Patent 2055789 Summary

The embodiments of the invention in which an
exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as
follows:

1. A tower assembly for applying a force on a
damaged part of a vehicle mounted on a work rack
having upper and lower plates having inner and outer
flanges, said assembly comprising:
a carriage mounted on the inner and outer
flanges of the lower plate,
a beam pivotally mounted on said carriage and
extending radially outward therefrom,
a tower mounted on the outer end of said beam,
a vertically adjustable bracket mounted on one
side of the tower and having a guide member
pivotally mounted thereon,
a chain-a-liner rail assembly mounted on the
bottom of said tower for guiding a chain through the
tower,
a chain dog assembly mounted for reciprocal
motion on the other side of said tower,
a chain aligned with said chain dog assembly,
said rail assembly and said bracket and being
connected to the damaged vehicle,
said chain dog assembly including a plate
angled outwardly and upwardly from said tower, said
plate including an inner slot and a circular opening
at the outer end of said slot whereby said chain
will be cammed into said slot on upward movement of
said chain dog assembly and into said opening on
downward movement of said bracket, and
a force applying means mounted in said tower
for moving said dog assembly vertically upwardly to


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pull said chain through said bracket and rail
assembly and apply a force to the damaged vehicle.

2. The tower assembly according to claim 1
including means for supporting said tower for rotary
motion on the end of said beam whereby said tower can
rotate to a position with the chain radially aligned with
the damaged part.

3. The tower assembly according to claim 2
wherein said bracket assembly can be moved into vertical
alignment with the damaged part of the vehicle.

4. The tower assembly according to claim 3
including a chain dog in said tower for locking said
chain in said rail assembly.

5. The tower assembly according to claim 4
wherein said carriage includes a hook assembly mounted on
each end which overhang the inner and outer flanges of
the lower plate, a first pair of wheels mounted on one of
said hook assemblies for supporting said carriage on the
outer flange and a pair of wheels mounted on each side of
said carriage intermediate said hook assemblies for
engaging the bottom of the lower plate.

6. The tower assembly according to claim 5
including a pair of wheels on one of said hook assemblies
for engaging the edge of the outer flange, a wheel on the
other of said assemblies for engaging the edge of the
inner flange and means for biasing said pair of wheels
and said wheel into engagement with said flanges.

7. A tower assembly for applying a force on a
damaged part of a vehicle mounted on a work rack


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having upper and lower plates having inner and outer
flanges, said assembly comprising:
a carriage mounted on the inner and outer
flanges of the lower plate,
a beam pivotally mounted on said carriage and
extending radially outward therefrom,
a tower mounted on the outer end of said beam,
a vertically adjustable bracket mounted on one
side of the tower and having a guide member
pivotally mounted thereon,
a chain-a-liner rail assembly mounted on the
bottom of said tower for guiding a chain through the
tower,
a chain dog assembly mounted for reciprocal
motion on the other side of said tower,
said beam includes a tube mounted on the outer
end and a number of ball caster assemblies mounted
around the periphery of said tube, and said tower
includes a base for supporting said tower for rotary
motion on said casters,
a chain aligned with said chain dog assembly,
said rail assembly and said bracket and being
connected to the damaged vehicle, and
a force applying means mounted in said tower
for moving said dog assembly vertically upwardly to
pull said chain through said bracket and rail
assembly and apply a force to the damaged vehicle.

8. The tower assembly according to claim 7
wherein said tower includes a tube concentrically mounted
for rotation in said beam tube.

9. A tower assembly for applying a force on a
damaged part of a vehicle mounted on a work rack


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having upper and lower plates having inner and outer
flanges, said assembly comprising:
a carriage mounted on the inner and outer
flanges of the lower plate,
said carriage including a beam pivotally
mounted on said carriage and extending radially
outward therefrom,
a tower mounted on the outer end of said beam,
a vertically adjustable bracket mounted on one
side of the tower and having a guide member
pivotally mounted thereon,
a chain-a-liner rail assembly mounted on the
bottom of said tower for guiding a chain through the
tower,
a chain dog assembly mounted for reciprocal
motion on the other side of said tower,
said carriage includes a hook assembly mounted
on each end which overhang the inner and outer
flanges of the lower plate, a first pair of wheels
mounted on one of said hook assemblies for
supporting said carriage on the outer flange and a
pair of wheels mounted on each side of said carriage
intermediate said hook assemblies for engaging the
bottom of the lower plate,
a chain aligned with said chain dog assembly,
said rail assembly and said bracket and being
connected to the damaged vehicle, and
a force applying means mounted in said tower
for moving said dog assembly vertically upwardly to
pull said chain through said bracket and rail
assembly to apply a force to the damaged vehicle.

