Tool for use in removing automobile shock absorbers

Abstract

A tool for use in freeing a nut from a bolt having a rib transversely of its nut-receiving end has a tubular member having a nut portion at one end and a nut-fitting socket at the other end. A shaft slidable and rotatable within the tubular member has a head at one end having a rib-receiving channel in its other end. The shaft is connected to the tubular member for limited axial movement relative thereto and means are provided to hold the shaft from turning with the tubular member, in one embodiment of the invention, the other end of the shaft is exposed with its exposed end having a second nut portion and in another embodiment, a gear train is provided between the shaft and tubular member to urge them to rotate in opposite directions.

Description

BACKGROUND REFERENCES

U.S. Pat. No. 1,343,667;

U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,809.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is, of course, a common experience to find that a bolt must be held against turning while a nut is removed therefrom. While there are many examples of bolt locations that make it difficult to secure a wrench to the head of a bolt and another wrench to the nut threaded thereon and to turn one relative to the other, the bolts securing front shock absorbers to the frames of automobiles are notoriously troublesome to detach because of the difficulty of reaching into cramped areas where they are located. Such bolts have ribs extending transversely of their nut-receiving ends but because of their relatively inaccessible locations, it is difficult to hold such a rib with one wrench while at the same time freeing the associated nut with another wrench.

THE PRESENT INVENTION

The general objective of the present invention is to provide a tool to facilitate the removal of front shock absorbers, an objective attained with a tubular member of substantial length having a nut portion at one end and a socket at its other end shaped and dimensioned to fit the nut to be freed. A shaft slidable and rotatable within the tubuler member is connected thereto to limit the extent to which it may slide to two extreme positions. The shaft has a head provided with a channel shaped and dimensioned to fit the rib on the nut-receiving end of the shaft and in one of said positions the head is within the socket while in the other position the head is within the tubular member but remote from the socket. Means are provided to enable the shaft to be held while the nut is turned.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a tool in which the shaft extends through the nut portion of the tubular member with its exposed end provided with a nut portion engageable by a second wrench.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a tool operable with a single wrench, an objective attained by providing the tubular member with a housing portion within which there is an internally toothed ring gear concentric with the shaft which is provided with a circumferential series of gear teeth. Idler gears within the housing are in mesh with the ring gear and said gear teeth which are of sufficient axial extent to maintain said meshing relationship in any axial position of the shaft. Preferably the shaft is spring-biased towards the first position of the head.

Other objectives of the invention, more fully detailed subsequently, relate to preferred means for interconnecting the tubular members and their shafts and to a preferred rib-receiving channel formation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of tools in accordance with the invention are shown and

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a tool in accordance with one embodiment of the invention positioned for use;

FIG. 2 is a section on an increase in scale, taken approximately along the indicated line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken approximately Along the indicated line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a tool in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section, on an increase in scale, taken lengthwise of the tool; and

FIG. 7 is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The tool shown in FIGS. 1-3 has a tubular member, generally indicated at 10, and consisting of first and second sections 11 and 12 of the same inside diameter. One end of the section 11 has a counterbore 13 of substantial length establishing a shoulder 14 and has an axial bore 16 of the same diameter as the counterbore 13. A nut 15 is welded to the end of the section 11. The section 11 has a flange 17 at its other end.

The second section 12 has a cylindrical chamber 18 at one end closed by the flange 17 of the first section 11 when secured thereto by screws 19. The other end of the section 11 is in the form of a socket wrench 20 dimensioned to fit the nut 21 threaded on the bolt 22 anchoring, by way of example, one end of a front shock absorber, generally indicated at 23, to the frame 24 of an automobile. The bolt 22 is of the type having a rib 25 extending transversely of its nut-receiving end.

A shaft 26 is slidable and rotatable in the sections 11 and 12 and is provided with a cap 27 at one end that is a slidable and rotatable fit in the counterbore 13 thus to seat on the shoulder 14 and prevent its escape of the shaft 26 through the socket 20 towards the shaft which is resiliently urged by a compression spring 28 within the counterbore 13 and held centered by the head of the screw 29 securing the cap 27 to the shaft 26 and by a boss 30 on the undersurface of the backing plug 31 held captive by a snap ring 32 caught in an annular channel 33 in the counter-bore 13. The other end of the shaft 26 is formed with a channel 34, preferably inwardly tapered towards the bottom thereof, dimensioned to receive within it the rib 25 on the exposed end of the bolt 22.

