JPS6229359B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to removable cargo container trailers, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for storing a wheeled trailer frame after the cargo container has been removed.

Conventionally, after a removable cargo container is removed at a railway or ship loading area, the wheeled frame of the trailer is usually left at the loading area in a horizontal position supported by the wheels. Ta. While some effort has been made to place vehicle frames in loading areas where they do not impede the movement of trucks and other vehicles as much as possible, the large number of wheeled vehicle frames stored in this manner does not take up too much valuable space. It not only occupies the area but also obstructs normal traffic.
Additionally, these vehicle frames are untethered and easily accessible, making them susceptible to theft.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for lifting and swinging the wheeled frame of a removable cargo container trailer into a storage unit configured to maintain the frame in the vertical position. do.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage method and device that can overcome the drawbacks and limitations of the conventional storage methods mentioned above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a storage system which allows a mechanism for lifting and swinging a wheeled vehicle frame into a vertical position to be attached to a conventional tractor or forklift truck.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a storage device having a storage unit that is simple in construction so that it can be easily transported in a disassembled state and quickly and easily assembled on site. be.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1, 2, 6 and 7, a typical wheeled chassis for a removable cargo container trailer consists of an elongated trailer chassis 10 supported at its rear end by wheels 12. . As is well known, the wheels 12 are adjustable and can be selectively positioned along the length of the vehicle frame in suitable load-bearing positions to meet various highway regulations. A fifth wheel mounting assembly 14 is supported at the front end of the vehicle frame for connection to a power tractor (not shown). A pair of laterally spaced vertically adjustable jacks 16 extend downwardly from the forward portion of the chassis to support the trailer chassis in a substantially horizontal position when the chassis is removed from the tractor. It is installed protrudingly. A pair of transverse frame members 18
is for attaching a removable cargo container (not shown).

The storage device of the present invention includes a vehicle frame carrier unit for gripping the wheeled vehicle frame, lifting it above the ground, pivoting it from its normal horizontal position to a vertical position, and then transporting it to a storage unit.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame carrier unit includes a mounting frame 20 adapted to be attached to the lifting mechanism of a tractor or lift truck. As shown, a mounting frame 20 for mounting the chassis carrier unit on a conventional tractor connects to the three-point suspension of the tractor. That is, the outer ends of a pair of laterally spaced lifting arms 22 mounted on a tractor (not shown) are connected to a laterally spaced portion of the lower portion of the mounting frame 20 by a pivot shaft 24. Connect to. As is well known, the rear ends of the arms 22 are pivotally mounted to the tractor and the arms 22 can be pivoted about a rear pivot point so that the height position of the front ends of the arms can be adjusted. Power means are provided for pivoting. Therefore, the mounting frame 20 can be raised and lowered by pivoting the arm 22.

A central bracket 26 projects rearward from the frame 20 at a position above the pivot shaft 24, and a pivot shaft 28 for connecting the front end of a telescoping hydraulic piston/cylinder type tilting unit 30 is attached to this bracket. It is being The rear end of unit 30 is connected to a tractor. Therefore, by expanding and contracting the piston/cylinder unit 30, the mounting frame 20 can be tilted with respect to the vertical plane.

A pair of forwardly projecting telescoping booms are attached to the mounting frame 20 at intervals in the lateral direction. Each boom has anchor bolts 34 on the front of the mounting frame 20,
It has an aft boom section 32 attached by 36. Bolts 34 and 36 are inserted through boom portion 32 and boom flange 38, respectively, and are anchored to brackets 40 and 42 that project forward from mounting frame 20. Each boom further includes a forward boom section 44 that is slidably fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the forward end portion of the respective aft boom section 32. Each boom is equipped with a telescoping hydraulic piston/cylinder unit for extending and retracting it. Cylinder 4 of this unit
The rear end of bracket 6 is connected to the forward projecting end of bracket 42 by pivot shaft 48 as shown. The front end of the piston rod 50 of the unit is connected by a pivot shaft 52 to a pair of brackets 54 projecting upwardly from the front end of the forward boom section 44. Thus, by selectively introducing hydraulic fluid to opposite ends of cylinder 46, forward boom section 44
can be extended and retracted relative to the rear boom portion 32.

Pressurized fluid is simultaneously delivered to both cylinders 46 from a common source to move the forward boom sections 44, 44 of both booms simultaneously and by equal amounts.

