Vehicle wheel suspension and mounting means

Claim 1

In combination with a vehicle having wheels, a wheel mounting assembly comprising a support housing interposed between the vehicle and one wheel for independently securing the wheel to the vehicle with respect to the other wheels, a substantially horizontally extending pivot shaft secured to the vehicle, the bottom portion of the said support means being journalled on the pivot shaft for pivoting about the longitudinal axis thereof, the said support housing comprising a U-shaped yoke member having a pair of spaced arm members extending outwardly from the vehicle toward the wheel for receiving a portion of the wheel therebetween, a flanged sleeve member having a longitudinal drive shaft aperture therethrough disposed between the spaced arm members and extending outwardly therefrom, the said wheel being journalled on the said sleeve member, king pin means provided for securing the sleeve member to the support housing whereby the wheel is freely rotatable about a vertical axis defined by the king pin means, said king pin means comprising a pair of spaced axial aligned pin members journalled between the arms and the sleeve on either side of the sleeve drive shaft aperture to provide said vertical axis of rotation for the wheel, braking means interposed between the king pin means and the wheel for braking of the wheel, cushioning means yieldably secured between the vehicle and the upper portion of the support housing for absorbing the pivotal movement of the housing about the pivot shaft, and an independent wheel motor disposed between said pair of spaced arms and operably connected to the wheel for driving the said wheel, the said motor being secured to the flanged sleeve.