10. The tower assembly according to claim 9
including means for supporting said tower for rotary
motion on the end of said beam whereby said tower can


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rotate to a position with the chain radially aligned with
the damaged part.

11. The tower according to claim 10 including
a pair of wheel assemblies on one of said hook assemblies
for engaging the edge of the outer flange and a wheel
assembly on the other of said hook assemblies for
engaging the edge of the inner flange.

12. The tower according to claim 11 including
means for biasing each of said wheel assemblies into
engagement with the edges of each of said inner and outer
flanges.


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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vehicle straightening
and alignment devices and more particularly to a free
floating tower assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Work rack structures of the type contemplated
herein are of the type as shown in United States Patent
No. 4,313,335, issued on February 2, 1982, entitled
"Vehicle Work Rack Structure." This type of a structure
is used to correct damaged or misaligned vehicle frame
and body parts. Force supplying members are provided
around the periphery of the work rack for exerting a
pulling force on any portion of the vehicle to correct
damaged conditions in the vehicle frame and/or body
parts. The force supplying member generally includes a
base which is mounted on the work rack and a standard
which is secured to the base and projects upwardly from
the base. The pulling action is provided by a chain
mounted on the standard and connected to a lever arm that
is pivoted by a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly
mounted on the back of the standard to apply a pulling

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action on the chain. The pulling force is applied from
fixed points on the standard.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The free floating tower assembly of the present
invention is designed to provide a direct pull from any
point on the tower and at any angle from the tower so
that the pull is directly in line with the vertical and
horizontal planes of the damaged part. It is important
particularly in the frame structure that the force be
applied in both the horizontal and vertical planes of the
damaged part thereby returning the damaged part to the
exact position of its original manufacture. The tower
assembly is also provided with a unique chain-a-liner
assembly which maintains the chain in a straight line at
all times thus eliminating jamming or kinking of the
chain.
Accordingly, one of the primary features of the
floating tower assembly is the ability of the tower to
pivot freely as the damaged part is returned to its
original condition.
A further feature of the invention is the
provision of a chain-a-liner member which maintains the
chain in a straight line as it is pulled through the
tower assembly.
A principal advantage of the invention is the
ability to maintain a pulling force on the chain whenever
the hydraulic system has to be recycled.
Other principal features and advantages of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art upon review of the following drawings, the detailed
description and the appended claims.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a work
rack embodying the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view partly in section of the
floating tower assembly shown mounted on the bottom plate
of the work rack.
Figure 3 is a side sectional view taken on line
3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Figure
10 3.
Figure 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of Figure
3.
Figure 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of Figure
2.
Figure 7 is a view partly in section of the
caster roller assembly.
Figure 8 is a side elevation view of the chain-
a-liner.
Figure 9 is a partial top view of Figure 8.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of
the invention in detail it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited in its application to the
details of construction and the arrangement of the
components set forth in the following description or
illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of
other embodiments or being practiced or carried out in
various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the
phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the
purpose of description and should not be regarded as
limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION GF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The free floating tower assembly 10 as shown in
Figure 1 is mounted on a work rack 12 for connection to
the damaged area of a vehicle. The work rack 12

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generally includes an upper plate 14 and a lower plate 16
which are connected by webs 18 which support the plates
14, 16 in a parallel spaced relation. The webs 18 are
spaced inwardly to provide an inner flange A and an outer
flange B on each of the plates 14 and 16. The rack 12 is
supported on the floor by legs 20.
The tower assembly 10 generally includes a
carriage 22 which is mounted on the lower plate 16 and
supports a beam 24 which is pivotally movable with
respect to the carriage 22. A tower 26 is pivotally
mounted on the end of the beam 24. A chain 28 is mounted
on the tower 26 and connected to the damaged area of a
vehicle. As is generally understood in the art, the
chain 28 is placed in tension to pull the damaged part
back to its original shape. In order to achieve an
accurate return of the damaged part to its original
shape, the tower 26 must be aligned as close as possible
to both the vertical plane and the horizontal plane of
the original part. As the chain 28 pulls the part back
to its original position, the tower 26 is free to pivot
into alignment with the vertical plane of the original
part as the part is pulled toward its original shape.
Carriage
The carriage 22 includes a base beam 30 having
an inner hook assembly 32 on the inner end of the member
30 and an outer hook assembly 34 on the outer end of
member 30. The inner hook assembly 32 includes a pair of
side plates 31 which support a plate 33 that overlies the
inner flange 16A. The outer hook assembly 34 includes a
pair of side plates 35 mounted on a base plate 39 and
supports a plate 37 that overlies the outer flange 16B of
the lower plate 16. A wheel assembly 38 is mounted on
the inner hook assembly 32 in a position to engage the
edge 40 of the inner flange 16A. A wheel assembly 42 is

