US2588084A

US2588084A - Combined trailer and pontoon boat

Info

Publication number: US2588084A
Application number: US174435A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bushfield Keith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-07-18
Filing date: 1950-07-18
Publication date: 1952-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 1969-03-04

Description

K- BUSHFIELD COMBINED TRAILER AND PONTOON BOAT March 4, 1952 Filed July 18 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 z Q Q m k P?) w mm I:.ll--.L ihiw iiliili Q t I.\ H 3 \P x Q mm mm mn ww t Wm WM 15 m Sm Affy

March 4, 1952 K. BUSHFIELD COMBINED TRAILER AND PONTOON BOAT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 18, 1950 INVENTOR. Ke/fh Bus/7 f//d A March 4, 1952 K. BUSHFIELQ/ COMBINED TRAILER'AND PdNTOON BOAT 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Filed July 18, 1950 T ETE INVENTOR. Kai/h Bush/729M Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,588,084 COMBINED TRAILER AND PONTOON BOAT Keith Bushfield, San Francisco, Calif. Application July 18, 1950, Serial No. 174,425

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combined trailer and pontoon boat.

The principal object of this invention is to produce a readily transportable trailer arrangement which may be quickly hauled over the highways and other suitable terrain and then quickly launched into the water to form a floating structure upon which the towing vehicle, or supplies, may be readily transported over the water.

A further object is to provide a vehicle of this character which will occupy a minimum amount of road space and yet, when in the water, will have a greater width, so as to give the floating structure a great deal of lateral stability.

A further object is to provide means for effectively propelling the pontoon boat, to steer the same, and to maintain it in loading position.

A further object is to provide a means whereby the pontoon boat may be maintained in rolling contact with a larger vessel in such a manner e that it will rise and fall with the wave action without injury to the pontoons.

. Other object and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig 1 is a side elevation of my pontoon boat, showing the pontoons folded upon the transporting structure;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation similar to Figure 1, showing the pontoons in open position as the same would appear in use in the water;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of Fig. 1, looking from the left of the drawings;

v Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 2, looking from the left of the drawing;

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line B-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional viewtaken on the line 1-l of Fig. 3;

Fig. '8 is a view similar to Fig. '7, showing the pontoons in folded position;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a similar view, showing the pontoons in closed position;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing the manner in which the locking eye beams are moved;

' Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view taken on the line l2 l2 of Fig. 11';

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the pontoon boat as the same would appear when transporting a vehicle over a body of water;

Fig. 14 is a similar view, showing the vehicle being landed from the pontoon boat;

Fig. 15 is a similar view, showing the manner in which the pontoon boat is beached;

Fig. 16 shows the manner in which the beached pontoon boat may be transported; I

Fig; 17 illustrates the manner in which several pontoon boats may be used to form a pontoon bridge; and e 1 Fig. 18 illustrates the manner in which the pontoon boat may be employed as a lighter for transporting supplies to and from a larger vessel.

vehicles are particularly adaptable to military quire considerable time. equipment and consequent delay.

Applicant has therefore devised a trailer arrangement which is comparatively light in structure, yet one whichmay be easily trailed behind a light vehicle, such as a jeep, yet a structure which will support a relatively large load.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5, referring particularly to Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, desig-' nates a platform which has attached thereto spaced, foldable wheels 6 which may be folded from the full-line position of Fig. 4 to the dottedline position of Fig. l, or the full-line position of Fig. 5.

The forward end ,of the platform is supported by a pivoted dolly 1, having ground-engaging wheel 8. Thi dolly is removable when the .boat is in the water.

Pivoted to the platform 5 and along each longitudinal margin thereof, are pontoons 9 and H, pivots-being shown in [2 and I3 (see Fig. "8).

Each of these pontoons has bunk space as shown 3 in II. This space, however, many be used for other purposes if desired.

Pivoted to the forward end of the platform is a ramp IS, the purpose of which will be later seen.

An outboard motor is shown at H, through the medium of which the boat may be propelled through the water.

In order to lock the pontoons in open position (that is, the position shown in Fig. 5) I provide a series of sliding eye beams l8 and I9 which are enclosed in slide-ways 22 formed in the platform, and are actuated through the medium of racks secured to one side of each of the bottom flanges of the eye beams l8 and I9.

Referring to Fig. 11, it will be noted that. the rack is shown at 23 and is engaged by a gear 24, which gear is, in turn, rotated through the medium of a lever 26 and a ratchet 21, actuated by a hand lever 28.

