GB2325901A

GB2325901A - Garden trolley

Info

Publication number: GB2325901A
Application number: GB9811215A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Paul Hubbard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-06-05
Filing date: 1998-05-27
Publication date: 1998-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 2018-05-27
Also published as: GB9811215D0; GB2325901B; GB9711507D0

Abstract

A garden trolley having a wheeled base tray (10), handle means (16) sloping upwardly and rearwardly from the front of the tray and a support (20) upstanding from the rear of the tray beneath the upper and rear end of the handle means, the support carrying a frame 22, preferably removable, which supports a carrier (24) for short garden tools, a locator (32) for long garden tools resting in the base tray, and preferably also a handled removable basket (28).

Description

Garden Trolley This invention relates to a garden trolley.

The invention has for its object more readily to enable garden tools of all kinds to be carried around a garden. By garden tools is meant, for example, relatively short tools such as hand forks, trowels, hand primers, hand shears, etc., as well as relatively long tools such as spades, forks and hoes, etc. In a preferred form the trolley is also able to carry such items as garden canes, small items such as gardening gloves, plant labels, string, etc., and larger items such as buckets, watering cans and container-grown plants.

According to the invention, therefore, there is provided a garden trolley comprising a base carrying the wheels, said base being in the form of a tray, handle means sloping upwardly and rearwardly from the front end region of the tray, and a support upstanding from the rear end region of the tray beneath the upper and rear end of the handle means, said support carrying or being able two receive a carrier for relatively short garden tools and also carrying a locator for relatively long garden tools standing in the base tray.

Preferably, the upstanding support has at the top a generally horizontal divided frame one part of which carries or less desirably is able to receive the short tool carrier and the other part of which carries or more desirably is able to receive a hand portable tray. The front end of the said frame is conveniently provided with the locator, for example in the form of a serpentine bar.

The base tray preferably has a solid front end region in which long tools stand and slope upwardly and rearwardly to be held in place by the locator, and a meshed region to the rear of the front end region for larger self-supporting items.

Additionally, at least one tubular support, closed at its bottom end, may be provided on the handle means for carrying thin elongate items.

The trolley may have two rear wheels only, so as to be movable by rearward tilting, or it may have three or more preferably four wheels and an associated manually operable brake.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the garden trolley in perspecave view; and Figure 2 shows the trolley when partly laden with garden tools: and Figure 3 shows a modified trolley.

Referring to Figure 1, the illustrated trolley has a tray shaped base 10 equipped with front and rear pairs of wheels 12, 14.

The tray preferably has a solid bottom wall lOA at the front end region and a mesh bottom wall 10B to the rear thereof.

Sloping upwardly and rearwardly from the front end region of the tray 10 are a pair of handles 16 having hand grips 18 at their rear, upper ends. Vertically upstanding from the rear end of the tray 10 beneath the rear, upper end regions of the handles 16 is a support frame 20 surmounted at the top by a horizontal carrier frame 22.

The carrier frame 22 is divided into a front part in which a wire basket 24, with a fine mesh bottom wall 26, is fixed in position. The rear part of the carrier frame 22 is adapted to receive a small mesh hand tray 28 having a handle 30.

The front of the carrier frame 22 has fixed to it a serpentine locator bar 32, and may also carry one or more hooks 34.

The entire carrier frame 22, complete with basket 24, can be lifted from the trolley. In position on the trolley, it rests on a not visible crosspiece of the support frame 20, and leans forwardly so that the basket 24 rests against the verticals of the support frame. It can be useful to remove the frame 22 from the trolley to facilitate carrying bags of peat and the like.

The inclined parts of the handle carry fixed tubular supports 36, closed at their bottom ends, and also one or more rests 38 for long thin items held in the tubular supports.

The trolley, in the iliustrated four wheel version, also has a manually operable brake 40. An alternative version of the trolley having only two rear wheels, so as to be movable when tilted rearwardly, does not require such a wheel brake.

Figure 2 shows the trolley when laden with a garden spade and fork, standing in the solid front end of the base tray 10 and located near their upper ends by the serpentine locator 32.

The rear part of the base tray 10, preferably with a meshed bottom wall, is free to carry such items as buckets, watering cans and container grown plants.

The fixed wire basket 24 is available to carry hand tools such as hand shears and other relatively bulky but short items, whilst the hand tray 28 is free to carry lightweight items such as garden gloves, seed packets, string and so on, whilst items such as garden canes can be carried in the tubular support 36. Handled items can also be supported on the hooks 34.

The preferred trolley may have handle and framework parts made of plastics coated tubular metal, and a base tray made of rustless metal. Other parts may be made of rustless metal mesh of various mesh sizes, suited to their purpose.

The various parts may be fixed together by welding.

However, if it is not desired simply to use the trolley as a tool carrier when it is not in use, e.g. stored in a garden shed, then lockable pivotal connections can be made between the base tray 10, handles 16 and upstanding frame 20 to enable folding. Lockable hinging at the centre of the base tray is also possible.

In a modification shown in Figure 3, wherein similar reference numerals to Figure 1 are used for similar parts, carrier frame 22 is modified in that it has a solid basket 24A instead of a wire frame basket, while behind this basket an apertured bar 25 is incorporated for receiving long thin items such as garden shears, which at their bottom ends rest in the base tray at its rear end. The base tray 10 shown in Figure 3 has an apertured bottom wall 10C instead of a mesh wall. Analogously, in the modification of Figure 3, hand tray 28A has solid walls rather than wire mesh walls.

It will also be observed that handles 18 of the embodiment of Figure 1 are replaced by a crosspiece handle 18A.

Although not shown, the modified trolley of Figure 3 may be equipped with a hand brake, for example similar to that shown in Figure 1.

Claims

1. A garden trolley comprising a base carrying the wheels, said base being in the form of a tray, handle means sloping upwardly and rearwardly from the front end region of the tray, and a support upstanding from the rear end region of the tray beneath the upper and rear end of the handle means, said support carrying or being able to receive a carrier for relatively short garden tools and also carrying a locator for relatively long garden tools standing in the base tray.

2. A garden trolley according to claim 1, wherein the upstanding support carries at the top a generally horizontal divided frame one part of which carries the short tool carrier and the other part of which is able to receive a hand portable tray.

3. A garden trolley according to claim 2, wherein the front end of the said frame is provided with the long tool locator, for example in the form of a serpentine bar.

4. A garden trolley according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the frame is divided by an apertured crosspiece.

5. A garden trolley according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the divided frame is removably carried by the upstanding support.

6. A garden trolley according to claim 3, wherein the base tray has a solid front end region in which long tools stand and slope upwardly and rearwardly to be held in place by the locator.

7. A garden trolley according to claim 6, wherein the base tray has a meshed or apertured region to the rear of the front end region for larger self-supporting items.

8. A garden trolley according to any of claims 1 to 7, having at least one tubular support, closed at its bottom end, on the handle means.

9. A garden trolley according to any of claims I to 8, having four wheels and an asssociated manually operable brake.

10. A garden trolley substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.