US3724698A

US3724698A - Goods vehicles

Info

Publication number: US3724698A
Application number: US00079802A
Authority: US
Inventors: W Weston
Original assignee: FOCO NV
Current assignee: FOCO NV
Priority date: 1967-04-27
Filing date: 1970-10-12
Publication date: 1973-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-03
Also published as: DE1755331A1; FR1565093A; US3559831A; DE1755331B2; SE349262B

Abstract

The base of a load-carrying system supports a horizontal conveyor having an endless member with side-by-side runs, and having wheeled load receptacles running on the base, and the sides of the receptacles adjacent the endless member directly overlie the latter, so that substantially the whole load space is utilized in a direction transverse to the runs.

Description

United States Patent 91 Weston 14 1 *Apr. 3, 1973 541 GOODS VEHICLES [58] Field 61 search ..214/16 .1c 16.1 cA 5 1 [75] Inventor: William A. Weston, Crawford, En- 214/83'36;198/181 ff m H; V [56] References Cited [73] Assignee: N.V. Foco, Nederland, Bedum,

Netherlands UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,010,410 11/1961 Daniels ..l98/181 X 1 Name l g gg 3,122,235 2/1964 Meekeretal. ..19s/1s1 Pa em F e 1 1 3,204,797 9/1965 Chandler ..214/51s a been dlsclalmed- 3,559,831 2/1971 Weston ..214/s16 [22] Filed: Oct. 12, 1970 Primary Examiner-Albert J. Makay PP N04 79,802 Attorney-Young 82 Thompson [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Apr. 27, 1967 Great Britain ..19,366/67 I base i f f a fg g May26, 1967 Great Britain ..24,498/67 685 mem r side runs, and havlng wheeled load receptacles ov. 3. 1967 Great Bntam ..50,061/67 1 Mar 27 1968 Great Britain 14 831/68 running on the base, and the sldes of the receptac es v adjacent the endless member d1rectly overlie the v latter, so that substantially the whole load space is util- U.S. Cl ..214/518 ized in a direction transverse to the 12 Claims, 27 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAFR 3 1975 SHEET UlUF 15' Immllor W/LL/RM 4. WESTON r J4 jib-7 A tlorneys PATENTEUAPM ms 3 724698 sum UEUFWS I I nvenlor W/LL [0/14 A WES ro/v Allorneys PATENTEMPRB ma 3,724,698 SHEET 03UF 15 Inventor W/LL/AM ,4. WEsTo/v ByWf-JW A llomeys PATENTEDAPRB 197a SHEET DQUF 1s lnvenlor WILL IHM 14. h/ssro/v By Y'JM;

A tlorneys PATENTEDAPRZB I975 3.724598 sum near 15 Invenlor W/LL/AM A2 1/1 5570 A llorneyfi I PATENTEU I975 SHEET 08F 15 I fa 1 1 Inventor W/ L MM A. W55 mm B, 2 ,1 raw A tlorneys PATENTEDAPR3 191s 3,724,698

- SHEET OSOF 15 Inventor M1. L MM A. W55 704 By rJWv- Attorneys PATENTEDAPR 3 I973 SHEET lUUF 15 9 2% w w w 5 0 7 w TIE M IE my A V P E a i 6 U H w T), 0 0 ,Mvfl A M x A I rwenlor W/LA /AM A Warm Bykhv; Attorneys PATENIEDAPRQ ma SHEET llUF 15 Il'fllllf W L A 09/1414 Wave "7 A Honeys .coons VEHICLES This invention relates to goods vehicles. As' the invention relates, especially but not exclusively, to road vehicles, such as to lorries and vans, it will be assumed for convenience of description that the vehicle is a van.

According to the present invention I.provide a van having on its load-carrying platform an endless conveyor extending fore-and-aft and having side-by-side runs, and having attached to its endless member a series of wheeled carriers or a series of devices to each of which a wheeled container may be connected.

Preferably, the van has a tail gate which can be raised and lowered bodily so as to act as a lift.

