GB2136365A

GB2136365A - A car-carrying vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2136365A
Application number: GB08405941A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Antonio Vigorita
Original assignee: FARID SpA
Current assignee: FARID SpA
Priority date: 1983-03-15
Filing date: 1984-03-07
Publication date: 1984-09-19
Also published as: GB8405941D0; DE3409405A1; FR2542682B3; FR2542682A3

Abstract

A car-carrying platform 6 is supported by two pairs of uprights 3 and 7, positioning means being provided and co-operating with the uprights so as to modify the position of the platform relative to the vehicle chassis. Each upright 7 is longitudinally extendable in telescopic form and its base end is pivoted to the vehicle chassis whereas its upper end is pivoted to the platform about a transverse axis 11. Actuating means are provided for longitudinally extending the telescopic uprights and locking means are provided for holding them in a contracted position. Each locking means may comprise a toothed arm pivoted to the lower part 8 of the upright and engaging one of a number of openings in the upper part 10. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A car carrying vehicle The invention relates to car-carrying vehicles of the kind comprising a car-holding platform borne by the vehicle frame via two pairs of uprights, each pair of uprights being disposed opposite one another at opposite sides of the vehicle, and positioning means co-operating with the uprights so as to modify the position of the platform relative to the chassis.

In vehicles of the aforementioned kind, it should be easy to load and unload cars on the loading platform. To this end, the platform must be easy to raise and incline.

In addition, the means for raising or inciining the platform must have very small overall dimensions, so that relatively large cars can be loaded.

The object of the invention is to construct a carcarrying vehicle comprising a loading platform which is easy to operate, is reliable and economic in construction and is adapted to carry relative large vehicles.

To this end, a car-carrying vehicle of the aforementioned kind is constructed according to the invention, characterised in that the two uprights in each pair are telescopically extendable, their bottom ends being pivoted to the chassis and their top ends being pivoted to the platform around two axes parallel to the vehicle bearing plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, actuating means being provided for longitudinally extending the telescopic uprights and locking means being provided for holding them in a longitudinal contracted position.

The invention will now be described with reference to non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment, and in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in elevation of a car-carrying vehicle according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a larger-scale perspective view of a detail along arrow II in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in section along line Ill-Ill in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a variant of Fig. 1.

Reference 1 denotes a car-carrying vehicle comprising a base chassis 2 formed with bearing tracks adapted to receive some cars forming part of the vehicle load. Two uprights 3 are secured at the front of chassis 2 opposite one another on two opposite sides of the vehicle. Each upright 3 has a fixed vertical structure 4 comprising a guide inside which a shaft 5 moves. Shaft 5 is pivotably connected to the front part of a loading platform 6 adapted to bear some cars included in the vehicle load. Each shaft 5 is connnected to platform 6 around a pivoting axis parallel to the vehicle bearing plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. . Jacks can be used to raise shaft 5 relative to fixed structure 4 in uprights 3. At the rear, platform 6 is supported by a pair of uprights 7 each comprising a base part 8 secured to chassis 2 around a pivot 9.Uprights 7 are connected to pivots 9 around a single axis constituting the connecting axis between the chassis and the base of uprights 7. A top part 10 moves telescopically in the base part 8 of each 'rear upright, the end of part 10 remote from base part 8 being secured to platform 6 around a pivot 11. The two pivots 11 joining uprights 7 to platform 6 are disposed along a single axis, constituting the connecting axis between uprights 7 and platform 6. The connecting axes relative to pivots 9 and pivots 11 are parallel to the pivoting axis of shaft 5 to platform 6. The top part 10 is moved inside the base part 8 of each upright 7 by a hydraulic jack 12 whose shaft is pivoted to the top part 10 and whose cylinder is pivoted to the base part 8. To save space, jack 12 is disposed inside its respective upright 7.The top part 10 of each upright 11 is formed on one side with a number of apertures 13 disposed side by side and in line. The end 1 4a of a locking tooth 14 engages in one aperture so as to stop the telescopic motion of part 10. Tooth 14 is secured on a pivot 1 5 borne by retaining plates 1 6 secured to base part 8. A spring 1 7 acting on part 8 and reacting against tooth 1 4 automatically engages the tooth in an aperture 13. An operator-controlled pull rod 1 8 acts on tooth 14 against the action of spring 1 7 and releases tooth 1 4 from apertures 13, thus enabling part 10 to move.Tooth 14 is shaped.and disposed so that upward motion of part 10 produced by the respective jack 12 automatically disengages tooth 14 against the action of spring 1 7. On the other hand when jack 12 is inactivated, part 10 descends and engages tooth 14 in an aperture 1 3 and holds it there through action of spring 17.

