AU2002100547B4 - Foldaway caravan and trailer lifter - Google Patents

Description

FOLDAWAY CARAVAN AND TRAILER

LIFTER.

The foldaway hydraulic lifter was constructed as a result of difficulty experienced with the standard caravan jockey wheel. The fitting, removal and storage of the wheel became an arduous task, not to mention broken spindles, stripped threads and problems with the wheel and the effort required in its use.

The innovative patent is described in the following statement. The Foldaway Lifter is lightweight, compact and incorporates the use of a hydraulic jack and relates to the ease of lifting and lowering vans or trailers for the attachment onto the tow ball of a towing vehicle. The frame is an innovative step of the lifter, is of solid steel construction with the top of the frame reinforced, shown as the jacking pad in illustration Fig 1.

A further component of the lifter frame is the two jacking tube struts (12) with the two round guide holes as illustrated in Fig 2. These holes allow for the combined jacking and castor tubes (5 6) to pass freely up and down within the lifter frame.

The hydraulic lifter is mounted by way of two steel hinges These hinges are welded to the steel frame of the van and/or trailer The function of the hinges is for the attachment of the lifter to the steel towing frame to allow for the lifter to be swung to the vertical or horizontal positions. The lifter is very versatile with regard to being mounted onto a van or trailer. The hinges on the lifter can simply be moved up or down for the attachment of the lifter to different sizes in towing frames. The mounting hinges do not support any of the lifting weight.

The jacking tube is a very important component of the lifter and comprises of a steel platform for the mounting of a hydraulic jack This platform is welded to a tubular steel pipe The jacking tube is inserted into the lifter frame through two round guide holes in struts (12) within the lifter frame The castor inner tube consists of a steel platform (15) welded to a tubular steel pipe as illustrated in Fig 1. The steel pipe of the inner castor tube being of smaller diameter than that of the jacking tube This allows for the inner castor tube to be inserted into the jacking tube as illustrated in Fig 1, and provides for the adjustable inner castor tube to slide freely within the tubular structure of the jacking tube The steel platform (15) which is welded onto the inner castor tube is for the mounting of a ball bearing swivel castor wheel (14) as illustrated in Fig 1.

The steel pipe of the inner castor tube has a series of round holes (11) bored through the pipe at the lower or platform (15) end as illustrated in Fig 1. These holes allow for the up and down adjustment of the inner castor tube via a locking bolt This locking bolt passes through the lower end of the jacking and castor tubes as illustrated in Fig 1.

The up and down adjustment on the castor wheel (14) is provided for when this lifter is being used in difficult ground conditions whereby the effective length of the lifter can be easily changed.

The lifting pad (10) is a very important part of the device and can be seen illustrated in Fig 2. The lifting pad (10) is made of steel and is welded to the steel frame of the lifter The lifting pad (10) also has a locking pin tab (19) as illustrated in Fig 2. This tab is used when locking the lifter into the vertical or jacking position. The locking pin is inserted through the locking pin sleeve (17) which is welded onto the jacking frame (18) as illustrated in Fig 4. It is then passed through the locking pin tab (19) of the lifting pad This then securely locks the lifter into the jacking position.

The double ended locking pin comprises of a high tensile bolt as illustrated in Fig 5. The larger end of the bolt is to securely lock the lifter into the vertical or lifting position. The smaller end of the locking pin (21) is used to lock the lifter into the horizontal or travelling position. This is achieved by placing the smaller end of the locking pin (21) in the locking pin hole (22) of the mounting hinge as illustrated in Figs 3 and 4. It is then passed through the steel frame (3) of the lifter. This secures the lifter in the horizontal or travelling position.

The locking pin is then also secured by inserting a locking pin clip through the hole (23) provided in the end of the locking pin as illustrated in Fig The foldaway lifter as shown in Fig 1 is fitted with a very compact hydraulic jack This jack allows for the person operating the lifter to use minimal force when raising a van or trailer for the connection to a tow ball.

When the hydraulic jack is manually actuated by the pumping handle, it exerts downward pressure on the combined jacking and castor tubes.

This causes the tubes to slide through the jacking strut guide holes (12) in the lifter frame forcing the castor wheel (14) downwards to make contact with the ground, then in turn moves the lifting pad (10) upwards. The lifting pad (10) then makes contact with the towing frame (18) to be raised.

Continued actuation of the jack raises the vehicle's towing frame (18) to the desired height for coupling onto the tow ball. Retraction of the jack allows for the trailer to settle onto the tow ball for connection and then raises the castor wheel off the ground. The lifter can then be swung horizontally and locked into that position by the locking pin and clip (20 21.)

Claims (4)

1. A caravan or trailer lifting device comprising of a swinging lift frame equipped with a hydraulic jack attached to a combined jacking/castor tube and wheel, and a lifting pad, all being attached to the said caravan or trailer frame by means of mounting hinges, locking sleeve and pin.

2. The lifting device of claim 1 wherein the lifting pad comprises an angular steel plate welded to the said swinging lift frame, the lifting pad engaging with the caravan or trailer frame when the said swinging lift frame is swung to the vertical position and locked in place by said locking sleeve and pin.

3. The lifting device of claim 1 wherein the combined jacking/castor tube and wheel comprises a jacking tube bolted to the base of the said hydraulic jack, and having an adjustable inner castor tube and wheel bolted to the said jacking tube.

4. The lifting device of claims 1 and 2 wherein the mounting hinges allow the said swinging lift frame to be permanently mounted to the caravan or trailer frame, with the said swinging lift frame locked in the vertical position by the locking sleeve and pin for lifting, or the said swinging lift frame locked in the horizontal position by the said mounting hinges, locking sleeve and pin. The lifting device can substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1-5 of the accompanying drawings. Malcolm Tinnock.