Preferably also, the conveyor is position adjustable bodily in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the platform of the van.

Further, according to the present invention I provide in or for a van a gate lift comprising a gate, a vertically arrangedpiston-andcylinder unit adapted to raise and lower the gate through a rope-and-pulley or the like system, a telescopic ground-engageable support, the cylinder of said unit being mounted in the upper tubular part of a telescopic member so as to be slidable between an upper limit position, and a lower limit position in which it urges the other part of the tubular member into a ground-engaging position, and means for releasably locking the piston of the unit against movement and said other part of the telescopic member in its ground engaging position.

Said support may be another and similar piston-andcylinder unit, or may be a telescopic leg which is pivotal between a lowered ground-engaging position and a raised out-of-use position in which it extends across and below the gate and supports the latter or acts as a safety catch therefor.

Preferably, each container has two fixedly mounted front wheels and one or more castor-type rear wheels, and each carrier has means thereon, for example rol- Iers, for engaging the container and raising its front end so that its front wheels lie clear of the platform of the van, and the container is supported, when on the conveyor, by front castor-type wheels-on the carrier and by the rear caster-type wheel or wheels on the container. Still further, according to the present invention I provide a container having a door and means for the purpose aforesaid, said means comprising a device for holding the door closed and displaceable so as to permit opening of the door and carrying a connector for one end of a sealing strip, and a releasable fastener for the other end of the sealing strip, said device with its connector and said fastener being so arranged on the container that, when they are connected by a sealing strip, the latter extends across the free end of the door and said device being displaceable only in a direction away from said fastener to permit opening of the door, and the fastener being releasable only from inside the container, so that the door cannot be opened without the sealing strip beingbroken.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of a van according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view corresponding to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the van of FIG.

10 larger scale showing details of a collapsible portion of the side walls of the track shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side view of a container, to a larger scale and showing a braking device therefor;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the floor of a container, to a larger Scale;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a container, with the roof removed;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a roof of a container;

FIG. 12 is a side view of a rear portion of the conveyor shown in FIG. 3, to a larger scale, and showing two adjacent containers;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary plan view corresponding to FIG. 12 and showing part of a support for a container;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view corresponding to FIG.

12 and showing a modification;

FIG. 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 14, to a larger scale, and showing a further modification;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary end view corresponding to FIG. 12 and showing a mounting for the beam of the conveyor;

' FIG. 17 is a fragmentary side view corresponding to FIG. 3, to a larger scale, and partly in section, and showing the gate lift in more detail;

FIG. 18 is an end view corresponding to FIG. 17,

with some parts omitted for clarity, and showing a modification of the gate lift;

FIGS. 19 to 22 are detail views showing means for connecting a container to the conveyor; FIGS. 23 to 26 are detail views showing means for latching and sealing the doors of a container, so that unauthorized or accidental opening of the doors can be easily detected; and

FIG. 27 is a side view of a carrier showing a modification.

motors 4 powered by an electrical pump (not shown) drive the conveyor 2 and the latter carries a plurality of containers 5 (not shown in FIG. 3) mounted on castortype wheels 6.

The van 1 hasagatelift7atoneside andatailgate8 at the rear. The floor 9 of the gate lift 7 is formed by a portion 10 of the platform 3 and a hinged portion 10A. The floor 9 is movable from a raised position, as shown in FIG. 3, in which it is flush with the platform 3, and a lowered position in which it is substantially at ground level.

The containers 5 are connected to the conveyor 2 through carriers 11 on the conveyor chain and mounted on castor-type wheels 12 which run on the platform 3.

The general principle of operation of the van is as follows. In order to load the'v'an with containers 5 the lift 7 is moved to its lowered position and a container is pushed on to the floor 10, A. The lift 7 is then raised until the

floor

10, 10A is flush with the platform 3 and the container is pushed on to and secured to a carrier 1 1. The conveyor 2 is then operated until the next carrier 11 is opposite the gate lift 7 and the preceding carrier 11 is moved along the van. This procedure is carried out with each container until the van is fully loaded, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Unloading is efiected in the reverse manner to that above described.

