GB2211159A - Tow rope with forking portions for towing a handlebar-type vehicle - Google Patents
Tow rope with forking portions for towing a handlebar-type vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2211159A GB2211159A GB8724624A GB8724624A GB2211159A GB 2211159 A GB2211159 A GB 2211159A GB 8724624 A GB8724624 A GB 8724624A GB 8724624 A GB8724624 A GB 8724624A GB 2211159 A GB2211159 A GB 2211159A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- tow rope
- vehicle
- towing
- handlebar
- present
- 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.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60D—VEHICLE CONNECTIONS
- B60D1/00—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
- B60D1/14—Draw-gear or towing devices characterised by their type
- B60D1/18—Tow ropes, chains or the like
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Steering Devices For Bicycles And Motorcycles (AREA)
Abstract
A tow rope for towing a handlebar type of vehicle is provided with two-forked at its end. The tow rope is engaged with the handlebar type of vehicle or disabled vehicle at the two-forked portions 2, 3 thereof to automatically control a handlebar 7 of the vehicle being towed in a towing operation. The tow rope may be of Y or V shaped form. <IMAGE>
Description
TOW ROPE WITH FORKED PORTIONS FOR
TOWING HANDLEBAR-TYPE VEHICLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a tow rope for towing a vehicle, particularly for towing a handlebar-type vehicle.
Description of the Prior Art:
Hitherto, in towing a vehicle, a suitable tow rope having a sufficient tensile strength is connected to a rear portion of a traction vehicle or towing vehicle at its one end while connected to a front end portion of a trailer vehicle or disabled vehicle at the other end thereof, so that the disabled vehicle is towed by the towing vehicle through such to rope.
In this case, the disabled vehicle is pulled at a point of the front end portion thereof to which the tow rope is connected regardless of the type of steering means of the disabled vehicle, for example such as a handlebar and a steering wheel, so that the disabled vehicle considerably lacks stability during a towing operation thereof. Particularly, in a curving movement, since the disabled vehicle is pulled laterally by the towing vehicle, there is a tendency for the disabled vehicle to be turned over. Such tendency is especially large when the disabled vehicle is a three-wheel vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tow rope for towing a handlebar-type vehicle in a stable manner even when the handlebar-type vehicle is a three-wheel vehicle.
The tow rope of the present invention fdr towing the handlebar-type vehicle is characterized in that it is provided with two-forked portions of equal length at least at its end.
The tow rope of the present invention may assume a Y-shaped form or a V-shaped form, as a whole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a Y-shaped tow rope of a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention in the towing operation;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention in the towing operation;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the geometry for the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention with respect to the disabled vehicle in the towing operation, for illustrating the relationship between the configuration of the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention and an area of a isosceles triangle of the vehicle, verti ces of which triangle are formed by centers of groundcontact surfaces of wheels of the disabled vehicle;;
Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention at the beginning of curving movement of the disabled vehicle in the towing operation thereof; and
Fig. 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the to rope of the present invention assuming a
V-shaped form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereinbelow will be described the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings.
A handlebar 7 is generally employed in a two-wheel vehicle or a three-wheel vehicle, and sometimes also in a four-wheel vehicle. A tow rope of the present invention is employed in a towing operation of a handlebar-type vehicle regardless of the number of wheels thereof.
It is clear that the tow rope of the present invention is also employed in a towing operation of a vehicle provided with any other steering means such as a steering wheel and the like. According to the present invention, the tow rope is provided with two-forked portions 2 and 3 of equal length at least at its one end.
Such two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention enables the handlebar 7 of a towed vehicle or disabled vehicle to be always kept perpendicular to a towing direction of the vehicle, because the tow rope is connected to the disabled vehicle at its two-forked portions 2 and 3 which are symmetrically connected to the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle or symmetrically connected to any other suitable member such as a front-wheel's fork blades identically connected to the handlebar with respect to a center of the handlebar or such suitable member so as to form an isosceles triangle therebetween.
The tow rope of the present invention may assume a V-shaped form or a Y-shaped form, and may be made of any conventional material having been employed as a material of the tow rope.
In order to conduct the towing operation of the disabled vehicle in a stable manner, as shown in Fig.
3, a point of intersection "D" of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention should be disposed in a position in front of a ground-contact point 9 of a front wheel 10 of the disabled vehicle.
