CA1159494A - Horse camper - Google Patents
Horse camperInfo
- Publication number
- CA1159494A CA1159494A CA000396241A CA396241A CA1159494A CA 1159494 A CA1159494 A CA 1159494A CA 000396241 A CA000396241 A CA 000396241A CA 396241 A CA396241 A CA 396241A CA 1159494 A CA1159494 A CA 1159494A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ramp
- camper
- stall
- edges
- entrance opening
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
- B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
- B60P3/04—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects for transporting animals
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
HORSE CAMPER
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A camper body is mountable on an open-bodied pickup truck to carry a horse. The body includes a stall having a roof and side walls provided with rear edges. Side portions of the body have rear panels spaced rearwardly of the rear edges. There is a rear entrance opening in the body and a ramp is hinged to the body primarily to serve as such but also to serve as a closure for the rear entrance opening. The ramp is hinged to the body to swing about a transverse axis between a downwardly inclined ramp position and a forwardly inclined door position located between side walls of the stall. Support structure on the ramp provides a leg which engages the surface of the ground when the ramp is down and subsequently partially fills the rear entrance opening when the ramp is in the door position.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A camper body is mountable on an open-bodied pickup truck to carry a horse. The body includes a stall having a roof and side walls provided with rear edges. Side portions of the body have rear panels spaced rearwardly of the rear edges. There is a rear entrance opening in the body and a ramp is hinged to the body primarily to serve as such but also to serve as a closure for the rear entrance opening. The ramp is hinged to the body to swing about a transverse axis between a downwardly inclined ramp position and a forwardly inclined door position located between side walls of the stall. Support structure on the ramp provides a leg which engages the surface of the ground when the ramp is down and subsequently partially fills the rear entrance opening when the ramp is in the door position.
Description
11~94g4 This invention relates to a mobile unit for transporting animals and more particularly to a horse camper which is mountable on a lightweight pickup truck.
There are a number of trailer units presently available which are intended to be towed behind a highway vehicle in order to move a horse from one place to another.
Such units serve their intended purpose reasonably well but they do have a number of disadvantages, for example, a horse occupying such a wheeled trailer is subjected at times to considerable road shock and vibration. Furthermore, in the event of a highway accident, the animal is more likely to be injured in a separate unit than would be the case if it was housed within the closed body of a truck.
The present invention overcomes the above and other disadvantages of conventional horse trailers by providing a stall-like enclosure which can be carried aboard a lightweight pickup truck. The lightly constructed and relatively inexpensive enclosure is designed to shelter and support a horse so that movement of the animal within the enclosure is reduced to a desirable minimum and the struc-ture itself is properly braced against side sway which can upset some particularly nervous horses. Also the suspension of a pickup truck is firmer than the suspension system of a conventional trailer unit and this has proven to make highway travel easier on a horse. The enclosure for the truck could be awkward when loading and unloading the animal due to the elevated position of the structure but the present invention solves this potential problem by providing the enclosure with a door which also serves as a gently-sloping ramp over which the horse can be safely moved 4~
without difficulty.
More specifically, a structure according to the present invention may be defined as a horse camper for transporting a horse aboard a truck which comprises a body including a stall and side portions, said stall having a roof and side walls provided with rear edges, said side portions having rear panels spaced rearwardly from the rear edges of the side walls, said body having a rear entrance opening, a ramp longitudinally aligned with the stall, hinge means securing an edge of the ramp to the body whereby said ramp is swingable about a transverse axis between a down-wardly inclined ramp position and a door position within the rear entrance opening, and support structure on the ramp adapted to engage the surface of the ground when the ramp is in the ramp position and to partially fill the rear entrance opening when the ramp is in the door position.
In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present horse camper shown mounted on a pickup truck, Figure 2 is a rear elevational view, and Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates generally a horse camper constructed in accordance with the present invention~ The camper 10 is particularly adapted to be carried by a conventional pickup truck 12 of the type which has a cab 14 located ahead and partly above an open box-like body 15 fitted with a rear tailgate 16.
The camper 10 comprises a ]ightweight but sturdily constructed body 20 which is shaped to provide a stall 21.
The relatively narrow and elongated stall has a floor 22, side walls 23, a roof 24, and a front wall 25 which connects with a forwardly projecting platform 26. The roof curves downwardly and rearwardly axound forwardly projecting parts of the side walls to join with the forward edge of the horizontal platform 26 so that the stall is provided with a streamlined enclosure 28.