It will be understood that there must be space available at the front and rear of the van in order that the containers 5 may swing around the ends of the conveyor 2. As such space is valuable in goods vehicles, the conveyor is slidably mounted on the platform 3 so that, during loading and unloading and with the tail gate 8 open, the conveyor 2 is moved rearwardly of the van 1. Thus the containers swing clear of the front wall of the van 1 as they swing around the front end of the conveyor 2 and out of the open tail gate 8 as they swing around the rear end of the conveyor 2. When the carriers 11 approach the rear end of the conveyor 2 a flanged wheel 13 engages a substantially U-shaped rail 14 which supports the carrier 11 and associated container 5 when the wheels 6 and 12 run clear of the rear of the platform 3. Alternatively or additionally the tail gate 8 may be hinged downwardly so as to form an extension of the platform 3 on which the wheels 12 and 6 may run. When loading or unloading is completed the conveyor is moved forward to the position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The conveyor 2 includes a hollow beam 15 extending fore and aft of the van 1 and slidably guided between bearing guide members 16 fixed to the platform 3. The hydraulic motors 4 are secured to opposite ends of the beam 15 and are drivingly connected to sprocket wheels 17 around which passes an endless chain 18. A hydraulic piston-and-cylinder unit 19 has its cylinder 19A connected to the platform 3 by lugs 20 and its piston rod 198 connected to the beam 15. Thus actuation of the unit 19 by fluid from the electrical pump which drives the motors 4 moves the conveyor 2 bodily, either rearwardly or forwardly, as described above.

The carriers 11, details of which are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, are pivotally connected to the chain 18 by extended link pins (not shown) and each carrier 11 has a pair of front or inner castor wheels 12A and a pair of rear or outer rollers 21 running in outer tracks 22 which extend along each side of the conveyor 2 but not around the ends. Each carrier 11 also has a rear wheel 1213 which is fixed against swivelling and which runs on the base of the track 22 at least when the carriers are unloaded. Alternatively, other tracks or strips may be provided for the wheels 12B. Adjacent its rear or outer end, the carrier 1 1 supports on top thereof a pair of rollers 23.

Each container 5 has a pair of rear castor wheels 6A and a pair of front wheels 6B which are fixed against swivelling. The container also has at opposite sides runners 24 extending fore-and-aft and each having a flange 25, and supports 26 for the rollers 21 present flanges 27.

In use, when a container 5 is to be loaded, it is pushed in the direction of the arrow A, FIG. 4, so that the runners 24 pass along each side of the carrier ll,

and each flange 25 passes between the carrier 11 and a flange 27. The floor of the container rides on the rollers 23, so that the container 5 is raised at the front, and its front wheels 6B are lifted clear of the platform 3. By the time the container 5 has reached its loaded position, as shown in FIG. 4, the flanges 25 have abutted the carrier 11 and pivoted it upwards slightly about its connection to the conveyor chain 18. Also, when the container 5 reaches the position shown in FIG. 4, pins 28 on the carrier 11 are spring-urged through aligned holes in the

flanges

25 and 27, and a slotted guide member 29 on the container 5 has fully engaged a post 30 on the carrier 11. The member 29 and the post 30 are shown in plan view to a larger scale in FIG. 6, and these assist in guiding the container 5 into position. The container 5 is thus held against sidewise movement relative to the carrier 11 by the abutting

flanges

25, 27 and the pin 30 engaging in the member 29, and is held against movement beyond the position shown and against withdrawal by the pins 28. In the loaded position shown in FIG. 4, the container is thus supported on the

castor wheels

12A and 12B of the carrier 11 and on its own castor wheels 6A, which run on strips 31 on the platform 3, when the conveyor is in operation.

A manually operable lever system generally indicated at 32 is provided for each carrier 11 for withdrawing the pins 28 from the holes in the

flanges

25 and 27, so that the container 5 may be withdrawn for unloading. Alternatively, the lever system may be operable to effect insertion of the pins 28, and the pins 28 withdraw under spring pressure when the lever system is again operated.

