GB2439952A

GB2439952A - Transporter for roof tiles

Info

Publication number: GB2439952A
Application number: GB0613105A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Boswell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-06-30
Filing date: 2006-06-30
Publication date: 2008-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-30
Also published as: GB2439952B; GB0613105D0

Abstract

A transporter for transporting roof tiles on a roof has a base 6 and a back 8 for supporting the tiles. Wheels 16a or slides and an elongate handle 26 attached to the back 8 of the transporter are provided for moving the transporter on the roof. At least one hook 24 is provided for engaging a roof batten or a scaffold pole to hold the transporter in place. The hook 24 may be provided on an arm 18 which extends from the transporter in the opposite direction to the handle 26. The base 6 and the handle 26 extend in opposing directions to each other from the back 8.

Description

Transporter for roof tiles This invention relates to a transporter for

roof tiles and a kit of parts thereof, to a method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles and to a method of moving a load up and down a roof.

It is well known in the roof-tiling industry to use motorised or manual pulley systems to transport the tiles from the ground level to the roof level of a building.

However, there is the additional need to distribute the tiles over the roof and to direct them to the exact location on the roof where they are needed.

Traditionally, roofers formed a chain and passed the tiles from worker to worker. However, nowadays transportation systems are known, which not only transport the tiles up to roof level but also over the roof.

AO-B85387/75, for example, describes a motorised elevator system comprising a continuous conveyor line which allows transporting the tiles from the ground floor to both sides of a roof. The tiles are loaded onto the elevator at ground level, transported up to the and over the roof and unloaded by a worker on the roof. The tiles may then get loaded onto a trolley, which can be moved along roof battens by means of rollers to locations on the roof distant to the conveyor line.

DE 3517291A1 describes a hoist system for moving tiles up to and over the roof by means of a carriage which moves along guiding rails. Releasably attached to the carriage is a roof tile distributor, which can be transferred (by means of a transfer device attached to the roof) from the carriage onto the roof battens. It then can move along the roof battens by means of rollers to reach locations on the roof distant to the guiding rails.

Systems which are restricted to moving the tiles on a roof are also known. CH 596 408, for example, describes a roof carriage which can be used to transport tiles up and down a roof. The carriage has wheels or sliders for moving over tiles or beams, respectively, and can be moved up and down the roof by means of a rope secured to the carriage. The rope is attached to a support element which is fixed to the ridge of the roof.

All described arrangements require that a guiding system is assembled and attached to the roof. This predefines the position for vertical movement of tiles along the roof. If a new position is desired, the whole assembly must be disassembled and repositioned on the roof.

Horizontal movement is only possible by means of additional devices, e.g. trolleys and carriers, and is limited to movement along the roof battens. Some of the prior art even requires mounting additional guiding means onto the roof for horizontal movement. Diagonal movement across the roof is not possible at all.

Assembling and repositioning of such guiding systems are time consuming and therefore not cost efficient.

Most elevator systems require parts of the system to be set up on the ground, which is only possible if sufficient space is available next to the building.

Additionally, such systems often require several workers.

One has to load the tiles onto the elevator on the ground and operate the elevator, and at lest one other worker has to unload the tiles on the roof. Possibly, further workers have to distribute them over the roof.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a transporter, which allows building material (such as roof tiles) to be moved to any desired position on a roof in a cheap and easy way, does not require any additional guiding or support system fixed to the roof, and which reduces costs and the number of workers required. The transporter further eliminates the need for the roofer to erect scaffolding directly on the roof, which is needed for the roofer to work from a supply of tiles. This will save time and effort. If scaffolding is needed, the transporter can be used to pass the tiles to the roofer.

At its most general, the present invention proposes having a transporter for roof tiles which can manually be moved over the roof by means of a handle and which transporter has a hook at the front for engaging with a roof batten in order to stabilize the position of the transporter on the roof. The invention also proposes a transporter for roof tiles which can manually be moved over the roof by means of a handle, wherein the handle has a hook for engaging with a roof batten or a scaffold pole. The invention also proposes a transporter for roof tiles, the transporter having a handle and one or more sliders for sliding the transporter across untiled parts of a roof.

