US3708931A

US3708931A - Mobile home pad construction

Info

Publication number: US3708931A
Application number: US00055047A
Authority: US
Inventors: A Button
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-07-15
Filing date: 1970-07-15
Publication date: 1973-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-09

Abstract

A mobile home pad includes poured concrete forward and aft spaced pad sections each of which includes ribbon-like lane portions permitting the mobile home to be driven over such lanes in the process of properly locating the mobile home with respect to the pad; a downwardly extending well separates the pad sections and permits the wheels and associated suspension system of the mobile home to be lowered into the well at which time suitable supporting and shimming blocks are placed along the lanes and beneath the mobile home undercarriage in order to level and support the mobile home on the pad.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Button 1 Jan. 9, 1973 541 MOBILE HOME PAD CONSTRUCTION 3,452,492 7/1969 Brockway ..52/174 x [76] Inventor: Aaron Russell Button, 44109 Grand River, Novi Mich 4 050 Primary EmmmerPr1ce C. Faw, Jr.

Attorney-Lon H. Romanski [22] Filed: July 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 55,047 [57] ABSTRACT 7 A mobile home pad includes poured concrete forward 52 05.01. ..52/169, 52/143, 52/174 and spaced P sections each of which includes [51] Int. Cl. ..E02d 27/32 ribbon-like lane portions permitting the mobile home [58] Fi ld f s 52/169, 174, 143 294, 292, to be driven over such lanes in the process of properly 52/23 locating the mobile home with respect to the pad; a downwardly extending well separates the pad sections [56] References Cited and permits the wheels and associated suspension system of the mobile home to be lowered into the well UNITED STATES PATENTS at which time suitable supporting and shimming 3,508,366 4 1970 Youngkin ..52/174 x blocks are placed along the lanes and beneath the 2,2l2,757 8/1940 Stout bile home undercarriage in order to level and support 3,007,212 11/1961 Gazin ..52/l69 X the mobile home on the pad. 3,016,583 1/1962 Grunt et a1. 52/174 X 3,054,151 9/1962 Shankland ..52/23 2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJM 9 I975 SHEEI 2 OF 2 6; INVENTOR.

1am @assd/ 6225b BY M ATTORNEYS MOBILE HOME PAD CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mobile home villages and parks have, in the past, provided designated areas for the placement of such mobile homes. Such areas are usually determined by the presence of utility connections for such things as water, electricity and sewer facilities.

Heretofore, some parks provided vertically extending permanently situated post-like supports which often were embedded within the ground to a depth below the frost-line. The problems which arise with this type of arrangement are that, first, the locations of such support posts does not always conform to the dimensions of the particular mobile home to be supported thereon thereby requiring extensive work before the mobile home can be fitted" to the support posts. Further, since the support posts extend upwardly a considerable distance above ground level, the mobile home also has to be lifted upwardly and over the posts which, as should be evident, is an extremely difficult and timeconsuming maneuver. Also, once the mobile home is so set atop the support posts, it assumes a high profile with respect to the ground and therefore becomes unstable in high winds.

Others have provided a single continuous concrete slab for each mobile home. However, such prior art slabs did not alter the necessity of having to jack-up the mobile home and then place supporting blocks under the unit. This again caused the mobile home to become unstable in high winds as well as requiring the placement of a number of steps from ground level to the threshold of the mobile home door.

Accordingly, the invention as herein disclosed and described is primarily concerned with the solution of the above as well as other related problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portion normally supported on ground engaging load supporting wheels comprises a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having an overall length and an overall width relatively complementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel well formed within said ground and situated as to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at said wheel well, at least'a pair of said lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of related support and shimming members onto which said body portions is lowered in order to be supported through said support and shimming members and on said lane portions, and said wheel well being of a depth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels and to enable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly in supporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity of having to deflate said load supporting wheels.

Various general and specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the invention considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, wherein for purposes of clarity certain details or elements may be omitted from one or more views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support pad constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally on the plane of line 2-2 of FIG. I and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally on the plane of line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views respectively taken on the planes of lines 4-4, 55 and 6-6 of FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view taken generally on the plane of line 7-7 of FIG. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mobile home situated atop the pad construction of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating amobile home in the process of being parked atop the supporting pad of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, FIG. I illustrates, in perspective, a pad construction 10 for a mobile home or the like comprised of generally forwardly and rearwardly spaced supporting bases 12 and 14 between which is formed a well 16. A longitudinally extending retaining wall 19 is preferably formed integrally with base sections 12 and 14 as well as with one of the walls forming the well 16. A patio-like slab I8 is formed at one side of the base sections 12 and 14 in a manner so as to have the longitudinal edge 20 thereof contiguous to the outer edge or surface 22 of retainer wall 19.

