Front axle auxiliary frame suspension

Claim 1

AN AUXILIARY FRAME SUSPENSION FOR A VEHICLE HAVING A SUPERSTRUCTURE INCLUDING A MAIN FRAME AND A PLURALITY OF WHEELS, COMPRISING AN AUXILIARY FRAME, INDEPENDENT WHEEL SUSPENSION MEANS FOR SUSPENDING SAID WHEELS FROM SAID AUXILIARY FRAME, RESILIENT SUPPORT MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING THE VEHICLE WEIGHT FROM THE SUPERSTRUCTURE TO THE AUXILIARY FRAME CONSISTING OF TWO RELATIVELY SOFT ELASTIC BEARING MEANS SECURED BETWEEN SAID MAIN FRAME AND SAID AUXILIARY FRAME AND ARRANGED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE VEHICLE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL PLANE, SAID BEARING MEANS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER A RELATIVELY LARGE DISTANCE IN THE TRANSVERSE DIRECTION OF THE VEHICLE, AND GUIDE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID AUXILIARY FRAME TO SAID VEHICLE SUPERSTRUCTURE TO ALLOW RELATIVE VERTICAL MOVEMENTS OF SAID AUXILIARY FRAME WITH RESPECT TO SAID VEHICLE SUPERSTRUCTURE WHILE ESSENTIALLY PREVENTING RELATIVE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENTS THEREBETWEEN, SAID GUIDE MEANS COMPRISING TWO LEAF SPRINGS ARRANGED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL PLANE OF THE VEHICLE AND EXTENDING ESSENTIALLY IN THE VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION, ELASTIC PIVOT MEANS FOR SECURING ONE END OF EACH OF SAID LEAF SPRINGS TO SAID AUXILIARY FRAME SO AS TO PIVOT ABOUT ESSENTIALLY TRANSVERSE AXES, AND MEANS FOR RIGIDLY SECURING THE OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID LEAF SPRINGS TO SAID VEHICLE SUPERSTRUCTURE, SAID RIGID SECURING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID LEAF SPRINGS, SAID PIVOT MEANS BEING SPACED A RELATIVELY LARGE DISTANCE IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION FROM SAID ELASTIC BEARING MEANS, SAID FIRSTMENTIONED DISTANCE BEING GREATER THAN SAID LAST-MENTIONED DISTANCE.