The present invention has several aspects. Thus, according to the first aspect, the present invention may provide a transporter for roof tiles, comprising: a base for receiving a load and a back portion for retaining, in use, the load on the base, the back portion being attached to the base, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attached to the base, movement means mounted onto the support, an elongate handle for manually moving the transporter over a roof, the handle being attached to the back portion and extending in the opposite direction to the base, and a hooked arm attached to the base or the support, the hooked arm being adapted to engage with a roof batten for stabilising the transporter on the roof.

The transporter may be made of different materials, for example metal or plastics. Making the transporter or parts thereof of plastics reduces its weight and thus increases its manoeuvrability.

The base and the back portion may be made of one piece, such as a plate for example. The plate may be bent to form a base and a back portion. Alternatively, base and the back portion may be separate parts attachable to each other, such as two plates. The back portion may be welded onto the base.

The base and the back may be made of metal. For example, they may be made of a metal plate. There may be holes in the metal plate to reduce the weight of the plate. The base and the back may be made of plastics. Thus, the transporter would be lighter and more easily manoeuvrable.

A load (such as roof tiles) may be placed on the base.

The back portion is positioned to retain the load when the transporter is moved over a roof. The roof may be sloping and the back portion prevents the load from sliding off the base. The angle between the base and the back portion is variable. It may be 900.

The base may comprise a flange for securing a load on the base. The flange may be opposite to the back portion.

Although it is intended that the transporter is used by a worker to elevate a load from his position to a higher position on a roof, it is conceivable that the transporter may be used to lower a load from a higher position to a lower position on the roof (the worker being located at the higher position) . Thus, an additional wall may be attached to the base opposite to the back portion for retaining the load on the base.

Alternatively, there may be multiple walls attached to the base. The multiple walls together with the base may form a cage structure.

A support for receiving movement means is attached to the base. The support may comprise an axle. The support may be directly or indirectly attached to the base. If attached indirectly, it may be attached to the base by one or more supporting struts.

Preferably, the support for receiving movement means is positioned beneath the base close to the back portion. As a load on the load-receiving means is normally supported both by the base and the back portion when the transporter is in use, locating the support (and thereby the movement means) close to the back portion will position the majority of the load weight above the support, reducing the impact on other parts of the load-receiving means and improving the stability of the transporter.

The support is adapted to receive movement means. The movement means facilitate the movement of the transporter over the roof.

The movement means may comprise wheels. The wheels allow the transporter to move over an area of a roof which has already been tiled. Alternatively the movement means may comprise one or more sliders. The length of the slider is variable, but at least spans the distance between two neighbouring roof battens, to allow movement of the transporter over an area of the roof which has not been tiled. The slider may also be used to move over an area of a roof which has already been tiled.

In another embodiment the movement means may comprise different kinds of movement means. For example, a transporter may have sliders and wheels.

The movement means may be releasably attached to the support, so that one can switch between different movement means.

An elongate handle for manually moving the transporter is attached to the back portion. There may be matching engagement elements on the back portion and the handle.

The engagement elements may comprise holes. It may be attached to the back portion by one or more additional support rods. Such a support rod may extend from the handle and contact the back portion at multiple sites, providing additional support for the back portion.

Preferably, the handle is attached to the back portion close to the base in order to maximize control over the transporter when in use.

A hook may be attached to the transporter, the hook being adapted to engage with a roof batten. The hook may be attached by means of a rigid arm. The hook may be attached to the arm, or the distal end of the arm and the hook may be one piece. The hooked arm may be attached to the support, the base or to one of the struts connecting the support and the base. It may extend beyond the front end of the base when in use. The hooked arm is adapted to engage with a roof batten. Thus, if a worker pushes the transporter to a specific position on the roof, he may engage the hook with a roof batten, thereby stabilizing the position of the transporter and lowering the weight which he has to hold.

Using the hooked arm, a person may work on the roof alone. He may first move the tiles to the desired position with the transporter, engage the transporter with a roof batten and then climb to the position himself to do the tiling. However, of course it is also envisaged that the transporter is handled by a first person and the tiles are removed from the transporter by another person or other persons.

