GB2167037A - Vehicle recovery loader and transporter - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle recovery loader and transporter 1 comprising a pair of primary arms 11 pivotally attached to a chassis/deck 3/7 about a common pivotal axis 12, the primary arms 11 being located in a common radial plane and being spaced from one another so as to be capable, in use, of embracing a vehicle 18 to be recovered. Rams 13 pivot the primary arms 11 with respect to the chassis/deck 3/7 between an inboard, transit position and an outboard vehicle loading/unloading position, each primary arm 11 being provided at its outer end with a pivotally attached secondary arm 14. Vehicle suspension elements 17 are attached to the secondary arms 14 and adapted to pass beneath the vehicle to be recovered. The loader transporter may be a trailer or self-propelled vehicle, and the arms 11 may be mounted on a turntable. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle recovery loader and transporter This invention relates to a vehicle recovery loader and transporter, for the recovery and removal of accident damaged, broken down, illegally parked etc., vehicles, particularly motor cars, with the loader either of the trailer type or lorry type.

A conventional recovery loader and transporter comprises removable ramp plates adapted to extend from the rear end of the loader deck to the road surface, with a winch arrangement, usually manually operated from a front end of the deck. In many circumstances however, and particularly with damaged vehicles, the vehicle wheels cannot rotate and hence winch loading up the ramp plates is difficult, if not impossible.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle recovery loader and transporter comprising a wheeled chassis a vehicle receiving deck provided on the chassis, a pair of primary arms pivotally attached at inner ends thereof to the chassis/deck on a common pivotal axis, the primary arms being located in a common radial plane and being spaced from one another so as to be capable, in use, of emabracing a vehicle to be recovered, drive means operable to cause the primary arms to pivot with respect to the chassis deck between an inboard, transit position and an outboard vehicle loading/unloading position, each primary arm being provided at its outer end with a pivotally attached secondary arm, and a vehicle suspension element attached or attachable at or towards each end of the secondary arms, with a portion of each suspension element being adapted to pass beneath a vehicle to be recovered.

It will be appreciated that to load a vehicle to be recovered onto the vehicle recovery loader of the invention, the loader is firstly manoeuvered into close proximity with the vehicle to be recovered and the primary arms are pivoted from their inboard, position to their outboard position, in preparation for loading, and as the secondary arms are carried by the primary arms, it follows that the secondary arms are likewise displaced to an outboard position. The suspension elements are then manoeuvered beneath the vehicle to be loaded and thereafter the primary arms are pivoted in the opposite direction to their inboard, transit position and with them the secondary arms, their suspension elements, and the then recovered vehicle.

The vehicle receiving deck may be a separate element attached to the chassis, or alternatively may form an integral part of the chassis, whilst the loader/transporter in accordance with the invention could be a trailer, or a lorry.

It will be appreciated that it will be necessary for a loader/transporter in accordance with the invention to be capable of loading a range of vehicles of differing weights, and although the loader/transporter could be engineered to lift the maximum weight of vehicle likely to be encountered, e.g. 4tons, such a loader/transporter would be uneconomical to manufacture and would rarely be needed for such weights. Therefore, in accordance with another feature of the invention there is provided drive means connected between each sec ondary arm and its primary arm for controlled pivoting of the secondary arm with respect to the primary arm. This preferred arrangement provides two modes of operation either of which may be used by the loader/transporter operator.Thus, in the first mode there is the possibility, where a lightweight vehicle is involved, e.g. 1-ton, of effecting a straight lift, in which case operation of the drive means between each secondary arm and its primary arm is unnecessary, the secondary arm and hence the vehicle remaining horizontal, or generally so, throughout the loading operation, while alternatively, in the second mode, where a heavyweight vehicle is involved, e.g. 4-tons, the loader/transporter operator may actuate the drive means between each secondary arm and its primary arm, such that one end only -ideally the heavy end - of the vehicle is lifted during initial rotation of the primary arms, with the other end of the vehicle remaining in contact with, and running or sliding along, the road surface, for once the primary arms have traversed an initial arc from their maximum outboard position, the geometry of the system has improved to the extent that the nonlifted end of the vehicle may now be raised.

