CA2058477A1 - Tractor and trailer combination for transporting automobiles and method of use therefor - Google Patents
Tractor and trailer combination for transporting automobiles and method of use thereforInfo
- Publication number
- CA2058477A1 CA2058477A1 CA 2058477 CA2058477A CA2058477A1 CA 2058477 A1 CA2058477 A1 CA 2058477A1 CA 2058477 CA2058477 CA 2058477 CA 2058477 A CA2058477 A CA 2058477A CA 2058477 A1 CA2058477 A1 CA 2058477A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- trailer
- tractor
- bed
- truck body
- body portion
- 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.)
- Abandoned
Links
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A tractor and trailer combination for transporting automobiles and the like has a trailer with a truck body portion and a rear portion. The tractor has a cab and a truck bed to the rear of the cab. The bed and truck body portion have locking means that correspond to one another together with guide means so that the truck body can be detachably mounted on the bed. In a locked position, the truck body is locked in a fixed position on the bed. In an unlocked position, the truck body can be detached from the tractor. The truck body has outriggers thereon to support the truck body in an upright position when the trailer is detached from the tractor. The tractor and trailer combination can be used to reduce the tractor to trailer ratio by at least fifty percent thereby greatly reducing overall transportion costs.
A tractor and trailer combination for transporting automobiles and the like has a trailer with a truck body portion and a rear portion. The tractor has a cab and a truck bed to the rear of the cab. The bed and truck body portion have locking means that correspond to one another together with guide means so that the truck body can be detachably mounted on the bed. In a locked position, the truck body is locked in a fixed position on the bed. In an unlocked position, the truck body can be detached from the tractor. The truck body has outriggers thereon to support the truck body in an upright position when the trailer is detached from the tractor. The tractor and trailer combination can be used to reduce the tractor to trailer ratio by at least fifty percent thereby greatly reducing overall transportion costs.
Description
2 0 3 3 4 ~ ~
This invention relates to a tractor and trailer in combination for use in transporting automobiles and the like and, in particular, a tractor and trailer in combination where the trailer includes a truck body portion that can be detachably secured to a bed of the tractor so that the entire trailer can be separated from the tractorO
Tractor and trailer combinations used to transport automobiles and the like are well known.
Typically, these tractor-trailer combina-tions can transport eleven or -twelve vehicles at one time, though some are known to transport fourteen vehicles at one time. The vehicles are au-tomobiles and the like, including light trucks, small vans and generally any size of vehicle that is similar to an automobile.
Some vehicle positions on the tractor-trailer comhination are suitable only for small vehicles whereas other positions can support either small or large vehicles. With the known tractor-trailer combinations, there are support means constructed in the form of a truck body on a bed of the tractor. The truck body usually supports four or five vehicles and includes support means overtop of the cab for one vehicle. At the rear of the truck body, there is located a fifth wheel for pivotally attaching a trailer with the remaining vehicles being supported by the trailer. When automobiles and the like are transported using the known tractor-trailer combination, the tractor is always attached to the same trailer. Even though a different trailer would be used with a given tractor, no useful purpose would ;~
be served as the truck body is not readily detachable from the tractor. When automobiles are to be picked 2 ~ ~ 3 ~ ~ 7 up at a manufacturing plant, the tractor-trailer combination would either be left at the plant or would travel to the plant so that the vehicles could be loaded as soon as the combination arrived. Then the tractor-trailer combination could travel to individual dealers to drop off the vehicles, a few at a time, or, the vehicles could be delivered to a central location ~here they would be unloaded and stored before ultimately being loaded onto a different tractor-trailer combination for delivery to a dealer ordealers. Each time the vehicles are loaded or unloaded, there is a serious risk of damage. The known tractor~trailer combinations are therefore inefficient and much more expensive to opera-te as one tractor, including the truck body, is required for each trailer.
The existing system of having one tractor per trailer can be extremely expensive in operator remuneration, capital cost expenditure, operating costs, licencing costs and repair costs. Any reduction in the ratio of tractors to trailers will achieve substantial cost savings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tractor-trailer combination for transporting automobiles and the like where the truck body is detachable from a bed of the tractor and the truck body becomes part of the trailer so that the ratio of tractors to trailers can be decreased to fifty percent or less.
A tractor and trailer in combination is designed to transport at least ten automobiles and the like, the tractor and trailer combinatisn having:
(a) a trailer having a frame with means to support said automobiles and the like . , . . :.,; ; :
;: .,ii , 2~3~ 7~
thereon~ said trailer having a front truck body portion and a rear portion, said truck body portion and rear portion being pivotable relative to one another and being detachable from one another;
(b~ a tractor having a cab and a truck bed located to the rear of said cab, said bed having a frame;
(c) releasable locking means on each of said bed and said truck body portion, said locking means on said tractor corresponding with said locking means on said trailer, said locking means having a locked position and an unlocked position;
~d) in a locked position, said locking means holding said truck body portion of said trailer in a fixed position on said bed and, in an unlocked position said truck body portion being detachable from said tractor;
(e) said trailer having support means so that said trailer can be supported in an upright position, whether loaded or unloaded, when separated from said tractor, for re-attaching said tractor.