A pair of transverse guide beams 56 are disposed near the front and rear ends of the pair of forward boom sections 44 for guiding a transversely movable carriage. As shown, the carriage consists of a front sleeve and a rear sleeve mounted so as to be freely movable on a guide beam 56. Each sleeve consists of a bottom U-shaped member 58 and a top U-shaped member 60 joined by a through bolt 62. Bolts 62 are threaded through mating side flanges of U-shaped bottom member 58 and top member 60. The front and rear sleeves are interconnected by a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinal beams 64.

1 for laterally positioning the carriages comprising these sleeves along the guide beam 56;
A power means is provided, such as a twin hydraulic piston/cylinder unit. That is, as shown, a support plate 66 extends transversely between the pair of side beams 64 and 64 for the carriage, and the pair of hydraulic piston/cylinder units are attached to the support plate. Attach the inner end of each. In detail, the support plate 66
One of the cylinders 72, 72, which are juxtaposed with each other and extend laterally in opposite directions, is attached to a pivot shaft 68 which is attached to the pivot shaft 68 passing through a pair of flanges 70 which protrude upward from the piston/cylinder unit. Connect the inner ends of one cylinder. The piston rod 74 of this one cylinder 72 is connected to the front boom portion 4 of one of the pair of booms described above.
It is pivotally connected to a pair of flanges 78 fixed to 4 by a pivot shaft 76. The piston rod 74 of the other cylinder 72 is similarly pivotally connected to the forward boom portion 44 of the other boom.

Pressurized fluid is selectively supplied to opposite ends of a pair of cylinders 72 to laterally move the carriage comprised of the sleeves 58, 60, 64, and 66 described above. According to the arrangement shown, when the carriage is moved in either direction, pressurized fluid is simultaneously introduced into the piston rod side chamber of one cylinder and the piston side chamber of the other cylinder. This allows the carriage to move at a uniform speed in either direction.

A pair of brackets 80 are fixedly attached to the front bottom sleeve 58 of the carriage and project downwardly from the sides at both ends thereof, and a pivot bolt 82 is attached to each pair of brackets.
Install. Pivotally attached to each pivot bolt 82 is a bellcrank lever (first power drive) 84 consisting of a pair of spaced apart bellcrank lever plates connected by an intermediate web. The lower end of these bell crank lever plates is a horizontally elongated guide plate 8.
Fixed at 6. Structural rigidity is provided to the guide plate 86 by a transversely extending reinforcing plate 88 and a flange 90.

A pair of carriages 92 are mounted to guide plate 86 so as to be adjustable laterally thereto. Each carriage 92 is movable laterally by a hydraulic piston/cylinder unit.
That is, in the illustrated example, the inner end of the cylinder 94 of each unit is connected to the guide plate 8 by the pivot shaft 96.
The outer end of the piston rod 100 of the unit is pivotally connected to a pair of brackets 104 fixed to the corresponding clamp carriage 92 by a pivot shaft 102.
Each cylinder 94 is loosely fitted into an opening 106 formed in the bell crank lever plate.

An elongated clamp member projects downward from each carriage 92. In the illustrated example, each clamping member is comprised of a plurality of plates separated by reinforcing webs 110 (FIG. 2). A fixed jaw member 112 protruding inward is fixed to the lower end of each clamp member. The upper surface of the jaw member 112 and the opposing inner vertical surface of the clamp member 108 are equipped with rubber pads 114 that provide a protective and gripping surface.

A vertically movable movable jaw member 116 is provided to cooperate with each fixed jaw member 112, respectively. The movable jaw member is an elongated member disposed across the inner surface of the clamp member 108 and provided with spaced grooves 118 for slidably receiving the edges of the vertical webs 110 of the respective clamp member 108. Consists of a Jiyo frame. A rubber pad 120 is attached to the lower surface of the Joe frame.

Hydraulic piston/cylinder unit piston rods 12 are mounted on both ends of each Joe frame.
The downwardly projecting ends of 2 are connected by a pivot bolt 124. The side of a pair of spaced apart flanges 130 of each unit's hydraulic cylinder (secondary power drive) 126 that projects upwardly from the corresponding carriage 92 at the opposite end from the projecting side of the piston rod. It is connected by a pivot bolt 128 at the end.

In the illustrated embodiment, the vertically adjustable clamp jaw frame includes a fixed jaw member 112.
, thereby providing a large clamping area for gripping the trailer frame 10.