The hooked arm may be foldable. It may therefore be folded back into a retracted position. It it is attached to the support or to one of the struts connecting the support and the base, the retracted hooked arm may sit adjacent to the support. If the hooked arm is attached to the base, the retracted position may be located beneath the base. Folding the arm back into a retracted position allows easy transport and facilitates handling of the transporter when the hooked arm is not needed.

When the arm is needed, it may be unfolded into an extended position.

The hooked arm may have at least one hinge. The hooked arm may have two hinges.

Alternatively, the hook may be attached to the end of a cable, the cable being attached to the transporter by means of a spring loaded pulley. The pulley would allow the cable to be retracted when not in use. The cable may be a steel cable.

In another aspect the present invention may provide a transporter for roof tiles, comprising: a base for receiving a load and a back portion for retaining, in use, the load on the base, the back portion being attached to the base, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attached to the base, movement means mounted onto the support, and an elongate handle for manually moving the transporter over a roof, the handle being attached to the back portion and extending in the opposite direction to the base, wherein the elongate handle has at least one hook adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole.

The hook may be directed away from the base. The handle may have a plurality of hooks along its length. The hooks may be regularly spaced along the length of the handle.

The hooks may be bolted to the handle which allows damaged hooks to be replaced. The hooks may be welded on the handle. When the transporter is used by a worker standing on a scaffold, the worker may use the hook or hooks to engage the transporter with a scaffold pole.

This helps stabilising the transporter in a particular position and propping the transporter against the scaffold reduces the weight of the transporter which the worker has to hold. When the transporter is moved across an area of a roof which has not been tiled yet, the hook may be used to engage the transporter with a roof batten.

In another aspect the present invention may provide a transporter for roof tiles, comprising: a base for receiving a load and a back portion for retaining, in use, the load on the base, the back portion being attached to the base, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attached to the base, a slider attached to the support, the slider being adapted to support the transporter above roof battens an elongate handle for manually pushing the transporter to a desired location on the roof, the handle being attached to the back portion and extending in the opposite direction to the base.

The rigid handle and the slider allow the transporter to be manually pushed to any desired position on a roof.

There may be more sliders attached to the support. The slider allows the transporter to be moved over the entire surface of the roof, whether untiled or not.

The handle may be made of one piece. In other embodiments, the elongate handle comprises at least two interlocking elements. The handle can be disassembled into its elements to facilitate transport of the transporter. The elements comprise means for interlocking with each other to form the elongate handle. Such means for interlocking may, for example, comprise snap-fit or screwing mechanisms, or bayonet fittings.

The element which contacts the back portion when the transporter is assembled may be permanently fixed to the back portion, or may be releasably attached to the back portion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles, said method comprising the steps of i) forming a base and a back portion, wherein the base is adapted to receive a load and the back portion is adapted to, in use, retain the load on the base, wherein the back portion is attached to the base, ii) attaching to the base a support for receiving movement means, iii) mounting movement means to the support, iv) attaching an elongate handle to the back portion, the handle extending from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base, and v) attaching a hook to the base or to the support, the hook being adapted to engage with a roof batten for stabilising the transporter on the roof.

In another aspect, the present invention may provide a method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles, said method comprising the steps of i) forming a base and a back portion, wherein the base is adapted to receive a load and the back portion is adapted to, in use, retain the load on the base, wherein the back portion is attached to the base, ii) attaching to the base a support for receiving movement means, iii) mounting movement means to the support, iv) attaching an elongate handle to the back portion, the handle extending from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base and comprising at least one hook adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles, said method comprising the steps of i) forming a base and a back portion, wherein the base is adapted to receive a load and the back portion is adapted to, in use, retain the load on the base, wherein the back portion is attached to the base, ii) attaching to the base a support fro receiving movement means, iii) mounting a slider onto the support, iv) attaching an elongate handle to the back portion, the handle extending from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a kit of parts for a transporter for roof tiles, said kit comprising: load-receiving means having a base and a back portion, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attachable to the base, movement means releasably mountable onto the support, the movement means comprising wheels and sliders, wherein the base and the support have matching attachment elements, an elongate handle attachable to the back portion such that it extends from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base, wherein the back portion and the elongate handle have matching attachment elements.