A method of using a tractor and trailer in combina~ion uses a trailer designed to transport motor vehicles such as automobiles, small trucks, small farming equipment and small vans where the trailer has a front truck body portion and a rear portion. The tractor has a cab with a bed located to a rear of said cab. The front truck body portion of said trailer i5 detachably mountable on said bed. There are means to support said trailer in an upright position for reattaching to said tractor when said trailer is '.'~
completely detached from said tractor. The method includes loading a trailer that is not attached to any tractor with said motor vehicles subsequently attaching a tractor to said trailer, delivering said trailer to another location using said tractor, activating the means to support the trailer when the tractor is detached, detaching said tractor from said trailer and subsequently unloading said automobiles from said trailer.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of a trailer in a locked position on a tractor;
Figure 2 is a side view of a trailer detached from a tractor;
Figure 3 is a partial top view of a tractor bed;
Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of guide means on a tractor bed and trailer; and Figure 5 is a partial bottom view of a truck body portion of a trailer.
In Figure 1, there is shown a tractor and trailer in combination 2 with a trailer 4 being designed to transport automobiles and the like. The trailer 4 has a frame 6 with means 8 to support said automobiles and the like thereon. The trailer shown in Figure 1 is designed to support eleven vehicles but trailers can be designed to support any reasonable number of vehicles of ten or more. The trailer 2 has a front truck body portion 10 and a rear portion 12, the portions 10, 12 being pivotal relative to one another about a pivot point 14 in a fifth wheel 15 connected to a rear of the truck body portion 10.
The pivot point 14 divides the truck body portion 10 from the rear portion 12.
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2 ~
A tractor 16 has a cab 18 with a truck bed 20 located to the rear of said cab. The bed 20 has a frame 22.
Not shown in Figure 1 are releasable locking means on each of said bed and said truck body portion with the locking means on the tractor corresponding with the locking means on the trailer. In a locked position, as shown in Figure 1, the truck body portion 10 is held in a fixed position on the bed 22. The trailer 4 is detachable from the tractor 16 and, in an unlocked position, as shown in Figure 2, the truck body portion 10 can be removed from the bed 22. When detached, the trailer 4 is supported in an upright position by support means, which are hydraulic outriggers 24 which are connected to a front and rear of each side (only two of which are shown) of the truck body portion 10. The trailer 4 has a cantilevered section 26 which can support a motor vehicle and extends above the cab 16 when the trailer and tractor are connected to one another. The outriggers hold the trailer in an upright position, whether loaded or unloaded, when the trailer is separated from the tractor so that the tractor can he easily re-attached to the trailer. The support means for the trailer 4 also include wheels 28 of the trailer 4. The outriggers 24 are retracted in Figure 1 and extended in Figure 2.
In Figure 3, the bed 20 of the tractor has pins 28 that are opera-ted by pneumatic air connections 30 (only partially shown in Figure 3). The pins are spring-loaded by springs 32, the springs 32 forcing the pins outwardly against the force of the pneumatic air. The force of the pneumatic air is strong enough to overcome the force of the springs and thereby move .:
' . . . . ` :' . ` ;:
2~3~7~
the pins 28 inwardly. When the force of the air isdecreased or removed entirely, the pins extend outwardly from one another. The truck bed 20 has axles 34 for wheels 36, the axles 34 being in tandem to one another. A fifth wheel 38 is shown schematically and is mounted on a frame 22 of the bed 20. The bed 20 has a front 40 and a rear 42. The fifth wheel 38 is located near the front 40 and the pins 28 are located near the rear 42.
As shown in Figure 4, the frame 22 of the bed 20 has angle iron 44 mounted to an upper outer surface thereof to provide guide means for receiving the truck body portion of the trailer. Similarly, the truck body portion of the trailer has a central platform 46 with angle iron 48 welded to a lower surface thereof. The angle iron 44 and the angle iron 48 provide guide means during the process of connecting the tractor to the trailer. The angle iron 48 and the angle iron 44 are mounted parallel to one another and are located so that when the tractor is moved towards the trailer from a detached position, the guide means 44 slides within the guide means 48.
When the truck body is in a locked position on the tractor, the guide means 44 and the corresponding guide means 48 are in the position shown in Figure 4 along their entire length. The two angle irons 44 form a ridge while the angle irons 48 form a corresponding channel, the ridge and channel extending parallel to a side of the trailer and tractor and being sized to fit within one another as the trailer is being mounted on the tractor.
In Figure 5, it can be seen that the truck body portion has a frame 6 which surrounds the central platform 46. The angle iron 48 extends from a front - 6 - ~
- .
., . - - -- '- : ~. . :
- - : ,, - : :, 2 q~ ~ 8 4 ~ 7 50 to a rear 52 of the truck body portion. Within the frame 6, there are suitable openings (not shown) and receptacles 54 to receive the extended pins 28 when the truck body portion and bed are in a locked position. Near the front 50 of the truck body portion, there is mounted on a baseplate 55 a kingpin 56 which is sized and oriented to detachably and lockingly engage the fifth wheel 38 of the bed when the bed and truck body portion are in a locked position. When the bed and truck body portion are in a locked position, the pins 28 on the bed 20 are in an extended position through the openings on the truck body portion 10 and the kingpin 56 is lockingly engaged with the fifth wheel 38. Thus, the truck body portion is held in a fixed position on the bed 20.