In order to maintain the ramp l6 either of the positions shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, I employ sliding pins 29 and 3|, which have their inner ends mounted within an opening 32 in the ramp, whereby they may be 'pushed or pulled in one direction or the other through the use of an ace tuating pin or any other suitable instrument.

The pontoons 9 and Il each carry an ear as shown at 33 and 34 respectively, which ears form supporting means for the ramp, as will be hereinafter described.

Rotatably mounted at the rear end of each of the pontoons 9 and II are

tired wheels

36 and 31 respectively, the purposes of which will be later seen.

The result of this construction that, assuming that the parts are arranged as shown in Fig. 1, and dolly I has been placed beneath the forward end of the platform, then it is only necessary to connect a tractor, such as a jeep, to the dolly, after which the pontoon boat may be trailed behind the jeep to any desired place.

Now, assuming that it is desired to cross a body of water, the user retracts thepi s 29 and 3| so as to withdraw the ends thereof from

cars

33 and 34, which will permit the ramp 16 to drop down against the tongue of the dolly; the pontoons 9 and l I may now be swung on their pivots l2 and [3 into the position shown in Figs. 2 3' and 5, after which they are locked in this position; that is, with their tops in parallel align: ment with the top of the platform by ai t latin'g the levers 26 in such a manner that the gears 24 rack out the eye beams from their position in the platform, into tunnels formed in the tops of the pontoons. These tunnels are shown at 38 (see Fig. 1).

The boat is now moved into the water as shown in Fig. 15, the wheels 6 raised from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5,'the motor ll swung from position shown in Fig. 1 5 that shown in Fig. 2, and started.

This will hold the front of the boat against the shore or bank, and, after removing the dolly, the ramp IE will contact the ground so that the jeep or tractor may be driven up the ramp and on to the platform, as shown in Fig. 14.

The ramp is now raised and the pins 29 and 3| are re-engaged with their

ears

33 and 34 The pontoons will now support the jeep and by reversing the motor, the boat may move out from the shore and to any distant point de sired.

Assuming that it is desired to move a considerable distance, the bunks l4 may beused by- :the I crew or occupants of the boat, or if it is desired to use the pontoon boat as a lighter, as, for instance, in loading or unloading a larger ship, then the pontoon boat is backed stem to the side of the ship, as shown in Fig. 18, the motor reversed so as to hold the wheels 36 and 31' porting bridge structure whereby large vehicles or heavy traffic may be rapidly transported over a body of water, after which the pontoons may be quickly withdrawn and transported for use at another point.

It is understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the enjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim:

1. A combined trailer and pontoon boat comprising a substantially rectangular p1atform, supporting wheel means pivoted to said platform for retraction thereagainst, said platform having a generally fiat upper suriace, a pontoon of greater length than the platform pivotally attached to each of the opposite parallel margins of the platform, each of said pontoons being of generally rectangular shape in cross section and having transversely extending channels therein, the pontoons when in operative positions presenting the upper sides thereof in the plane of the platform and resting on said platform when in stored position, a ramp hingedly connected to the forward end of the platform and extending between the adjacent projecting ends of the pontoons when in operative position, ears carried by the forward ends of the pontoons and cooperating pins slidably mounted in said ramp for locking the pontoons in operative or stored positions, and cooperating rack and gear means carried by the platform adapted upon operation of the gear to project the racks into the channels of said pontoons to support the pontoons in operativepositions.

2. A combined trailer and pontoon boat comprising a substantially rectangular platform, supporting wheel means pivoted to said platform for retraction thereagainst, said platform having a generally flat upper surface, a pontoon of greater length than the platform pivotally attached to each of the opposite parallel margins of the platform, each of said pontoons being of generally rectangular shape in cross section and having transversely extending channels therein,

a the pontoons when in operative positions presenting the upper sides thereof in the plane of the platform and resting on said platform when in stored position, a ramp hingedly connected to the forward end of the platform and extending between the adjacent projecting ends of the pontoons when in operative position, ears carried by the forward ends of the pontoons and cooperating pins slidably mounted in said ramp for looking the pontoons in operative or stored positions. and cooperating rack and gear means carried by the platform adapted upon operation of the gear to project the racks into the channels of said pontoons to support the pontoons in operative REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tabulo Aug. 18, 1914 Number Number Number Name Date Cook Oct. 12, 1926 Todd Feb. 3, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1889 Great Britain 1884 Great Britain 1900 Gremany Feb. 16, 1900 Germany June 20, 1930