As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, base section 12 is of a generally U-shaped configuration having longitudinally extending leg-

like ribbon portions

24 and 26 which are joined at their outer-most ends as by a bight portion 28. Similarly, base section 14 is also of a generally U-shaped configuration having leg-

like ribbon portions

30 and 32 which are also joined, at their outer-most ends, as by a bight portion 34.

The

inner ends

36 and 38 of

ribbon portions

24 and 26 as well as the inner ends 40 and 42 of

ribbon portions

30 and 32 are preferably formed integrally with, for example, opposed

vertical walls

44 and 46 of the well 16 which is also shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the well 16 is preferably formed by vertically extending

opposed side walls

48 and 50 which are, in turn, integrally formed with vertically extending

opposed end walls

44 and 46. As seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8,

side walls

48 and 50 are respectively provided with longitudinally extending ledges or

recesses

52 and 54 which, as will become evident, comprise adjustment means for supporting a critical part of the mobile home unit.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, well wall 46 may extend so as to form one of the wall portions of a service access opening 56. Preferably, access opening 56 is formed by vertically extending

walls

58 and 60 integrally formed with each other and respectively integrally formed with end wall 46 and side wall 50 which, as is shown, is somewhat shorter than the opposed side wall 48.

Preferably, the pad of the invention can be constructed in the following manner. A pit 62 of suitable dimensions is first dug into the ground 64 and wall forms are then placed within the pit in order to define, between the vertical surfaces of the ground 64 and the inner surfaces of the respective forms, spaces corresponding to the desired thickness of the

vertical walls

44, 46, 48, 50, 58 and 60.

After the pit 62 has been dug but before the wall forms are placed within the pit, it is preferred that the ground 64 on which the pad sections 12 and 14 will be supported, be scraped or otherwise suitably leveled so as to define a rather flat ground surface 66. After the ground surface 66 is thusly prepared suitable forms outlining the pad sections 12 and 14 as well as the retainer wall 19 may be set-up and the concrete poured in order to fill the forms for pad sections 12 and 14 as well as the forms for

walls

44, 46, 48, 50, 58 and 60 along with retainer wall 19. After the concrete has set the respective forms may be removed. As typically illustrated in FIG. 2, it is preferred that suitable strengthening or reinforcing members, such as steel rods 68 or the like, be embedded within the concrete.

It has been discovered that various benefits are derived in construction support pads 10 in accordance with the teachings of the invention. For example, it has been discovered that the thickness of the pad sections 12 and 14 may be in the order of 4.0 inches and yet such thickness is sufficient to support the heavy load of a large mobile home without undue adverse effects on the supporting pad 10. In this connection, it should be mentioned that in constructing such pads 10, standard cut 2 X 4 inch lumber, laid on its narrow edge, has been used in constructing the forms for the pad sections 12 and I4. Accordingly, it can be seen that the thickness dimensions of 4.0 inches is a nominal dimension in that such standard cut 2 X 4 inch lumber has an actual dimension of 1-3 inches by 3-!4 inches.

Further, the height of retainer wall 19 is preferably selected to be of a dimension so that when the mobile home is supported on the pad 10, the lower side edge of the mobile home comes into close proximity with the upper edge or surface 70 of retainer wall 19. If any space exists between the lower side edge 72 of the mobile home 74 and the upper surface 70 of retainer wall 19, such space can be closed as by the placement of suitable curtain-like members or blocks 76 (which are non-supporting with regard to the mobile home 74) as depicted in FIG. 8.

As illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8, the retainer wall 19 serves another important function; that is, referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that once retainer wall 19 is formed, the ground 64 is graded up against it (preferably defining at least a slightly sloping surface 78) and a patio-like slab 18 is formed as by placing suitable forms atop the surface 78 and filling such forms with concrete. As should be observed, in pouring the concrete, the upper surface 80 of slab 1B is so formed as to have its edge, which is juxtaposed to retainer wall 19, generally level with or at substantially the same height with upper surface 70 of retaining wall 19. Consequently, when the mobile home 74 is parked in place as shown in FIG. 8, the threshold 82 of the door 84 is at a comfortable step height with respect to slab surface 80.

As shown in FIG. 8, the mobile home 74 can be easily parked or situated onto the supporting pad 10 arrangement. That is, the mobile home 74 is backed onto pad section I2 and moved rearwardly on its supporting ground-engaging wheels 86 and 88 rolling along

pad ribbon portions

24 and 26.

Ramps

90 and 92, preferably removable, are situated within well 16 and spaced from each other so as to respectively provide inclined tracks for wheels 86 and 88. Therefore, after the mobile home 74 has been backed a sufficient distance, wheels 86 and 88 start to roll along and downwardly on

ramps

90 and 92 thereby simultaneously moving the mobile home 74 further rearwardly toward pad section 14 and downwardly toward the surface of both pad sections 12 and 14.