The kit may further comprise a hook attachable to the base or the support, wherein the hook is adapted to engage with a roof batten.

The elongate handle comprised in a kit of parts may comprise at least one hook adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of moving a load up and down a roof, said method comprising the steps of: i) mounting a load onto a transporter, the transporter being according to the first aspect, and iii) moving the roof elevator manually up and down the roof with the elongate handle.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a cross section of a transporter for roof tiles of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a top view of a transporter for roof tiles of the present invention; Fig. 3 shows a schematic drawing how a transporter for roof tiles of the present invention may be used; E'ig.4 shows a side view of a transporter for roof tiles of the present invention with wheels; Fig.5 shows a photographic reproduction of a transporter for roof tiles of the present invention from the back; Fig. 6 shows a photographic reproduction of a bottom view of a transporter for roof tiles of the present invention from the bottom.

In one embodiment, the transporter 2 has a base 6 for receiving heavy loads such as roof tiles (Fig. 1) . The base 6 is formed by a metal plate, which plate also forms a back portion 8. In use, a load such as tiles is placed onto the base 6. When the transporter 2 is used on a sloping roof, the load may slide over the plane base 6.

The back portion 8 will retain the load on the base 6 and prevent the load from sliding off the base 6.

The base 6 forms a flange 10 at the end opposite to the back portion 8 (Fig. 1) . The flange 10 may help to prevent the load from sliding off the front of the base 6. It might be particularly helpful, for example, when the transporter 2 is moved on even ground or during the process of loading. Although Figure 1 shows the transporter 2 with the flange 10, it will be appreciated that the transporter 2 could also be envisaged without the flange 10.

A metal axle 12 is attached to the underside 14 of the base 6, in close proximity to the bend between the base 6 and the back portion 8 (Fig. 1 and 2) . Positioning the majority of the weight of a load above the axle improves the stability of the transporter 2. The axle 12 is attached to the base by means of one or more struts 14 (Fig. 4 and 5) One of the struts 14 is the central strut 14a, which is located centrally at the axle 12 relative to either end of the axle 12 (Fig. 4) . The axle 12 occupies the entire width 6a of the base. Wheels 16a are attached to the axle 12, which allow the transporter 2 to move over tiled areas of the roof. There may be sliders 16b attached to the axle 12 (Fig. 5) . Sliders 16b, similar in configuration to skis, allow the transporter 2 to move over areas of the roof which are not tiled, as the sliders ride on top of the roof battens. Their length must therefore at least bridge the gap between two roof battens. The wheels 16a or sliders 16b may be releasably attached to the axle, such as to allow interchangeability between wheels 16a and sliders 16b. The user may thus switch between wheels 16a and sliders 16b, depending on whether he works on a tiled part of the roof or a part without tiles.

A metal hooked arm 18 is screwed to the central strut 14a by means of an L-shaped metal piece 19 (Fig.4) . It may also be attached to the axle 12. The hook 24 sits at the distal end of the arm 18 relative to the axle 12. Fig. 4 shows the hook 24 being screwed to the end of the arm 18.

The hooked arm allows engagement with a roof batten.

Thus, it can be used to stabilise the position of the transporter 2, once it has reached its desired position on the roof. Once the hook is engaged, the person operating the transporter 2 no longer has to hold the full weight of the transporter 2.

The hooked arm 18 is foldable into a retracted position.

The arm may be in the retracted position when it is not needed, e.g. during transport or storage of the transporter, and only be unfolded when in use. The arm 18 has a first hinge 20 adjacent to the L-shaped metal piece 19, and a second hinge 22 (Fig. 2) . The hinges divide the arm in a first arm element 18a and a second arm element 18b. The first arm element 18a spans from the first hinge 20 to the second hinge 22, and the second arm element spans from the second hinge 22 to the hook 24.

