Convertible ski-supported vehicle

Abstract

Wheel unit on the ski of a snowmobile. Wheels are readily deployable or retractable as ground surface conditions require. The wheel unit allows the snowmobile to be driven over gravel, dirt, and hardtop surfaces, while maintaining steerability with the handlebars. The wheel unit is a separate assembly that is detachably mountable on the ski or is an integral component of the ski.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A wheel unit mountable on a ski of a ski-mounted vehicle, said ski having a gliding surface for traveling over a ground surface and two side walls, a first side wall and a second side wall, that extend upward from said gliding surface and lengthwise along at least a portion of said ski, and kingpin mounting holes, one in each of said side walls for receiving a kingpin that is used to link said ski with said ski-mounted vehicle, said wheel unit comprising: 
 a kingpin mountable in said kingpin-mounting holes, said kingpin having a kingpin-end that extends through a respective one of said kingpin-mounting holes to an outside of said first side wall;    a wheel-deployment means having a side rail, a latching mechanism, and a wheel-deployment actuating means; and    a wheel assembly that includes an eccentrically mounted wheel, wherein said wheel assembly is rotatably mountable on said kingpin end and shiftably linked to said side rail.    
     
     
         2 . The wheel unit according to  claim 1 , wherein said wheel assembly comprises a wheel mounting bracket that includes a cam with a wheel-mounting spindle for rotatably mounting said wheel on said bracket, a spindle mount for rotatably mounting said bracket to said kingpin end, and a deployment link that shiftably links said wheel-mounting bracket to said side rail.  
     
     
         3 . The wheel unit of  claim 2 , wherein said latching mechanism includes an anchor, a locking pin having a first pin end and a second pin end, and a curved groove in said side rail, said curved groove having a first latching position and a second latching position; and 
 wherein said locking pin is fixedly attached to said anchor by said first pin end and is slidably captured at said second pin end in said curved groove and wherein, when said wheel-deployment actuating means is actuated, said locking pin and said side rail cooperate so as to allow said wheel-deployment means to shift said wheel-mounting bracket between a deployed-wheel position and a retracted-wheel position.    
     
     
         4 . The wheel unit of  claim 3 , wherein said second end of said locking pin is slidably movable along said curved groove and lockable respectively in said first locking position at said deployed-position latching end and in said second locking position at said retracted-position latching end.  
     
     
         5 . The wheel unit according to  claim 3;  wherein said side rail has an actuating end and said wheel-deployment actuating means is a handle that is mounted at said actuating end of said side rail and is grippable.  
     
     
         6 . The wheel unit according to  claim 3 , wherein said wheel-deployment actuating means is a mechanical means having a first end fixedly attached to said ski and a second end linked to said actuating end of said side rail so as to urge said wheel-deployment means toward said retracted-wheel position.  
     
     
         7 . The wheel unit according to  claim 6 , wherein said mechanical means includes a biasing spring.  
     
     
         8 . The wheel unit according to  claim 3 , wherein said wheel-deployment actuating means is an electrical means having an electrical drive means at said first end fixedly attached to said ski and a linkage that extends from said drive means and is linked to a said actuating end of said side rail.  
     
     
         9 . The wheel unit according to  claim 3 , wherein said wheel-deployment actuating means is a pressurized-fluid system having a cylinder fixedly attached to said ski and a retractable piston that extends from said cylinder and is attached to said actuating end of said side rail so as to move said wheel-deployment means between said deployed-wheel position and said retracted-wheel position.  
     
     
         10 . The wheel unit according to  claim 9 , wherein said pressurized-fluid system is a hydraulic system.  
     
     
         11 . The wheel unit according to  claim 9 , wherein said pressurized-fluid system is a pneumatic system.  
     
     
         12 . The wheel unit according to  claim 3 , wherein said wheel-deployment actuating means is automated and includes a switch mountable in an area of said vehicle that is readily accessible to an operator of said vehicle and that sends a signal to said wheel-deployment actuating means that causes said wheel-deployment means to move between said retracted-wheel position and said deployed-wheel position.  
     
     
         13 . The wheel unit according to  claim 1  further comprising a wheel-unit indicator that indicates said deployed position of said wheels, wherein said ski-mounted vehicle has a dashboard and said indicator is mountable on said dashboard and connectable to said wheel unit.  
     
     
         14 . A ski for use with a ski-mounted power vehicle, said ski comprising: 
 an inner bottom ski surface,    kingpin-mounting holes for connecting said ski to said ski-mounted power vehicle;    ski side walls that extend upward from said inner bottom surface,    a wheel unit according to  claim 1  mounted on a kingpin that extends through said kingpin-mounting holes.    
     
     
         15 . A wheel unit mountable on a ski of a ski-mounted vehicle, said ski having a gliding surface for traveling over a ground surface and two side walls, a first side wall and a second side wall, that extend upward from said gliding surface and lengthwise along at least a portion of said ski, said wheel unit comprising: 
 a side-wall mounting bar    a wheel assembly that includes an eccentrically mounted wheel,    a wheel-deployment means having a side rail, a latching mechanism, and a wheel-deployment actuating means between a deployed-wheel position and a retracted-wheel position;    wherein said side-wall mounting bar is mountable on an outside of said first side wall of said ski and said wheel-deployment means is mountable on said side-wall mounting bar; and    wherein said wheel assembly is mountable on said wheel-deployment means.    
     