The camper body 10 also includes side portions 30 which preferably are formed in part by laterally projecting extensions of the floor 22 and the front wall 25. Also the hollow portions 30 have side panels 32 and 33 which are interconnected by horizontal bearers 34. Rear panels 35 complete the side portions of the body so that these hollow portions provide storage compartments alongside the stall.
The side panels 32 are fitted with hatch covers 36, these hinged and normally latched covers when raised providing access into the interiors of the storage compartments.
The present horse camper is adapted to be mounted on the truck body 15 so that the stall 21 is located directly over the longitudinal axis of the truck chassis and with the front enclosure 28 overhanging the cab 14. In this position, the side panels 33 are disposed close to the inside surfaces of the sides of the truck body. The bearers 34 project over the top edges of the sides of the truck body but do not actually rest on those top edges. Suitable tie-downs or the like, not shown, are used to secure the body against relative movement on the truck body. It will be noticed that the C~4 camper body is shaped to make maximum use of the load-carrying space on the truck body, that is to say, the front enclosure 28 is positioned over the cab and the rear panels 35 are disposed slightly to the rear of the body of the truck. The tailgate 16 can be lowered as shown best in Figure 1 if the truck body is particularly short thereby supporting the rearwardly projecting end of the camper body.
A large, rectangular opening 40 is formed in the rear of the camper body, this opening being framed by the floor, side walls and roof of the stall 21. The side walls 23 have rear edges 41 which are located forwardly of the rear panels 35 so that a space 42 exists above the rear-wardly projecting ends of the side portions 30.
The pickup truck supports the camper body some three feet or more above the surface of the ground and, to assist a horse in reaching this elevated position when entering the stall, the body 20 is provided with a ramp 50.
The ramp generally indicated at 50 preferably is formed of a wide, rectangular aluminum panel or the like which is connected by a hinge 52 to the rearmost edge of the camper floor. Thus, the ramp can be swung about the transverse axis provided by the hinge between a position of use shown by solid lines in Figure 3 and a position shown by dotted lines in the same view wherein the ramp serves as a door for the rear entrance opening 40. The ramp has a rear end edge 54 which normally rests on the ground when the ramp position is achieved.
In the door position, the rectangular ramp 50 is inclined forwardly as shown in Figure 3 and the ramp then supports itself in this door position by virtue of guaxd rails 56 which are secured to opposing side edges of the ramp. The guard rails preferably are reinforced panels of a suitable lightweight material, which panels are shaped to provide floor-contacting edges 57 as well as opposing edges 58 and 59. The edges 58 are uppermost when the ramp is used as such and preferably those edges terminate just short of the edge 54. The guard rails 56 are otherwise shaped to provide still other edges 60 which are disposed at an obtuse angle to the edges 59. A transverse brace 61 is provided beneath the ramp at the junctions of the edges 59 and 60.
Rectangular members 63 and 64 are secured to the edges 59 and 60 and also to the brace 61. The above described assembly of parts located below one face of the ramp provides a triangular leg which contacts the surface of the ground to support the ramp so that it is unlikely to bend or collapse under the weight of a horse being walked into the stall.
The uppermost face of the ramp 50 desirably is coated with a suitable rubberized material 65 which prevents the horse from slipping.
Because of the foregoing construction of the present camper, it is a fairly easy task to place a horse in the stall 21. An attendant simply leads the horse up the ramp between the guard rails 56 which restrict the path of travel of the animal. The horse may hesitate momentarily at the top of the ramp but the space 42, which then accom-modates the animals head, lessens the eye level obstruction which might otherwise frighten the horse and this is be-lieved to encourage entry into the stall. Within the stall, 115~
an open partition 66 extends between the floor and the ceiling located nearer to one side wall 23 than the other.
This longitudinally extending partition provides the inter-ior of the stall with a walkway 67 for the attendant as he leads the horse up to the front wall 25. The front enclosure 28 is spanned by a bar 68 (Figure 3) and the attendant ties the horses halter rope to this bar thereby holding the animal in transit. Preferably, both the side walls 23 near the front enclosure 28 are each fitted with a sliding window 69 which can be opened to allow air into the interior of the stall. On the roof 24 there is a skylight 70 which brightens the interior of the stall.