When mounting the trailer on the tractor, the trailer is supported by the wheels 28 and the outriggers 24 in the position shown in Figure 2. The tractor is moved rearwardly so that a bed 20 extends beneath the truck body portion 10 of the trailer 4 20 with the guide means 44 slidably engaged with the `
guide means 48. During this procedure, the pneumatic air supply is activated to retract the pins 28. The tractor is moved rearwardly until the kingpin 56 of the truck body engages the fifth wheel 38 of the 25 tractor bed. T~le air supply to the pins 28 is then `
shut off so that the springs 32 force the pins 28 into the openings and receptacles of the truck body. The tractor and trailer are then held in a fixed position and the outriggers 24 can be retracted. The tractor and trailer combination can then be used to transport automobiles and the like. When detaching the tractor from the trailer, the reverse procedure is followed.
First, the hydraulic outriggers are extended to engage ,. , - ',, ` : ~ :
', : '" ' ~f~
2~.5~77 a supporting surface 58 and support the trailer in an upright position after the tractor has been detached.
Next, air is forced into the pins 28 to retrack them against the force of the springs 32 and the fifth wheel 38 is opened to allow the kingpin ~6 to be removed. The tractor is then slowly moved forward until it is clear of the trailer 4 as shown in Figure 2.
The present invention has numerous advantages for the automobile transport industry.
When the tractor and trailer are in a locked position relative to one another as shown in Figure 1, the combination func-tions in an identical manner to conventional motor vehicle transport means. However, the ~act that the truck body portion of the trailer is readily detachable from the tractor allows the ratio of tractors to trailers to be reduced substantially to fifty percent and even as low as twenty-five percent.
With conventional tractor-trailers used to transport motor vehicles, the tractor to trailer ratio is one hundred percent. In other words, there is one tractor for each trailer. With the present invention, the tractor to trailer ratio can be greatly reduced.
With a lower tractor to trailer ratio, the ~,~
tractors in a transport fleet will be worked harder and will travel greater distances in a shorter period ~-of time. The tractor 1eet will be able to be replaced more frequently while it is still relatively new. There will be no incentive to prolong the use o~ ~
30 a tractor beyond a reasonable time just because the ;
trailer is still in good condition. rrhe life of the trailer and the lie o the tractor will be entirely independent. This results in substantial savings in operator remuneration (i.e. fewer operators), capital ` ' ` ' , . , . ; .,, ~ ............................ . .
.. ' ' : ' , '. . .. `' ' , , .
7 ~
costs, operating costs, licencing costs and repairs.
In addition, since the transport of vehicles can be done much more efficiently, there will be many fewer occasions when it will be necessary for an operator to seek overnight accommodations rather than re~urning to a home base. In addition to accommodation costs, overtime costs and meal costs for the operator will be greatly reduced.
For motor vehicle manufacturers, a number of trailers, without tractors, can be left on site and the manufacturers can load the trailers at their convenience. When the motor vehicles loaded onto the trailers are ready for delivery, a tractor can attend at the manufacturing site with an empty trailer. The empty trailer can be left on the site and the tractor can then be attached to a trailer that is already loaded with motor vehicles. This will be able to be accomplished efficiently as it will not be necessary for the operator of the tractor to wait until the trailer has been loaded. It can be loaded before the operator arrives. Then, if desired, the tractor and trailer combination can be taken to a central storage area before delivery to a dealer and the trailer can be left in the loaded condition at the storage area while the tractor returns to the home base or to transport other motor vehicles mounted on other trailers. For example, the same tractor and operator could spend an entire day travelling between the central storage area and a manufacturing plant to drop off empty trailers and to pick up loaded trailers and return them to the storage area. The motor vehicles remain on the trailers in the storage area until such time as they are actually delivered to a dealer. The risk of damage to the vehicles is reduced and the _ g _ ~$~7 vehicles will take less storage space when they are left on the trailer. With a conventional tractor-trailer combination, the vehicles may have to be removed from the trailer and reloaded several times before they are ultimately delivered to a dealer.
Each time that the vehicles are loaded or unloaded increases the risk of damage to a vehicle. With the tractor and trailer combination of the present invention, the number of times that the vehicles are loaded or unloaded can be reduced to a minimum. Also, the manufacturer has the opportunity to load the vehicles itself and can therefore assume all responsibility for all damage up to the point that the vehicles are removed from the manufacturing site. The operator will not have to load the vehicles from the manufacturer but only unload them when they are delivered to a dealer.
The cost of licencing trailers is much less than the cost of licencing tractors. Therefore, by 20 reducing the number of tractors, the licencing costs ~;
will be greatly reduced. Also, with conventional tractor-trailer combinations, each tractor of a fleet of a particular vehicle transporter will usually be licenced for interstate commerce. With the tractor and trailer combination of the present invention, since a much greater flexibility is obtained in the use of the tractors, a relatively small proportion of the tractors can be licenced for interstate commerce as those tractors are much more readily available while the main part of the fleet can be used entirely within a particular state.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the invention can be retrofitted to conventional tractor and trailer combinations. Since ~ 10 .
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, . . ;' ~ '' ' .~ .," '; ' :
2 ~ 7 1 it may be necessary to activate the outriggers of the trailer independently of the trac-tor, a sepaxate power pack will be mounted directly on the trailer. The separate power pack is not shown in the drawings as it S would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
Also, the hydraulic and pnewnatic control means on the tractor or the trailer are not shown as these are considered to be conventional.
Numerous variations, within the scope of the attached claims will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For a particular conventional tractor and trailer combination, it may be necessary to make further modifications to the combination beyond those described in this application. For example, for some conventional tractor and trailer combinations, the support means for the vehicle located above the cab of the tractor is not cantilevered but is supported by posts extending from the support means to the front bumper of the tractor.