2 by simultaneously rotating a pair of laterally spaced bell crank lever plates clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2 about a common pivot axis set by pivot bolts 82. It can be pivoted from the trailer lifting position shown in Figure 1 to the trailer transporting position in front of the boom. This movement of each bell crank lever plate is
This is carried out by a hydraulic piston/cylinder unit interconnecting the lever plate and carriage 92 with the previously mentioned carriages 58, 60. In the illustrated example, the piston rod 132 of each unit is connected to the rear end of the bell crank lever plate by a pivot bolt 134. The end of each cylinder (third power drive unit) 136 opposite to the piston rod 132 is connected to a pair of brackets 1 projecting forward from the rear sleeve portion 58 of the carriage.
40 by a pivot bolt 138.
Pressurized fluid is simultaneously supplied to the pair of cylinders (third power drive) 136 from a common source to equally pivot the pair of bell crank lever plates at the same time.

The operation mode of the vehicle frame carrier unit described above is as follows. This carrier unit is now attached to the front end of the tractor by means of a three-point connection with lifting arms 22, 22 and a piston/cylinder unit 30 (FIG. 2), which allows the trailer to be moved into the storage compartment. Suppose you have just paid it. Pressurized fluid is delivered to the cylinder (third power drive) 136 to retract the piston rod 132, thereby pivoting the bellcrank lever plate counterclockwise about the axis of its pivot bolt 82, and 112,116
is placed in the downwardly raised position shown in FIG. Pressurized fluid is also supplied to each cylinder (second power drive) 126 to retract the piston rod 122 and its attached jyo member 116 upwardly from the corresponding fixed jyo member 112 to the maximum extent possible. Pressurized fluid is also supplied to the pair of cylinders 94 to open the pair of mutually opposing carriages 92 and jaw members 112, 116 wider than the width of the trailer frame to be gripped. The lifting arm 22 and the piston/cylinder unit 30 are operated to tilt the mounting frame 20 upward, and the mounting frame 20 is tilted upward.
12, 116 are raised above the wheels 12 of the trailer frame 10 to be transported to a storage location.

Next, operate the tractor to move the trailer frame 10.
The vehicle frame is positioned on the rear side of the vehicle in a position aligned with the vehicle frame in the longitudinal direction.

Assuming that the telescoping booms 32, 44 are initially fully retracted, pressurized fluid is supplied to the cylinder 46 to fully extend the boom forward of the trailer frame 10 and the clamp member 108 is retracted from the frame 10. The vehicle can be engaged with a portion in front of the wheel 12 of the vehicle.

Here, by operating the arm 22 or the unit 30, the mounting frame 20 is moved and the jaw member 11 is moved.
2,116 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. Next, each cylinder 94 is actuated to move the carriage 9
2 and Jyo members 112, 116, and the carriage 92 and Jyo members 112, 1 opposing thereto.
16 are brought close to each other and brought close to both sides of the trailer frame 10.

If the jog member is offset to one side with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the trailer frame, pressurized fluid may be supplied to the chambers on the appropriate side of the pair of cylinders 72 to guide the carriages 58, 60. Movement along the beam 56 in the appropriate direction aligns the jyo member with the trailer frame 10.

The tractor's lifting arm 22 is then actuated to move the entire assembly and lower the fixed jaw member 112.
is brought into contact with the lower surface of the trailer frame 10. Then, each carriage 92 is operated again to bring the side rubber pads 114 into contact with both sides of the vehicle frame. Next, pressurized fluid is supplied to each cylinder (second power drive device) 126 to lower each movable jaw member 116 so that its rubber pad 120 collides with the upper surface of the trailer frame. Thus, the trailer frame 10
A suitable front portion of the wheel 12 is firmly clamped between the fixed jaw member 112 and the movable jaw member 116.

Here, the mounting frame 20 is lifted upward by operating the lifting arm 22, and the trailer frame 10 held by the clamp is lifted sufficiently high above the ground, and the frame is moved to the horizontal position shown in FIG. The telescoping boom 32, 44 can be pivoted from the front to a substantially vertical position in front of the telescoping booms 32, 44. This oscillation is
This can be achieved by supplying pressurized fluid to the chamber on the rear end side of each cylinder (third power drive device) 136.

With the trailer frame 10 held in this vertical position, the telescoping boom 3 is moved by supplying pressurized fluid to the chambers at the front end of each cylinder 46.
2, 44 to increase the stability of the tractor and chassis carrier unit and prepare the trailer chassis for transport to the storage unit.