The ramp 50 can be swung into the door position shown best in Figure 3 once the horse is tied up. When the edges 57 of the guard rails contact the floor 22, further inward movement of the ramp is halted. The door thus provided by the ramp is supported in its forwardly inclined or closed position by the guard rails 56 although suitable transverse bolts 72 operated by a central lever 73 serve to secure the ramp to the side walls 23 of the stall. The member 63 of the support structure is aligned with the rear panels 35 of the side portions 21 and the member 64 slopes upwardly to a slight extent just below the end edges 41 of the side walls of the stall. This arrangement provides a finished appearance to the rear of the camper body and also provides an additional air space 76, see Figure 3, between the top of the door and the roof which is useful in venting the interior of the stall. Handles 78 are provided on the member 63 to facilitate swinging the ramp out of the entrance g~
opening to the ramp position.
It will be noticed that the stall is shaped in such a way as to confine the horse and prevent excessive movement during travel. The head of the animal is properly secured within the front enclosure 28 and the rear legs are clear of the sloping door provided by the ramp. The arrange-ment ensures that the animal cannot move from side to side to any appreciable extent and therefore is comfortably and safely secured for travel on the highway.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent the present invention provides a structure which can readily be mounted on and removed from a conventional pickup truck.
The camper body mounted on truck of the preferred type provides an attractive unit which completely encloses and protects an animal against many of the hazards which can be encountered along the road. The ramp-door arrangements ensures easy loading and unloading while keeping the weight of the camper to a desired minimum.
There are a number of trailer units presently available which are intended to be towed behind a highway vehicle in order to move a horse from one place to another.
Such units serve their intended purpose reasonably well but they do have a number of disadvantages, for example, a horse occupying such a wheeled trailer is subjected at times to considerable road shock and vibration. Furthermore, in the event of a highway accident, the animal is more likely to be injured in a separate unit than would be the case if it was housed within the closed body of a truck.
The present invention overcomes the above and other disadvantages of conventional horse trailers by providing a stall-like enclosure which can be carried aboard a lightweight pickup truck. The lightly constructed and relatively inexpensive enclosure is designed to shelter and support a horse so that movement of the animal within the enclosure is reduced to a desirable minimum and the struc-ture itself is properly braced against side sway which can upset some particularly nervous horses. Also the suspension of a pickup truck is firmer than the suspension system of a conventional trailer unit and this has proven to make highway travel easier on a horse. The enclosure for the truck could be awkward when loading and unloading the animal due to the elevated position of the structure but the present invention solves this potential problem by providing the enclosure with a door which also serves as a gently-sloping ramp over which the horse can be safely moved 4~
without difficulty.
More specifically, a structure according to the present invention may be defined as a horse camper for transporting a horse aboard a truck which comprises a body including a stall and side portions, said stall having a roof and side walls provided with rear edges, said side portions having rear panels spaced rearwardly from the rear edges of the side walls, said body having a rear entrance opening, a ramp longitudinally aligned with the stall, hinge means securing an edge of the ramp to the body whereby said ramp is swingable about a transverse axis between a down-wardly inclined ramp position and a door position within the rear entrance opening, and support structure on the ramp adapted to engage the surface of the ground when the ramp is in the ramp position and to partially fill the rear entrance opening when the ramp is in the door position.
In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present horse camper shown mounted on a pickup truck, Figure 2 is a rear elevational view, and Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates generally a horse camper constructed in accordance with the present invention~ The camper 10 is particularly adapted to be carried by a conventional pickup truck 12 of the type which has a cab 14 located ahead and partly above an open box-like body 15 fitted with a rear tailgate 16.
The camper 10 comprises a ]ightweight but sturdily constructed body 20 which is shaped to provide a stall 21.
The relatively narrow and elongated stall has a floor 22, side walls 23, a roof 24, and a front wall 25 which connects with a forwardly projecting platform 26. The roof curves downwardly and rearwardly axound forwardly projecting parts of the side walls to join with the forward edge of the horizontal platform 26 so that the stall is provided with a streamlined enclosure 28.
The camper body 10 also includes side portions 30 which preferably are formed in part by laterally projecting extensions of the floor 22 and the front wall 25. Also the hollow portions 30 have side panels 32 and 33 which are interconnected by horizontal bearers 34. Rear panels 35 complete the side portions of the body so that these hollow portions provide storage compartments alongside the stall.