Irrespective of the operative position of platform 6, the common connecting axis of pivots 11 is always disposed in the most forward position, i.e. nearest the guide cabin, relative to the common connecting axis of pivots 9.

Consequently the rear uprights are always inclined forward, from bottom to top, relative to the vertical. This facilities the transmission of reaction forces between platform 6 and the uprights and between the uprights and the vehicle chassis.

In the variant in Fig. 4, the general reference 21 denotes a car-carrying trailer vehicle, i.e. adapted to be towed by a motor vehicle. Vehicle 21 comprises a chassis 22 borne by two pairs of wheels 23. Two uprights 25 opposite one another are connected to the front of chassis 22 and disposed one on each side thereof. The base of each upright 25 is secured to a pivot 26 borne by a guide block 27. Block 27 runs along a guide 28 under the action of a hydraulic jack 29. Each upright 25 has a shaft 30 secured at one end to a pivot 31 borne by uprights 25 and at the other end to a pivot 32 borne by frame 22. The top end of each upright 25 is secured to a pivot 33 borne by a loading platform 34 adapted to hold the cars being carried. The rear of platform 34 is borne by a pair of telescopic longitudinally extendable uprights 35 similar in all respects to the rear uprights 7 of the vehicle in Fig. 1. Accordingly the parts of uprights 35 are denoted by the same reference numbers as used for the corresponding parts of uprights 7.

Of course, without changing the basic features of the invention, constructional details and embodiments can be widely varied without thereby departing from the scope of ths invention.

Claims

1. A car-carrying vehicle comprising a carholding platform borne by the vehicle chassis via two pairs of uprights, each pair of uprights being disposed opposite one another at the opposite sides ofthe vehicle, and positioning means cooperating with the uprights to modify the position of the loading platform relative to the vehicle chassis, characterised in that the two uprights in each pair are telescopically extendable, their bottom ends being pivoted to the chassis and their top ends being pivoted to the platform around two axes parallel to the vehicle bearing plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, actuating means being provided for longitudinally extending the telescopic uprights and locking means being provided for holding them in a longitudinal contracted position.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the actuating means for longitudinally extending each telescopic upright comprise a hydraulic jack disposed inside the upright and pivoted at its ends to the adjacent ends of the upright.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each upright comprises a base part connected to the vehicle frame and a top part axially movable relative to the base part and connected to the loading platform, and the locking means for holding each telescopic upright in a longitudinal contracted position comprise a tooth or catch rotatably held by a one of the two parts of the telescopic upright, a number of apertures being formed in the other part of the upright in a position adjacent the tooth, and resilient means causing the tooth to engage in the aperture opposite the tooth and release means actuated by the operator and releasing the tooth from the aperture against the action of resilient means.

4. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the other pair of uprights are angularly fixed and comprise a part adapted to move in longitudinal guides formed on the upright and pivoted to the loading platform actuating means being adapted to move part longitudinally and locking means being provided for holding part in predetermined positions.

5. A vehicle according to claim 4, characterised in that, in every operative position taken up by platform the connect axis around which the telescopic uprights are pivoted to platform is always moved forwards relative to the connecting axis along which the uprights are pivoted to the vehicle chassis, so that the uprights are always inclined forward, from bottom to top, relative to the vertical.

6. A vehicle according to claims 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the other pair of uprights are pivoted at the bottom to a guide block movable in a longitudinal guide formed in the vehicle chassis, whereas the opposite ends of the guides are secured at a fixed point of the loading platform, each upright having a connecting shaft pivoted at one end at an intermediate point on the upright and at the other end at a fixed point on the vehicle chassis, means being provided for moving each guide along its respective longitudinal guide.

7. A vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.