A preferred embodiment of the storage unit is shown in FIGS. 3-7. The storage unit consists of a pair of laterally spaced sidewall construction beams in the form of a grid framework. The sidewall construction beams include a longitudinal bottom beam 142 and a longitudinal top beam 14.
4 and a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertical beams 146 interconnecting them. A bracing beam 148 may extend between adjacent vertical beams 146 to increase the structural stability of the framework.

The pair of laterally spaced sidewalls are interconnected at their bottom and top rear ends by transverse bottom and top rear beams 150 and 152, respectively. Beams 150 and 152 connect the rear ends of the bottom beam 142 and top beam 144 of the sidewalls. Preferably, this connection is removable so that the components of the storage unit can be transported in disassembled form to the site of use. To this end, the connections described above include sidewall construction beams 142, 144 and 150, 152.
This is accomplished by a connecting pin 154 that is inserted removably through an alignment hole formed in an overlapping flange 156 provided in the.

A transverse plate 160 (FIG. 3) is provided near the forward ends of the side walls and secured at opposite ends to the bottom beams 142 of the pair of side walls. In this way, both side walls are fixed in a parallel state.

A plurality of longitudinally spaced horizontal beams 162 extend inwardly from the top beam 144 of each sidewall, and the inner ends of the beams 162 define a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal guides. Beam 164 is supported. The rear ends of these guide beams 164 are connected to the sidewall component beams 142, 144 and the beam 15.
0,152, the beam 164
It is removably connected to the transverse beam 152 at the rear of the top by a removable connecting pin 166 that passes through an alignment hole in an overlapping flange 168 provided at and 152.

The gap between the guide beams 164 and 164 constitutes a central channel for passing the trailer frame 10, which is held in a vertical position, as previously described.

The framework structure is longitudinally divided into a plurality of compartments each adapted to receive and store one wheeled trailer frame. To this end, in the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of pairs of transverse gates 170 are provided along the length of the framework structure so that they can be extended or retracted relative to a central channel defined by a pair of guide beams 164. Place them at intervals along the Thus, each pair of cross gates 170 cooperates with the side walls of the framework structure to form a compartment for confining the trailer frame.

Each of the illustrated pairs of transverse gates each slides into a pair of longitudinally spaced transversely extending guide tubes 174, respectively. It consists of a pair of transversely extending rods or tubes (beams) 172 that are freely telescopically inserted. These beams 172 span between and are fixed to the top beam 144 and the adjacent guide beam 164. The inner ends of each pair of beams 172 are joined by a bar 176.

As can be seen particularly in FIG. The central channel defined by the central channel is cleared of obstructions so that the trailer frame 10 can be passed along the channel. The first trailer frame 10' is then transported by the tractor to the rightmost rearmost position in FIG. 3 for storage in the rearmost compartment of the storage unit in the manner previously described. The pair of crossing gates in this rearmost compartment are then connected to the beam 172 by its guide member 17.
4 and extend it to the position shown in FIG. 3 by pulling it laterally inward. This crossing gate thus interrupts the central channel defined by the pair of guide beams 164 and provides a block to prevent the stowed first car frame 10' from being pulled forward along the central channel. It plays the role of a gate.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rearmost section is provided with a transverse beam 178 across the central channel, with its ends terminated by respective guide beams 16 on either side.
Fixed at 4. In the preferred embodiment shown, beams 164 and 178 are removably connected by connecting pins 180 that are removably inserted into alignment holes in overlapping brackets 182 that are fixed to each. .

The transverse beam 178 in the rearmost compartment of the storage unit thus serves as an abutment for the trailer frame 10' stored in that compartment (FIG. 3). As can be seen in FIG. 7, the vertical trailer frame 10' is stored with its rear end on the ground and the longitudinal wheel assembly at the rear. Therefore, since the center of gravity of the vertically erected trailer frame 10 is located to the right of the longitudinal center line of the frame as seen in FIG. 7, the frame pivots clockwise with its rear end as the pivot axis. It impinges on the transverse beam 178.

FIG. 3 also shows the formation of the next rearmost section by extending inwardly a pair of adjacent transverse gates. The second vertically erected trailer frame 10'' stored in this second rear compartment is also swung clockwise when viewed in FIG. 7 in the same manner as described for the first trailer frame 10'. and collides with the front end of the first pair of crossing gates.