The side panels 32 are fitted with hatch covers 36, these hinged and normally latched covers when raised providing access into the interiors of the storage compartments.
The present horse camper is adapted to be mounted on the truck body 15 so that the stall 21 is located directly over the longitudinal axis of the truck chassis and with the front enclosure 28 overhanging the cab 14. In this position, the side panels 33 are disposed close to the inside surfaces of the sides of the truck body. The bearers 34 project over the top edges of the sides of the truck body but do not actually rest on those top edges. Suitable tie-downs or the like, not shown, are used to secure the body against relative movement on the truck body. It will be noticed that the C~4 camper body is shaped to make maximum use of the load-carrying space on the truck body, that is to say, the front enclosure 28 is positioned over the cab and the rear panels 35 are disposed slightly to the rear of the body of the truck. The tailgate 16 can be lowered as shown best in Figure 1 if the truck body is particularly short thereby supporting the rearwardly projecting end of the camper body.
A large, rectangular opening 40 is formed in the rear of the camper body, this opening being framed by the floor, side walls and roof of the stall 21. The side walls 23 have rear edges 41 which are located forwardly of the rear panels 35 so that a space 42 exists above the rear-wardly projecting ends of the side portions 30.
The pickup truck supports the camper body some three feet or more above the surface of the ground and, to assist a horse in reaching this elevated position when entering the stall, the body 20 is provided with a ramp 50.
The ramp generally indicated at 50 preferably is formed of a wide, rectangular aluminum panel or the like which is connected by a hinge 52 to the rearmost edge of the camper floor. Thus, the ramp can be swung about the transverse axis provided by the hinge between a position of use shown by solid lines in Figure 3 and a position shown by dotted lines in the same view wherein the ramp serves as a door for the rear entrance opening 40. The ramp has a rear end edge 54 which normally rests on the ground when the ramp position is achieved.
In the door position, the rectangular ramp 50 is inclined forwardly as shown in Figure 3 and the ramp then supports itself in this door position by virtue of guaxd rails 56 which are secured to opposing side edges of the ramp. The guard rails preferably are reinforced panels of a suitable lightweight material, which panels are shaped to provide floor-contacting edges 57 as well as opposing edges 58 and 59. The edges 58 are uppermost when the ramp is used as such and preferably those edges terminate just short of the edge 54. The guard rails 56 are otherwise shaped to provide still other edges 60 which are disposed at an obtuse angle to the edges 59. A transverse brace 61 is provided beneath the ramp at the junctions of the edges 59 and 60.
Rectangular members 63 and 64 are secured to the edges 59 and 60 and also to the brace 61. The above described assembly of parts located below one face of the ramp provides a triangular leg which contacts the surface of the ground to support the ramp so that it is unlikely to bend or collapse under the weight of a horse being walked into the stall.
The uppermost face of the ramp 50 desirably is coated with a suitable rubberized material 65 which prevents the horse from slipping.
Because of the foregoing construction of the present camper, it is a fairly easy task to place a horse in the stall 21. An attendant simply leads the horse up the ramp between the guard rails 56 which restrict the path of travel of the animal. The horse may hesitate momentarily at the top of the ramp but the space 42, which then accom-modates the animals head, lessens the eye level obstruction which might otherwise frighten the horse and this is be-lieved to encourage entry into the stall. Within the stall, 115~
an open partition 66 extends between the floor and the ceiling located nearer to one side wall 23 than the other.
This longitudinally extending partition provides the inter-ior of the stall with a walkway 67 for the attendant as he leads the horse up to the front wall 25. The front enclosure 28 is spanned by a bar 68 (Figure 3) and the attendant ties the horses halter rope to this bar thereby holding the animal in transit. Preferably, both the side walls 23 near the front enclosure 28 are each fitted with a sliding window 69 which can be opened to allow air into the interior of the stall. On the roof 24 there is a skylight 70 which brightens the interior of the stall.
