AU725934B2 - A load supporting attachment for a wheelbarrow - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Bradley STEEL As above Address for Service: *r

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CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, QId. 4000, Australia.

A LOAD SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR A WHEELBARROW Invention Title: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: A LOAD SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR A WHEELBARROW This invention relates to a load supporting attachment for a wheelbarrow and particularly relates to an attachment which is attached to the wheelbarrow in a particular way to allow loads to be carried better. The invention need not be limited to a wheelbarrow and can extend to a load supporting attachment for other types of devices which can be lifted or pivoted and wheeled about. For instance, the invention can also extend to a load supporting attachment for a wheelie bin.

Wheelbarrows consist of a single front ground wheel, a tray positioned above and behind the ground wheel, and two lift handles extending rearwardly from the tray and which are attached to or form part of a supporting framework for the front wheel and the tray.

Wheelbarrows allow fairly heavy loads to be carried in the tray by virtue of the tray being positioned between the lift handles and the front wheel. This takes advantage of leverage.

One disadvantage with wheelbarrows is that extremely heavy loads such as bags of fertiliser, heavy pots and the like need to be lifted into S. the tray, and sometimes this is just not possible.

It is known to provide various attachments to a wheelbarrow.

For instance, it is known to clip a lightweight rectangular box to the back of a wheelbarrow such that gardening gloves, tools and the like can be placed in the box and carried about. It is also known to clip or otherwise attach various attachments to the side of the wheelbarrow tray such that long handled rakes, shovels and the like can be carried without being placed in the tray itself.

Generally speaking, these attachments are not designed for heavy loads and S• are there purely for convenience. The attachments still require items to be lifted into or onto the attachments, but this is of no concern as the items are lightweight such as rakes, hand tools and the like.

Some attempts may have been made to allow a wheelbarrow to carry a heavy load without having to lift the load into the wheelbarrow tray.

One attempt seems to be having a platform attached to the wheelbarrow chassis and in front of the wheelbarrow wheel. The wheelbarrow can be tipped upwards which will result in the platform striking the ground at an angle. It is believed that a heavy item such as a pot can then be twisted or otherwise maneuvered onto the inclined platform and the wheelbarrow can then be returned to its horizontal position which in theory results in the heavy item being lifted by the platform. Such an arrangement has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, the platform is not flat on the ground but is inclined.

Therefore, heavy pots will still need to be lifted or otherwise pushed onto the platform. The second major envisaged disadvantage is that when a heavy load is positioned in front of the wheelbarrow wheel and the weight is borne l by the chassis in front of the wheel axle, the wheelbarrow will very easily tip upwardly if not continuously held down by a person; or a counterweight of sorts will need to be placed in the tray, both of which are undesirable.

I have now developed an attachment for a wheelbarrow which has a load supporting area (such as a metal plate) which sits flat on the ground such that a pot only needs to be slightly tipped upwardly to allow the plate to be slid under the pot, and where the attachment with the load on it can be then attached to a wheelbarrow but in such a way that the .i :wheelbarrow is not unstable when the load is lifted. I achieve this by making sure that my attachment is attached to the wheelbarrow on the wheelbarrow tray such that all or most of the load weight is borne by the tray. This allows the load to be positioned around or behind the wheel axle which provides a o much stabler arrangement than if the load forces were all in front of the wheel axle.

I have also found that the attachment is suitable for other types of devices which can be wheeled about the garden and includes an S•attachment for a wheelie bin. Again, the attachment can sit flat on the ground and a pot needs only to be slightly tipped upwardly to allow the plate to be slid under the pot. I can then attach the attachment to the top rim of the wheelie bin. I can then tilt the wheelie bin back with the attachment on it and I find that heavy pots can now be wheeled about.

It is an object of the invention to provide a load supporting attachment for a wheelbarrow or other wheeled device which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.

In one form, the invention resides in a load supporting attachment for a wheelbarrow which, when attached to a wheelbarrow, has a load supporting area in front of the wheelbarrow wheel, the attachment being attached to the wheelbarrow tray such that all or most of the load weight is borne by the tray.

I find that I can now lift heavy pots or heavy bags of fertiliser and can wheel these heavy items from place to place with increased stability and less chance of the wheelbarrow tipping over.

In another form, the invention resides in a load supporting attachment for a wheelie bin which, when attached to the wheelie bin, has a load supporting area in front of the wheelie bin wheels, and extending forwardly of the front face of the wheelie bin, and at least one arm member which extends upwardly and has an upper attachment which attaches over the rim of the wheelie bin, the construction and arrangement being that the attachment can be attached to the wheelie bin with the load supporting area being on or only slightly above the ground surface such that a heavy object can be placed on the load supporting surface without undue lifting, and the 20 wheelie bin can then be tilted rearwardly to lift the load supporting area and the heavy object off the ground surface, to enable the heavy object to be moved from place to place using the wheelie bin.