The side walls of the track 22 project above the platform 3 and provision is made to facilitate movement of the wheels 6B over the track 22, as will now be described with reference to FIG. 7. Opposite the gate lift 7, the walls of the track 22 have opposed portions 33, 34 slightly longer than the distance between the wheels 6B and which act as gates which can be swung downwards to allow the wheels 68 to pass over the track. Thus the track wall portions of gates 33, 34 swing vertically. The gate 33 is mounted at its lower end on a pivot 35 and is attached to a gear segment 36 which meshes with a gear wheel 37 which in turn meshes with a gear wheel 38. The latter meshes with a gear segment 39 to which the gate 34 is attached and the gate 34 is mounted at its lower end on a pivot 40. Thus, when the container 5 is being pushed to its loaded position, the wheels 6B push down the gate 33. The segment 36 is thus rotated in the direction of the arrow B causing the

gear wheels

37, 38 to rotate, and the segment 39 to rotate so that the gate 34 swings down in the direction of the arrow C. Springs, not shown, are provided to return the gates 33, 34 to the upstanding position as soon as the wheels 68 have passed the track 22. During withdrawal of the container 5, a similar action takes place when the wheels 6A push down the gate 34. FIG. 7 is purely schematic and only for the purpose of illustrating the gearing arrangement.

FIG. 8 illustrates a braking device for the container which will now be described. The braking device consists of a brake block 41 on a lever 42 which is pivotally mounted on the container at 43 and is engageable with a wheel 6B. The shaft 44 of the wheel 6B is mounted in vertically elongated slots 45 in a bracket 46 for the wheel 68. When the lever 42 is swung down to the operative position, shown in broken lines in FIG. 8, the

block 41 engages the wheel 68 and the front end of the container rises relative to the wheel 68, and the lever 42 is secured in position in any convenient manner, for example, by a pawl and ratchet device. The floor of the container 5 when the brake is applied, is horizontal, and when the brake is released is slightly inclined downwardly and forwardly.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, l and II, the floor 47 of the container has adjacent each corner a right-angled socket 48 in each of which an end portion of an upright angle member 48A is inserted. The angle members 48A are interconnected at their lower ends by further angle members 4813 and the latter are secured to the floor, for example, by bolts. The roof of the container is connected to the upright angle members in a similar manner (FIG. 1 l The front and

rear panels

48C, 48D, and one side panel 48E of the container 5 fit into slots 48F provided at two corners between the upright angle members 48A and outer upright angle members 486 extending parallel thereto. At the other two comers, the

side panels

48C, 48D are located in slots 48H between the upright angle members 48A and side plates 48K, and the leaves 48L of hinges of doors 48M which form the other side wall of the container are also located in said slots 48H. The sockets 48 at one side of the floor 47 are preferably spaced, as shown in FIG. 9, further from the side edge of the floor than are the sockets 48 at the other side spacedfrom that side edge.

The gearing for interconnecting the gates 33, 34, may be replaced by a lever system, and stops may be provided for limiting movement in each direction.

Instead of two castor wheels 6A, the container may have only one such wheel midway between its sides.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 12 to 16.

FIG. 12 shows in side view a rear portion of the conveyor 2 and two

adjacent containers

5 and 5A, the conveyor 2 being in its operative position, and the container 5 being the reannost container. In this position of the conveyor 2, when the van has a tail gate which hinges downwards to form an extension of the platform 3, the carriers 11 ride on the tail gate in their rearmost position. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 12, provision is made for supporting the containers in their rearmost position when there is no such tail gate 'or a short tail gate, as will now be described. The substantially U- shaped rail 14 located above the level of the containers extends around the rear end of the conveyor 2 and cooperates with a flanged wheel 13 mounted either on upstanding extensions 49 of each carrier 11 (FIG. '3) or on the roof of each container (FIGS. 12 and 14). Thus, as each container 5 or carrier 1 l approaches the end of the conveyor 2 its wheel 13 engages and runs on the rail 14, so that the container is thus suspended when there is no tail gate. The carrier 11 is supported against downward pivoting by a wheel 50 on the carrier 11, the wheel 5.0 having an upright rotary axis and engaging a rail 51 on the conveyor frame (FIG. 13).