The ramp 50 can be swung into the door position shown best in Figure 3 once the horse is tied up. When the edges 57 of the guard rails contact the floor 22, further inward movement of the ramp is halted. The door thus provided by the ramp is supported in its forwardly inclined or closed position by the guard rails 56 although suitable transverse bolts 72 operated by a central lever 73 serve to secure the ramp to the side walls 23 of the stall. The member 63 of the support structure is aligned with the rear panels 35 of the side portions 21 and the member 64 slopes upwardly to a slight extent just below the end edges 41 of the side walls of the stall. This arrangement provides a finished appearance to the rear of the camper body and also provides an additional air space 76, see Figure 3, between the top of the door and the roof which is useful in venting the interior of the stall. Handles 78 are provided on the member 63 to facilitate swinging the ramp out of the entrance g~
opening to the ramp position.
It will be noticed that the stall is shaped in such a way as to confine the horse and prevent excessive movement during travel. The head of the animal is properly secured within the front enclosure 28 and the rear legs are clear of the sloping door provided by the ramp. The arrange-ment ensures that the animal cannot move from side to side to any appreciable extent and therefore is comfortably and safely secured for travel on the highway.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent the present invention provides a structure which can readily be mounted on and removed from a conventional pickup truck.
The camper body mounted on truck of the preferred type provides an attractive unit which completely encloses and protects an animal against many of the hazards which can be encountered along the road. The ramp-door arrangements ensures easy loading and unloading while keeping the weight of the camper to a desired minimum.
Claims (7)
1. A camper for transporting a horse aboard a truck, comprising a body including a stall and side por-tions, said stall having a roof and side walls provided with rear edges, said side portions having rear panels spaced rearwardly from the rear edges of the side walls, said body having a rear entrance opening, a ramp longitudinally aligned with the stall, hinge means securing an edge of the ramp to the body whereby said ramp is swingable about a transverse axis between a downwardly inclined ramp position and a door position within the rear entrance opening, and support structure on the ramp adapted to engage the surface of the ground when the ramp is in the ramp position and to partially fill the rear entrance opening when the ramp is in the door position.
2. A camper as claimed in claim 1, in which said ramp is provided with guard rails extending upwardly from side edges of the ramp in the ramp position, said guard rails having end edges engaging a part of the body when the ramp is in the door position whereby to support the ramp forwardly inclined within the rear entrance opening.
3. A camper as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which said ramp in the door position is inclined forwardly of the rear edges of the side walls, said support structure including first and second members arranged as a triangular leg for supporting the ramp in the ramp position, said first member being substantially transversely aligned with the rear panels of the side portions when the ramp is in the door position.
4. A camper for transporting a horse aboard an open-bodied pick up truck, comprising a body including a stall and side portions; said stall having a floor, side walls, a roof and a front wall; a front enclosure on the stall projecting forwardly of the front wall to accommodate the head of the horse, said side portions projecting over sides of the truck body and having rear panels spaced rearwardly of rear edges of the side walls, said body having a rear entrance opening, a ramp having opposite end edges, hinge means securing one end edge of the ramp to a rear edge of the floor whereby said ramp is swingable about a trans-verse axis between a downwardly inclined ramp position wherein the opposite end edge of the ramp is adjacent the ground and a forwardly inclined door position within the rear entrance opening, and support structure on the ramp adapted to engage the surface of the ground when the ramp is in the ramp position and to partially fill the rear entrance opening when the ramp is in the door position.
5. A camper as claimed in claim 4, in which said ramp is provided with guard rails extending upwardly from side edges of the ramp in the ramp position, said guard rails having end edges engaging a part of the body when the ramp is in the door position, said ramp in the door position being inclined forwardly of rear edges of the side walls, said support structure including a first support member and a second support member arranged as a triangular leg for supporting the ramp in the ramp position, said first support member being substantially transversely aligned with the rear panels of the side portions when the ramp is in the door position, and said second support member then sloping upwardly from the first support member to an adjacent surface of the ramp.
6. A camper as claimed in claim 5, in which said side portions comprise storage compartments having hatches accessible from above the sides of the truck body.
7. A camper as claimed in claim 6, and including a partition extending longitudinally of the stall to provide a relatively narrow walkway.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000396241A CA1159494A (en) | 1982-02-15 | 1982-02-15 | Horse camper |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000396241A CA1159494A (en) | 1982-02-15 | 1982-02-15 | Horse camper |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1159494A true CA1159494A (en) | 1983-12-27 |
Family
ID=4122061
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000396241A Expired CA1159494A (en) | 1982-02-15 | 1982-02-15 | Horse camper |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1159494A (en) |
-
1982
- 1982-02-15 CA CA000396241A patent/CA1159494A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |