US3611948A

US3611948A - Adjustable harness for auto frame car

Info

Publication number: US3611948A
Application number: US869625A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard A Tatina
Original assignee: Portec Inc
Current assignee: Portec Inc
Priority date: 1969-10-27
Filing date: 1969-10-27
Publication date: 1971-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-12

Abstract

Tiedown harness for tying stacks of vehicle frames to the flat deck of a railway car. The harness has side beams extending along the tops of the outer rails of two side-by-side stacks of vehicle frames and tied together in spaced-apart relation intermediate their ends. End beams extend between the side beams and are bodily adjustable along the side beams in accordance with the length of the vehicle frames in the stacks. Downwardly opening centering cups are carried on the end beams, for engagement with top spacers on the outside rails of the vehicle frames, to hold the frames to the deck of the car and are adjustable along the end beams to take care of varying widths of frames. A centrally downwardly opening centering member is carried by each end beam and is sufficiently long to engage the top spacers on the inner rails of the side-by-side vehicle frames.

Description

United States I Patent [72] Inventor Richard A. Tatina Chicago, 111. [21] Appl. No. 869,625 [22] Filed Oct. 27, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 12, 1971 [73] Assignee Portec, lnc.

Oak Brook, 111.

[54] ADJUSTABLE HARNESS FOR AUTO FRAME CAR 12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 105/367, 214/105, 248/119 [51] Int. Cl 860p 7/08 [50] Field of Search 105/367, 368 T; 214/105; 280/179; 248/1 19 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,611,495 9/1952 Weaver 214/105 1,780,277 11/1930 Seeley et a1.. 105/368 T 1,780,318 11/1930 Snyder 280/179 2,828,931 4/1958 Harvey 2,915,991 12/1959 Kothetal.

ABSTRACT: Tiedown harness for tying stacks of vehicle frames to the flat deck of a railway car. The harness has side beams extending along the tops of the outer rails of two sideby-side stacks of vehicle frames and tied together in spacedapart relation intermediate their ends. End beams extend between the side beams and are bodily adjustable along the side beams in accordance with the length of the vehicle frames in the stacks. Downwardly opening centering cups are carried on the end beams, for engagement with top spacers on the outside rails of the vehicle frames, to hold the frames to the deck of the car and are adjustable along the end beams to take care of varying widths of frames. A centrally downwardly opening centering member is carried by each end beam and is sufficiently long to engage the top spacers on the inner rails of the side-by-side vehicle frames.

.11.. m n; I

ADJUSTABLE HARNESS FOR AUTO FRAME CAR SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Harness for tying stacks of vehicle frames arranged in sideby-side relation to the deck of a flatcar or other vehicle, in which end beams of the harness are supported on side beams of the harness for bodily movement therealong, to enable the harness to tie down a wide variety of vehicle frames without dismantling the harness, and with a minimum amount of adjustment of the harness.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an improved form of hamessholding stacks of vehicle frames in stacked side-by-side relation with respect to each other for transportation, so arranged as to enable one harness to handle a wide range of lengths and widths of vehicle frames.

Another object of the invention'is to provide an improved form of harness for tying stacks of vehicle frames to the deck of a flatcar, arranged with a view toward utmost simplicity in construction, and economical adaptability for various lengths and widths of vehicle frames.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of tiedown apparatus for stacking horizontally disposed vehicle frames on the deck of a flatcar, in the form of a simple and improved form of harness for the top frames of at least two laterally spaced stacks of frames, holding the frames in stacked relation relative to each other and readily adapted for frames of various lengths and widths.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure;

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic partial fragmentary view in side elevation of a railway flatcar, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts removed, in order to illustrate the principle of stacking vehicle frames on the flat deck of the car, and showing a harness constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, tying the frames to the deck of the car;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing one half of the harness shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a portion of the harness of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing one end beam and the means clamping the end beam in position on a side beam of the harness;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the means for clamping the end beams to the side beams of the harness in end elevation and showing a stacking guide for guiding the harnesses to be stacked one on top of the other on the return journey of the railcar;

FIG. 6 is an end view of one of the end beams looking at the beam toward one end thereof when removed from the side beams; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side view of one end of one of the end beams showing a centering cup for centering the harness to a stack of vehicle frames in side elevation.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION nected together by cross bracing (not shown). The side rails 13 may extend parallel for the lengths of the frames or may converge from the back to the front of the frame.

