Abstract: There is described a connecting assembly for a light weight vehicle having mutually engageable hook and latch portions wherein the hook portion comprises engaging hooks to engage and lift the latch means, the engaging portion further including a shoulder to cause the subsequent disengagement of the latch and engaging portions, support hooks to receive the latch portion upon its disengagement from the engagement hooks, and a levered handle actuatable to cause displacement of the latch portion from the support hooks.

Abstract: A device provides free-wheeling four-wheel towing of an automotive vehicle without damage to its (especially automatic) transmission. It is easily insertable co-axially between the power-driven wheel-mounting structure and the removed and replaced wheel. It comprises a base plate, a shaft on the base plate, a hub rotatable around the shaft, and a second wheel-mounting plate fixed to the hub by short lug-screws. The free-wheeling can be locked-out by substituting long lug-screws for half of the short ones. The long lug-screws enter threaded bores in posts fixed to the base plate to lock-out the free-wheeling, and they are slightly thinner then the short lug-screws to facilitate their placement.

Abstract: An adjustable wheel assembly which facilitates the positioning of a wheel on an axle. The wheel assembly includes an elongated axle having a rack and a keyway, a wheel hub, and two pairs of arc-shaped wedges positioned between the axle and the wheel hub. Two of the four arc-shaped wedges are inserted into a tapered bore on one side of the wheel hub and the remaining two wedges are inserted into a second tapered bore on the opposite side of the wheel hub. Each of the four arc-shaped wedges further contains a radial flange with bolt holes therethrough so that each wedge can be bolted to the wheel hub. In addition, one of the wedges contains a radial opening housing pinion gear which meshes with the rack on the axle so as to axially move the wheel hub along the axle. The wheel assembly also contains a pair of jackscrews which are used to force two of the oppositely aligned wedges axially apart thereby allowing the wheel hub to be released from the axle.

Abstract: An adapter is provided for attachment to the hub of a vehicle axle whereby after attachment of the adapter to the hub, a pair of coaxial wheels can be secured to the adapter. The adapter is of simple construction and comprises a tubular cylindrical housing having a first and second set of circumferentially spaced axial bores formed therethrough. The first set of axial bores register with studs protruding axially outwardly from the axial hub of the vehicle so that the housing can be positioned over and secured to the axle hub by the appropriate nuts. The second set of axial bores is provided through the housing so that one bore from this second set is positioned between each pair of axial bores from the first set. A bolt is positioned through each of the second set of axial bores so that the threaded ends of the bolts extend axially outwardly from the housing.

Abstract: A stub axle and inner end flange which fits the outer wheel supporting flange on a fixed axle and is apertured peripherally to accept the wheel attaching bolts of said fixed axle flange, a pair of roller bearings mounted on said stub axle, the outer end of said stub axle being splined, an axle-housing hub rotatably supported on said bearings and having an inner flange, the latter having peripheral bolt holes corresponding to those in said stub axle flange and said vehicle fixed axle flange, a set of bolts for securing a drive wheel disc removed from said fixed axle flange to said stub shaft flange and a conventional wheel hub clutching mechanism mounted on the outer end of said axle housing hub, said mechanism being operable manually to optionally lock said splined stub axle to said axle housing and wheel or to disengage said stub axle to permit said housing and wheel to turn freely thereon.

Abstract: In a housing, for instance, for a final drive assembly for a tractor, a large open space is created when the housing is enlarged, for instance, to accommodate a wider gauge set of tracks. The large open space is substantially filled with a bladder or other bulk member to prevent excess accumulation of oil, or the like, in the open space when the vehicle is tilted as when it is operating on a side slope.