Although the drive means of both the primary arms and secondary arms may be manually operated, it is preferred that such drive means is power operated, with preferably each drive means being in the form of a double-acting hydraulic ram, although a power winch or screw device could be provided. In detail, a ram is preferably attached between each primary arm and the chassis/deck, with further rams attached between each primary arm and its secondary arm. Hydraulic power for operation of the rams may be provided from a hydraulic power pack on the loader/transporter, whether of the trailer or lorry type. If of the trailer type, this may conveniently be fitted for example with an electric start 8 H.P. petrol engine driving a hydraulic pump.Instead of a drive means between the secondary arm and its primary arm being manually or power-operable, such means may be automatically operable by providing a suitable linkage system, e.g. a four-bar linkage, so that the secondary arm maintains its position, e.g. horizontal, with respect to the chassis/deck, irrespective of the angular position of its primary arm.

In a first embodiment, suitable for a loader/transporter of the trailer type for example, on-loading and off-loading is effected from the end of the trailer remote from its towing hitch. This means in practice that sufficient space needs to be available for the trailer to be brought into close proximity with one end of the vehicle. Thus, the trailer and vehicle to be recovered are aligned end to end. In many circumstances insufficient space may be available to effect this juxtaposition, and in accordance with a second embodiment, for loader/transporter of the lorry type for example, the vehicle receiving deck is constituted by a slewing platform or turntable rotatable with respect to the chassis, so that the arms may be located outboard at either lateral side of the loader/transporter.This thus provides the alternative possibility of locating the loader/transporter to a selected lateral side of the vehicle to be recovered, so that with the platform, and consequently the arms, slewed through approximately 90 , lifting may be effected from the side of the loader/transporter with the platform then slewed back through 90 for subsequent transit of the recovered vehicle. Alternatively, if circumstances permit, even with a loader/transporter having a slewing facility, slewing may not be necessary and the loader/transporter may lift and load in accordance with the first embodiment outlined above.

In the interests of lifting efficiency and minimisation of dimensions and hence manufacturing costs and weight of the loader/transporter, it is desirable that the pivotal connections of the primary arms to the chassis/deck are locatable as close as possible to the vehicle to be recovered and provided as close as possible to the trailing end of the chassis/ deck.

Furthermore, as the loader/transporter would invariably be provided with a spring suspension system, it is clearly desirable to provide the chassis/ deck with ground-engageable stabilizing legs, whilst with the slewable embodiment the platform is conveniently provided with such legs, in which case the platform is also provided, diametrically opposite the legs, or approximately so, with a rambalancing counterweight. Again, although the stabilising legs could be manually operable, e.g. of a pin/screw kind, they are preferably power operable, comprising a double-acting hydraulic rams, each terminating in a ground-engageable pad. A 4-bank control valve assembly may be provided, with one valve to control each stabilizing ram, one valve to control the primary arm-to-chassis/deck rams, and one valve to control the primary arm-to-secondary arm rams.

For enhanced stability of the non-slewable embodiment, and in accordance with a further preferred feature of the invention, the chassis/deck is preferably provided, to each lateral side, with selectively extendable, outrigger arms provided with ground-engageable stabilizing legs/rams and adapted to embrace an end portion of a vehicle to be recovered. To enable such embrace to be achieved, in a first embodiment the outrigger arms may be angled with respect to one another and with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chassis, so that during extension the arms progressively splay apart.In a second embodiment, the outrigger arms are so connected to the chassis/deck, e.g. by a 4-bar linkage, that they are displaceable laterally outboard (for stabilizing during loading/lifting/unloading) and inboard (for transport), in which inboard position they form a supporting deck for the vehicle to be recovered. With either embodiment, selective extension of the arms may be effected by providing each outrigger arm with a series of holes engageable by a removable pin passing through a selected hole of the outrigger arm and an aligned hole of the chassis/deck, or by providing lockable, telescopic type outrigger arms.