With this arrangement, the posts will either have to be made detachable from the tractor or an upper end of these posts will have to be made detachable from the support means. Preferably, the upper end of the posts will be detachable. As another example, where a trailer has a cantilevered section as shown in the drawings, it may be necessary to reinforce this cantilevered section so that it will support a vehicle. Usually the vehicle in the cantilevered section is the first to be loaded onto and the last to be loaded from the trailer. The trailer, unloaded, will weigh approximately 40,000 pounds whereas a motor vehicle will weight approximately 4,000-5,0000 pounds.
Usually, only the smaller vehicles are mounted on the cantilevered section. Therefore, the presence of a vehicle in the cantilevered section will not cause the trailer to tilt forward when the rest of the trailer is unloaded. There are no wheels on the truck body portion.
In addition to the savings previously mentioned, the present invention can also result in reduced office employees, reduced storage facilities, reduced computer and communication equipment required to track and control cargo, reduced Worker's Compensation costs and reduced property maintenance costs.
EXAMPLE #1 By way of general example, based on the premise that each new unit for an existing tractor and trailer ~osts approximately $200,000.00, 400 units would cost $80,000,000.00. By using the present invention with a tractor to trailer ratio of 1:4, the cost for the equipment would he reduced by $31,000,000.00. Similarly, licences and insurance would be reduced by $900,000.00 per annum. Similarly, manpower requirements would be reduced by at least 20 resulting in annual savings of $4,000,000.00. In addition, significant savings would be achieved for overnight motel charges and meals, reduced Worker's Compensation claims, cargo claims and equipment maintenance expenses.
,. , . - ~
This invention relates to a tractor and trailer in combination for use in transporting automobiles and the like and, in particular, a tractor and trailer in combination where the trailer includes a truck body portion that can be detachably secured to a bed of the tractor so that the entire trailer can be separated from the tractorO
Tractor and trailer combinations used to transport automobiles and the like are well known.
Typically, these tractor-trailer combina-tions can transport eleven or -twelve vehicles at one time, though some are known to transport fourteen vehicles at one time. The vehicles are au-tomobiles and the like, including light trucks, small vans and generally any size of vehicle that is similar to an automobile.
Some vehicle positions on the tractor-trailer comhination are suitable only for small vehicles whereas other positions can support either small or large vehicles. With the known tractor-trailer combinations, there are support means constructed in the form of a truck body on a bed of the tractor. The truck body usually supports four or five vehicles and includes support means overtop of the cab for one vehicle. At the rear of the truck body, there is located a fifth wheel for pivotally attaching a trailer with the remaining vehicles being supported by the trailer. When automobiles and the like are transported using the known tractor-trailer combination, the tractor is always attached to the same trailer. Even though a different trailer would be used with a given tractor, no useful purpose would ;~
be served as the truck body is not readily detachable from the tractor. When automobiles are to be picked 2 ~ ~ 3 ~ ~ 7 up at a manufacturing plant, the tractor-trailer combination would either be left at the plant or would travel to the plant so that the vehicles could be loaded as soon as the combination arrived. Then the tractor-trailer combination could travel to individual dealers to drop off the vehicles, a few at a time, or, the vehicles could be delivered to a central location ~here they would be unloaded and stored before ultimately being loaded onto a different tractor-trailer combination for delivery to a dealer ordealers. Each time the vehicles are loaded or unloaded, there is a serious risk of damage. The known tractor~trailer combinations are therefore inefficient and much more expensive to opera-te as one tractor, including the truck body, is required for each trailer.
The existing system of having one tractor per trailer can be extremely expensive in operator remuneration, capital cost expenditure, operating costs, licencing costs and repair costs. Any reduction in the ratio of tractors to trailers will achieve substantial cost savings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tractor-trailer combination for transporting automobiles and the like where the truck body is detachable from a bed of the tractor and the truck body becomes part of the trailer so that the ratio of tractors to trailers can be decreased to fifty percent or less.
A tractor and trailer in combination is designed to transport at least ten automobiles and the like, the tractor and trailer combinatisn having:
(a) a trailer having a frame with means to support said automobiles and the like . , . . :.,; ; :
;: .,ii , 2~3~ 7~
thereon~ said trailer having a front truck body portion and a rear portion, said truck body portion and rear portion being pivotable relative to one another and being detachable from one another;
(b~ a tractor having a cab and a truck bed located to the rear of said cab, said bed having a frame;
(c) releasable locking means on each of said bed and said truck body portion, said locking means on said tractor corresponding with said locking means on said trailer, said locking means having a locked position and an unlocked position;
~d) in a locked position, said locking means holding said truck body portion of said trailer in a fixed position on said bed and, in an unlocked position said truck body portion being detachable from said tractor;
(e) said trailer having support means so that said trailer can be supported in an upright position, whether loaded or unloaded, when separated from said tractor, for re-attaching said tractor.
