Abstract: A vehicle, its frame, with a driver's seat, mounted on two rear wheels and a single steerable front wheel, is made to enable a wheel-mounted motor-driven rotary mower to be removably installed with its rear wheels between those of the vehicle, its front wheels behind the vehicle's front wheel. A drive to the vehicle's front wheel is releasably connectible to the drive shaft of the mower's motor, and means are provided for automatically lifting the mower's front wheels above the ground when the vehicle's front wheel is turned to steer to one side or the other, so as to prevent the mower wheels from being dragged sideways across the ground.

Abstract: A front wheel suspension mechanism for a vehicle having two front wheels. The suspension mechanism includes two transverse leaf springs mounted on a front portion of the frame of the vehicle and vertically spaced apart from each other, supports for supporting the front wheels, and elastic members for connecting both ends of the leaf springs and the front wheel supports.

Abstract: The method of this invention comprises setting the vertical members clamped to the stationary part of the hub of each steerable wheel in the same plane as the turning axis for that wheel when the weight is off that wheel, and then gauging the chamber and caster from the pendular means and cooperating scale mounted on the vertical members after the wheel is again normally loaded or weighted. The toe-in angles of the steerable wheels are gauged relative to the direction of the non-steerable wheels when the steerable wheels are put in their straight ahead or forward position by the manual steering wheel therefor controlled by the operator of the vehicle.

Abstract: The wheel position measurement device for vehicles is capable of performing required tracking measurements whilst eliminating the effects of tracking width differences and different wheel bases. It operates independently of position and requires no external reference system. Six angle measurement devices (1-6) are used for tracking measurement, of which two (1,2) are mounted on the front wheels for measurement of the front wheel total tracking angle. Two additional angle measurement devices (3,5) are mounted on the left front (7) and rear (9) wheels to measure their angular positions. Two further devices (4,6) measure the right side wheel (8,10) angular positions. The pairs of angle measurement devices (1,3 and 2,4) on the front wheels are rigidly connected (17,18). The outputs of transducers in the angle measurement devices are processed into tracking values by an electrical circuit.

Abstract: A tool for checking the angle of camber of a vehicle wheel which includes a frame, a plurality of upper pin members removable from the frame, a lower pin member mounted on the frame, and indicator means disposed on the frame and providing an indication of whether the angle of camber of the wheel is proper. The upper and lower pin members are of different lengths, and their ends determine a line which forms a predetermined angle with the vertical axis of the tool, which angle corresponds to the angle of camber of a properly-aligned wheel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for dynamically measuring vehicle front end parameters such as tow-in (or toe-out) and camber angle. The apparatus includes a separate pair of support rollers (11) for supporting each vehicle front wheel (10) and causing rotation thereof. A sensing roller (12) is adapted to contact the tyre tread surface at the lowermost point of the tyre so as to be rotated by rotation of the wheel. The axis of the sensing roller (12) is arranged transverse to the plane or rotation of the wheel (10) such that any toe-in or toe-out of the wheel causes a transverse or generally axial displacement of the sensing roller (12) to a - position wherein the axis of the sensing roller is normal to the toe-in or toe-out direction of the wheel (10). The sensing roller (12) is mounted on an axle (13) which forms one bar of a trapezium shaped four bar linkage (13,14,15) which causes said sensing roller (12) to pivot about an effective pivot point ( 1 6) which is arranged, by means of said linkage, a considerable distance away from the wheel (10). The pivot point (16) is the point of intersection of the centre lines of the tapered sides (14) of the linkage since the bars of the linkage are pivotally interconnected. A further sensing roller for measuring camber angle and methods of measuring toe-in and camber angle are also disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: A steering wheel having a 'T' type spoke is attached to a steering column, with an axis of symmetry of steering wheel being angularly biased through an angle y relative to the forward direction of a vehicle, with the direction of the vehicle being stabilized on a stage of a toe-in tester. The vehicle is placed on the stage with the front wheels of the vehicle mounted on drive rollers, and the drive rollers are moved in a manner to place the axes of the drive rollers perpendicular to the axis of the stage as well as to the planes of rotation of the front wheels. Thereby, slide-slipping angles alpha R, alpha L and camber angles CNR, CNL of the right and left front wheels respectively, are determined so as to determine the compensating angle y, according to the equation Y=A( alpha R+ alpha L)+b(CNR-CNL)+c, WHEREIN A,B,C REPRESENT CONSTANTS DETERMINED BY THE TYPE OF VEHICLE INVOLVED.

Abstract: The invention relates to a simple method and apparatus for measuring vehicle track alignment (toe-in and toe-out). The vehicle front wheels (10) are each supported on a pair of spaced parallel support rollers (11) and a sensing roller (13) is arranged in contact with the tyre tread surface at the lowermost point of the tyre (12) and normal to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, that is, normal to the true forward direction of the vehicle. The sensing roller (13) is able to move axially on its axis of rotation (axle) (16). The method comprises rotating each front wheel (10) separately through a limited angular rotation equivalent to a known forward displacement of the vehicle and measuring the axial displacement of the sensing roller (13). The forward displacement and axial displacement figures may then be used to compute toe-in or toe-out and the same procedure may then be performed on the other wheel. The apparatus includes a mounting structure which extends across the width of the vehicle and supports the support rollers on each side. The mounting structure is pivoted between the vehicle wheels such that the apparatus automatically aligns with the apparatus. Means for obtaining a differential reading of axial displacement of the sensing rollers is also disclosed.