The bottom frame 11 is generally shown in FIG. 1 as spaced above the deck 12 on pedestals 15 having supporting engagement with the undersides of the side rails 13. The upper frames 11 are stacked on the bottom frame and the pedestals 15 in generally parallel relation with respect to each other, and are interlocked relative to each other and to the bottom frame, by interlocking spacers 16, having interlocking and supporting engagement with each other and supported on the bottom pedestals 15, to support the weight of the frames on the pedestals and the deck of the flatcar, and to thereby relieve the lower frames of the stack of frames from the combined weight of the frames spaced thereabove.

A harness 17 in the form of a generally rectangular open framework is provided to tie the frames 11 down to the deck of the flatcar. Said harness is arranged to tie down two laterally spaced stacks of frames, and is connected to the deck of the car as by tie rods 18 pivotally connected with anchors 19 depending from side beams 21 of the harness. The tie rods are anchored to the deck of the car by turnbuckles 22, cushioning devices 23 and flexible connecting devices, such as tiedown chains 24, releasably hooked or otherwise secured to the lower ends of the tie rods 18 and affording a means for adjusting the lengths of the tiedown assemblies. The cushioning devices 23 are connected with anchoring devices 25 which may be mounted directly on the deck of the car outwardly of the pedestals 15 or may be adjustably carried in retainer channels (not shown) extending along the deck of the car in parallel-spaced relation with respect to each other as in an application of Keith W. Broling, Ser. No. 815,133, filed Apr. 10, 1969 and no part of the present invention, so not herein shown or described further.

In FIG. 2 of the drawings, one-half of the harness 17 is shown in plan. The other half is exactly like the half of the harness shown, so the entire harness need not be shown in plan herein. Said harness 17 comprises two parallel-spaced

side beams

21,21 extending longitudinally of the deck of the flatcar, above, and generally parallel to the outer side rails 13 of the vehicle frames 11. The outer beams 21 are connected together by intermediate parallel-spaced cross beams 27,27 shown in FIG. 2 as spaced on opposite sides of the transverse center of the beams 21, and braced to the beams 21 as by

gussets

29,29. A central longitudinally extending brace 30 braces the cross beams 27 intermediate the ends thereof, and is braced thereto as by gussets 31, 31. The cross beams 27 space the side beams 21 apart a distance substantially equal to the distance between the outer side rails 13 of two stacked vehicle frames 11, stacked in side-by-side relation relative to each other, to enable the harness to tie down two stacks of vehicle frames stacked on the deck of the flatcar, although the harness need not necessarily be used to hold down two side-by-side stacks of vehicle frames, but may readily be adapted to tie down one or more stacks of vehicle frames.

The

side beams

21, 21 are spaced apart adjacent their opposite ends by

end beams

32,32, clamped to said side beams for adjustable movement therealong in accordance with the length of the vehicle frames, as will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds.

The end beams 32 form adjustable supports for downwardly opening centering

members

33,33 engageable with top spacers 16 on the outer side rails 13 of the top frames, and for a central centering member 35 engageable with the top spacers 16 on the adjacent inner side rails 13 of the two laterally spaced stacks of frames.

As shown in FIGS. 2. 3, 4 and 6, the side beams 21 are each formed from two facing channels 36, spaced apart intermediate their ends by

spacer plates

37,37 which may be welded to the top flanges of said channels, and spaced apart adjacent the lower ends by spacer plates 39,39 spaced therealong and welded or otherwise secured to the bottom flanges of said channels 36.

The

channels

36,36 have aligned open portions 40 in alignment with the cross beams 27 and opening into said cross beams, to afford fork openings into said side beams, to receive the forks of a fork lift truck or to receive other lifting devices. The sides of the fork openings 40 between the

channels

36,36 are closed by closure plates 41,41 shown in FIG. 4 as being connected between the webs of said channels. The tops and bottoms of said fork openings are closed by top and bottom closure plates 42 and 43 respectively, which also serve to space the

channels

36,36 apart.

The side beams 21 also have ledges 44 extending inwardly of and along the webs of the channels 36, above the bottoms thereof and along each web from the ends thereof, to positions adjacent the cross beams 27. The ledges 44 are welded or otherwise secured to the insides of the webs of the channels 36 and are supported on the bottom flanges of said channels on integrally formed right-angled depending legs 45, depending from the inner ends of said ledges and welded or otherwise secured to the inner ends of the lower flanges of said channels 36. The ledges 44 form a support for a beam retainer and stacking guide 46, enabling the end beams 32 to be clamped to the side beams 21 and to be adjustably movable along said ledges and side beams, as will hereinafter more clearly appear as the specification proceeds.