As illustrated, mobile homes or trailers are usually provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending main frame members 94 and 96. Accordingly, suitable rollers 98, 100 and I02 are suitably located and placed on

pad ribbons

24, 26, 32 and 34 so that when the unit 74 is sufficiently lowered the main frame members will engage such rollers as 98, 100 and 102 thereby maintaining the unit 74 at a prescribed height above the surfaces of pad sections 12 and 14 while, at the same time, causing the weight of the mobile unit 74 to be transferred from the axle and wheels 86 and 88 to the rollers.

Such engagement between frame members 94, 96 and corresponding rollers will occur while wheels 86 and 88 are still on their respective ramps and 92 thereby more often than not resulting in the wheels 86 and 88 being suspended above the floor or lower surface of well I6 as the mobile unit 74 is roller further backwards on the

roller

98, 100 and 102 until situated in its desired location with respect to pad construction 10. When the mobile unit 74 is thusly properly located, suitable supporting members and shimming blocks or supports 104 are placed, at suitable intervals, between the lower edges of frame members 94 and 96 and the upper surfaces of

pad ribbons

24, 26, 30 and 32 as typically illustrated in phantom line in FIG. 4. When a suffrcient member of such blocks or supports 104 are so placed, the

rollers

98, 100 and 102 are removed and the entire weight of the mobile unit is carried by the pad sections 12 and 14 through the spaced supports 104.

In addition to the spaced supports 104, additional laterally adjustable supporting means are provided for supporting the portion of the mobile unit 74 which is disposed above the well I6. Such supporting means, as depicted in FIGS. I, 3, 4 and 5 comprises elongated ledges or recesses 52 and 54 which serve to support a suitable transversely extending member, such as an I- beam I06. By providing such

elongated slots

52 and 54 the I-beam 106 can be shifted therealong, in order to avoid interference with the wheels 86 and 88 and associated suspension, and yet enable the l-beam 106 to provide support as by the placement of suitable blocks and shimming means 108 as against and between the top of the l-beam 106 and the bottom surfaces of frame members 94 and 96.

After the mobile unit 74 is situated atop the pad 10, as described above, the mobile unit is then preferably secured so as to be firmly held against, for example, possible adverse effects of high winds. In order to make this a simple procedure, the

walls

44 and 46 of well 16 are provided with suitable anchors H0, 112, 114 and 116 which are employed in combination with either suitable rods and/or cables for connection to the undercarriage or frame of the mobile unit 74. Such securing means coupled with the fact that, by virtue of the wheels being dropped into well 16, the entire mobile unit 74 is placed low to the ground, the mobile unit becomes extremely stable even in winds which could upset such mobile homes supported in the conventional manner of the prior art.

The well 16, in addition to permitting wheels 86 and 88 to be lowered, provides a shelter for the occupants of the mobile home 74 in cases of severe storms accompanied by tornadoes. In this connection it should be pointed out that in the preferred embodiment of the invention, related utility service connections are provided as at 118 and 120 within the service access 56. Again, by virtue of having

such connections

118 and 120 within the service access 56, they are less susceptible to damage and result in an enhanced aesthetic quality for the entire surrounding area.

Referring again to the pad sections 12 and 14, it can be seen that in the preferred embodiment the ground 64 is not only scraped to provide the surface 66 but it is also dug out or trenched as at 122 between pad ribbons or

lanes

24 and 26 and as at 124 between pad ribbons or

lanes

30 and 32. In some instances it has been found that such trenched portions 122 and I24, when dug to a depth in the order of one foot, as measured downwardly from the surface 66, provides adequate space for such accessories as, for example, air conditioning duct work carried underneath the mobile home unit 74.

In addition to the above, further benefits have been discovered; that is, first, since the pad sections 12 and 14 are laid atop the ground 64 they are able to move upwardly and downwardly with the ground as the ground respectively rises and settles during winter and spring, Also, since the pad sections are comprised of ribbon-like lanes (24, 26, 30 and 32) with a space therebetween, such individual lanes are better able to conform to ground movement thereunder without in any way building-up stresses in the next lane or ribbon portion.

Finally, the patio slab 18, being juxtaposed to the retainer wall 19 and also formed atop the ground on surface 78, is also permitted to move upwardly and downwardly in response to the ground rising and settling in the same way as the pad sections 12 and 14. Therefore, regardless of the ground conditions due to the particular season, the patio 18 remains in a substantially constant relationship to the retainer wall 19 and pad sections 12 and 14.

