GB1316258A - Road vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1316258 Platform vehicles MARSDENS (COACHBUILDERS) Ltd 24 July 1970 [26 July 1969] 37670/69 Heading B7B [Also in Division B8] In a road vehicle the chassis 12 moves rearwardly and relative to a platform 10 mounted on four legs 18, 26 to engage coupling means including a ramp to lift the front end of the platform and the chassis is also provided with rear platform lifting means. The coupling means comprises a normally inclined plate 48 pivoting about an axle 52 carried by a bridge 50. The plate 48 has a V-shaped cut away communicating with a slot which guides and receives a pin at the forward end of the platform 10. A ramp (not shown) is also provided on the underside of the platform forward of the pin. The rear lifting means, Fig, 2, is arranged to act on rails 60, 62 mounted at the end of supporting arms (64), Fig. 5 (not shown), pivotally mounted to side members (66) of the chassis to move the rails 60, 62 upwardly in an arc to engage platform rails 94, 96. The rails 60, 62 are actuated by an hydraulic or pneumatically operated double acting ram pivotally connected thereto. Links 74, 76 are pivotally joined in a slot guide 78 in a member 80 and are pivotally connected to the rails 60, 62 to keep them in phase. A pivoting locking plate 84 is biased by a spring 88 to engage the pivotal coupling 82 to hold the rails 60, 62 in the raised position. The mechanism may be released by an arm 90. The rails 60, 62 have platform engaging rollers (not shown), located in the region of 98 to reduce friction. The legs 18, 26 may be swung to a horizontal position by pulling a square section of the leg partially out of the hole 30, Fig. 6, and swinging in the sleeves 34 through 90 degrees and pushing the legs back in the hole 30. A locking member 36 pivoted by a spring 38 is released by a pull rod 40 so that the leg may be completely withdrawn. The rear legs may be provided with retractable wheels to facilitate moving.