As can be seen from the above description, the trailer frames are introduced into this storage unit and are stored in the unit one at a time, starting from the rearmost compartment and ending with the most forward compartment. Removal of the trailer frame is performed in the reverse order of storage. That is, they are taken out one by one from the frontmost compartment to the rearmost compartment.

According to the invention, means are provided for moving each crossing gate between an extended position and a retracted position. In the illustrated embodiment, such means are constituted by a manually operated endless cable 184 or other suitable flexible line. A cable 184 is secured at an anchoring point 186 to the outer end of a bar 188 that projects laterally outwardly from a connecting bar 176 connecting the inner ends of the pair of beams 172, and extends laterally outwardly from the anchoring point. and extends downwardly (FIG. 4) around a pulley 190 attached to the side wall of the corresponding storage unit, and extends downwardly (FIG. 4) to the bottom beam 142 of that side wall.
Housing 19 tethered via spring 196 to
4 and extends laterally inwardly around a pulley 198 mounted on said side wall adjacent said pulley 190 to guide beam 164. It goes around the attached pulley 200 and connects to the anchoring point 186.
is tethered to.

If desired, one or more turnbuckles 202 can be attached to the cable 184 to adjust the tension on the cable.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, by pulling downwardly on one of the two vertical extensions (FIG. 4) of cable 184, the transverse gate is extended laterally inwardly and interrupts the central channel. However, by pulling the other vertical extension of the cable downwardly, the crossing gate is retracted laterally outwardly from the central channel.

As can be seen from Fig. 5, the inner width between the side walls of this storage unit is
0 width, as well as the width of the tractor carrying the trailer frame.
Also, the height of the storage unit from bottom beam 142 to top beam 144 is approximately 17 feet (5.18 m), which is sufficient height to accommodate the height of the tractor. 6 and 7, an embodiment of the storage system is shown for storing a trailer frame approximately 40 feet (12.13 m) in length. in a containment unit approximately 50 feet (15.24 m) long.
It can accommodate 10 trailer chassis.

It is also possible to connect multiple storage units in a side-by-side relationship. To this end, a plurality of lugs 204 are provided longitudinally spaced along the lengths of the bottom beam 142 and the top beam 144, with apertures 206 provided therein for the insertion of connecting bolts. . Storage units can be connected by inserting connecting bolts through openings 206 in a pair of protrusions 204 of adjacent storage units.