Although only one preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described, it is apparent that other embodiments and modifications of the invention are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portion normally supported on ground engaging load supporting wheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supporting pad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having an overall length and an overall width relatively complementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel well formed within said ground and situated as to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbonlike lane portions having a transverse width sufficient to support said load supporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body, said parallel spaced ribbonlike lane portions being spaced from each other a distance accommodating the simultaneous support and passage thereover of said load supporting wheels as said mobile home is moved therealong toward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of related support and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported through said support and shimming members and on said lane portions, said wheel well being ofa depth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels and enable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly in supporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity of having to deflate said load supporting wheels, said aft slab section comprising at least a pair of generally spaced ribbon-like second lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said second lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of additional related support and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported through said additional support and shimming members and on said second lane portions, said first mentioned lane portions terminating at their other end in a first bight portion integrally formed therewith whereby said first bight portion and said first mentioned lane portions define a first generally U-shaped configuration, said second lane portions terminating at their other end in a second bight portion integrally formed therewith whereby said second lane portions define a second generally U-shaped configuration, a retainer wall formed along a longitudinal side of said forward and aft slab sections and integrally with one of said first mentioned lane portions and with one of said second lane portions, said retainer wall being of a height as to form at least a partial skirt along one side of said body when said mobile home is placed in supported relationship on said forward and aft slab sections, and a patio'- like slab laid on said ground in a manner so as to have one edge thereof juxtaposed to said retainer wall and as to have the upper surface of said patio-like slab at said one edge at a height substantially equal to the height of said retainer wall, said patio-like slab having an other edge opposite to said one edge at a height substantially below the height of said retainer wall.

2. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portion normally supported on ground engaging load supporting wheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supporting pad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having an overall length and an overall width relatively complementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel well formed within said ground and situated as to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbonlike lane portions having a transverse width sufficient to support said load supporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body, said parallel spaced ribbon-like portions being spaced from each other a distance accommodating the simultaneous support and passage thereover of said load supporting wheels as said mobile home is moved therealong toward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of related support and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported through said support and shimming members and on said lane portions, said wheel well being of a depth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels and to enable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly in supporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity of having to deflate said load supporting wheels, said well comprising a plurality of generally vertically extending walls situated in said ground and defining therebetween space sufficient for the reception of said load supporting wheels, and means formed in at least a pair of said vertically extending walls for accommodating the placement therein of additional supporting means for supporting the portion of said mobile home extending over said well, said formed means comprising substantially elongated recesses extending generally parallel to the length of said slab sections for enabling the variable and selective positioning of said additional supporting means thereon for optimum support of said mobile home.

I! I! Ill t

Claims

1. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portion normally supported on ground engaging load supporting wheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supporting pad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having an overall length and an overall width relatively complementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel well formed within said ground and situated as to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions having a transverse width sufficient to support said load supporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body, said parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions being spaced from each other a distance accommodating the simultaneous support and passage thereover of said load supporting wheels as said mobile home is moved therealong toward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of related support and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported through said support and shimming members and on said lane portions, said wheel well being of a depth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels and enable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly in supporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity of having to deflate said load supporting wheels, said aft slab section comprising at least a pair of generally spaced ribbonlike second lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said second lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of additional related support and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported through said additional support and shimming members and on said second lane portions, said first mentioned lane portions terminating at their other end in a first bight portion integrally formed therewith whereby said first bight portion and said first mentioned lane portions define a first generally U-shaped configuration, said second lane portions terminating at their other end in a second bight portion integrally formed therewith whereby said second lane portions define a secoNd generally U-shaped configuration, a retainer wall formed along a longitudinal side of said forward and aft slab sections and integrally with one of said first mentioned lane portions and with one of said second lane portions, said retainer wall being of a height as to form at least a partial skirt along one side of said body when said mobile home is placed in supported relationship on said forward and aft slab sections, and a patio-like slab laid on said ground in a manner so as to have one edge thereof juxtaposed to said retainer wall and as to have the upper surface of said patio-like slab at said one edge at a height substantially equal to the height of said retainer wall, said patio-like slab having an other edge opposite to said one edge at a height substantially below the height of said retainer wall.

2. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portion normally supported on ground engaging load supporting wheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supporting pad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having an overall length and an overall width relatively complementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel well formed within said ground and situated as to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions having a transverse width sufficient to support said load supporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body, said parallel spaced ribbon-like portions being spaced from each other a distance accommodating the simultaneous support and passage thereover of said load supporting wheels as said mobile home is moved therealong toward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of related support and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported through said support and shimming members and on said lane portions, said wheel well being of a depth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels and to enable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly in supporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity of having to deflate said load supporting wheels, said well comprising a plurality of generally vertically extending walls situated in said ground and defining therebetween space sufficient for the reception of said load supporting wheels, and means formed in at least a pair of said vertically extending walls for accommodating the placement therein of additional supporting means for supporting the portion of said mobile home extending over said well, said formed means comprising substantially elongated recesses extending generally parallel to the length of said slab sections for enabling the variable and selective positioning of said additional supporting means thereon for optimum support of said mobile home.