US3734219A — Steering system for snowmobiles and the like

Claim 1

Independent Claim 157 words

A vehicle steering system, comprising: a pair of steering shafts forward of the vehicle center of gravity, which shafts slope forward and downward in substantially parallel planes to lower ends, steerable means at the lower ends of the steering shafts to provide normally lateral pivot axes, a pair of vehicle support means, each having a surfacecontacting portion, and means to mount one of said vehicle support means pivotally on each of said normally lateral pivot axes with its surfacecontacting portion spaced substantially inward of the axis of the steering shaft, whereby on turning of the steering shafts to steer the vehicle in a turn, the vertical distance from the lower end of the steering shaft to the surface-contacting portion at the inner side of the turn will be lessened, and at the outer side of the turn the corresponding vertical distance will be increased, thereby banking the vehicle and increasing its stability in respect to centrifugal forces.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 157 words

A vehicle steering system, comprising: a pair of steering shafts forward of the vehicle center of gravity, which shafts slope forward and downward in substantially parallel planes to lower ends, steerable means at the lower ends of the steering shafts to provide normally lateral pivot axes, a pair of vehicle support means, each having a surfacecontacting portion, and means to mount one of said vehicle support means pivotally on each of said normally lateral pivot axes with its surfacecontacting portion spaced substantially inward of the axis of the steering shaft, whereby on turning of the steering shafts to steer the vehicle in a turn, the vertical distance from the lower end of the steering shaft to the surface-contacting portion at the inner side of the turn will be lessened, and at the outer side of the turn the corresponding vertical distance will be increased, thereby banking the vehicle and increasing its stability in respect to centrifugal forces.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 84 words

For use with a snowmobile, the steering system defined in claim 1, wherein the vehicle support means are skis, the vehicle further having driving belt means located symmetrically with respect to said fore-and-aft centerline and on which the vehicle in supported aft of its center of gravity, whereby on banking in a turn, the edge of said belt means on the outer side of the turn is somewhat raised, thereby to lessen the tendency of centripetal forces on said edge to understeer the vehicle.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 68 words

For use with a snowmobile, the steering system defined in claim 3, wherein the vehicle support means further includes a member extending upwardly from each said ski, and the means to provide normally lateral pivoting axes are stub shafts, extending substantially radially from the lower end of each steering shaft, and the means to mount the vehicle support means pivotally includes trunnion-like means affixed to said upward-extending members.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 41 words

For use with a snowmobile, the steering system defined in claim 3, in which the stub shafts extend inward from the lower ends of the steering shafts, and the trunnion-like means are fixed directly upon upper portions of said upward-extending members.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 64 words

For use with a snowmobile, the steering system define in claim 3, wherein the said stub shafts extend to both sides of center of the steering shafts, and the trunnion-like means mounts clevis-like to both sides thereof, and the means to mount the vehicle support means includes brackets extending from beneath said trunnion-like means, inwardly to said members which extend upward from the skis.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 128 words

An easily turned steering system for snowmobiles of the type having a pair of forward mounted skis and a driving belt means mounted beneath the rear portion of and tiltable with the vehicle, comprising a pair of steering shafts extending slantingly forward and downward in substantially parallel planes, inward extensions therefrom steerable by rotation of the shafts, the skis being mounted on and projecting downward from said inward extensions, and control means to turn said steering shafts simultaneously, whereby in a turn, the downward projections of the skis beneath the shafts are altered by lessening such projection of the inner ski and increasing such projection of the outer ski, thereby banking the vehicle and raising the outer edge of the driving belt means to lessen its under-steering effect.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 128 words

An easily turned steering system for snowmobiles of the type having a pair of forward mounted skis and a driving belt means mounted beneath the rear portion of and tiltable with the vehicle, comprising a pair of steering shafts extending slantingly forward and downward in substantially parallel planes, inward extensions therefrom steerable by rotation of the shafts, the skis being mounted on and projecting downward from said inward extensions, and control means to turn said steering shafts simultaneously, whereby in a turn, the downward projections of the skis beneath the shafts are altered by lessening such projection of the inner ski and increasing such projection of the outer ski, thereby banking the vehicle and raising the outer edge of the driving belt means to lessen its under-steering effect.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 113 words

A directionally stable steering system for snowmobiles of the type having a pair of forward mounted skis, comprising a pair of steering shafts having downward extending axes sloping forward in substantially parallel planes, means to mount one of such skis onto and spacedly inward of each said shaft and with effective caster relative to its axis, and control means to turn said steering shafts simultaneously to effect turning movement of such vehicle, whereby, on turning, the effective caster of the ski at the outer side of the turn is increased while that of the ski at the inner side of the turn is decreased, thereby to afford directional stability increasing with centrifugal force.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 113 words

A directionally stable steering system for snowmobiles of the type having a pair of forward mounted skis, comprising a pair of steering shafts having downward extending axes sloping forward in substantially parallel planes, means to mount one of such skis onto and spacedly inward of each said shaft and with effective caster relative to its axis, and control means to turn said steering shafts simultaneously to effect turning movement of such vehicle, whereby, on turning, the effective caster of the ski at the outer side of the turn is increased while that of the ski at the inner side of the turn is decreased, thereby to afford directional stability increasing with centrifugal force.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-05-21	1976-11-20	1977-05-22	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-05-21	1980-11-20	1981-05-22	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-05-21	1984-11-20	1985-05-22	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Steering system for snowmobiles and the like

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