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mounted on the outer hook assembly 34 in a position to
engage the outer edge 44 of outer flange 16B.
In this regard, the wheel assembly 38 includes
a shaft 46 which is aligned with a hole 48 in plate 33.
S The shaft 46 is supported in the hole by a pin 49. A
roller bearing 50 is mounted on the shaft 46 in a
position to engage the edge 40 of the inner flange 16A.
The roller bearing 50 is biased into engagement with the
edge 40 of the inner flange by means of a spring assembly
52 mounted in a housing 54 which is secured to a bar 56.
The spring assembly 52 includes a plunger 58 that is
positioned to engage the end of shaft 46. The plunger 58
is biased by a spring 60 in housing 54 into engagement
with shaft 46. The wheel 50 will follow the contour of
the edge 40 of flange 16A.
The wheel assembly 42 includes a crossbar 55
which is pivotally mounted between side plates 35. A
pair of roller bearings 59 are mounted on shafts 61 on
crossbar 55 in a position to engage the edge 44 of the
outer flange 16B. The roller bearings 59 are biased into
engagement with the edge 44 of outer flange 16B by a
spring assembly 62 mounted in housing 64 on base plate
39. The spring assembly 62 includes a plunger 63 and a
spring 65. The plunger 63 is positioned to engage a tab
57 on crossbar 55 to bias the roller bearings 59 into
engagement with flange 16B. It should be noted that the
roller bearings 50 and 59 are arranged in opposition to
each other to center the carriage 22 on the lower plate
16.
The carriage 22 is supported on the lower plate
16 by means of a roller bearing assembly 75 which rides
on the upper surface of the outer flange 16B. The
assembly 75 is mounted on a vertical plate 66 which is
secured to the plate 37. The roller bearing assembly 75
includes a pair of roller bearings 68 which are mounted

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on an axle 70 which is mounted in a hole 71 in plate 66.
The hole 71 is slightly larger than axle 70 so that the
roller bearings 68 are free to ride on the upper surface
of flange 16B.
Means are provided on the carriage 22 to
positively locate the tower assembly 10 in a fixed
position on the rack. Such means is in the form of a
plurality of holes 73 provided in an equally spaced
relation around the lower flange 16B. A locating pin 72
is supported on the end of a lever arm 74 in alignment
with a hole 76 in plate 37. The lever arm 74 is
pivotally mounted on a pin 78 mounted on the top of a
cover 80. The pin 72 is dropped through a hole 76 in
plate 37 into one of the holes 73 in flange 16B to lock
the tower assembly 10 to the flange 16B.
Pivot Beam
The pivot beam 24 includes a pair of side
plates 82 enclosed at the top by a plate 84 and at the
bottom by a plate 86. A hollow tube 88 is provided in
the beam 24 which is aligned with holes 90 and 92 in the
top plate 84 and bottom plate 86, respectively. A
cylindrical member 94 is mounted on one end of the beam
24 to support the tower 26. Three spring cylinders 96
are equally spaced around the periphery of the cylinder
94. A caster assembly 98 is housed in each cylinder 96.
Each caster assembly 98 includes a spring 100 and a ball
caster 102 which projects above the top of cylinder 94.
The spring force can be adjusted by a bolt 95 and disc
97.
The beam 24 is mounted in the carriage 22 by
aligning the tube 88 with a hole 104 in base plate 39.
The hole 104 is aligned with the hole 76 in plate 37. A
pin 105 is inserted into tube 88 through a ring 89 on the
bottom plate 86 and into the hole 104 in plate 39. The