With regard to the suspension elements, these take up a general "U"-shape, in use, with one upright of the "U" attached to each secondary arm and the base of the "U" passing beneath the vehicle. In detail, these suspension elements may be flexible slings, in contrast to the possibility of being rigid tie bars. Thus, although flexible slings in the form of chains could be employed, it is preferred for the slings to be of webbing, e.g. of nylon (trade mark) or other synthetic materials, having sufficient load bearing capacity, which would avoid or minimise any crushing action or further damage to a vehicle being recovered. It is clearly desirable for the flexible slings to be readily attachable to, and detachable from, the secondary arms. Thus, the flexible slings may be completely detached from the secondary arms and stored, when not in use.To use such slings, one end of the first sling is attached to one secondary arm, the remainder passed beneath the vehicle to be recovered and the other end then attached to the other secondary arm, with this process repeated for the second sling, so that one sling is located towards each end of the vehicle. Preferably, such location is inwardly, but adjacent, the front and rear wheels of the vehicle. To accommodate different lengths of vehicles to be recovered, the suspension elements may be selectively locatable at different positions along the secondary arms.Furthermore, with the rigid tie bar embodiment, vehicle support beams, in the form of transversely extending pairs of beams, one pair engageable beneath the forward wheels, and the other pair engageable beneath the rearward wheels of the vehicle to be recovered, are preferably provided, which arrangement would avoid damaging, or further damaging the bodywork of the vehicle to be recovered.

Although a loader/transporter of the lorry type may be provided with a solid deck, manufacturing costs and the weight of the loader/transporter may be reduced in the case of a loader/transporter of the trailer type, if a discontinuous deck is provided, having front and rear support bars or pockets for the front and rear wheels of a recovered vehicle.

The rear supports/pockets are preferably adjustable in position so that the loader/transporter may accommodate a range of differing vehicle wheel bases.

Finally, after loading a vehicle onto the loader/ transporter, it is clearly desirable for transit purposes to secure the vehicle to the deck/chassis and this may be effected by chain arrangements, e.g. in the manner used for car transporter vehicles.

In accordance with another proposal of the invention, the primary arms may be provided with chains, wire ropes etc., or with attachment points for chains, wire ropes etc., at or towards their upper ends, so that the loader/transporter in accordance with the invention may additionally be used to transport skips, by having the facility to on-load and off-load skips and furthermore may have a skip tipping facility of the general kind described in GB 2076775B and 2118519A.The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of ex amples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a vehicle recovery loader and transporter in the form of a trailer; Figure 2 is a similar view of a vehicle recovery loader and transporter in the form of a lorry; Figure 3 is a similar view of a lorry having a skip on-loading, off-loading, and tipping facility; Figure 4 is a similar view to Figures 2 and 3 showing an automatic drive means between the primary and secondary arms; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of a trailer incorporating the second embodiment of embracing means.

In all the Figures, like components are accorded like reference numerals.

A vehicle recovery loader and transporter 1, in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 5, is in the form of a trailer 2, comprising a chassis 3 with ground engaging wheels 4 and having a forward end 5 provided with a conventional ball-coupling (not shown) a rearward end 6, and a vehicle receiving deck 7. From each side of the rearward end 6 an outrigger arm 8 is selectively extendable, each arm 8 terminating in an hydraulically extendable and retractable stabilizing leg/ram 9 provided with a floor engaging pad 10.A pair of spaced-apart primary arms 11 are pivotally attached at their inner ends to opposite, lateral sides of the chassis/deck 3/7 for rotation about a common pivotal axis 12, under the control of drive means constituted by a pair of double-acting hydraulic rams 13, the primary arms 11 being located in a common radial plane, and being rotatable, clockwise, about axis 12, between the inboard, transit position illustrated in full line, and an outboard, vehicle loading/unloading position illustrated in chain-dotted line at 11A.

To each primary arm 11 is pivotally attached at its outer end a secondary arm 14 for rotation about a common pivotal axis 15, and between each primary and secondary arms is located a drive means, also constituted by double-acting hydraulic rams 16. Hydraulic power to the rams 9, 13 and 16 is provided by a pump (not shown) mounted on the trailer 2 driven by a petrol engine (not shown) also mounted on the trailer 2. As illustrated in Figure 1, two spaced-apart lifting elements in the form of nylon (trade mark) slings 17 are releasably attached to the secondary arms 14 e.g. by hooks on the slings engageable in one selected aperture of a series of apertures (not shown) extending along each secondary arm 14.

To load and recover a vehicle 18 with the trailer 2 of Figure 1, the outrigger arms are deployed and the pads 10 of the legs/rams 9 extended into ground engagement by operation of a manual control valve(s) (not shown) on the trailer 2. Thereafter, the primary and secondary arms 11 and 14 are manoeuvered, by manual operation of additional hydraulic control valves (not shown) to positions 11A and 14A, with the slings 17 engaged beneath the vehicle 18 at positions adjacent, but inside its wheels 19. The primary and secondary arms 11 and 14 are then returned to their inboard positions, at which positions the vehicle 18 is landed on the deck 7. The vehicle is then chained down and transported away.

In the embodiment of Figure 2, the recovery loader and transporter 1 is in the form of a lorry 20 having its receiving deck 7 provided on a slewing platform or turntable 22 rotatable about axis 23 under the control of manual or power drive means.

At one end, the slewing platform 21 is provided with a pair of extendable and retractable stabilizing legs/rams 23 provided with a floor engaging pad 24, with a counter-balance 25 provided on the slewing platform 21 generally opposite the legs/ rams 23. For clarity, the slings are omitted form this embodiment, but it will be appreciated that, in contrast to the embodiment of Figure 1 where loading and recovery takes place from the rearward end 6 of the trailer 2, loading and recovery in accordance with the embodiment of Figure 3 takes place from either lateral side of the lorry 20.

With the embodiment of Figure 3, this operates in the same manner as that of Figure 2, but is further provided with a skip loading/unloading facility by being provided with chains 26 terminating in hooks 27 for engagement with the conventional abutments of a skip. Furthermore, the primary arms 11 are provided with a bracket 28 carrying a displaceable pin to provide a skip-tipping facility of a known kind described in detail in GB 2076775B and 2118519A.

With the embodiment of Figure 4 is illustrated an automatically operable drive means 29 connected between each primary arm 11 and its secondary arm 14, in the form of a four-bar linkage arrangement, comprising a connecting link 30 located parallel to each primary arm 11 and pivotally attached at its lower end at a pivot axis 31 spaced from the axis 12, and at its upper end at a pivot axis 32 on the secondary arm 14, spaced from the axis 15, so that the secondary arms are maintained horizontal during pivotal inboard/outboard movements of the primary arms 11.

In the embodiment of Figure 5, the trailer 2 is provided with outrigger arms 33 also connected by four-bar linkages 34 to the chassis/deck 3/7, the arms 33 being displaceable between outer, stabilizing positions shown in full line, and inner, transit positions shown in chain-dotted line, in which inner positions the arms constitute part of the vehicle support deck by supporting two pairs (one pair only shown) of transfer support beams 35 to be engaged beneath the wheels i9 of the vehicle to be recovered.

Claims (50)

1. . A vehicle recovery loader and transporter comprising a wheeled chassis, a vehicle receiving deck provided on the chassis, a pair of primary arms pivotally attached at inner ends thereof to the chassis/deck on a common pivotal axis, the primary arms being located in a common radial plane and being spaced from one another so as to be capable, in use, of embracing a vehicle to be re covered, drive means operable to cause the primary arms to pivot with respect to the chassis/deck between an inboard, transit position and an outboard vehicle loading/unloading position, each primary arm being provided at its outer end with a pivotally attached secondary arm, and a vehicle suspension element attached or attachable at or towards each end of the secondary arms, with a portion of each suspension element being adapted to pass beneath a vehicle to be recovered.

2. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the vehicle receiving deck is a separate element attached to the chassis.

3. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the vehicle receiving deck forms an integral part of the chassis.

4. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, in the form of a trailer.

5. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, in the form of a lorry.

6. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, provided with drive means connected between each secondary arm and its primary arm for controlled pivotting of the secondary arm with respect to the primary arm.

7. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any ?receding Claim, wherein the drive means of the primary arms, and any drive means of the secondarv arms, is manually operated.

8. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the drive means of the primary arms, and any drive means of the secondary arms, is power operated.

9. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim: 8, wherein the drive means comprises double-a ing hydraulic rams.

10. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the drive means comprises a power winch.

11. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the drive means comprises a screw device.

12. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 6 and any Claim appendant thereto, wherein a ram is attached between each primary arm and the chassis/deck, with further rams attached between each primary arm and its secondary arm.

13. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 8, 9 or 12, wherein hydraulic power for operation of the rams is provided from an hydraulic power pack on the loader/transporter.

14. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 13, when appendant to Claim 4, wherein the trailer is fitted with an electric start 8 H.P. petrol engine driving an hydraulic pump.

15. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 4, and any Claim appendant thereto, wherein on-loading and off-loading is effected from the end of the trailer remote from its towing hitch.

16. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, comprising an automatically operable drive means between the secondary and primary arms, constituted by a 4bar linkage system.

17. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 14, wherein the vehicle receiving deck is constituted by a slewing platform or turntable rotatable with respect to the chassis, so that the arms may be located outboard at either lateral side of the loader/transporter.

18. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the chassis/deck is provided with ground-engageable stabilizing legs.

19. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 17, wherein the platform is provided with ground-engageable stabilizing legs.

20. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 19, wherein the platform is also provided, diametrically opposite the legs, or approximately so, with a ram-balancing counterweight.

21. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claims 18 - 20, wherein the legs are manually operable.

22. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 18 - 20, wherein the legs are power operable.

23. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 22, wherein the legs comprise double-acting hydraulic rams each terminating in a ground-engageable pad.

24. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 23, comprising a 4-bank control valve assembly, with one valve to control each stabilizing ram, one valve to control the primary armto-chassis/deck rams, and one valve to control the primary arm-to-secondary arm rams.

25. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 16, wherein the chassis/deck is provided, to each lateral side, with selectively extendable, outrigger arms provided with ground-engageable stabilizing legs/rams and adapted to embrace an end portion of a vehicle to be recovered.

26. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 25, wherein the outrigger arms are angled with respect to one another and with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chassis, so that during extension the arms progressively splay apart.

27. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 25, wherein the outrigger arms are so connected to the chassis/deck that they are displaceable laterally outboard and inboard.

28. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 27, wherein the connection is by a four-bar linkage.

29. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 25 to 28, wherein selective extension of the arms is effected by providing each arm with a series of holes engageable by a removable pin passing through a selected hole of the arm and an aligned hole of the chassis/deck.

30. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 25 to 28, wherein selective extension of the arms is effected by providing lockable, telescopic type outrigger arms.

31. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the suspension elements take up a general "U"-shape, in use, with one upright of the "U" attached to each secondary arm and with the base of the "U" passing beneath the vehicle.

32. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 31, wherein the suspension elements are flexible slings.

33. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 32, wherein the slings are formed by chains.

34. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 32, wherein the slings are of webbing.

35. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 34, wherein the webbing is of synthetic plastics material.

36. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 35, wherein the synthetic plastics material is nylong (trade mark).

37. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 32 to 36, wherein the slings are readily attachable to, and detachable from, the secondary arms.

38. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 31 to 37, wherein the suspension elements are selectively locatable at different positions along the secondary arms.

39. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 31, wherein the suspension elements are rigid tie bars.

40. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 39, wherein vehicle support beams in the form of transversely extending pairs of beams are provided, one pair engageable beneath the forward wheels and the other pair engageable beneath the rearward wheels of a vehicle to be recovered.

41. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 5 and any Claim appendant thereto, provided with a solid deck.

42. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 4, and any Claim appendant thereto, provided with a discontinuous deck having front and rear support bars or pockets for the front and rear wheels of a recovered vehicle.

43. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in Claim 42, wherein the rear supports/ pockets are adjustable in position.

44. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, comprising chain arrangements to secure a loaded vehicle to the deck/chassis.

45. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the primary arms are provided with chains, wire ropes etc., or with attachment points for chains, wire ropes etc., at or towards their upper ends, so that the loader/transporter is additionally usable to transport skips.

46. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

47. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter substantially as herein before described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

48. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

49. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter substantially as herein before described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

50. A vehicle recovery loader and transporter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.