threaded shaft. Another grip permanently engages the threaded shaft and facilitates the rotation of the threaded shaft by the mechanic. A ball bearing is located between the top end of the threaded shaft and the underside of the flat engine support platform to allow minor adjustments to the angle and position of the engine when the supporting device is supporting the engine.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention may best be understood from the following detailed description of currently illustrated embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts, and in which:
Standard jacks are designed to lift the car frames. The bottom of a car engine, such as the oil pan, is generally made from a different material that is thinner and weaker than the material used for manufacturing the car frame. The bottom of the engine, including the oil pan, would be damaged or dent if a standard jack is used directly to lift the engine because of the great pressure produced by the weight of the engine on the limited area of the top surface of the standard jack.
Referring to
The engine support platform 12 is used to fully support and lift the engine without damaging or denting the engine. The underside of the engine support platform 12 is rotatably mounted on the end of a threaded shaft 18. The upper surface 41 (
In the illustrated embodiment, the upper surface 41 of the engine support platform 12 is rectangular and in the size range of 4×6 inches. Larger surface areas facilitate the distribution of pressure on the bottom of the engine and the surface of the support platform 12, therefore protecting the engine from piercing by the jack stand. Denting on the bottom surface of the engine is substantially eliminated, when the surface area of the support platform 12 is larger than the bottom surface of the engine, and the surface of the support platform 12 is in full contact with the entire bottom surface of the engine during the lifting process.
The height of the engine support platform 12 is adjustable by rotating the threaded shaft 18. An upper grip 11 is permanently attached to the shaft 18 and cannot be moved with respect to the shaft 18. When the upper grip 11 is rotated, shaft 18 rotates with the grip 11 to adjust the height of the support platform 12. A wrench or other suitable means as are known in the art can be used to grab the grip 11 and rotate the grip 11 and shaft 18.
Referring to
A middle grip 23 is used to further support the shaft 18 as the shaft rotates in aperture 21 during lifting and support of the engine. As shown in
The shaft 18 used in the present invention is different from the shafts used in prior art jack stands. The threaded shaft 18 used in the present invention works in a couple with grips 23 and 11 to adjust the desired height of the shaft 18 with precision. Prior art references use apertured rod members and locking pins to adjust the height of the shaft. A locking pin can be extended through one of the plurality of apertures in the shaft to lock the rod member at a desired height. A threaded shaft is not used in previous standard jacks because standard jacks are used to support the car frame. The weight of a car greatly exceeds the weight of the car engine, therefore threaded shafts are not suitable for use in supporting a car. A locking pin system can secure the heavier auto frame, while a threaded shaft may not be suitable to support the weight of the vehicle.
The present invention is particularly used for supporting the car engine when repairing the engine. With respect to the most common type of engines that are mounted to the vehicle with front and rear engine mounts, the engine mounts are removable and displaceable in relation to the vehicle. The engine can be partially lifted during repair, where the engine is lifted off one or two of the engine mounts, and the remaining two or three engine mounts still carry part of the weight of the engine. The threaded shaft 18 of the present invention is suitable for an engine support stand particularly designed for lifting an engine during repair. The threaded shaft 18 also provides fine tuning of the height of the shaft to ⅛ of an inch, instead of where in using a standard jack, the height is limited due to the locking pin and the position of the apertures receiving the locking pin. When repairing the engine with the present invention, the machinist can lift the engine to variable heights accordingly, depending on the repair parameters and protocols.
Ball bearing 40 is placed in a groove 42 in the shaft 18, and between the engine support platform 12 and the top of shaft 18. The ball bearing 40 creates a hollow space between the top of the shaft 18 and bottom of the engine support platform 12, therefore allowing the tilting up and down and rotation of the engine in repair, if necessary.
While one particular embodiment of a support device for raising and supporting an automotive vehicle engine during repair of the engine of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. It is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
