Apparatus for mounting tire casings onto dual-flanged rims

Claim 1

Apparatus for mounting a pneumatic tire casing onto a dualflanged wheel rim, comprising means to secure such a rim at a fixed level with its middle plane horizontal and its upper flange free, means to deflect a bead of such tire casing progressively around and over the upper flange of such rim, an actuator mount, positioned spacedly outward from the means to secure such a rim and extending vertically above and below the middle plane thereof, together with a first powered linear actuator having an outer actuator part adjacent to the mount and secured at its outermost end on a lateral pivot thereto at a point spaced from the level of the middle plane of such rim, and having an inner actuator part axially extendable and retractable relative to the outer part along an actuator axis, and having at its innermost end, shoe means to apply a force against the tread and a sidewall of such a tire casing when positioned for mounting on such rim, a second powered linear actuator including parts extendable and retractable relative to each other along an axis and mounted in the same plane as that of the first linear actuator, said second actuator being secured, at the outermost end of one of its said parts, by a lateral pivot to said mount at a point spaced from the level of the middle plane of such rim at the side opposite that at which the first linear actuator is secured, and being secured, at the innermost end of said other of its said parts, by a lateral pivot to the innermost end of the outer actuator part of the first actuator, whereby to form, with it and with said mount, a triangulated structure of which said second actuator is a variable-length member, and control means to vary the length of said second linear actuator while the first linear actuator or the means to deflect the bead are moving, whereby the shoe means will move, and exert against such tire casing a force component, perpendicular to the axis of the first actuator.