The shaft 26 is provided with lengthwise channels that establish a circumferential series of teeth of a gear 35 of an axial extent such that, in any operatable lengthwise position of the shaft 26, the gear 35 will be exposed within the chamber 18 the interior surface of its side wall being formed as an internally toothed ring gear 36 concentric with the shaft 26. A series of three pinion gears 37 are spaced about the shaft 26 in mesh with the ring gear 36 and the gear teeth 35. Desirable and as shown, the teeth of the ring gear 35 extend to the rim of the chamber 18 and the flange 17 is shouldered to provide a boss 38 having splines 39 to receive the upper ends of the teeth of the gear 38.

In use, the mechanic places the tool with the socket 20 fitted on the nut 21. He then fits a wrench 40, usually of a ratchet type, on the nut portion 15 and as he turns it the shaft 26 turns until the channel 24 registers with the rib 25 at which time, the spring 28 forces the channel into holding engagement therewith so that further wrenching is effective to turn the nut 21 free. In practice, the gear train is in the order of 3:1.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 4 - 7 requires the use of two wrenches and consists of a tubular member 41 having a nut 42 welded on one end, the nut having a bore 43 of the same diameter as that of the tubular member 41. The other end of the tubular member 41 has a counterbore 44 of substantial axial extent defining a shoulder 45 and opening into a socket 46 shaped and dimensioned for wrenching engagement with a nut 21.

A shaft 47 is slidable and rotatable in the bore of the tubular member 41 and has a head 48 dimensioned to be slidable and rotatable within the counterbore 44 and establishing a shoulder 49 engageable with the shoulder 45 to limit the retraction of the shaft 47 to a predetermined extent. The head 48 has a channel 50 shown as in the form of a socket and like the channel 24, its sides taper inwardly towards the bottom thereof, the channel 50 also dimensioned to fit over the rib 25 on the bolt-receiving end of the bolt 22.

The shaft 47 is longer than the tubular member 41 and has a nut portion 51 on its exposed end. A snap ring 52 fixed on the shaft 47 between the nut portions 42 and 51 serves to limit the extent to which the shaft 47 may be advanced relative to the socket 46. In use the mechanic fits the socket 46 on the nut 21 and turns the shaft 47, if necessary, until the channel 50 fits over the rib 25. A first wrench, not shown, is used to hold the nut portion 42 and a second wrench is used to hold the nut portion 51 of the shaft 47 so that the shaft 22 may be securely held by one wrench while the nut 21 is wrenched free with the other.

Claims

I claim:

1. A tool for use in freeing a nut from a bolt of a type having its nut-receiving end provided with a diametrically disposed rib, said tool comprising a tubular member of substantial length and provided with a chamber intermediate its ends of a cross sectional area greater than the remainder thereof, said chamber including a fixed, internally toothed ring gear concentric with the shaft, one end of said member including a nut portion to be gripped by a first wrench and having a nut-fitting socket at its other end, a shaft slidable and rotatable within said tubular member and including a head at one end having a channel shaped and dimensioned to fit the rib of the bolt, said shaft through said chamber and towards said one end of the tubular member, means operable to connect said shaft to said tubular member to limit axial movement of said shaft relative threrto between a position in which the head is within the socket and a predetermined position remote therefrom, said shaft including a circumferential series of gear teeth of an exial extent such that a lengthwise portion thereof is within the chamber in either of said positions of the shaft, and a series of idler gears within the chamber in mesh with the ring gear and the portion of the teeth of the shaft that is within said chamber.

2. The tool of claim 1 in which the means connecting the shaft to the tubular member includes a counterbore in said one end thereof terminating short of said chamber and providing a shoulder at one end and closed at the other end, and the shaft has a second head at its other end that is slidable and rotatable within said counterbore, said counterbore of an axial extent such that said nut portion and the shoulder established by the counterbore define said two positions.

3. The tool of claim 2 and a compression spring in said counterbore in engagement with the second head and backed by the closed end thereof and yieldably urging the shaft towards and into said socket.

4. The tool of claim 3 in which the nut portion has an axial passageway opening into the counterbore and of the same diameter as said counterbore, the closed end of the counterbore is a spring-backing plug, and a resilient expansion ring is caught in the counterbore between the plug and the nut portion and exposed through the passageway of the nut portion to permit it to be engaged and released.

5. The tool of claim 4 in which the plug and the second head of the shaft include spring centering portions.