Wheel loader

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9657456-B2
Application number	US-201414419021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2014
Priority date	Aug 8, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A wheel loader is provided with a cab, a ladder, a vehicle body cover, an engine, an air cleaner, and an expansion member. The ladder has first to third steps. The air cleaner is disposed to the outside of the vehicle body cover and above and to the rear of the ladder. The expansion member is able to assume an expanded posture and a retracted posture. The expansion member abuts at least one step in the expanded posture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wheel loader comprising:
a cab provided with a driver seat therein;
a ladder having a plurality of steps disposed with intervals therebetween, a lengthwise direction of each of the steps extending in a vehicle front-back direction of the wheel loader the ladder being provided at a side of the cab in a vehicle width direction of the wheel loader;
an expansion member having a body section, the body section including an elongated flat part, the body section being movably provided between a retracted posture and an expanded posture, the body section being configured such that the flat part abuts against at least one of the steps in an inward vehicle width direction when the body section is in the expanded posture, a lengthwise direction of the flat part extending parallel to the lengthwise direction of the at least one of the steps in the expanded posture, and the flat part protruding outward from the at least one of the steps in the vehicle width direction in the expanded posture;
a vehicle body cover disposed to the rear of the cab and demarcating an engine room;
an engine disposed inside the engine room; and
an air cleaner having therein an exchangeable filter, the air cleaner being disposed outside of the vehicle body cover, the air cleaner cleaning air being supplied to the engine,
when the expansion member assumes the expanded posture, the air cleaner is disposed above and to the rear of the expansion member.

2. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the expansion member is retracted from the at least one of the steps in a retracted posture.

3. The wheel loader according to claim 2 , further comprising
a platform disposed at the side of the cab,
the expansion member being positioned under the platform in the retracted posture.

4. The wheel loader according to claim 3 , wherein
the expansion member is attached to the platform.

5. The wheel loader according to claim 2 , wherein
the at least one of the steps has a length in the vehicle front-back direction greater than that of the other steps.

6. The wheel loader according to claim 5 , wherein
the air cleaner is configured so that the filter can be pulled out toward the ladder and disposed to be inclined so that a pulling-out side of the filter is further away from the cab than an opposite side.

7. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one of the steps has a length in the vehicle front-back direction greater than that of the other steps.

8. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the air cleaner is configured so that the filter can be pulled out toward the ladder, and the air cleaner is arranged in a diagonal orientation with respect to a vehicle front-back direction of the wheel loader so that a front part of the air cleaner is further away from the cab in the vehicle width direction than rear part of the air cleaner.

9. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the ladder extends downward from a platform disposed at the side of the cab;
a first step positioned at the top of the plurality of steps protrudes from the platform in the vehicle width direction;
steps other than the first step protrude in the vehicle width direction with respect to one step thereabove; and
a protrusion amount of the plurality of steps is fixed.

10. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the ladder has a front strut and a rear strut that extend in the vertical direction and that are disposed away from each other in the vehicle front-back direction;
the plurality of steps extend to cross between the front strut and the rear strut; and
the rear strut has an upper part to which a first step positioned at the top and a second step positioned second from the top among the plurality of steps are attached, and a lower part to which another step is attached, the lower part being positioned further toward the front of the vehicle than the upper part.

11. The wheel loader according to claim 10 , wherein
the rear strut further has a middle part that couples the upper part and the lower part; and
the middle part is inclined rearward in an upward direction as seen in a side view of the vehicle.

12. The wheel loader according to claim 10 , further comprising
a handrail member provided along the rear strut;
the handrail member having a vertical part that extends vertically; and
the vertical part being positioned to the outside in the vehicle width direction of the rear strut.

13. The wheel loader according to claim 12 , wherein
an upper edge of the handrail member is positioned below the platform installed at the side of the cab.

14. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the ladder further has a supplementary step below the step positioned at the bottom and that hangs down with elastic strips.

15. The wheel loader according to claim 1 , wherein
the flat part is disposed farther inward in the vehicle width direction when the expansion member assumes the retracted posture than when the expansion member assumes the expanded posture.

16. A wheel loader comprising:
a cab provided with a driver seat therein;
a platform disposed at the side of the cab;
a ladder provided at a side of the cab, the ladder having a plurality of steps disposed with intervals therebetween;
an expansion member that attached to the platform and configured to expand and retract between an expanded posture and a retracted posture, the expansion member abutting at least one of the steps and protruding in the vehicle width direction in the expanded posture, the expansion member being retracted from the at least one of the steps and positioned under the platform in the retracted posture;
a vehicle body cover disposed to the rear of the cab and demarcating an engine room;
an engine disposed inside the engine room; and
an air cleaner having therein an exchangeable filter, the air cleaner being disposed outside of the vehicle body cover, the air cleaner cleaning air being supplied to the engine, the air cleaner being arranged to be disposed above and to the rear of the expansion member when the expansion member assumes the expanded posture,
the expansion member including
a fixed part extending downward from the platform;
an arm part coupled to a lower end part of the fixed part in a swingable manner; and
a flat part extending from the arm part in the vehicle front-back direction and abutting the at least one of the steps in the expanded posture.

17. The wheel loader according to claim 16 , wherein
the ladder extends downward from a platform disposed at the side of the cab;
a first step positioned at the top of the plurality of steps protrudes from the platform in the vehicle width direction;
steps other than the first step protrude in the vehicle width direction with respect to one step thereabove; and
a protrusion amount of the plurality of steps is fixed.

18. The wheel loader according to claim 17 , wherein
the ladder has a front strut and a rear strut that extend in the vertical direction and that are disposed away from each other in the vehicle front-back direction;
the plurality of steps extend to cross between the front strut and the rear strut; and
the rear strut has an upper part to which a first step positioned at the top and a second step positioned second from the top among the plurality of steps are attached, and a lower part to which another step is attached, the lower part being positioned further toward the front of the vehicle than the upper part.

19. The wheel loader accordin

Assignees

• Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Aoyama Yuichiro

Classifications

• E02F9/0866

  Engine compartment, e.g. heat exchangers, exhaust filters, cooling devices, silencers, mufflers, position of hydraulic pumps in the engine compartment · CPC title

• B60K13/02

  concerning intake · CPC title

• F02M35/048

  Arranging or mounting on or with respect to engines or vehicle bodies · CPC title

• F02M35/02483

  Cylindrical, conical, oval, spherical or the like filter elements; wounded filter elements · CPC title

• E06C5/02

  with rigid longitudinal members · CPC title