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beam 24 is free to pivot with respect to the carriage
through an arc of 16.
Means are provided to locate the beam 24 in a
fixed relation to the carriage 22. Such means is in the
form of a number of semi-circular notches 106 provided in
the edge 108 of plate 39. A plate 110 is provided on the
top of plate 84 in abutting relation to the notched edge
108 of plate 39. A semi-circular notch 112 is provided
in the edge of plate 110 which forms a circular hole when
aligned with one of the notches 106 in the plate 39. The
beam is locked to the carriage by a pin 114 which is
dropped into the hole formed by the notch 112 and one of
the notches 106. The pin 114 is mounted on the end of a
lever arm 116 which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 118
on plate 84. The lever 116 is biased to the locked
position by a spring 113.
Tower
The tower 26 includes a cylindrical base
assembly 122 and a vertical column 124 mounted on the
base assembly 122. The chain 28 is aligned with an
adjustable bracket 126 mounted on one side of the column
124, a chain-a-liner 127 mounted in the bottom of column
124, and a chain dog 128 mounted on the other side of the
column 124. The chain dog 128 is moved vertically on the
column by means of a hydraulic piston and cylinder
assembly 130 to introduce a pulling force on the chain
28.
The cylindrical base assembly 122 includes a
circular plate 132 having a cylindrical base 134 mounted
on the bottom and the chain-a-liner 127 mounted on the
top. The cylindrical base 134 is concentrically aligned
in cylinder 94 with the base plate 132 resting on the
caster assemblies 98. The chain-a-liner 127 includes a
pair of brackets 135 mounted in a parallel spaced
relation on base plate 132. Each bracket 135 includes a

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hole 136 on each end. A pair of chain sprockets 140 are
supported between the brackets 135 by shafts 142 aligned
in holes 136. A pair of blocks 144 are positioned below
each of the sprockets 140 to maintain the alignment of
the chain. The blocks 144 are spaced apart a distance
sufficient to allow each vertical or alternate chain link
28A to pass between the blocks 144. The horizontal links
28B slide across the top of the blocks 144. The chain 28
is thus prevented from twisting or kinking as the chain
is passed through the tower. A chain lock 175 is
provided in the chain-a-liner 127 to hold the chain 28 in
tension whenever the hydraulic piston and cylinder 130
has to be retracted. The chain lock 175 includes a pin
177 mounted for pivotal movement in holes 179 in brackets
135. A handle 181 is provided on one end of pin 177. A
tube 183 is secured to pin 177 and a plate 185 is secured
to the tube 183. The plate 185 includes a slot 187 in
one side to define a pair of legs 189. The handle 181 is
rotated downward to move the plate 185 into engagement
with the chain 28. The legs 189 of the plate 185 will
straddle one of the vertical links 28A and will move into
engagement with the end of the blocks 144 to hold the
chain 28 in tension while the hydraulic cylinder 130 is
retracted.
The vertical column 124 is formed by two
channel members 143 mounted on the base plate 132 in a
spaced relation. A vertical adjustment plate 145 is
mounted in a spaced relation to the gap 147 between the
channel members 143 on one side of the column 124. A
number of equally spaced holes 146 are provided in the
plate 145. The vertical adjustment br~cket '~ is
mounted on the adjustment plate 145 in the gap 147. The
chain dog 128 is mounted in the gap 155 between the
channel members 143.

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g
The adjustment bracket 126 includes a pair of
side plates 152 mounted on a back plate 156. A plate 141
is provided on the outside of each side plate 152 to
engage the channel members 143. A pin 158 is mounted on
the back plate 156 in a position to engage one of the
holes 146 in the plate 145. A chain sprocket 148 is
mounted on an axle 150 between the side plates 152. A
handle 157 is connected to the side plates 152 for
pivoting the bottom of the back plate 156 away from plate
145 to pull the pin 158 out of the hole 146 to allow for
vertical adjustment of the bracket.
The chain dog 128 includes a pair of side
plates 160 connected to a chain dog plate 164. The plate
164 includes a "key" hole 166 having a slot 168 and a
hole 170. The plate 164 is angled upwardly from the side
plates 160. A hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 130
is connected to a pin 182 in the side plates 160 and to a
pin 190 in brackets 134. On upward movement of the chain
dog 128 one of the links of the chain 28 will drop into
the slot 168 locking the chain in the dog plate 164 so
that a force is applied to the chain. When the dog 128
is retracted, the plate 164 will cam the chain link out
of the slot 168 and into the hole 170, allowing the chain
to pass through the hole as the chain dog 128 is
retracted.
Thus, it should be apparent that there has been
provided in accordance with the present invention a free
floating tower assembly for a damaged vehicle that fully
satisfies the aims and advantages set forth above.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction
with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that
many alternatives, modifications and variations will be
apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is
intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications

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and variations that fall within the spirit and broad
scope of the appended claims.