In this way, the van may have a relatively inexpensive rear door or doors, such as side hinged doors, a top hinged door, a door of the up and over type or a roller type door.

The rail .14 may have a pin or pins 14A runn ing in a channel 14B on the roof of the van.

, FIG. 14 shows in fi'agrnentary end view a modification of the FIG. 12 embodiment, in which the rail 14 and the flanged wheel 13 are replaced respectively by a

track having flanges

52, 53 and a roller 54. In this case, a rearmost part 52A of the outer flange 52 (FIG. 15) is movable inwards relative to a separate part 53A of the flange 53 so as to abut the flange 53A and provide a rear gap in the flange 52 through which the roller 54 may pass and thus allow the containers to be unloaded at the rear, if desired. As shown in FIG. 15, the part 52A is carried by a slide 55 which is urged by a spring 56 to a position in which the part 52A is continuous with the flange 52, and a clamp 57 on the part 53A is provided for locking the slide 55 in its extended and retracted position. The

track

52, 53 may extend fully around the conveyor, and, in this case, a similar arrangement to that described with reference to FIG. 15 is provided at one side for side loading and unloading.

In the case that loading and unloading has to take place at the rear of the van, a lever system 32 (FIG. 4) is provided also at the rear of the van.

When a device is provided for taking-up slack or wear in the conveyor chain, said device is so arranged that the rear sprocket for the conveyor chain is not moved relative to the rail 14 or the

track

52, 53.

The flange 53 of the

track

52, 53 is not essential and may be omitted.

Extra brackets and an extra sliding piece on which the conveyor frame or boom runs may be provided at the rear. Each bracket may be in the form of a channel member as shown at 16A in FIG. 16.

As already described the van has a gate lift 7 at one side, the gate or floor 9 of the lift being formed by a portion 10 of the load-carrying platform 3 of the van and being carried by

telescopic members

58 and 59 so that it may be guided between a raised position in which it is flush-with the van platform, and a lowered position in which it is substantially at ground level.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 17, raising and lowering of the gate 9 is efiected by a double-acting hydraulic piston-and-cylinder unit 60 through a rope-and-pulley system 6i. The cylinder 62 of said unit 60 is mounted in the upper tubular part 63 of the telescopic member 58 so as to be slidable between an upper limit position in which it abuts the upper end of said tubular part, and a lower limit position in which it expands the telescopic member so that its other part 64 engages the ground. The rope-and-pulley system 61 has a pulley 65 on the piston rod 66 of the unit 66 (the piston on the rod not being shown), and two

ropes

67, 68 pass from an anchorage 69 above the unit down and around said pulley 65. The ropes then pass up and around a second pulley 70 and the rope 67 passes downwards and is anchored to one end of the gate 9. The other rope 63 passes over a third pulley 71 spaced from the second pulley 70, and the rope 66 extends downwards from the third pulley 71 and is anchored to the other end of the gate 9. A first pin 72 holds the piston rod 66 of the unit 61 against movement, and a second pin 73 holds the parts of the telescopic member 56 against expansion. The telescopic member 59 has a telescopic leg 74 which is pivotally connected at one end to the van platform 3 and it extends below and across the gate 9 and is held in position by a third pin 75. The leg 74 in this position supports the gate 9 or acts as a safety catch therefor. By withdrawing the third pin 75, the leg 74 can be pivoted into a vertical position, and the leg 74 can be expanded into engagement with the ground upon withdrawal of a fourth pin 76 which locks the upper and lower telescopic parts of the leg together in their contracted position.

As above described, the gate is in its raised out-ofuse or road travel position, and the operation of lowering the gate will now be described.