Namely, in this case, as shown in Fig. 4, it is necessary for both the point of intersection "D" and a stretched portion of the tow rope of the present invention to be disposed in positions outside an area of an isosceles triangle defined by centers of ground-contact surfaces of the wheel 10 and rear wheels 11 of the disabled vehicle in order to conduct the towing operation of the disabled vehicle in a stable manner so as to prevent the disabled vehicle from being turned over. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, in case that the disabled vehicle is a handlebar-type three-wheel vehicle, the tow rope of the present invention must be connected to the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle at positions "C" and "D" outside the above isosceles triangle.When the positions and "D" enter the area of the isosceles triangle of the disabled vehicle, the disabled vehicle considerably lacks stability in the towing operation thereof. As shown in
Fig. 4, Sides "a" and "b" of the isosceles triangle of the disabled vehicle are equal in length and are defined by the centers of ground-contact surfaces of the wheels 10 and 11 of the disabled vehicle while intersect the handlebar 7 at positions "A" and "B", respectively.
A Y-shaped tow rope of a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. As shown in
Fig. 2, a three-wheel buggy or disabled vehicle is towed by a towing vehicle through the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention. In Fig. 2, both the towing vehicle and the disabled vehicle are shown in phantom lines, while the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention is shown in solid lines. The first embodiment of the tow rope of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 divides its rear end in the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of equal length. Although the first embodiment of the tow rope of the present invention is integrally constructed, it is also possible to assemble the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention from separate three components essentially consisting of a main body portion 1 of the tow rope and the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the same. For example, hook means are provided in free ends of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope while an end of the main body portion 1 or the tow rope is provided with a ring member, so that the hook means of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 are engaged with the ring member of the main body portion 1 to assembly the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention from these three components, i.e., the two-forked portions 2, 3 and the main body portion 1 of the tow rope of the present invention.
Each of three free-end portions 4, 5 and 6 of the first embodiment of the Y-shaped tow rope of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 assumes a simple ring-like form which serves as the above-mentioned hook means or the ring member. Particularly, each of the twoforked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 assumes a ring-like form as a ole. In use, each end of the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle such as a disabled three-wheel vehicle is inserted into each of the ring-like two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention as shown in Fig. 2.On the other hand, the other end portion 4 of the main body portion 1 of the tow rope of the present invention is engaged with a U-shaped connecting bar 8 provided in a rear-end portion of the towing vehicle such as a similar three-wheel buggy through a lark's head hitch. Each of engaging means of these three free-end portions 4, 5 and 6 of the Y-shaped tow rope may be some other engaging means such as a conventional hook means and the like than the loop 2, 3 or 4 of the tow rope shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
The main body portion 1 of the tow rope of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is constructed of a tubular cloth woven of stretch nylon yarns, in which tubular cloth are received rubber threads to form a stretch portion of the tow rope or the present invention, while both the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope are constructed of the tubular cloth only to form a non-stretch portions of the tow rope of the present invention. The tow rope of the present invention having the above construction is advantageously prevented from twining the wheels of the disabled vehicle during the towing operation thereof, because the stretch portion of the tow rope absorbs any slack of the tow rope when the disabled vehicle approaches the towing vehicle during such towing operation.However, the tow rope of the present invention may be constructed of any other non-stretch material such as a wire rope, a metallic chain, a conventional natural-fiber braided rope, a conventional synthetic-fiber braided rope and the like.
Both the two-forked portions 2 and 3 or the tow rope of the present invention tend to move to the center of the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle during the towing operation thereof under the influence of a tensile force applied to the tow rope. Such movements of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope are prevented by mounting means 13 of the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle, which mounting means 13 are fixed to upper-end portions of steering-fork blades of the front wheel of the disabled vehicle at the positions "A" and "B" of the handlebar 7 as shown in Fig. 4, so that the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention are symmetrically disposed with respect to the center of the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle to form the isosceles triangle provided with the sides "a" and "b" as shown in Fig. 4, whereby the to rope of the present invention is engaged with the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle at positions outside the area of the above isosceles triangle of the disabled vehicle. In case that the disabled vehicle is not provided with the mounting means 13 of the handlebar 7, both the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention may be engaged with grip portions 12 of the handlebar 7 for preventing the above-mentioned movement of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 toward the center of the handlebar 7.
In this case, it is advisable to coat the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope of the present invention with a suitable frictional material such as rubber and the like.
In the towing operation, during a straight movement of the towing vehicle, both the two-forked portions 2 and 3 are equally pulled so that the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle is kept perpendicular to a towing direction thereof, whereby the disabled vehicle is pulled in a stable manner. In a curving movement of the towing vehicle, for example, in case that the disabled vehicle is turned left, the forked portion 2 of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope is slacked for a moment at the beginning of the curving movement as shown in
Fig. 5, while the other forked portion 3 of the two-forked portions 2 and 3 of the tow rope pulls the right-half of the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle as shown in
Fig. 5, so that the handlebar 7 of the disabled vehicle is turned counterclockwise as shown in an arrow "p" shown in Fig. 5 to stretch again the forked portion 2 of the tow rope, whereby the front wheel of the disabled vehicle is turned counterclockwise as shown in Fig. 5. Consequently, there is always some time lag in steering the front wheel of the disabled vehicle. In spite of such time lag, the disabled vehicle always follows the towing vehicle to make it possible to pull the disabled vehicle in a stable manner even in the curving movement thereof without any fear for the disabled vehicle's turning over.
In this case, both the position "D" and the stretched portion of the tow rope of the present invention are naturally kept at the positions outside the area of the isosceles triangle of the disabled vehicle as shown in
Fig. 4.
The tow rope of the present invention is most effectively employed in towing the handlebar-type threewheel vehicle without any fear of the vehicle's turning over even when such vehicle is not controlled by a person.
In case that the vehicle to be pulled is a twowheel vehicle, the tow rope of the present invention enables a driver of such two-wheel vehicle to control the handlebar 7 of the towed vehicle easier than the case in which a conventional single tow rope is employed in the towing operation thereof. This is true also in case of a handlebar-type four-wheel vehicle.
A second embodiment of the tow rope of the present invention assumes a V-shaped form as shown in Fig. 6, in which a bent portion of the tow rope is engaged with the U-shaped member provided in a rear-end portion of the towing vehicle, while two free-end portions 6f the tow rope are engaged with the disabled vehicle or towed vehicle in the same manner as that of the first embodiment of the tow rope of the present invention shown in Figs.
1 to 5. Although the second embodiment of the tow rope of the present invention is constructed of a one piece of rope, it is also possible that the tow rope of the present invention is constructed of a plurality of pieces of ropes, for example may be constructed of two pieces of ropes separated at a position corresponding to the bent portion of the tow rope of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 6, provided that the two pieces of ropes are provided with suitable hook means through which the two pieces of ropes are engaged with the U-shaped member of the towing vehicle to assume a V-shaped form. In this case, the tow rope of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 6 may be constructed of the same material as that of the main body portion 1 of the first embodiment of the tow rope of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5.
It is also possible that the tow rope of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 6 is constructed of any other suitable material including a non-stretch material.
Claims (4)
1. A tow rope for towing 2 handlebar type of vehicle, in with the tow rope is provided with two-forked portions of
equal length at its end.
2. The two rope for towing a handlebar type of vehicle as
claimed in Claim 1, in which said tow rope assumes a
Y-shaped form as a whole.
3. The tow rope for towing a handlebar type of vehicle as clained in Clai 1, in which said tow rope assumes a
V-shaped for as a whole.
4. A tow rope for towing a handlebar type of vehicle constructed
and arranged substantially as described herein and shown in
Figures 1-5 or Figure 6 of the accornpanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR8715220A FR2622513A1 (en) | 1987-11-03 | 1987-11-03 | TOWING CABLE HAVING TWO BRANCHES FOR HITTING A HANDLEBAR TYPE VEHICLE |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8724624D0 GB8724624D0 (en) | 1987-11-25 |
| GB2211159A true GB2211159A (en) | 1989-06-28 |
Family
ID=9356431
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8724624A Withdrawn GB2211159A (en) | 1987-11-03 | 1987-10-21 | Tow rope with forking portions for towing a handlebar-type vehicle |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU8010987A (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2622513A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2211159A (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6349960B1 (en) * | 2000-05-18 | 2002-02-26 | Sportsstuff, Inc. | Tow line connector |
| US7296816B2 (en) * | 2004-04-13 | 2007-11-20 | Mule Transport Systems, Llc | Equipment transport system and kit |
| US8292317B1 (en) * | 2009-08-17 | 2012-10-23 | Winters Mark R | Tow bar for tricycle or bicycle |
| WO2022031403A3 (en) * | 2020-08-07 | 2023-03-09 | Landis Eric Michael | Connecting straps for sports activities |
| RU228329U1 (en) * | 2024-06-19 | 2024-08-23 | Дмитрий Александрович Малахов | A towing device mounted on the front fork of the towed vehicle |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112758603A (en) * | 2020-12-29 | 2021-05-07 | 中煤科工集团沈阳设计研究院有限公司 | Cable type longitudinal positioning device for hanging return roller of belt conveyor |
Citations (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB115437A (en) * | 1916-07-13 | 1918-11-07 | Eugene Garnier | Improvements in Devices for Securing Horses or Mules whilst being Shod. |
| GB552749A (en) * | 1941-10-21 | 1943-04-22 | Robert Kronfeld | Improvements relating to towing devices for aircraft with particular reference to tow cable tension control |
| GB755633A (en) * | 1954-01-13 | 1956-08-22 | William Cooke & Company Ltd | Improvements in or relating to slings |
| GB982574A (en) * | 1961-01-30 | 1965-02-10 | Philip Clarke | Towing means for damaged vehicles |
| GB1312572A (en) * | 1971-09-07 | 1973-04-04 | Peters F W | Slings |
| GB1341837A (en) * | 1970-12-31 | 1973-12-25 | Elliott J | Wire ropes |
| GB1528702A (en) * | 1976-05-24 | 1978-10-18 | Mcdonald S | Sling |
| GB2029796A (en) * | 1978-09-11 | 1980-03-26 | I & I Sling Co Ltd | Sling construciton |
Family Cites Families (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1386052A (en) * | 1920-04-15 | 1921-08-02 | Duggan Joseph | Tow-line |
| FR26290E (en) * | 1922-04-25 | 1923-09-27 | Pocket containing an emergency rope for automobiles, fitted with a trailer signal flag | |
| US1591105A (en) * | 1925-02-13 | 1926-07-06 | Rolland Jacob | Towline |
| CH264173A (en) * | 1947-08-16 | 1949-09-30 | Werner Dr Moser | Device to make pushing a two-wheeler easier. |
| DE1662127U (en) * | 1952-08-04 | 1953-08-27 | Joseph Reiss | ELASTIC JOINING OF MATERIALS WITH DIFFERENT EXTENSION COEFFICIENTS. |
| DE1789876U (en) * | 1958-02-04 | 1959-06-04 | Kurt Dipl Ing Dr Karnath | TOW LINE, ESPECIALLY FOR CARS. |
| US3740079A (en) * | 1970-08-20 | 1973-06-19 | G Skinner | Vehicular towing hitch |
| US3893709A (en) * | 1974-02-11 | 1975-07-08 | Jr Bernard H Gertler | Vehicle towing cable apparatus |
-
1987
- 1987-10-21 GB GB8724624A patent/GB2211159A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1987-10-22 AU AU80109/87A patent/AU8010987A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1987-11-03 FR FR8715220A patent/FR2622513A1/en active Pending
Patent Citations (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB115437A (en) * | 1916-07-13 | 1918-11-07 | Eugene Garnier | Improvements in Devices for Securing Horses or Mules whilst being Shod. |
| GB552749A (en) * | 1941-10-21 | 1943-04-22 | Robert Kronfeld | Improvements relating to towing devices for aircraft with particular reference to tow cable tension control |
| GB755633A (en) * | 1954-01-13 | 1956-08-22 | William Cooke & Company Ltd | Improvements in or relating to slings |
| GB982574A (en) * | 1961-01-30 | 1965-02-10 | Philip Clarke | Towing means for damaged vehicles |
| GB1341837A (en) * | 1970-12-31 | 1973-12-25 | Elliott J | Wire ropes |
| GB1312572A (en) * | 1971-09-07 | 1973-04-04 | Peters F W | Slings |
| GB1528702A (en) * | 1976-05-24 | 1978-10-18 | Mcdonald S | Sling |
| GB2029796A (en) * | 1978-09-11 | 1980-03-26 | I & I Sling Co Ltd | Sling construciton |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6349960B1 (en) * | 2000-05-18 | 2002-02-26 | Sportsstuff, Inc. | Tow line connector |
| US7296816B2 (en) * | 2004-04-13 | 2007-11-20 | Mule Transport Systems, Llc | Equipment transport system and kit |
| US8292317B1 (en) * | 2009-08-17 | 2012-10-23 | Winters Mark R | Tow bar for tricycle or bicycle |
| WO2022031403A3 (en) * | 2020-08-07 | 2023-03-09 | Landis Eric Michael | Connecting straps for sports activities |
| RU228329U1 (en) * | 2024-06-19 | 2024-08-23 | Дмитрий Александрович Малахов | A towing device mounted on the front fork of the towed vehicle |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU8010987A (en) | 1989-06-01 |
| FR2622513A1 (en) | 1989-05-05 |
| GB8724624D0 (en) | 1987-11-25 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |