GB2149360A - Vehicle transporter - Google Patents

Abstract

A transporter for transporting vehicles has an upper deck 16 and a lower deck 18. A trap door 26 in the upper deck can be fixed in a raised position which allows vehicles to be driven the full length of the upper deck, or can be lowered to allow a vehicle driven up the upper deck to be supported partly on the trap door and partly on the lower deck. Further vehicles can then be driven on to the upper deck behind the ramp formed by the trap door. The upper deck is then raised and other vehicles are driven on to the lower deck. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle transporter Field of the invention This invention concerns vehicle transporters and is particularly concerned with articulated trailers used for transporting vehicles. For the purposes of this specification, the term "transporter" includes both a powered transporter vehicle, and a trailer for use with a powered tractor unit; The invention is also particularly concerned with a transporter for transporting vans, as opposed to cars, but is not limited to this particular application.

Background to the invention.

A problem with transporting vans is their height. Conventionally it has only been possible to transport five vans on one transporter (two on the lower deck and three on the upper deck), and the space at the front of the lower deck above the fifth wheel compling of the trailer cannot be used because there is insufficient height at this point to accommodate a van. If the upper deck was raised to achieve this extra height, then the overall loading height of the trailer would be excessive.

Summary of the invention.

According to the present invention there is provided a transporter for transporting vehicles which has a lower deck and an upper deck, means for lowering the rear end of the upper deck to a position adjacent the rear end of the lower deck to permit vehicles to be driven on to the upper deck, and a trap door in the upper deck, towards the front end thereof, which trap door in the raised position forms a continuous part of the upper deck allowing vehicles to be driven over it to reach the end of the upper deck and, in the lowered position, forms a ramp down which a vehicle can be driven from the upper deck to the lower deck.

With this transporter, one vehicle can be loaded by driving it from the upper deck down the ramp to the lower deck, and allowing the roof of the vehicle to project above the level of the upper deck, through the opening left by the lowering of the trap door. Thus an extra vehicle can be carried.

The trap door is preferably hinged to the upper deck and may be formed in two sections hingably joined together so that, in the lowered position a ramp is formed which has two ramp surfaces at different angles of inclination. The hinged joint between the two sections may be supported when the trap door is in the raised position by a removable cross member beneath the hinge.

To anchor the sections of the hinged trap door in the correct relative positions, some anchoring means may be provided whereby the free edge of the trap door is anchored to the. lower deck when in the lowered position.

In the lowered position, the angle of inclination of the shallower trap door section is conveniently in the range of 5-10" to the horizontal, and the angle of the steeper trap door section is preferably in the range of 20-45" to the horizontal.

The invention also provides a method of loading the transporter, which method comprises the steps of lowering the upper deck into its loading position, driving a first vehicle onto the upper deck to the farthest end thereof, lowering the trap door so that the lower end rests on the lower deck, reversing a second vehicle onto the upper deck and down the ramp formed by the trap door until the rear wheels of the second vehicle rest on the lower deck and the front wheels of the second vehicle rest on the ramp, driving two further vehicles on to the upper deck, thereafter raising the upper deck to its travelling position and driving two further vehicles on to the lower deck.

It will be appreciated that when the upper deck is raised to its travelling position, the angle of the ramp will change, but the geometry of the ramp should be such that there is no interference with the second vehicle which is resting partly on the ramp Brief description of the drawings.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure I is a side view of a transporter in accordance with the invention, with the upper deck lowered; and Figure 2 is a side view of the transporter shown in Fig. 1, with the upper deck raised and fully loaded with vehicles.

Detailed description of the drawings The transporter shown in the Figures is a trailer intended to be connected by an articulated, fifth-wheel coupling 10 to a tractor unit.

The trailer has road wheels 1 2 and supporting legs 14. An upper deck 1 6 is supported above a lower deck 18 by struts 20 and by a hydraulically operated link 22 driven by a hydraulic ram 24. The link 22 and the ram 24 allow the upper deck to be lowered from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in full lines which is the loading position. To allow vehicles to be driven on, separate ramps (not shown) are attached to the rear end of the transporter in a conventional manner.

Towards the front end of the upper decks 1 6 there is a hinged trap door 26. This trap door is shown in both Figures in its lowered position, but it is to be understood that the trap door also has a raised position in which it is coextensive with the upper deck 16. The trap door is in two sections 28 and 30. The section 28 is hinged at 32 to the upper deck 16, and the second section 30 is hinged at 34 to the first section. In the raised position of the trap door, a removable cross member 36 supports the hinge joint 34 and a suitable locking mechanism will lock the free edge 38 of the trap door to the upper deck.

When the trap door 26 is lowered anchor pins at the free edge 38 of the trap door engage in slotted hoies in that part of the lower deck 18 which lies above the fifthwheel coupling 10.

In use, to load the trailer, the upper deck 1 6 is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The trap door 26 is raised, and a first vehicle 40 is driven on to the upper deck. In the example shown the first vehicle is a chassis/ cab derivative which is reversed onto the vehicle. Once this first vehicle has reached the desired position and been locked in place, the trap door 26 is lowered and a second vehicle 42 is driven on. This second vehicle 42 is also a chassis/cab derivative and is again reversed on. This vehicle will travel through the gap left by the trap door, and down the ramp formed by the lowered trap door until the rear wheel of the vehicle reaches a suitable abutment on the platform 44 whereupon it stops with its front wheels in suitably placed wells 46 on the trap door section 30. Two further vehicles 48 and 50 are then driven on to the upper deck and anchored in position.

The upper deck is then raised by extending the hydraulic ram 24, and two more vehicles 52 and 54 are then driven on to the lower deck to complete the complement of the transporter.

When the upper deck is raised, the angles of the trap door sections 28 and 39 alter, as can be seen by comparing Figs. 1 and 2. At the same time, the free edge 38 of the section 30 slides along the platform 48, with the anchor pins sliding in their slotted holes.

The angle between the sections 28 and 30, and the position of the hinges 34, are chosen so there is no interference, in the "upper deck raised" position with the front end of the vehicle 42.

It can clearly be seen from Fig. 2 that the second loaded vehicle 42 sits on the transporter with its roof projecting through the opening in the upper deck and this allows the height restrictions nominally imposed by the narrow gap between the platform 44 and the upper deck 1 6 to be overcome.

The transporter described enables a full range of different types of van derivatives to be carried. In the particular embodiment shown, two chassis/cab derivatives 40, 42, two high-roof long-wheel base units 48 and 50 and two standard vans 52 and 54 are all carried at the same time.

Claims (10)

1. A transporter for transporting vehicles which has a lower deck and an upper deck, means for lowering the rear end of the upper deck to a position adjacent the rear end of the lower deck to permit vehicles to be driven on to the upper deck, and a trap door in the upper deck, towards the front end thereof, which trap door in the raised position forms a continuous part of the upper deck allowing vehicles to be driven over it to reach the end of the upper deck and, in the lowered position, forms a ramp down which a vehicle can be driven from the upper deck to the lower deck.

2. A transporter as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the trap door is hinged to the upper deck.

3. A transporter as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the trap door is formed in two sections which are hingably jointed together so that, in the lowered position a ramp is formed with two ramp surfaces at different angles of inclination.

4. A transporter as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the hinged joint between the two section is supported in the raised position by a removable cross member beneath the hinge.

5. A transporter as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, including means for anchoring the free edge of the trap door to the lower deck, when the trap door is in the lowered position.

6. A transporter as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein the angle of inclination of the shallower trap door section, in the lowered position, is in the range 5 to 10 to the horizontal and the angle of the steeper trap door section is in the range 20 to 45 to the horizontal.

7. A transporter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ramp leads down, in its lowered position, to a platform above the fifthwheel coupling of the trailer.

8. A transporter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the trap door has wells for receiving and locating the wheels of vehicles to be transported.

9. A method of loading a vehicle transporter comprising the steps of lowering an upper deck into its loading position, driving a first vehicle on to the upper deck to the farthest end thereof, lowering a trap door in the upper deck so that the lower end of the trap door rests on the lower deck, reversing a second vehicle on to the upper deck and down the ramp until the rear wheels of the second vehicle rest on the lower deck and the front wheels rest on the ramp formed by the trap door, driving further vehicles on to the upper deck, raising the upper deck to its transporting position and driving further vehicles on to the lower deck.

10. A transporter for transporting vehicles, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.