Warn Industries, Inc.

Philip J Cronin, Ii

Thomas F Dunlap

David C Wood

Lonnie G Williams, Jr

Jon A Bigley

Fred L Ewer

John R DuPree

James D Hensley

Stuart Miller

A spindle nut and a locking device are disclosed for securing the nut on a spindle in a non-rotative position relative to the spindle. The assembly comprises the spindle nut, an antirotation spring and a spring backup plate mounted on the spindle. The antirotation spring and spring backup plate may be formed as a single unit.

Nut and locking device

A spindle nut and a locking device for securing the nut in a rotative position on a spindle. An anti-rotation spring and a back up plate are mounted on the spindle in a non-rotative manner with the back up plate in abutment with the bearings that rotatively mount the hub to the spindle. The back up plate has multiple grooves aligned with and arranged to receive multiple resilient tabs on the periphery of the anti-rotation spring. The tabs of the anti-rotation spring are formed to project axially from the spring. A flange of the nut has multiple slots around its periphery that are sized to receive a tab of the anti-rotation spring. A tool having extending ears that fit in the slots of the nut is utilized to install the nut on the spindle. The extending ears prevent the tabs of the spring from entering a slot of the nut until the tool is removed. As the nut is rotated by the tool, the nut abuts the anti-rotation spring. The extending ears and the face of the flange in combination force the radial tabs of the spring further into the grooves of the back up plate. When the nut is torqued to the desired level, the tool is removed allowing a tab of the spring to enter a slot of the nut due to its resiliency to lock the nut in a rotative position. Should a tab of the spring not be in alignment with a slot of the nut, the nut need only rotate a few degrees to place one of the slots of the nut in alignment with a tab of the spring.

Spindle nut and locking device

A hub lock device for converting a vehicle between four-wheel and two-wheel drive, the hub lock being actuated by automatic actuation or manual actuation. A sliding clutch ring that engages and disengages the wheel and axle is trapped in a cage. An extender bar from the cage has a hook end that hooks over the edge of a nut. The nut is moved between inner and outer positions by a manual dial. In the outer position, the nut forces the cage, through engagement of the hook end, to the position whereat the clutch ring is urged to interlock the axle and wheel. In the inner position the nut releases the cage, i.e., the hook can extend between an inner and outer position, to permit automatic actuation. The automatic actuation includes cam actuation wherein the spindle nut provides the cam actuator and brake surface for secondary cam actuation. The spindle nut is locked to the spindle with a lock pin projection extended from a thrust ring that enhances turning of the drive gear on the axle relative to the spindle nut in four-wheel drive.

Combination manual-automatic hub lock

Growing community of inventors

Gladstone, OR, United States of America

Philip J Cronin, Ii