The end beams 32 are shown in FIGS. 2,3,6 and 7 as formed from a pair of outwardly facing channels 47 connected together along their outer ends by horizontal plates 48, forming supports for the spacer members 33, and accommodating said spacer members to be moved along said plates. A plate 49 extends along the transverse central portion of each end beam 32 in the plane of the plates 48 and is welded or otherwise secured to the webs of said channels. The plate 49 forms a support for the central centering member 35, shown as being secured thereto to depend therefrom, as by suitable securing means, such as nuts and bolts 50. The opposite end portions of each end beam 32 are cut away for a portion of the depth of the channels 47 to the plane of the plates 48, to form an abutment engaged by an abutment plate 51. The abutment plates 51 fonn bearing plates engaging the inner sides of the side beams 21 and accommodating adjustable movement of the end beams 32 along said side beams.

The plates 48 extend along the channels 47 forwardly of the abutment plates 51 and along the undersides of the side beams 21 to the outer sides of said side beams (FIGS. 3 and 6). A retainer channel 52 extends laterally of each end of each end beam 32 outwardly along the undersides of the side beams 21 toward the outer ends of said side beams. Said retainer chan nels each have a top web 53, in the plane of the plate 48 and have flanges 55 depending from said web. Said web and flanges are welded at their inner ends to the web and lower flange of an outwardly facing channel of the associated end beam 32.

The retainer channel 52 has the tie rod anchor 19 depending from the web thereof, adjacent the outer end thereof, and has an open portion 56, affording a means for anchoring a tie rod 18 thereto. The tie rod anchor 19 as shown in FIGS. 1,3,5 and 6 is of a generally boxlike form. The bottom of said tie rod anchor is positioned to extend within a stacking guide 57 of the beam retainer and stacking guide 46, of a next downwardly spaced harness when the car has been unloaded and it is desired to stack the harnesses for their return trip.

The beam retainer and the stacking guide, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, includes a clamping member 59 in the general form of a U having a base engageable with the top surface of the web 53 of the retainer channel 52, and extending between the legs 45 depending from the ledges 44. The legs of the U-shaped clamping member 59 have a stacking guide 57 extending across and supported on their upper ends adjacent the outer end of the side beam 21 when the stacking guide 57 is in position on said legs. The stacking guide 57 has a flat base 60 welded or otherwise secured at its underside to the tops of the legs of the clamping member 59 extending laterally therefrom. The stacking guide 57 also has angularly forwardly and rearwardly extending

end walls

61,61 extending from each end of the base 60 and diverging therefrom. Parallel plates 63 extend between the legs of the retainer member 59 downwardly of the base 60 to rigidify said retainer member. The base of the U-shaped retainer member 59 has three bolts 64 extending therethrough, the heads of which engage the base of the U. The bolts 64 extend through the clamping member 59 through aligned apertured portions of the top web of the retainer channel 52, to bring said retainer channel into clamping engagement with the underside of the webs of the

channels

36,36 of the side beams 21, and clamp the end beams in position on said side beams upon tightening of nuts on the bolts 64.

The stacking guide 57 extends laterally beyond the legs of the U-shaped clamping member 59 over ledges 44 to be supported thereon on the flat bottom 60 thereof (FIG. 5 A plate 66 also extends across the tops of the legs of the U-shaped clamping member 59 over the ledges 44, when the beam retainer and stacking guide assembly is in position in the side beam 21, to form a slidable support for the inner end portion of said beam retainer and stacking guide.

The end beams 32 are thus supported on the side beams 21 for slidable movement along said side beams on the beam retainer and stacking guides'46, adjustably movable in the slots between the depending legs 45 of the ledges 44 and supported on said ledges for slidable adjustable movement therealong.

When it is desired to adjust the positions of the end beams to accommodate the harness to frames of different lengths it is merely necessary to loosen the nuts on the lower ends of the bolts 64 and slide the beam retainer and stacking guide 46 along with the retainer channels 52 and end beams 32 along the side beams 21 into the required position of adjustment. The nuts may then be tightened on the bolts 64 locked in position in a suitable manner, to retain the end beams in selected positions of adjustment and clamp the end beams to the side beams 21. The ends of the end beams 21 may be closed by closure plates 67, welded or otherwise secured thereto, to limit outward movement of the end beams 32 along the side beams 21.

