Auxiliary wheel assembly
View Patent ↗An auxiliary wheel assembly for temporarily replacing a broken wheel to facilitate transport of a vehicle includes a shaft having a bottom end and a top end. A wheel is rotatably coupled to the shaft. The wheel is positioned adjacent to the bottom end of the shaft. A coupler is coupled to the top end of the shaft. The coupler is designed to releasably secure the shaft to an axle of a vehicle. The shaft is designed to position the wheel beneath the vehicle to facilitate movement of the vehicle when the vehicle has an immobile wheel.
1 . A support wheel assembly comprising:
a shaft having a bottom end and a top end;
a wheel being rotatably coupled to the shaft, the wheel being positioned adjacent to the bottom end of the shaft;
a coupler being coupled to the top end of the shaft wherein the coupler is configured to releasably secure the shaft to an axle of a vehicle wherein the shaft is configured to position the wheel beneath the vehicle to facilitate movement of the vehicle when the vehicle has an immobile wheel; and
the coupler further comprising:
a first coupling member being attached to the top end of the shaft, the first coupling member defining a U-shape; and
a second coupling member being removably engageable with the first coupling member, the second coupling member defining a U-shape wherein the second coupling member is positionable relative to the first coupling member to define a channel being configured to receive the axle of the vehicle.
2 . The support wheel assembly of claim 1 , the shaft further comprising a pair of opposing sides, the channel being parallel to the pair of opposing sides of the shaft wherein the shaft is configured to be perpendicular to the axle of the vehicle while the shaft is releasably secured to the axle.
3 . The support wheel assembly of claim 2 , wherein the wheel is positioned on a first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft.
4 . The support wheel assembly of claim 3 , wherein the wheel is parallel to the first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft.
5 . The support wheel assembly of claim 1 , the coupler further comprising:
a plurality of apertures extending through the first coupling member;
a plurality of holes extending through the second coupling member; and
a plurality of fasteners being positioned within the plurality of apertures wherein the plurality of fasteners extend upwardly from the first coupling member, the plurality of fasteners being positionable within the plurality of holes to engage the second coupling member with the first coupling member.
6 . The support wheel assembly of claim 5 , the coupler further comprising a plurality of retainers being removably couplable to the plurality of fasteners while the plurality of fasteners are positioned within the plurality of holes wherein the plurality of retainers secure the second coupling member to the first coupling member.
7 . A support wheel assembly comprising:
a shaft having a bottom end and a top end, the shaft having a pair of opposing sides, each opposing side of the pair of opposing sides being planar, the shaft being rectangular wherein the shaft is elongated between the bottom end and the top end;
a wheel being rotatably coupled to the shaft, the wheel being positioned adjacent to the bottom end of the shaft, the wheel being positioned on a first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft, the wheel being parallel to the first side of the pair of opposing sides; and
a coupler being coupled to the top end of the shaft wherein the coupler is configured to releasably secure the shaft to an axle of a vehicle wherein the shaft is configured to position the wheel beneath the vehicle to facilitate movement of the vehicle when the vehicle has an immobile wheel, the coupler including:
a first coupling member being attached to the top end of the shaft, the first coupling member extending outwardly from opposing lateral ends of the shaft wherein the first coupling member defines a U-shape;
a second coupling member being removably engageable with the first coupling member, the second coupling member defining a U-shape wherein the second coupling member is positionable relative to the first coupling member to define a channel being configured to receive the axle of the vehicle, the channel being parallel to the first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft wherein the shaft is configured to be perpendicular to the axle of the vehicle;
a plurality of apertures extending through the first coupling member, each aperture of the plurality of apertures being perpendicular to the first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft;
a plurality of holes extending through the second coupling member, each hole of the plurality of holes being perpendicular to the first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft;
a plurality of fasteners being positioned within the plurality of apertures wherein the plurality of fasteners extend upwardly from the first coupling member, the plurality of fasteners being positionable within the plurality of holes to engage the second coupling member with the first coupling member, the plurality of fasteners being parallel to the first side of the pair of opposing sides of the shaft; and
a plurality of retainers being removably couplable to the plurality of fasteners while the plurality of fasteners are positioned within the plurality of holes wherein the plurality of retainers secure the second coupling member to the first coupling member.
8 . The support wheel assembly of claim 7 , wherein the wheel is a first wheel being coupled to the shaft, the support wheel assembly further comprising a second wheel being coupled to the shaft.
9 . The support wheel assembly of 8 , wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are concentrically positioned relative to each other whereby each of the first wheel and the second wheel rotate about a common axis.
10 . The support wheel assembly of 8 , wherein the shaft is positioned between the first wheel and the second wheel and wherein the common axis extends through the shaft perpendicularly to the pair of opposing sides of the shaft.