Hinge 20 is formed by a screw 21 being inserted in overlapping holes of the L-shaped metal piece 19 and the first arm element 18a. Hinge 22 is formed by a screw 23 being inserted in overlapping holes of the first arm element 18a and the second arm element 18b.

The hinges 20, 22 allow the hooked arm 18 to be folded back into a retracted position. When folded back, the first arm element 18a and the second arm element 18b sit adjacent to the axle 12 between the wheels 16 (Fig.6).

When unfolded, the hooked arm 18 extends beyond the length 6b of the base 6.

An elongate handle 26 made of metal is attached to the back side of the back portion 8 (Fig. 5) . By means of the elongate handle 26 an operator can manually move the transporter 2 over a roof and direct tiles to any particular position on the roof. An operator may move the tranporter 2 vertically up and down a roof, but he also has the freedom to move it diagonally or vertically across a roof.

In order to improve attachment of the handle 26 to the back portion 8 and to provide additional support for the back portion 8, there are three metal support rods 28 extending from the handle 26. One end of each rod 28 is welded to the handle 26 and the other end of each rod 28 is screwed to the backside of the back portion 8. A central rod 28a extends upwardly from the handle 26 and two side rods 28b,c extend laterally from the handle 26.

The elongate handle 26 comprises interlocking elements 30. By using a various number of elements 30, the length of the handle 26 can be adjusted for different uses.

Separating the handle 26 into its elements 30 facilitates transport and storage of the transporter. A disassembled handle element 30 is shown on Fig. 4 and 5.

In a second embodiment, the transporter 2 has, as described above, a base 6 and a back portion 8, an axle 12 attached to the base 6 and wheels 16a or sliders 16b attached to the axle. The wheels 16a and sliders 16b may be interchangeable, to allow the transporter to be moved over different parts of the roof.

An elongate handle 26 made of metal is attached to the back side of the back portion 8 (Fig. 5) . As described above, metal support rods 28 improve attachment of the handle 26 and provide additional support for the back portion 8.

Hooks 32 are attached to the handle 26, the hooks 32 being adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole (Fig. 4 and 5) . The hooks 32 are made of metal and welded to the handle, facing backwards relative to the base 6 and the back portion 8. The hooks 32 could also be bolted to the handle, which would allow replacement of damaged hooks 32. When the transporter 2 is used by a worker standing on a scaffold, the worker may use one of the hooks 32 to engage the transporter 2 with a scaffold pole (Fig. 3) . This helps stabilising the transporter 2 in a particular position and reduces the weight of the transporter which the worker has to hold. The hooks may be used to engage the transporter with a roof batten. The elongate handle 26 may comprise interlocking elements 30 as described above.

In a third embodiment, the transporter 2 has a base 6 and a back portion 8 as described above. Again, an axle 12 is attached to the base. Sliders 16b are attached to the axle. Sliders 16b allow the transporter 2 to move over areas of the roof with no tiles. They may also be used to slide the transporter 2 over a tiled area.

An elongate handle 26 made of metal is attached to the back side of the back portion 8 (Fig. 5) . By means of the elongate handle 26 an operator can manually move the transporter 2 over a roof, and direct for example tiles to any particular position on the roof.

In order to improve attachment of the handle 26 to the back portion 8 and to provide additional support for the back portion 8, there are metal support rods 28 as discussed above. The elongate handle 26 may comprise interlocking elements 30 as described above.

In some embodiments, there are holes 9 in the base 6 and back portion B (Fig. 4 to 6) . This helps to reduce the weight of the transporter 2 and thereby facilitate operation thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A transporter for roof tiles, comprising: a base for

receiving a load and a back portion for retaining, in use, the load on the base, the back portion being attached to the base, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attached to the base, movement means mounted onto the support, and an elongate handle for manually moving the transporter over a roof, the handle being attached to the back portion and extending in the opposite direction to the base, wherein the elongate handle has at least one hook adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole.

2. A transporter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hook is directed away from the base.

3. A transporter according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the elongate handle has a plurality of hooks along its length.