The telescopic leg 74 is swung down to its vertical position. The unit 60 with the second pin 73 removed, is then operated so that the cylinder 62 moves downwards because the piston is held against movement by the pin 72 restraining the piston rod 66, and pushes the lower part 64 of the telescopic member 58 into contact with the ground and raises the chassis of the van slightly. The said fourth pin 76 is withdrawn, so that the lower part of the telescopic leg 74 lowers under gravity, or by being manually pulled, into engagement with the ground. The fourth pin 76 is then re-inserted to hold the telescopic leg 74 so expanded. The second pin 73 is then re-inserted to hold the lower part 64 of the telescopic member 58 in engagement with the ground, after, if necessary, further adjustment of the unit. The latter is then operated so that the cylinder 62 moves to its upper limit position. The first pin 72 is then removed to release the piston rod 66, and the unit 60 is again operated so that the piston rod 66 moves upwards carrying the first pulley 65 with it so that the gate 9 then moves down to its lowered position at ground level. The gate 9 can be raised by reversing the stroke of the piston of the unit.

When the loading or unloading operation is finished, the gate 9 is returned to its raised position, and the first pin 72 is replaced to hold the piston against movement. The unit 60 is then operated so that the cylinder 62 abuts the lower part 64 of the telescopic member 58 and so that the second pin 73 can be withdrawn. After withdrawal of the second pin 73, the unit 60 is then operated so that the load is taken from the telescopic leg 74 and the fourth pin 76 is removed, the lower part of the leg 74 is pushed in manually, the pin 76 replaced, and the leg is then swung up into position below the gate. The unit 60 is then operated so that the cylinder 62 moves to its upper limit position, and the lower part 64 of the telescopic member 58 is pushed manually into its collapsed position and the second pin 73 is then reinserted.

The gate may have a hinged extension 10A which has a hinged flap 77 (FIG. 18) which forms a ramp when the gate is in its lowered position.

The wheels of the containers or carriers 11 may be guided between inner and outer rails on the van platfonn 3, and the said flap 77 in the out-of-use position of the gate acts as part of the outer rail. That is to say, the extension of the gate A is swung upwards to a vertical position and the flap 77 is swung inwards and downwards against the extension 10A. The gate 9 carries a lower plate 78 which projects beyond the outer edge of the gate 9 and supports the extension 10A in the in-use position.

In a modification the carriers 11 are mounted on the conveyor 2 as follows. Referring to FIGS. 19 to 22, the conveyor chain 18 has a series of pairs of upper and lower plates 79, each pair being connected to a link of the chain 18 and projecting laterally and outwardly therefrom. The plates 79 carry between them a rotatably adjustable shaft 80 extending parallel to the chain and carrying an eccentric cam 81 at each end of the plates 79. The plates 79, at their outermost edges carry a central triangular projection 82, and also carry an upright guide pin 83. The edge of a carrier 11 opposite and adjacent the chain, in use, has a V-shaped notch 84 corresponding to said triangular projection 82 and on opposite sides of the notch 84 carries pivoted spring-loaded latches 85 for engaging said cams 81. The carrier 11 also has a guide-way 86 in line with the notch 84 and at right-angles to the edge having the notch.

In use, each carrier 11 is connected to the conveyor chain 18 by pushing it towards the chain so that the guide pin 83 is engaged by the guide-way $36 and the carrier 11 is so guided that the triangular projection 82 on the plates 79 and the notch 84 on the carrier 11 engage, and the latches 85 engage the cams 81. The cams 81 are then rotated by a lever 87 (FIG. 22) to hold the latches 25 more firmly in position. The latches 85 engage the cams 81 automatically by moving up ramps 88 and then dropping 011 these on to the earns 81. Unloading is efi'ected in the reverse manner, the latches 85 first being lifted clear of the cams 81.