A method of using a tractor and trailer in combina~ion uses a trailer designed to transport motor vehicles such as automobiles, small trucks, small farming equipment and small vans where the trailer has a front truck body portion and a rear portion. The tractor has a cab with a bed located to a rear of said cab. The front truck body portion of said trailer i5 detachably mountable on said bed. There are means to support said trailer in an upright position for reattaching to said tractor when said trailer is '.'~
completely detached from said tractor. The method includes loading a trailer that is not attached to any tractor with said motor vehicles subsequently attaching a tractor to said trailer, delivering said trailer to another location using said tractor, activating the means to support the trailer when the tractor is detached, detaching said tractor from said trailer and subsequently unloading said automobiles from said trailer.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of a trailer in a locked position on a tractor;
Figure 2 is a side view of a trailer detached from a tractor;
Figure 3 is a partial top view of a tractor bed;
Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of guide means on a tractor bed and trailer; and Figure 5 is a partial bottom view of a truck body portion of a trailer.
In Figure 1, there is shown a tractor and trailer in combination 2 with a trailer 4 being designed to transport automobiles and the like. The trailer 4 has a frame 6 with means 8 to support said automobiles and the like thereon. The trailer shown in Figure 1 is designed to support eleven vehicles but trailers can be designed to support any reasonable number of vehicles of ten or more. The trailer 2 has a front truck body portion 10 and a rear portion 12, the portions 10, 12 being pivotal relative to one another about a pivot point 14 in a fifth wheel 15 connected to a rear of the truck body portion 10.
The pivot point 14 divides the truck body portion 10 from the rear portion 12.
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2 ~
A tractor 16 has a cab 18 with a truck bed 20 located to the rear of said cab. The bed 20 has a frame 22.
Not shown in Figure 1 are releasable locking means on each of said bed and said truck body portion with the locking means on the tractor corresponding with the locking means on the trailer. In a locked position, as shown in Figure 1, the truck body portion 10 is held in a fixed position on the bed 22. The trailer 4 is detachable from the tractor 16 and, in an unlocked position, as shown in Figure 2, the truck body portion 10 can be removed from the bed 22. When detached, the trailer 4 is supported in an upright position by support means, which are hydraulic outriggers 24 which are connected to a front and rear of each side (only two of which are shown) of the truck body portion 10. The trailer 4 has a cantilevered section 26 which can support a motor vehicle and extends above the cab 16 when the trailer and tractor are connected to one another. The outriggers hold the trailer in an upright position, whether loaded or unloaded, when the trailer is separated from the tractor so that the tractor can he easily re-attached to the trailer. The support means for the trailer 4 also include wheels 28 of the trailer 4. The outriggers 24 are retracted in Figure 1 and extended in Figure 2.
In Figure 3, the bed 20 of the tractor has pins 28 that are opera-ted by pneumatic air connections 30 (only partially shown in Figure 3). The pins are spring-loaded by springs 32, the springs 32 forcing the pins outwardly against the force of the pneumatic air. The force of the pneumatic air is strong enough to overcome the force of the springs and thereby move .:
' . . . . ` :' . ` ;:
2~3~7~
the pins 28 inwardly. When the force of the air isdecreased or removed entirely, the pins extend outwardly from one another. The truck bed 20 has axles 34 for wheels 36, the axles 34 being in tandem to one another. A fifth wheel 38 is shown schematically and is mounted on a frame 22 of the bed 20. The bed 20 has a front 40 and a rear 42. The fifth wheel 38 is located near the front 40 and the pins 28 are located near the rear 42.
As shown in Figure 4, the frame 22 of the bed 20 has angle iron 44 mounted to an upper outer surface thereof to provide guide means for receiving the truck body portion of the trailer. Similarly, the truck body portion of the trailer has a central platform 46 with angle iron 48 welded to a lower surface thereof. The angle iron 44 and the angle iron 48 provide guide means during the process of connecting the tractor to the trailer. The angle iron 48 and the angle iron 44 are mounted parallel to one another and are located so that when the tractor is moved towards the trailer from a detached position, the guide means 44 slides within the guide means 48.
When the truck body is in a locked position on the tractor, the guide means 44 and the corresponding guide means 48 are in the position shown in Figure 4 along their entire length. The two angle irons 44 form a ridge while the angle irons 48 form a corresponding channel, the ridge and channel extending parallel to a side of the trailer and tractor and being sized to fit within one another as the trailer is being mounted on the tractor.
In Figure 5, it can be seen that the truck body portion has a frame 6 which surrounds the central platform 46. The angle iron 48 extends from a front - 6 - ~
- .
., . - - -- '- : ~. . :
- - : ,, - : :, 2 q~ ~ 8 4 ~ 7 50 to a rear 52 of the truck body portion. Within the frame 6, there are suitable openings (not shown) and receptacles 54 to receive the extended pins 28 when the truck body portion and bed are in a locked position. Near the front 50 of the truck body portion, there is mounted on a baseplate 55 a kingpin 56 which is sized and oriented to detachably and lockingly engage the fifth wheel 38 of the bed when the bed and truck body portion are in a locked position. When the bed and truck body portion are in a locked position, the pins 28 on the bed 20 are in an extended position through the openings on the truck body portion 10 and the kingpin 56 is lockingly engaged with the fifth wheel 38. Thus, the truck body portion is held in a fixed position on the bed 20.
When mounting the trailer on the tractor, the trailer is supported by the wheels 28 and the outriggers 24 in the position shown in Figure 2. The tractor is moved rearwardly so that a bed 20 extends beneath the truck body portion 10 of the trailer 4 20 with the guide means 44 slidably engaged with the `
guide means 48. During this procedure, the pneumatic air supply is activated to retract the pins 28. The tractor is moved rearwardly until the kingpin 56 of the truck body engages the fifth wheel 38 of the 25 tractor bed. T~le air supply to the pins 28 is then `
shut off so that the springs 32 force the pins 28 into the openings and receptacles of the truck body. The tractor and trailer are then held in a fixed position and the outriggers 24 can be retracted. The tractor and trailer combination can then be used to transport automobiles and the like. When detaching the tractor from the trailer, the reverse procedure is followed.
First, the hydraulic outriggers are extended to engage ,. , - ',, ` : ~ :
', : '" ' ~f~
2~.5~77 a supporting surface 58 and support the trailer in an upright position after the tractor has been detached.
Next, air is forced into the pins 28 to retrack them against the force of the springs 32 and the fifth wheel 38 is opened to allow the kingpin ~6 to be removed. The tractor is then slowly moved forward until it is clear of the trailer 4 as shown in Figure 2.
The present invention has numerous advantages for the automobile transport industry.
When the tractor and trailer are in a locked position relative to one another as shown in Figure 1, the combination func-tions in an identical manner to conventional motor vehicle transport means. However, the ~act that the truck body portion of the trailer is readily detachable from the tractor allows the ratio of tractors to trailers to be reduced substantially to fifty percent and even as low as twenty-five percent.
With conventional tractor-trailers used to transport motor vehicles, the tractor to trailer ratio is one hundred percent. In other words, there is one tractor for each trailer. With the present invention, the tractor to trailer ratio can be greatly reduced.
With a lower tractor to trailer ratio, the ~,~
tractors in a transport fleet will be worked harder and will travel greater distances in a shorter period ~-of time. The tractor 1eet will be able to be replaced more frequently while it is still relatively new. There will be no incentive to prolong the use o~ ~
30 a tractor beyond a reasonable time just because the ;
trailer is still in good condition. rrhe life of the trailer and the lie o the tractor will be entirely independent. This results in substantial savings in operator remuneration (i.e. fewer operators), capital ` ' ` ' , . , . ; .,, ~ ............................ . .
.. ' ' : ' , '. . .. `' ' , , .
7 ~
costs, operating costs, licencing costs and repairs.
In addition, since the transport of vehicles can be done much more efficiently, there will be many fewer occasions when it will be necessary for an operator to seek overnight accommodations rather than re~urning to a home base. In addition to accommodation costs, overtime costs and meal costs for the operator will be greatly reduced.
For motor vehicle manufacturers, a number of trailers, without tractors, can be left on site and the manufacturers can load the trailers at their convenience. When the motor vehicles loaded onto the trailers are ready for delivery, a tractor can attend at the manufacturing site with an empty trailer. The empty trailer can be left on the site and the tractor can then be attached to a trailer that is already loaded with motor vehicles. This will be able to be accomplished efficiently as it will not be necessary for the operator of the tractor to wait until the trailer has been loaded. It can be loaded before the operator arrives. Then, if desired, the tractor and trailer combination can be taken to a central storage area before delivery to a dealer and the trailer can be left in the loaded condition at the storage area while the tractor returns to the home base or to transport other motor vehicles mounted on other trailers. For example, the same tractor and operator could spend an entire day travelling between the central storage area and a manufacturing plant to drop off empty trailers and to pick up loaded trailers and return them to the storage area. The motor vehicles remain on the trailers in the storage area until such time as they are actually delivered to a dealer. The risk of damage to the vehicles is reduced and the _ g _ ~$~7 vehicles will take less storage space when they are left on the trailer. With a conventional tractor-trailer combination, the vehicles may have to be removed from the trailer and reloaded several times before they are ultimately delivered to a dealer.
Each time that the vehicles are loaded or unloaded increases the risk of damage to a vehicle. With the tractor and trailer combination of the present invention, the number of times that the vehicles are loaded or unloaded can be reduced to a minimum. Also, the manufacturer has the opportunity to load the vehicles itself and can therefore assume all responsibility for all damage up to the point that the vehicles are removed from the manufacturing site. The operator will not have to load the vehicles from the manufacturer but only unload them when they are delivered to a dealer.
The cost of licencing trailers is much less than the cost of licencing tractors. Therefore, by 20 reducing the number of tractors, the licencing costs ~;
will be greatly reduced. Also, with conventional tractor-trailer combinations, each tractor of a fleet of a particular vehicle transporter will usually be licenced for interstate commerce. With the tractor and trailer combination of the present invention, since a much greater flexibility is obtained in the use of the tractors, a relatively small proportion of the tractors can be licenced for interstate commerce as those tractors are much more readily available while the main part of the fleet can be used entirely within a particular state.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the invention can be retrofitted to conventional tractor and trailer combinations. Since ~ 10 .
- : - ,, -:
, . . ;' ~ '' ' .~ .," '; ' :
2 ~ 7 1 it may be necessary to activate the outriggers of the trailer independently of the trac-tor, a sepaxate power pack will be mounted directly on the trailer. The separate power pack is not shown in the drawings as it S would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
Also, the hydraulic and pnewnatic control means on the tractor or the trailer are not shown as these are considered to be conventional.
Numerous variations, within the scope of the attached claims will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For a particular conventional tractor and trailer combination, it may be necessary to make further modifications to the combination beyond those described in this application. For example, for some conventional tractor and trailer combinations, the support means for the vehicle located above the cab of the tractor is not cantilevered but is supported by posts extending from the support means to the front bumper of the tractor.