The centering members 33 are shown in FIG. 7 as made from castings, although they may be fabricated from metal by welding. Said centering members have flat surfaces, abutting the bottoms of the plates 48 for adjustable movement therealong. As shown in FIG. 7, the centering members 33 are retained to the plates 48 as by nuts and bolts 72, passing through apertured portions 73 in arms 74 extending laterally of downwardly opening centering cups 79. The bolts 72 pass through slots 75 extending along the plates 48 and through retainer plates 76 slidably engaging the tops of the plates 48. The apertured portions 73 have downwardly opening generally hexagonal sockets 77 to engage the heads of the bolts of the nuts and bolts 72.

The downwardly opening centering cup 79 at the outer end of the arm 74 has converging walls 80 converging towards the top of the centering member, to correspond to the top centering portion (not shown) of a spacer 16, to center the harness on the spacer. The apertured portions 73, nuts and bolts 72 extending through the arms 74 are laterally offset by said arms from the downwardly opening centering cups 79 and the slots 75 terminate sufficiently close to the side beams 21 to enable positioning of the downwardly opening centering cups 79 of the centering members 33 beneath the side beams 21 when required. The width of each centering member is substantially equal to the space between the flanges of the side beams 47, to slidably support said frame members between said side beams, and retain said centering member from weaving movement relative to said side beams.

The centering member 35 is of an inverted troughlike form and is long enough to have centering engagement with two adjacent spacers 16 on the inner rails 13 of the top frames of two stacks of frames, stacked side by side on the deck 12 of the flatcar, and extends between the webs of the

channels

47,47,

and is retained by said channels from the tendency to weave relative thereto. The centering member 35, is of sufficient length to take care of a wide variety of widths of automobile frames without adjustment.

I claim as my invention.

1. In a tiedown apparatus for vehicle frames and in combination with a railway car having a flat deck, pedestal means supporting the bottom frame of the stack of frames on the deck, spacer means spacing the frames apart including top spacer means extending upwardly of the top frame of the stack of frames, the improvements comprising,

a harness extending over the top frame of the stack of frames, for holding the stack of frames to the flat deck of the railway car, having a pair of aligned parallel side beams,

means connecting said side beams together intermediate their entk to extend in side-by-side parallel relation relative to each other,

end'beams on opposite sides of said means connecting said side beams together and mounted for adjustable movement along said side beams toward and from the transverse centers thereof, to conform to frames of different lengths, and guided for movement along said side beams in generally parallel relation with respect to each other,

means holding said end beams in adjusted relation relative to said side beams and accommodating adjustable movement of said end beams along said side beams,

centering means mounted on said end beams for adjustable movement toward and from each other in accordance with the width of the stack of frames to be tied down,

said centering means opening downwardly for registry with the top spacer means extending upwardly of the top frame of the stack of frames, and

means holding said centering means in selected positions of adjustment on said end beams.

2. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the side beams have vertically extending parallel inner sides,

wherein the end beams abut the inner sides of said side beams and have portions extending slidably along the bottoms of said side beams, and

wherein clamping means are provided to support and selectively lock said end beams in position on said side beams.

3. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 2,

wherein said end beams have slots extending therealong inwardly of said side beams,

wherein said centering means are guided for adjustable movement along said slots, and

wherein means are provided to lock said centering means in selected positions along said slots.

4. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the side beams have parallel inner sides and flat bottom sides,

wherein the end beams slidably abut said inner sides and extend beneath and along the undersides of said flat bottoms of said side beams, and

wherein the means accommodating adjustable movement of the end beams towards and from each other comprise releasable clamping means slidably supporting said end beams on said side beams, and clamping said end beams in selected positions of adjustment relative to said side beams.

5. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 4,

wherein a retainer member extends from each end of each end beam in a direction toward the outer end of the associated side beam,

wherein a clamping member is supported on each end of each side beam for slidable movement therealong,

wherein means are provided for connecting said clamping members to said retainer members to support said end beams on said side beams on said clamping members for movement along said side beams, and

wherein the means are connected between said clamping and said retaining members for supporting said end beams on said side beams, bring said members into clamping engagement with said side beams and hold said end beams in fixed selected positions relative to said side beams.

6. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 2,

wherein the end beams are sufiiciently long to extend over the tops of two laterally aligned stacks of vehicle frames,

wherein the centering means is in the form of downwardly opening centering cups, converging from the bottoms to the tops thereof and positioned adjacent opposite ends of said end beams for centering engagement with the spacers extending upwardly of the outermost side rails of two vehicle frames, centering the harness on the stacks of vehicle frames, and

wherein a downwardly opening elongated centering means is fixedly mounted on each end beam adjacent the transverse center thereof, of sufficient length to engage the spacer means projecting upwardly of the inner side rails of two adjacent vehicle frames.

7. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the side beams have plane parallel inner sides,

wherein the end beams abut said inner sides and have portions extending beneath and along the undersides of said side beams, and

wherein clamping means on said side beams have clamping engagement with said end beams and support said beams for slidable movement along said side beams and are operable to selectively clamp said end beams in selected positions of adjustment relative to said side beams.

8. A vehicle frame tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 7,

wherein the centering means comprise downwardly opening centering cups having sidewalls converging from the bottoms to the tops thereof, and arms extending inwardly of said centering cups for slidable engagement with said end beams,

wherein guide slots extend along said end beams inwardly of said side beams,

wherein means are provided for supporting and guiding said arms and centering cups for movement along said slots and for retaining said centering cups in adjusted relation relative to said end beams, and

wherein said arms are sufficiently long to accommodate the positioning of said centering cups beneath said side beams when said arms are clamped to the extreme outer end portions of said slots.

9. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 7,

wherein said end beams comprise a pair of beam members having plates extending therealong for portions of the length thereof,

wherein said plates are disposed above the bottoms of said beam members and extend generally horizontally,

wherein the centering means comprise downwardly opening centering cups having sidewalls converging from the bottoms to the tops thereof and have outer walls slidably guided between said beam members and along the undersides of said plates, adjacent the opposite ends of said beam members and held by said beam members from weaving movement relative to said beam members,

wherein said plates have slots extending therealong, and

wherein fastening means slidably extending through said slots slidably guide said centering cups for movement along said end beams and operable to clampingly hold said centering cups in fixed relation along said end beams in accordance with the width of a vehicle frame to be tied down.

10. The tiedown apparatus of claim 9,

wherein said centering cups have arms extending laterally inwardly from said downwardly opening cups and slidably guided between said beam members, and 1 wherein said arms are sufficiently long to accommodate the positioning of said downwardly opening centering cups in position beneath said side beams.

ll. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 6,

wherein a retainer member extends laterally from each end of each end beam beneath the associated side beam and along said side beam towards the outer end thereof,

wherein means are provided for clamping said clamping members to said retainer members to support said end beams on said side beams and to hold said end beams in selected positions of adjustment relative to said side beams,

wherein said retainer means have tie anchors depending therefrom, and

wherein said clamping members each have a stacking guide extending upwardly therefrom and slidably supporting said end beams on side beams, each being engageable by a tie anchor of a next upwardly spaced harness upon stacking of the harnesses on a return trip and centering and retaining the harnesses in centered relation relative to each other.

12. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim ll,

wherein each side beam includes spaced facing channels,

wherein a ledge extends inwardly of each channel beneath the top thereof and forms a slot therebetween,

wherein a clamping member extends within said slot, and

wherein the stacking guide is supported on said clamping member and is slidably supported on said ledges to support an end of said end beam for slidable movement along said side beam.

Claims

1. In a tiedown apparatus for vehicle frames and in combination with a railway car having a flat deck, pedestal means supporting the bottom frame of the stack of frames on the deck, spacer means spacing the frames apart including top spacer means extending upwardly of the top frame of the stack of frames, the improvements comprising, a harness extending over the top frame of the stack of frames, for holding the stack of frames to the flat deck of the railway car, having a pair of aligned parallel side beams, means connecting said side beams together intermediate their ends to extend in side-by-side parallel relation relative to each other, end beams on opposite sides of said means connecting said side beams together and mounted for adjustable movement along said side beams toward and from the transverse centers thereof, to conform to frames of different lengths, and guided for movement along said side beams in generally parallel relation with respect to each other, means holding said end beams in adjusted relation relative to said side beams and accommodating adjustable movement of said end beams along said side beams, centering means mounted on said end beams for adjustable movement toward and from each other in accordance with the width of the stack of frames to be tied down, said centering means opening downwardly for registry with the top spacer means extending upwardly of the top frame of the stack of frames, and means holding said centering means in selected positions of adjustment on said end beams.

2. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the side beams have vertically extending parallel inner sides, wherein the end beams abut the inner sides of said side beams and have portions extending slidably along the bottoms of said side beams, and wherein clamping means are provided to support and selectively lock said end beams in position on said side beams.

3. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said end beams have slots extending therealong inwardly of said side beams, wherein said centering means are guided for adjustable movement along said slots, and wherein means are provided to lock said centering means in selected positions along said slots.

4. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the side beams have parallel inner sides and flat bottom sides, wherein the end beams slidably abut said inner sides and extend beneath and along the undersides of said flat bottoms of said side beams, and wherein the means accommodating adjustable movement of the end beams towards and from each other comprise releasable clamping means slidably supporting said end beams on said side beams, and clamping said end beams in selected positions of adjustment relative to said side beams.

5. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein a retainer member extends from each end of each end beam in a direction toward the outer end of the associated side beam, wherein a clamping member is supported on each end of each side beam for slidable movement therealong, wherein means are provided for connecting said clamping members to said retainer members to support said end beams on said side beams on said clamping members for movement along said side beams, and wherein the means are connected between said clamping and said retaining members for supporting said end beams on said side beams, bring said members into clamping engagement with said side beams and hold said end beams in fixed selected positions relative to said side beams.

6. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the end beams are sufficiently long to extend over the tops of two laterally aligned stacks of vehicle frames, wherein the centering means is in the form of downwardly opening centering cups, converging from the bottoms to the tops thereof and positioned adjacent opposite ends of said end beams for centering engagement with the spacers extending upwardly of the outermost side rails of two vehicle frames, centering the harness on the stacks of vehicle frames, and wherein a downwardly opening elongated centering means is fixedly mounted on each end beam adjacent the transverse center thereof, of sufficient length to engage the spacer means projecting upwardly of the inner side rails of two adjacent vehicle frames.

7. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein the side beams have plane parallel inner sides, wherein the end beams abut said inner sides and have portions extending beneath and along the undersides of said side beams, and wherein clamping means on said side beams have clamping engagement with said end beams and support said beams for slidable movement along said side beams and are operable to selectively clamp said end beams in selected positions of adjustment relative to said side beams.

8. A vehicle frame tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the centering means comprise downwardly opening centering cups having sidewalls converging from the bottoms to the tops thereof, and arms extending inwardly of said centering cups for slidable engagement with said end beams, wherein guide slots extend along said end beams inwardly of said side beams, wherein means are provided for supporting and guiding said arms and centering cups for movement along said slots and for retaining said centering cups in adjusted relation relative to said end beams, and wherein said arms are sufficiently long to accommodate the positioning of said centering cups beneath said side beams when said arms are clamped to the extreme outer end portions of said slots.

9. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said end beams comprise a pair of beam members having plates extending therealong for portions of the length thereof, wherein said plates are disposed aBove the bottoms of said beam members and extend generally horizontally, wherein the centering means comprise downwardly opening centering cups having sidewalls converging from the bottoms to the tops thereof and have outer walls slidably guided between said beam members and along the undersides of said plates, adjacent the opposite ends of said beam members and held by said beam members from weaving movement relative to said beam members, wherein said plates have slots extending therealong, and wherein fastening means slidably extending through said slots slidably guide said centering cups for movement along said end beams and operable to clampingly hold said centering cups in fixed relation along said end beams in accordance with the width of a vehicle frame to be tied down.

10. The tiedown apparatus of claim 9, wherein said centering cups have arms extending laterally inwardly from said downwardly opening cups and slidably guided between said beam members, and wherein said arms are sufficiently long to accommodate the positioning of said downwardly opening centering cups in position beneath said side beams.

11. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein a retainer member extends laterally from each end of each end beam beneath the associated side beam and along said side beam towards the outer end thereof, wherein a clamping member is supported on each end of each side beam for slidable movement therealong, wherein means are provided for clamping said clamping members to said retainer members to support said end beams on said side beams and to hold said end beams in selected positions of adjustment relative to said side beams, wherein said retainer means have tie anchors depending therefrom, and wherein said clamping members each have a stacking guide extending upwardly therefrom and slidably supporting said end beams on side beams, each being engageable by a tie anchor of a next upwardly spaced harness upon stacking of the harnesses on a return trip and centering and retaining the harnesses in centered relation relative to each other.

12. A tiedown apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein each side beam includes spaced facing channels, wherein a ledge extends inwardly of each channel beneath the top thereof and forms a slot therebetween, wherein a clamping member extends within said slot, and wherein the stacking guide is supported on said clamping member and is slidably supported on said ledges to support an end of said end beam for slidable movement along said side beam.