     
         16 . The wheel unit according to  claim 15 , wherein said wheel assembly includes a wheel mounting bracket that includes with cam with a wheel-mounting spindle for mounting said wheel on said bracket, a cam spindle for rotatably mounting said wheel-mounting bracket on said side-wall mounting bar, and a deployment end that attaches shiftably to said side rail.  
     
     
         17 . The wheel unit of  claim 16 , wherein said latching mechanism includes a locking pin and a curved groove in said side rail, said curved groove having a first latching position and a second latching position; and 
 wherein said locking pin is fixedly attached at a first end to said side-wall mounting bar and is slidably captured at a second end in said curved groove, and wherein said locking pin and said side rail cooperate so as to allow said deployment means to shift said wheel between said deployed-wheel position and said retracted-wheel position.    
     
     
         18 . The wheel unit according to  claim 16 , wherein said side rail has an actuating end and said wheel-deployment actuating means is a handle that is mounted at said actuating end of said side rail and is grippable.  
     
     
         19 . The wheel unit according to  claim 17  further comprising two side-wall mounting bars, wherein said wheel deployment means includes said two side rails and a crossbar, wherein the side-wall mounting bars are mounted to each one of said side walls and a respective one of said two side rails is mounted on each of said side-wall mounting bars such that said side rails are parallel and an imaginary line drawn between said first end of each of said side rails extends perpendicular to said side walls, and wherein said handle is a crossbar has two ends, each end of which is mounted at said actuating end of a respective one of said side rails.  
     
     
         20 . The wheel unit of  claim 19 , wherein said wheel-deployment actuating means includes a drive means that is mounted on said side-wall mounting bar and an operative end that is linked to said actuating end of said side rail so as to move said wheel-deployment means between said deployed-wheel position and said retracted-wheel position.  
     
     
         21 . The wheel unit according to  claim 20 , wherein said drive means is a biasing spring. that is fixedly attached to said side-rail mounting bar at one end and to said actuating end of said side rail at another end.  
     
     
         22 . The wheel unit according to  claim 21 , wherein said drive means is an electrically actuated drive means.  
     
     
         23 . The wheel unit according to  claim 22 , wherein said drive means is a pressurized-fluid system having a cylinder fixedly attached to said side-wall mounting bar and a retractable piston at said operative end that is attached to said actuating end of said side rail.  
     
     
         24 . The wheel unit according to  claim 23 , wherein said pressurized-fluid system is a hydraulic system.  
     
     
         25 . The wheel unit according to  claim 23 , wherein said pressurized-fluid system is a pneumatic system.  
     
     
         26 . The wheel unit according to  claim 15 , said ski further comprising a carbide-fastening assembly and a carbide fastener, wherein said side-wall mounting bar includes a mounting end adapted to seat over said carbide fastening assembly and a through-bore for receiving said carbide fastener.  
     
     
         27 . The wheel unit according to  claim 26 , wherein said carbide fastening assembly includes a first fastening post and a second fastening post, and wherein said mounting end of said side-wall mounting bar includes a first mounting end adapted for seating over said first fastening post and a second mounting end adapted for seated over said second mounting post.  
     
     
         28 . A ski-and-wheel unit comprising: 
 a ski having a gliding surface for traveling over a ground surface and two side walls, a first side wall and a second side wall, that extend upward from said gliding surface and lengthwise along at least a portion of said ski; and    a wheel unit according to  claim 15;     wherein one said wheel unit is mounted on a first side wall.    
     
     
         29 . The ski-and-wheel unit of  claim 28 , wherein one said wheel unit is mounted on said first side wall and one said wheel unit is mounted on said second side wall.  
     
     
         30 . A combination ski-and-wheel unit comprising: 
 a conventional double-scag type ski having two side walls, a first side wall and a second side all, and a carbide-fastener post with a bore hole for receiving a threaded fastener on said first side wall;    a wheel unit according to  claim 15 , wherein said side-wall mounting bar has a bracket end for receiving said carbide-fastener post, said bracket end having a first through-hole, wherein said side-wall mounting bar is mountable on said first side wall such that said bracket end seats over said carbide-fastener post and said first through-hole is located above said bore-hole on said carbide-fastener post.    
     
     
         31 . The combination ski-and-wheel unit of  claim 30 , wherein said first side wall includes two carbide fastener posts and said side-wall mounting bar has two bracket ends, each of with seats over a respective one of said carbide fastener posts, and wherein said side-wall mounting bar is fastenable to said first side wall by means of a fastener inserted into said first through-hole on said bracket end and into said bore hole on said side wall.  
     
     
         32 . The combination ski-and-wheel unit of  claim 30 , wherein said side wall mounting bracket has a second through-hole oriented normal to said first side wall for receiving a fastener to fasten said side-wall mounting bar directly to said first side wall.  
     
     
         33 . A combination ski-and-wheel unit comprising: 
 a ski with a mounting block integrated into a construction of said ski; and    said wheel unit of  claim 15 , wherein said side-wall mounting bar is integral with said mounting block and said wheel-mounting bracket is mounted on said mounting block.    
     
     
         34 . The combination ski-and-wheel unit of  claim 33 , wherein said mounting block includes a cam spindle mounting bore for receiving said cam spindle of said wheel-mounting bracket.  
     
     
         35 . The combination ski-and-wheel unit of  claim 34 , wherein said locking pin extends from said mounting block.  
     
     
         36 . The combination ski-and-wheel unit of  claim 33 , wherein said drive means for said actuation means is mounted on said mounting block and said operative end is attached to said actuating end of said side-rail.