With this arrangement, the posts will either have to be made detachable from the tractor or an upper end of these posts will have to be made detachable from the support means. Preferably, the upper end of the posts will be detachable. As another example, where a trailer has a cantilevered section as shown in the drawings, it may be necessary to reinforce this cantilevered section so that it will support a vehicle. Usually the vehicle in the cantilevered section is the first to be loaded onto and the last to be loaded from the trailer. The trailer, unloaded, will weigh approximately 40,000 pounds whereas a motor vehicle will weight approximately 4,000-5,0000 pounds.
Usually, only the smaller vehicles are mounted on the cantilevered section. Therefore, the presence of a vehicle in the cantilevered section will not cause the trailer to tilt forward when the rest of the trailer is unloaded. There are no wheels on the truck body portion.
In addition to the savings previously mentioned, the present invention can also result in reduced office employees, reduced storage facilities, reduced computer and communication equipment required to track and control cargo, reduced Worker's Compensation costs and reduced property maintenance costs.
EXAMPLE #1 By way of general example, based on the premise that each new unit for an existing tractor and trailer ~osts approximately $200,000.00, 400 units would cost $80,000,000.00. By using the present invention with a tractor to trailer ratio of 1:4, the cost for the equipment would he reduced by $31,000,000.00. Similarly, licences and insurance would be reduced by $900,000.00 per annum. Similarly, manpower requirements would be reduced by at least 20 resulting in annual savings of $4,000,000.00. In addition, significant savings would be achieved for overnight motel charges and meals, reduced Worker's Compensation claims, cargo claims and equipment maintenance expenses.
,. , . - ~
Claims (12)
1. A tractor and trailer in combination, said trailer being designed to transport at least ten motor vehicles such as automobiles, small trucks, small farm equipment and small vans, said tractor and trailer combination comprising.
(a) a trailer having a frame with means to support said motor vehicles thereon, said trailer having a front truck body portion and rear portion, said truck body portion and rear portion being pivotable relative to one another and being detachable from one another;
(b) a tractor having a cab and a truck bed located to the rear of said cab, said bed having a frame;
(c) releasable locking means on each of said bed and said truck body portion, said locking means on said tractor corresponding with said locking means on said trailer, said locking means having a locked position and an unlocked position;
(d) in a locked position, said locking means holding said truck body portion of said trailer in a fixed position on said bed and, in an unlocked position said truck body portion being detachable from said tractor, said truck body portion having a cantilevered support means located above the cab when the tractor and trailer are in a locked position relative to one another, said cantilevered support means being capable of supporting a motor vehicle when said tractor is attached to said trailer and when said tractor is detached from said trailer and whether said motor vehicle on said cantilevered support means is the only motor vehicle on said trailer or not;
(e) said trailer having support means so that said trailer can be supported in an upright position, whether loaded, or partially loaded or unloaded, when separated from said tractor, for re-attaching said tractor.
(a) a trailer having a frame with means to support said motor vehicles thereon, said trailer having a front truck body portion and rear portion, said truck body portion and rear portion being pivotable relative to one another and being detachable from one another;
(b) a tractor having a cab and a truck bed located to the rear of said cab, said bed having a frame;
(c) releasable locking means on each of said bed and said truck body portion, said locking means on said tractor corresponding with said locking means on said trailer, said locking means having a locked position and an unlocked position;
(d) in a locked position, said locking means holding said truck body portion of said trailer in a fixed position on said bed and, in an unlocked position said truck body portion being detachable from said tractor, said truck body portion having a cantilevered support means located above the cab when the tractor and trailer are in a locked position relative to one another, said cantilevered support means being capable of supporting a motor vehicle when said tractor is attached to said trailer and when said tractor is detached from said trailer and whether said motor vehicle on said cantilevered support means is the only motor vehicle on said trailer or not;
(e) said trailer having support means so that said trailer can be supported in an upright position, whether loaded, or partially loaded or unloaded, when separated from said tractor, for re-attaching said tractor.
2. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in Claim 1 wherein there are guide means on said truck body portion and corresponding guide means on said bed to assist the placement or removal of said truck body portion on said truck bed.
3. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the locking means is a fifth wheel mounted on one of said bed and said truck body portion and a kingpin corresponding to said fifth wheel mounted on the other of said truck body portion and said bed, said kingpin being sized and oriented to detachably and lockingly engage said fifth wheel when the truck body portion is properly placed on said bed, said locking means also including spring-loaded pins on one of said truck body portion and said bed that are designed to fit within suitable openings in said frame of the other of said bed and said truck body portion when the trailer and tractor are in a locked position, said spring-loaded pins being controlled by pneumatic pressure.
4. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the fifth wheel is mounted on the bed and the kingpin is mounted on the truck body portion.
5. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in any one of Claims 3 or 4 wherein the spring-loaded pins are mounted on the bed and the suitable openings are located in the frame of the truck body portion.
6. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the guide means is a ridge and a corresponding channel, said ridge and channel extending parallel to a side of said trailer and tractor and being sized to fit within one another as the trailer is being mounted on said tractor.
7. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the ridge is located on said tractor bed and is made of angle iron mounted on a frame of said bed, there being two L-shaped angle irons that are mounted parallel to one another on an upper surface of said frame near a centre of said bed, said front portion of said trailer containing corresponding angle irons that form a channel on an undersurface of said front portion, said ridge and said channel corresponding to one another.