The attachment has a load supporting area which can support a load to be carried. The load supporting area can be a metal plate, grid or mesh arrangement, an arrangement of bars, or any other arrangement that will allow a load to be supported. The size and shape of the load supporting area can also vary to suit the load being carried. If the attachment is used primarily for carrying heavy concrete or filled pots, the load supporting area may be a metal platform big enough to support the base of the pot. On the other hand, if the attachment is to be used to carry larger or bulkier objects such as hay bales and the like, the load supporting area may include a number of prongs or rods to suit.

The load supporting area should be such that it can sit flat on the ground which will allow heavy objects to be rolled or otherwise more easily placed onto the load supporting area, or alternatively, the heavy object can be slightly tipped upwardly and the load supporting area can be placed underneath the load.

The attachment, while being robust and strong, should be fairly lightweight such that a person can lift the attachment off the wheelbarrow or wheelie bin and position it underneath a load.

The attachment is attached to the wheelbarrow tray or the mouth of the bin. In a simple form, this can be achieved by one or more hooks or clips on an upper part of the attachment which simply clip over the peripheral lip of the wheelbarrow tray or bin mouth. The hooks or clips can form an upper part of arm members which may be telescopic or otherwise length adjustable, for instance to suit different sized wheelbarrows. If the same wheelbarrow is used, or for a wheelie bin, the arm members can be adjusted once only and then locked into place for future use. Various types of telescopic or length adjusting means are envisaged.

inrad For instance, one type of length adjusting means may comprise o inner and outer tubular arms with the outer arm having a screw which can be 9 20 screwed against the inner arm to lock the two arms together at any desired length. Another type of adjusting means may comprise a toothed rack on the inner arm and a spring latch on the outer arm which is normally biased to engage in the tooth to lock the two arms together but which can be pressed by a person's finger or thumb to release it from the toothed rack. Another type of adjusting means may comprise a spring loaded pin in the inner arm member which can extend through one of a series of spaced apart linearly aligned openings on the outer arm member. The spring can be depressed by a person's finger to allow adjustment of the arm members. Another type of adjusting means can be a key which can extend through aligned openings in the inner and outer arm members to lock the arm members together.

In one form, the load supporting area is positioned in front of the wheelbarrow wheel, while the attachment is attached to the wheelbarrow tray, some mechanism may be required to prevent the attachment from rubbing against the wheelbarrow tyre. Most wheelbarrows are provided with a transverse cross-member extending in front of the tyre, and for wheelbarrows having this member, the attachment can have an abutment of sorts which rests against the transverse cross-member to give additional support to the attachment.

Most wheelbarrows do have a front cross-member, but for wheelbarrows which do not, some other mechanism may be required to ensure that the attachment does not rub on the wheelbarrow tyre, and this can be in the form of projection, stops, collars or shoulders which abut against some part of the wheelbarrow to keep the attachments away from the rotating wheelbarrow tyre.

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figure 1 shows a load supporting attachment next to a wheelbarrow.

Figure 2 shows the wheelbarrow in the process of being pivoted and attached to the load supporting attachment.

Figure 3 shows the load supporting attachment attached to the wheelbarrow tray.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate an attachment for a wheelie bin.

Referring to the Figures 1 to 3, there is shown a wheelbarrow of conventional design and which has a trop tray 11 formed with a peripheral rim 12. Tray 11 sits on two spaced apart load bearing chassis members 13 25 which terminate rearwardly into a pair of lift handles 14. The front of the wheelbarrow has a wheel 15 which is mounted to an axle 16 the axle extending through the chassis members 13. The front of wheel 15 is protected by a transverse member 17, all the above features being entirely standard for a wheelbarrow.

The load supporting attachment 18 has a load supporting area 19 which in the embodiment is a metal or other similarly strong plate Plate 20 is flat and is able to sit flat on a ground surface. Attached to the top of plate 20 is a pair of spaced apart L-shaped arm members 21 which are formed from strong metal section or other similar strong rigid material. Arm members 21 have a horizontal part which is attached to plate 20 and a vertical part which is length adjustable. The upper ends of members 21 are hooked 22 and are able to attach over rim 12 of wheelbarrow 10. Arm members 21 are length adjustable and in the embodiment this is achieved by making the arm members telescopic by having the hook portions slidable within an outer tube. Lock nuts 23 lock the hook members into a desired position which will depend upon the size and shape of the wheelbarrow In practice, attachment 18 is placed on the ground surface next to a pot or heavy object to be lifted. The pot can be slightly tipped such that plate 20 can be worked underneath the bottom of the pot. The pot is then replaced such that the pot is now supported on plate Referring now to Figure 2, wheelbarrow 10 is wheeled over to attachment 18 and the wheelbarrow is tipped upwardly such that hooks 22 can extend over rim 12. During this time, the heavy pot is on plate 20 and plate 20 is positioned flat on the ground. When both hooks 22 are over rim 12, the wheelbarrow is pulled back to the horizontal position illustrated in Figure 3. In this figure, it can be seen that attachment 18 is now clipped to the wheelbarrow but in such a way that the load on plate 20 a heavy pot and the like) is supported by rim 12 of the wheelbarrow tray 11. This means that the load on the wheelbarrow is close to or even behind wheel axle 16 even through the pot itself is in front of the wheelbarrow wheel.