The dimensions, shape, number, arrangement, etc. of each part illustrated herein do not depart from the spirit of the present invention.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of a trailer frame carrier unit constituting a part of the storage device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a shortened side view seen from the right side of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a part of the storage device of the present invention. Figure 4 is a shortened side view of the storage unit that makes up the storage unit, Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3 viewed from the bottom, Figure 5 is a front view of the storage unit viewed from the left side of Figure 3, Figure 6 is a scaled down view similar to Figure 5. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a manner in which a plurality of wheeled frames of a removable cargo container trailer are stored. FIG. 7 is a shortened side view seen from the right side of FIG. 6. In the figure, 10 is a trailer frame, 32 and 44 are booms, 58 and 60 are U-shaped parts forming a sleeve (carriage), 82 is a pivot bolt, 92 is a carriage, 112 and 116 are jaw members, 14
2, 144, 146, 150, 152 are side wall constituent beams, 170 is a crossing gate, 172 is a beam (gate member), and 174 is a guide member (gate member).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A method for storing an elongated trailer frame with wheels of a removable cargo container trailer having both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction and having a plurality of carriages near the rear end, comprising: (a) With the trailer frame placed on the ground in a substantially horizontal position, the upper and lower jaw members are brought close to the vertically opposed surfaces of the trailer frame, and (b) one jaw member is moved closer to the other. (c) rotate the trailer frame to a substantially vertical position with its rear end facing the ground; (d) rotate the trailer frame into a substantially vertical position; (e) releasing the grip on the trailer frame in a storage compartment capable of supporting the trailer frame in a substantially vertical position in a position above its wheels; A method for storing a wheeled trailer frame, characterized by storing the frame in an almost vertical state. 2. In a method for storing an elongated wheeled trailer frame of a cargo container removable trailer, which has both sides in the longitudinal direction separated from each other in the lateral direction and has a plurality of wheels near the rear end, the trailer frame is loaded and unloaded from the closed end. (a) in a state where the plurality of trailer frames are placed on the ground in a horizontal position, one by one, the plurality of trailer frames are connected to each other in a butting relationship up to the open ends of the trailer frames; (b) bring one of the jaw members close to the other jaw member to grip and hold the vertically opposed surfaces of the trailer frame; (c) ) rotating the trailer frame to a substantially vertical position with its rear end facing the ground; (d) moving the trailer frame in a substantially vertical position to a storage compartment and stopping; (e) rotating the trailer frame in a substantially vertical position; Inserting the vehicle frame one by one from the closed end toward the open end into each storage compartment capable of supporting the vehicle frame in the upper and lower positions of its wheels, releasing the grip on the vehicle frame, (f ) A method for storing a wheeled trailer vehicle frame, comprising removing the vehicle frames from the storage compartment one by one from the open end toward the closed end. 3. A device for storing an elongated wheeled trailer frame 10 of a cargo container removable trailer having both longitudinally spaced side surfaces spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction and having a plurality of wheels 12 near the rear end, in an automobile vehicle. a carrier unit adapted to be mountable for moving said trailer frame between a horizontal position and a vertical position; and a storage compartment capable of supporting said trailer frame in a substantially vertical position. The carrier unit comprises: (a) an elongated boom 32, 44 attached to the vehicle at one end so as to be able to tilt up and down; and (b) a boom 32, 44 mounted near each side of the trailer frame in the longitudinal direction. A pair of clamp members 108 disposed separably, the clamp member 10
8 includes a pair of jaw members 112, 116 that can be moved in and out of the vertical direction for releasably clamping the upper and lower surfaces of the trailer frame; (c) each supports the corresponding clamp member 108, and a pair of carriers mounted at the other end of the boom so as to be movable transversely toward or away from each other and pivotable about a transverse axis between horizontal and vertical positions; 92, 92; (d) a first power drive device 84 for moving each of the carriages in a transverse direction of the boom; and (e) a first power drive device 84 for moving each of the corresponding pairs of jyo members toward or away from each other in the vertical direction. (f) pivoting the pair of carriages between the horizontal and vertical positions, thereby moving the pair of clamping members 108 between the horizontal and vertical positions; a third power drive device 136 for moving between
A wheeled trailer frame storage device characterized by comprising: 4. A device for storing an elongated wheeled trailer frame 10 of a cargo container removable trailer, which has longitudinal side surfaces spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction and has a plurality of wheels 12 near the rear end. a carrier unit adapted to be mountable for moving the trailer frame between a horizontal position and a vertical position; a storage compartment capable of supporting the trailer frame in a substantially vertical position; The carrier unit comprises: (a) an elongated boom 32, 44 attached to the vehicle at one end so as to be tiltable up and down; and (b) a boom 32, 44 mounted near each side of the trailer frame in the longitudinal direction. A pair of clamp members 108 are arranged so as to be separable, and each clamp member has a pair of jaw members 112 and 116 that are separable in the vertical direction for releasably sandwiching the upper and lower surfaces of the trailer frame. (c) each carrying a respective one of said clamp members 108 and movable toward or away from each other in a transverse direction of said boom and between horizontal and vertical positions about a transverse axis; (d) a first power drive 84 for moving each of said carriages in a direction transverse to said boom; e) a second power drive device 126 for vertically moving each pair of corresponding jaw members toward or away from each other; and (f) for moving the pair of carriages between the horizontal and vertical positions. a third power drive 136 for pivoting and thereby moving the pair of clamp members 108 between horizontal and vertical positions;
said storage compartment is adapted to receive a trailer frame placed in a vertical position and has opposite vertical side walls laterally spaced apart from each other; a plurality of gate members supported by at least one of the side walls, the gate members cooperating with the side walls defining a storage compartment for storing a trailer frame; A wheeled trailer frame storage device characterized in that it is movable in a direction toward or away from an opposing side wall so as to constitute a crossing gate 170. 5. Each of the gate members is slidably attached to a pair of guide members 174 supported by each of the side walls and extended toward the other side wall, and is moved close to each other. or a pair of beams 172 that are movable in the direction of separation.
each pair of beams are movable toward each other to an operative position defining a spacing less than the width of the trailer frame for retaining the trailer frame within a respective corresponding storage compartment; and,
5. A storage device as claimed in claim 4, movable in a direction away from each other to a retracted position defining a distance greater than the width of the vehicle frame so that the vehicle frame can be opened for removal from the storage compartment.