4. A transporter according to claim 3, wherein the hooks are regularly spaced along the handle.

5. A transporter for roof tiles, comprising: a base for receiving a load and a back portion for retaining, in use, the load on the base, the back portion being attached to the base, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attached to the base, movement means mounted onto the support, an elongate handle for manually moving the transporter over a roof, the handle being attached to the back portion and extending in the opposite direction to the base, and a hook attached to the base or the support, the hook being adapted to engage with a roof batten for stabilising the transporter on the roof.

6. A transporter according to claim 5, wherein a rigid arm attaches the hook to the base or the support, the arm being adapted to be folded into a retracted position.

7. A transporter according to claim 6, wherein the arm has at least one hinge.

8. A transporter according to claim 7, wherein the arm has two hinges.

9. A transporter according to claim 5, wherein a cable attaches the hook to the base or the support, and wherein a spring loaded pulley is attached to the base or the support, the spring loaded pulley allowing the cable to be retracted.

10. A transporter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement means are realeasably mounted onto the support, to allow exchange of the movement means.

11. A transporter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement means comprises a wheel.

12. A transporter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement means comprises a slider.

13. A transporter for roof tiles, comprising: a base for receiving a load and a back portion for retaining, in use, the load on the base, the back portion being attached to the base, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attached to the base, a slider attached to the support, the slider being adapted to support the transporter above roof battens, an elongate handle for manually pushing the transporter to a desired location on the roof, the handle being attached to the back portion and extending in the opposite direction to the base.

14. A transporter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate handle comprises at least two interlocking elements.

15. A transporter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base comprises a flange for securing a load on the base.

16. A method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles, said method comprising the steps of 1) forming a base and a back portion, wherein the base is adapted to receive a load and the back portion is adapted to, in use, retain the load on the base, wherein the back portion is attached to the base, ii) attaching to the base a support for receiving movement means, iii) mounting movement means to the support, iv) attaching an elongate handle to the back portion, the handle extending from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base, and v) attaching a hook to the base or to the support, the hook being adapted to engage with a roof batten for stabilising the transporter on the roof.

17. A method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles, said method comprising the steps of i) forming a base and a back portion, wherein the base is adapted to receive a load and the back portion is adapted to, in use, retain the load on the base, wherein the back portion is attached to the base, ii) attaching to the base a support for receiving movement means, iii) mounting movement means to the support, iv) attaching an elongate handle to the back portion, the handle extending from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base and comprising at least one hook adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole.

18. A method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles, said method comprising the steps of i) forming a base and a back portion, wherein the base is adapted to receive a load and the back portion is adapted to, in use, retain the load on the base, wherein the back portion is attached to the base, ii) attaching to the base a support fro receiving movement means, iii) mounting a slider onto the support, iv) attaching an elongate handle to the back portion, the handle extending from the back portion in the opposite direction than the base.

19. A kit of parts for a transporter for roof tiles, said kit comprising: load-receiving means having a base and a back portion, a support for receiving movement means, the support being attachable to the base, movement means releasably mountable onto the support, the movement means comprising wheels and sliders, wherein the base and the support have matching attachment elements, an elongate handle attachable to the back portion such that it extends from the back portion in the opposite direction to the base, wherein the back portion and the elongate handle have matching attachment elements.

20. A kit of parts for a transporter for roof tiles according to claim 16, the kit further comprising a hook attachable to the base or the support, wherein the hook is adapted to engage with a roof batten.

21. A kit of parts for a transporter for roof tiles according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the elongate handle comprises at least one hook adapted to engage with a roof batten or a scaffold pole.

22. A method of moving a load up and down a roof, said method comprising the steps of: i) mounting a load onto a transporter, the transporter being according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and iii) moving the roof elevator manually up and down the roof with the elongate handle.

23. A transporter for roof tiles substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 to 6.

24. A method of manufacturing a transporter for roof tiles substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 to 6.

25. A kit of parts for a transporter for roof tiles substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 to 6.

26. A method of moving a load up and down a roof substantially as described herein with reference to an illustrated in Fig. 1.