GB2088789A - Dual purpose bulk liquid/flat platform vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The vehicle has a flat load carrying platform and bulk liquid tanks carried beneath the platform. At least one of the tanks is located forward of the rear axle and the tanks are attached to the vehicle frame by rubber bushes which absorb distortions of the vehicle frame during use. Adjacent tanks may have floors sloping in the same direction and be joined by a pipe linking the lower end of the floor of one tank with the upper end of the floor of an adjacent tank so that one tank may be drained into the adjacent tank which is equipped with a liquid outlet at its lowermost end. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dual purpose bulk liquid/flat platform vehicles The present invention relates to dual purpose vehicles having bulk liquid tanks and a flat platform thus having the capability of carrying both liquids and/or container or other goods.

Vehicles and vehicle trailers having both a flat platform and tanks for carrying bulk liquid would have a desirable versatility, since they could carry goods loaded on the platform on one leg of the journey and bulk liquid contained in the tanks on the return journey or vise versa; additionally provided that due account was taken of the axle loading, such vehicles may be used to carry both goods and liquids simultaneously especially when the bulk/weight ratio of the goods is very low for example various plastic materials.

In the past the production of such vehicles has not been possible because of the lack of a satisfactory method of mounting the tanks to the vehicle, difficulty in achieving correct axle loadings during use either as a tanker or with a platform fully loaded, and further difficulty achieving a tank volume that would give a reasonable payload of liquid load.

We have now designed a vehicle that satisfactorily solves these problems.

Accordingly, therefore, the present invention provides a dual purpose vehicle having a flat load carrying platform and at least one bulk liquid tank slung beneath the said platform, at least one said tank being located forward of a vehicle rear axle, each said tank being attached to the vehicle frame through resilient suspension means capable of accepting distortion of the vehicle frame without transmitting the distortion to the liquid tanks and including means for filling and emptying each said tank.

Preferably the vehicle is a trailer detachable from its tractor unit and the resilient suspension means comprises rubber bushes.

Each tank preferably includes removable hatches in both top and bottom walls to allow access for cleaning.

When more than one tank is carried by the vehicle it is preferred that the lowermost parts of the tanks are at increasing levels below the vehicle platform along the length of the vehicle, when on level ground, and that they are connected one with the other by drainage pipes, the drainage pipe from one tank connecting with an adjacent tank at a lower level, one common outlet only, being provided. It is further preferred that the base of each tank slopes towards the drainage pipe or outlet as appropriate.

The vehicle may, of course, carry hoses for filling and emptying tanks.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the side view of a vehicle of the present invention, Figure 2 is a section on A-A of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1.

A trailer, detachable from its tractor unit, comprises longitudinally extending I-beam frame members 1 conventionally mounted on rear axles 2 and 3 each of which axle is supported by road wheels 4 and 5 respectively. The forward end of the trailer is supported, when it is detached from the tractor, by retractable landing legs 6. The forward end of the trailer also includes conventional means (not shown) for attachment to the tractor unit.

A flat load carrying platform 7 is conventionally located on the trailer frame members 1.

Three bulk liquid tanks 8, 9 and 10 are suspended beneath the frame, two such tanks being forward of the rear axle and the third, smaller tank at the rear of the axle.

Tanks 8 and 9 have a U-shaped configuration and are attached to the frame via suspension bushes 11. The lower end of each of the said bushes 11 is attached to a bracket 12 extending horizontally from the frame member 1 and the upper portion of each of the said bushes to a bracket 1 3 extending parallel to bracket 12 from the inner wall of the respective tanks.

Tank 10 is formed in the shape of an inverted T with the stem portion extending upwardly between frame members 1 to a level below the platform 7 and is mounted on the said frame members through rubber suspension bushes located outwardly of the said members.

Drainage pipes 1 5, 1 6 and 1 7 run forward of each tank. Drainage pipe 1 5 being at the lowermost forward end of tank 8 and including an on-off valve (not shown). Drainage pipe 1 6 connects the lower forward end of tank 9 with a rear end of tank 8 and similarly drainage pipe 17 connects the lower end of tank 10 with the rear end of tank 9. On/off valves may be incorporated in drainage pipes 16 and 17 if desired.

It will be noted that the tanks each have sloping bases, thus tank 8 has a base 1 8 sloping upwardly towards the rear to a point level with the lower end of base 19 of tank 9, which base also extends upwardly towards the rear end thereof.

The lower end of the base 20 of tank 10 is above the level of base 1 9 and also slopes upwardly towards the rear. The drainage pipes 15, 1 6 and 1 7 are, as shown, located at the lowest points in tanks 8, 9 and 10 respectively so that as liquid is withdrawn from tank 8 via drainage pipe 15, tank 10 will completely empty before the level of liquid in tank 9 falls below the level at which drainage pipe 1 7 enters the rear wall thereof. Similarly continued drainage will result in tank 9 being completely emptied before the level of liquid in tank 8 has fallen below the level of the drainage point 1 5.

Because of the sloping nature of the bases of the tanks 8 and 9 the volumes differ, for example tank 8 may have a volume of 4.874 cu. meters and tank 9 a volume of 4.672 cu. meters.Tank 10 may have a volume of 1.551 cu. meters.

Each of the U-shaped limbs of tanks 8 and 9 contains a cleaning/filling hatch 32, 33 and 40, 41 respectively. The hatches include identical filling ports 34, 35 and 42, 43 respectively.

Tank 10 also includes a cleaning/filling hatch 50 located in uppermost wall and containing a filler port 51 identical with that in tanks 8 and 9.

Flat plafform 7 includes hatches 36, 37; 44, 45 located directly above their respective tank cleaning hatches and are hinged to allow access to the cleaning hatches. A similar hinged hatch 52 is contained in the platform body above cleaning/filling hatch 50 in tank 10.

Additional cleaning hatches 28, 29 and 30 are provided in the forward end of tanks 8, 9 and 10 and located in bases 1 8, 1 9 and 20 respectively.

Storage tubes 60 for carrying delivery hoses may be located at the rear of the trailer on the outside of the frame members and extending from the rear most portion of the trailer over the road wheels to a position short of tank 9.

Claims (10)

1. A vehicle including a rearwardly extending frame, a load carrying platform located thereon and at least one container positioned beneath the said platform, said container being located forward of a rear axle of the vehicle and being attached to the said frame through resilient suspension means capable of accepting distortion of the said vehicle frame thereby substantially preventing distortion of the said container, and including means for filling and emptying said container.

2. A vehicle accordind to claim 1 wherein at least two containers are positioned below the load carrying platform.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2 wherein one of said containers is located rearward of a rear axle of said vehicle.

4. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the container is a bulk liquid tank.

5. A vehicle according to claim 4 wherein said tank includes hatches in both top and bottom walls thereof.

6. A vehicle according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the lowermost portions of adjacent tanks are at different levels below the vehicle platform and are joined by a pipe, the tank having the lowermost portion being provided with a liquid outlet including a flow control valve.

7. A vehicle according to claim 6 wherein the lowermost portion of each tank is inclined towards the said pipe or liquid outlet as appropriate.

8. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims being in the form of a trailer which may be attached to a tractor unit.

9. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the resilient suspension means comprise rubber bushes.

10. A vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.