Adjustable steering wheel assembly for vehicles

Claim 2

An adjustable steering wheel assembly for a vehicle having a fixed console panel adjacent the operator''s station thereof comprising: a housing having steering mechanism disposed therein and having a steering column extending therefrom with a steering wheel being mounted on said column, pivot means coupling said housing to said console panel and providing for pivoting movement of said housing relative to said console about a substantially horizontal axis, a bracket secured to said housing for pivoting movement therewith and having a plurality of notches in one edge, a push rod slidably mounted on said console panel and having an outer end extending outward therefrom and having an inner end on the opposite side of said panel from said operator''s station, said inner end being angled relative to said outer end and positioned to engage any seleceted one of said notches when said push rod is urged outward from said panel and to disengage from said notches when said push rod is pushed toward said panel, and resilient means urging said push rod outward from said panel, wherein said console panel has a lower edge with a slot therein for receiving an upper end of said housing and wherein said bracket is secured to an upper corner of said housing adjacent said slot and wherein said pivot means comprises a pivot pin secured to said console panel and transpierced through said bracket.

Claim 3

An adjustable steering wheel assembly as defiNed in claim 1 wherein said push rod extends through a spring housing mounted on said console panel and wherein said resilient means comprises a spring disposed within said spring housing in coaxial relation to said outer end of said push rod to urge said push rod outward from said panel.

Claim 4

An adjustable steering wheel assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said notches in said bracket are defined by spaced fingers formed at said edge thereof and wherein said fingers are of progressively greater length from the lowermost one of said fingers to the uppermost one thereof.

Claim 5

An adjustable steering wheel assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said notches in said bracket are defined by spaced fingers formed at said edge thereof and wherein the uppermost of said fingers is proportioned to abut said inner end of said push rod when said push rod is pushed towards said panel to the maximum possible extent.

Claim 6

An adjustable steering wheel assembly for a vehicle having an inclined console panel facing the operator''s position on said vehicle wherein said panel has an opening formed in a lower edge thereof, comprising: a housing having an upper end fitting at least partially into said opening of said panel and supporting a hydrostatic steering means and a steering column extending from said housing with a steering wheel mounted thereon, first and second bracket means secured to said housing below said panel adjacent said opening and at opposite sides of said opening, one of said bracket means having a plurality of spaced fingers extending downward and forward from an edge thereof to define a plurality of notches in said edge, said fingers being of progressively greater length from the lowermost to the uppermost thereof, a spring housing secured to said panel, a push rod extending through said spring housing and said panel and having an upper end extending outward from said spring housing and said panel and having means formed on said upper end for facilitating manual linear movement of said upper end toward said panel, said push rod having a lower end below said spring housing and said panel which is angled relative to said upper end to engage in a selected one of said notches of said one of said bracket means according to the inclination of said housing, means holding said push rod against rotation about the axis of said outer end thereof, spring means disposed in said spring housing and urging said push rod in an outward direction relative to said console panel, and pivot means extending through said bracket means for pivotably coupling said housing to said console panel.

Claim 7

An adjustable steering wheel assembly for a vehicle having an inclined console panel facing the operator''s position on said vehicle wherein said panel has an opening formed in a lower edge thereof, comprising: a housing having an upper end fitting at least partially into said opening of said panel and supporting a hydrostatic steering means and a steering column extending from said housing with a steering wheel mounted thereon, first and second bracket means secured to said housing below said panel adjacent said opening and at opposite sides of said opening, one of said bracket means having a plurality of spaced fingers extending downward and forward from an edge thereof to define a plurality of notches in said edge, said fingers being of progressively greater length from the lowermost to the uppermost thereof, a spring housing secured to said panel, a push rod extending through said spring housing and said panel and having an upper end extending outward from said spring housing and said panel and having means formed on said upper end for facilitating manual linear movement of said upper end toward said panel, said push rod having a lower end below said spring housing and said panel which is angled relative to said upper end to engage in a selected one of said notches of said one of said bracket means according to the inclination of said housing, means holding said push rod against rotation about the axis of said outer end thereof, spring means disposed in said spring housing and urging said push rod in an outward direction relative to said console panel, and pivot means extending through said bracket means for pivotably coupling said housing to said console panel.