To prevent attachment 18 from possible conflict with the 25 wheelbarrow wheel 15, a transverse protective plate 24 extends between arm members 21 and, in use, abuts against member 17.

It is found that even with a fairly heavy load on plate 20, the wheelbarrow does not tip forwardly very readily and can be moved around quite conveniently. This is in contrast with an attachment which is attached forwardly of axle 16 in such a way that the entire load on the attachment is supported forwardly of the axle. In this latter arrangement, it is found that the wheelbarrow can easily tip forwardly and the rear handles 14 can suddenly move up and strike a person causing injury.

One advantage with the attachment is that plate 20 sits flat on the ground which makes it quite easy for heavy pots or bags or other weighty objects to be placed onto plate 20. Once the plate has been loaded, it is easy to tip a wheelbarrow forwardly and to maneuver it such that hooks 22 catch under rim 12. The wheelbarrow can then be pushed downwardly and it can be seen that the load is now carried by the rim 12 of the wheelbarrow tray and this position is around or even behind wheel axle 16 which makes lifting of the load much easier. When the attachment is in the position of Figure 3, the wheelbarrow can be lifted up by the handles in a normal manner and wheeled about with reduced risk of the wheelbarrow suddenly tipping forwardly. The advantage of having a load in front of the wheelbarrow wheel is maintained without the disadvantage of having the load itself supported very much forwardly of the wheel axle 16. The advantage of having the load in front of the wheelbarrow wheel is that the load stays in line with the wheelbarrow and this makes it easy to maneuver the wheelbarrow. (It should be appreciated that if the load was placed on one side of the wheelbarrow, the wheelbarrow would almost certainly tip over as soon as it was lifted. Similarly, if a heavy load was placed on the rear of the wheelbarrow tray such as between the lift handles, it would be almost impossible to lift the load as the leverage advantage offered by the wheelbarrow is not obtained.) Referring to Figures 4 and 5, there is illustrated an attachment which is similar to the attachment for the wheelbarrow but which can now be attached to a wheelie bin 30. Wheelie bin 30 is of known design and has a 25 front face 31, rear wheels 32 and a top mouth 33 which has a peripheral rim 34. Attachment 35 again has a lower strong flat plate 20, a pair of spaced apart inner arm members 36 which are length adjustable by being telescopic within lower outer arm members 37. A transverse protective plate 24 is provided which sits against the front face 31 of the wheelie bin. In use, attachment 35 is placed on the ground as illustrated in Figure 4 and a heavy pot 38 can be dragged and positioned on top of plate 20. Inner arm members 36 can then be loosened and lengthened to extend over the top of rim 34.

Arm members 36 can then be pushed down to firmly engage against rim 34.

At this stage, the arrangement is as illustrated in Figure 5 and the bin can then be tipped backwardly in the normal manner to allow the heavy pot to be lifted off the ground and wheeled about. The attachment can be removed (once the pot has been lifted off), either by lifting the bin lid and lifting the attachment entirely off the bin, or by lengthening inner arm members 36 such that the top curved hook portions 39 are released from the bin rim.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

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Claims (4)

1. A load supporting attachment for a wheelbarrow which, when attached to a wheelbarrow has a load supporting area in front of the wheelbarrow wheel and adjacent or below the wheel axle, the attachment being attached to the wheelbarrow tray such that all or most of the load weight is borne by the tray.

2. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the load supporting area can be placed flat on the ground and where the attachment includes one or more hooks which can hook around the rim of the wheelbarrow tray. lo

3. A load supporting attachment for a wheelie bin which, when attached to the wheelie bin, has a load supporting area in front of the wheelie bin wheels, and extending forwardly of the front face of the wheelie bin, and at least one arm member which extends upwardly and has an upper attachment which attaches over the rim of the wheelie bin, the construction and arrangement being that the attachment can be attached to the wheelie bin with the load supporting area being on or only slightly above the ground surface such that a heavy object can be placed on the load supporting surface without undue lifting, and the wheelie bin can then be tilted rearwardly to lift the load supporting area and the heavy object off the ground surface, to enable the heavy object to be moved from place to place using the wheelie bin.

4. The attachment substantially as hereinbefore described. DATED this 5 th day of November 1999 Bradley STEEL By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. *.SoS. S*°