Wheel weight assembly and attachment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11364740-B2
Application number	US-201916547936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2019
Priority date	Aug 22, 2019
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

A wheel weight assembly with inner and outer weights, inner and outer fasteners, and anti-rotation plates. Inner fasteners can include inner and outer nuts, and a stud that extends through inner weight. Outer nuts can attach to studs and outer fasteners. Anti-rotation plates can fit over outer nuts in recesses of inner weight to prevent rotation of outer nuts. The weight assembly can also include intermediate weight and intermediate fasteners. Intermediate fasteners can include intermediate nuts and studs, where proximal end of stud attaches to inner fastener, and distal end of stud extends into recess of intermediate weight. Intermediate nuts can attach to distal ends of studs, and to outer fasteners. Anti-rotation plates fit over intermediate nuts in recesses of intermediate weight to prevent rotation of intermediate nuts. Anti-rotation plates and recesses can be pear-shaped. Cutouts in anti-rotation plates and intermediate nuts can be polygonal-shaped.

First claim

We claim:

1. A wheel weight assembly for mounting to a vehicle wheel that includes a disk, the wheel weight assembly comprising:
an inner weight having a plurality of mounting bores that extend axially through the inner weight, and a plurality of recesses where each mounting bore is located in an associated recess;
a plurality of inner fasteners, each inner fastener configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting bores of the inner weight, each inner fastener having a proximal end configured to attach to the disk and a distal end configured to attach in the associated recess;
a plurality of anti-rotation plates, each anti-rotation plate configured to cooperate with the distal end of one of the plurality of inner fasteners within the associated recess of the inner weight;
an outer weight having a plurality of mounting bores that extend axially through the outer weight; and
a plurality of outer fasteners, each outer fastener configured to extend through one of the mounting bores of the outer weight and attach to the distal end of one of the plurality of inner fasteners to hold the outer weight to the disk.

2. The wheel weight assembly of claim 1 , wherein each inner fastener of the plurality of inner fasteners comprises:
an inner nut;
a stud configured to extend through one of the mounting bores of the inner weight, the stud having a proximal end and a distal end, and
an outer nut configured to attach to one of the plurality of outer fasteners;
wherein the inner nut is configured to attach to the proximal end of the stud; the distal end of the stud is configured to extend through the one of the plurality of mounting bores of the inner weight into the associated recess; and the outer nut is configured to attach to the distal end of the stud to hold the inner weight to the disk.

3. The wheel weight assembly of claim 2 , wherein for each attachment between an outer nut of the plurality of outer nuts, an anti-rotation plate of the plurality of anti-rotation plates and a stud of the plurality of studs in a recess of the plurality of recesses of the inner weight, when the outer nut is attached to the distal end of the stud in the recess of the inner weight, and the anti-rotation plate is fit over the outer nut and into the recess of the inner weight then a nut shape of the outer nut, a plate shape of the anti-rotation plate and a recess shape of the recess prevent further rotation of the outer nut in the recess of the inner weight.

4. The wheel weight assembly of claim 3 , wherein a proximal end of each of the plurality of outer nuts of the plurality of inner fasteners has a generally hexagonal shaped cross-section.

5. The wheel weight assembly of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of anti-rotation plates has a generally pear-shape with a broader end and a narrower end, and a cutout in the broader end, the cutout shaped to fit over one of the plurality of outer nuts.

6. The wheel weight assembly of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of recesses of the inner weight has a generally pear-shape with a broader end and a narrower end, the mounting bore associated with the recess being located closer to the broader end than the narrower end of the pear-shape, and the pear-shape of the recess shaped to fit the pear-shape of one of the plurality of anti-rotation plates.

7. The wheel weight assembly of claim 3 , wherein a proximal end of each of the plurality of outer nuts has a polygonal shaped cross-section;
each of the plurality of anti-rotation plates has a generally pear-shape with a broader end and a narrower end, and a cutout in the broader end, the cutout shaped to fit over one of the plurality of outer nuts; and
each recess of the plurality of recesses of the inner weight has a generally pear-shape with a broader end and a narrower end, the mounting bore associated with the recess being located closer to the broader end than the narrower end of the pear-shape, and the pear-shape of the recess shaped to fit the pear-shape of one of the plurality of anti-rotation plates.

8. A wheel weight assembly for mounting to a vehicle wheel that includes a disk with an outer face and an inner face, the wheel weight assembly comprising:
a starter weight having a plurality of mounting bores that extend axially through the starter weight;
a plurality of inner fasteners, a portion of each inner fastener configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting bores of the starter weight and the plurality of inner fasteners configured to attach the starter weight to the outer face of the disk;
an intermediate weight having a plurality of mounting bores that extend axially through the intermediate weight, and a plurality of connection recesses where each mounting bore is located in an associated connection recess;
a plurality of intermediate fasteners, a portion of each intermediate fastener configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting bores of the intermediate weight and into the associated connection recess, each intermediate fastener having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end configured to attach to one of the plurality of inner fasteners and the distal end configured to extend into the associated connection recess of the intermediate weight to attach the intermediate weight to the starter weight;
a plurality of anti-rotation plates, each anti-rotation plate configured to fit over one of the plurality of intermediate fasteners and fit within one of the plurality of connection recesses of the intermediate weight;
an outer weight having a plurality of mounting bores that extend axially through the outer weight; and
a plurality of outer fasteners, each outer fastener configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting bores of the outer weight and attach to one of the plurality of intermediate fasteners to attach the outer weight to the intermediate weight.

9. The wheel weight assembly of claim 8 ,
wherein each inner fastener of the plurality of inner fasteners comprises an inner bolt and a starter nut, where each inner bolt has a distal end and is configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting bores of the starter weight, and each starter nut is configured to attach to the distal end of the inner bolt to attach the starter weight to the outer face of the disk; and
wherein each intermediate fastener of the plurality of intermediate fasteners comprises an intermediate nut and an intermediate stud with a proximal end and a distal end, where each intermediate stud is configured to extend through one of the plurality of mounting bores of the intermediate weight and into the associated connection recess, the proximal end of the intermediate stud is configured to attach to one of the plurality of starter nuts of the plurality of inner fasteners and the distal end of the intermediate stud is configured to extend into the associated connection recess of the intermediate weight, each intermediate nut is configured to attach to the distal end of the intermediate stud to attach the intermediate weight to the starter weight; and
wherein each outer fastener of the plurality of outer fasteners is configured to attach to one of the plurality of intermediate nuts to attach the outer weight to the intermediate weight.

10. The wheel weight assembly of claim 9 , wherein the starter weight includes a plurality of insets and each of the plurality of mounting bores of the starter weight is in one of the plurality of insets; and
wherein each starter nut of the plurality of starter nuts is configured to fit in a corresponding inset of the plurality of insets of the starter weight such that the corresponding inset prevents rotation of the starter nut.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Baker Justin
• Heimbuch Benjamin
• Roth Jonathan

Classifications

• B60Y2200/221

  Tractors · CPC title

• B60B15/28 Primary

  Wheel-ballasting weights; Their attachment · CPC title

• B60B2310/305

  by screwing · CPC title