8. A tractor and trailer in combination as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the support means for said trailer, when separated from said tractor, are hydraulic outriggers located at a front and rear of each side of said truck body portion and wheels located on said rear portion.
9. A method of using a tractor and trailer in combination, said trailer being designed to transport automobiles and the like, said trailer having a front truck body portion and a rear portion, said tractor having a-cab with a bed located to a rear of said cab, said front truck body portion of said trailer being detachably mountable on said bed, with means to support said trailer in an upright position for re-attaching to said tractor when said trailer is completely detached from said tractor, said method comprising loading a trailer that is not attached to any tractor with automobiles and the like, subsequently attaching a tractor to said trailer, delivering said trailer to another location using said tractor, activating the means to support the trailer when the tractor is detached, detaching said tractor from said trailer and subsequently unloading said automobiles from said trailer.
10. A method of using a tractor and trailer in combination, said trailer being designed to transport automobiles and the like, said trailer having a front truck body portion and a rear portion, said trailer having a cab with a bed located to a rear of said cab, said front truck portion of said trailer being detachably mountable on said bed, with means to support said trailer in an upright position for re-attaching to said tractor when said trailer has been completely detached from said tractor, said bed and said truck body portion having a fifth wheel mounted thereon with a kingpin corresponding to said fifth wheel mounted on the other of said truck body portion and said bed, said kingpin being sized and oriented to detachably and lockingly engage said fifth wheel when the truck body portion is properly placed on said bed, one of said truck body portion and said bed also including spring-loaded pins that are designed to fit within suitable openings in a frame of the other of said bed and said truck body portion when the tractor and trailer are in a locked position, said spring-loaded pins being controlled by pneumatic pressure, said method comprising loading a trailer that is not attached to any tractor with automobiles and the like, subsequently orienting a bed of a tractor relative to said truck body portion of said trailer so that said bed is located immediately beneath said truck body portion, locking said kingpin in said fifth wheel and locking said pins in said openings, delivering said trailer to another location using said tractor, unlocking said kingpin from said fifth wheel and said pins from said openings, activating a means to support the trailer when the tractor is detached, detaching said trailer from said tractor and subsequently unloading said motor vehicles from said trailer.
11. A method of using a tractor and trailer in combination, said trailer being designed to transport automobiles and the like, said trailer having a front truck body portion and a rear portion, said tractor having a cab with a bed located to a rear of said cab, said front truck body portion of said trailer being detachably mountable on said bed, with means to support said trailer in an upright position for reattaching to said tractor when said trailer is completely detached from said tractor, said bed having a fifth wheel mounted thereon and said truck body having a kingpin corresponding to said fifth wheel mounted thereon, said kingpin being sized and oriented to detachably and lockingly engage said fifth wheel when the truck body portion is properly placed on said bed, said truck body portion having spring-loaded pins located thereon, said pins being sized and located to fit within suitable openings in a frame of said bed when the trailer and tractor are in a locked position, said spring-loaded pins being controlled by pneumatic pressure, said method comprising loading a trailer that is not attached to any tractor with automobiles and the like, subsequently orienting a bed of a tractor relative to said truck body portion of said trailer so that said bed is located immediately beneath said truck body portion, locking said kingpin in said fifth wheel and locking said pins in said openings, delivering said trailer to another location using said tractor, unlocking said kingpin from said fifth wheel and said pins from said openings, activating a means to support the trailer when the tractor is detached, detaching said trailer from said tractor and subsequently unloading said motor vehicles from said trailer.
12. A method of using a tractor and trailer in combination, said trailer being designed to transport automobiles and the like, said trailer having a front truck body portion and a rear portion, said trailer having a cab with a bed located to a rear of said cab, said front truck portion of said trailer being detachably mountable on said bed, with hydraulic outriggers located at a front and rear of each side of said truck body portion and wheels located on said rear portion to support said trailer in an upright position for re-attaching to said tractor when said trailer has been completely detached from said tractor, said bed and said truck body portion having a fifth wheel mounted thereon with a kingpin corresponding to said fifth wheel mounted on the other of said truck body portion and said bed, said kingpin being sized and oriented to detachably and lockingly engage said fifth wheel when the truck body portion is properly placed on said bed, one of said truck body portion and said bed also including spring-loaded pins that are designed to fit within suitable openings in a frame of the other of said bed and said truck body portion when the tractor and trailer are in a locked position, said spring-loaded pins being controlled by pneumatic pressure, said method comprising loading a trailer that is not attached to any tractor with automobiles and the like, subsequently orienting a bed of a tractor relative to said truck body portion of said trailer so that said bed is located immediately beneath said truck body portion, locking said kingpin in said fifth wheel and locking said pins in said openings, delivering said trailer to another location using said tractor, unlocking said kingpin from said fifth wheel and said pins from said openings, the hydraulic outriggers to support the trailer when the tractor is detached, detaching said trailer from said tractor and subsequently unloading said motor vehicles from said trailer.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US63669391A | 1991-01-02 | 1991-01-02 | |
| US07/636,693 | 1991-01-02 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2058477A1 true CA2058477A1 (en) | 1992-07-03 |
Family
ID=24552959
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2058477 Abandoned CA2058477A1 (en) | 1991-01-02 | 1991-12-24 | Tractor and trailer combination for transporting automobiles and method of use therefor |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2058477A1 (en) |
-
1991
- 1991-12-24 CA CA 2058477 patent/CA2058477A1/en not_active Abandoned
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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