Wheel washer

Claim 2

A wheel washing device for washing the wheels of a vehicle as the vehicle is moved along a prescribed path comprising two guide rails positioned on opposite sides of said path of travel in parallel relation thereto, a master carriage mounted on one of said guide rails and having freedom of motion from rearward to forward positions and being normally disposed in said rearward position, a slave carriage mounted on said opposite guide rail and having freedom of motion from rearward to forward positions, a pulley and cable system tying the master and slave carriages together so as to maintain them in a fore and aft relationship directly opposite each other, a roller pivotally mounted on said master carriage for movement about a horizontal axis and having freedom to move vertically along an arc having said axis as its center, said roller projecting into said path of travel of said vehicle in position to be engaged by said wheels to be washed to thereby urge said master carriage along said guide rail from said rearward position to said forward position, said pulley and cable system simultaneously maintaining the required fore and aft positioning of said slave carriage on said opposing guide rail, a pit located in the path of said roller at the forward most position of said roller''s travel and having such size and shape as to accept said roller completely thereby permitting continued forward travel of said wheel over said roller, means for ejecting said roller from said pit upon release of said roller by said wheel, means for returning said carriages to said rearward positions on said guide rails, means mounted on said carriages for cleaning and scrubbing said wheels during said movement of said carriages from said rearward position to said forwrd position.

Claim 3

A wheel washing device as claimed in claim 1 said cleaning and scrubbing meaNs wheelwashing means movably mounted on said carriages and adapted to be laterally extended outward from said carriages toward said wheel.

Claim 4

A wheel washing device as claimed in claim 2 comprising a trip bar positioned adjacent and parallel to said roller, said trip bar being activated by said automobile wheel thereby setting into motion said wheel washing means.

Claim 5

A wheel washing device for washing the wheels of a vehicle as the vehicle is moved along a prescribed path comprising two guide rails positioned on opposite sides of said path of travel in parallel relation thereto, a master carriage mounted on one of said guide rails and having freedom of motion from rearward to forward positions and being normally disposed in said rearward position, a slave carriage mounted on said opposite guide rail and having freedom of motion from rearward to forward positions, a pulley and cable system tying the master and slave carriages together so as to maintain them in a fore and aft relationship directly opposite each other, a roller pivotally mounted on said master carriage for movement about a horizontal axis and having freedom to move vertically along an arc having said axis as its center, said roller projecting into said path of travel of said vehicle in position to be engaged by a wheel to be washed to thereby urge said master carriage along said guide rail from said rearward position to said forward position, said pulley and cable system simultaneously maintaining the required fore and aft positioning of said slave carriage on said opposing guide rail, a pit located in the path of said roller at the forwardmost position of said roller''s travel and having such size and shape as to accept said roller completely thereby permitting continued forward travel of said wheel over said roller, means for ejecting said roller from said pit upon release of said roller by said wheel, means for returning said carriages to said rearward positions on said guide rails, wheel washing means movably mounted on each of said carriages and adapted to be laterally extended outward therefrom toward said wheels, a trip bar positioned adjacent and parallel to said roller, said trip bar being activated by said wheel and operating a valve thereby setting said wheel washing means into motion.

Claim 6

A wheel washing device for washing the wheels of a vehicle as the vehicle is moved along a prescribed path comprising two guide rails positioned on opposite sides of said path of travel in parallel relation thereto, a master carriage mounted on one of said guide rails and having freedom of motion from rearward to forward positions and being normally disposed in said rearward position, a slave carriage mounted on said opposite guide rail and having freedom of motion from rearward to forward positions, a pulley and cable system tying the master and slave carriages together so as to maintain them in a fore and aft relationship directly opposite each other, a roller pivotally mounted on said master carriage for movement about a horizontal axis and having freedom to move vertically along an arc having said axis as its center, said roller projecting into said path of travel of said vehicle in position to be engaged by a wheel to be washed to thereby urge said master carriage along said guide rail from said rearward position to said forward position, said pulley and cable system simultaneously maintaining the required fore and aft positioning of said slave carriage on said opposing guide rail, a pit located in the path of said roller at the forwardmost position of said roller''s travel and having such size and shape as to accept said roller completely thereby permitting continued forward travel of said wheel over said roller, means for ejecting said roller from said pit upon release of said roller by said wheel, means for returning said carriages to said rearward positions on said guide rails, wheel washing means movably mounted on each of said carriages and adapted to be laterally extended outward therefrom toward said wheels, a trip bar positioned adjacent and parallel to said roller, said trip bar being activated by said wheel and operating a valve thereby setting said wheel washing means into motion.