Each container 5 is provided with means for attaching a sealing strip so that unauthorized or accidental opening of the container may be easily detected. Referring to FIGS. 23 to 26 the container 5 has two oppositely opening hinged

doors

89,90, and means for attaching a sealing strip 91 (FIG. 24). The said means consists of a device 92 for holding the doors closed, and a releasable fastener 93. The device 92 consists of an angle member which has one arm 94 secured to the top wall of the container, and its other arm 95 angled and abutting said top wall and the front faces of the doors 89, so as to hold them closed, and connected to the arm 94 by a hinge 96. The arm has on its front face an upwardly directed hook 97. The fastener 93 consists of a pin 98 projecting from the front face of the door 90, and a latch which is engaged with the pin 98 when a sealing strip 91 is applied, as shown in FIG. 1. The latch consists of an arm 99 secured at one end to a shaft 100 which is pivotally mounted and axially slidable in the door 90 and projects therethrough to both sides. In the position shown, the shaft 100 is held against turning, and against sufficient axial movement for the arm 99 to move clear of the pin 98, the arm 99 having a hole 101 in which the pin 98 engages. This is efiected by a slide member 102 having a hole 103 through which the pin 100 passes, the hole 103 being sufficiently large to allow the member 102 to drop so that a marginal portion of the member 102 above the hole 103 engages in a slot 104 in the pin 100, the slot 104 having a flat bottom. The slide member 102 is guided between the back face of the door 90 and a bracket 105 secured to the door 90. Prior to the fastener 93 having been adjusted to the position shown, the paper sealing strip 91, which has a hole at each end, is attached to the hook 97 and the pin 98, and it will be seen that the

doors

89, 90 cannot be opened without breaking the sealing strip 9l,so that unauthorized or accidental opening of the doors can be easily detected.

Claims

1. A load-carrying system comprising a load-carrying base and an endless conveyor on said base, said conveyor comprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulation therewith, and wheel means that rollably support on said base the sides of said receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member and substantially the whole load space being utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, said means connecting said receptacles to said endless member comprising wheel devices on which detachably rest the portions of the receptacles that are closest to the endless member, said wheel devices bearing a portion of the weight of the receptacles and rolling on said base, each receptacle having front wheels and at least one rear wheel, said at least one rear wheel running on the base, and the front of the receptacle being raised by means on said wheel devices so that the front wheels lie clear of the base.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said devices comprises a carrier having castor wheels running on said base and means on its upper face for engaging the base of the receptacle and raising its front end so that the front wheels of the receptacle lie clear of said base.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said devices comprises a carrier having castor wheels running on the base, and means on its upper face for engaging and tilting the base of a wheeled receptacle.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2, in which means is provided for locking each receptacle to its carrier and said means comprises runners, one at each side of the base of the receptacle, and flanges, one on each runner, which pass below the carrier, and firmly abut the latter when the base of the receptacle is raised by said base-engaging means.

5. A load-carrying system comprising a load-carrying base and an endless conveyor on said base, said conveyor comprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulation thereof, wheel means that rollably support on said base the sides of said receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member and substantially the whole load space being utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, said base comprising a vehicle platform, including a gate lift comprising a gate, a vertically arranged piston-and-cylinder unit for raising and lowering the gate through a rope-and-pulley system, a telescopic ground-engageable support, the cylinder of said unit being mounted in the upper tubular part of a telescopic member and being slidable between an upper limit position and a lower limit position in which it urges the other part of the tubular member into a ground-engaging position, and means for releasably locking the piston of the unit against movement and said other part of the telescopic member in its ground-engaging position.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, in which said support is a telescopic leg which is pivotal between a lowered ground-engaging position and a raised out-of-use position in which it extends across and below the gate and supports the latter or acts as a safety Catch therefor.

7. A load-carrying system comprising a vehicle having a load-carrying base, an endless conveyor on said base extending fore-and-aft of the base, said conveyor comprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a pair of head wheels about which said endless member is trained at the ends of said runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulation therewith, wheel means that rollably support on said base the sides of said receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member and substantially the whole load space being utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, and means for bodily adjusting said head wheels together as a unit in a horizontal direction lengthwise of said runs relative to said base thereby bodily to adjust said endless member in the direction of its runs, said system further including a gate lift comprising a gate, a vertically arranged piston-and-cylinder unit for raising and lowering the gate through a rope-and-pulley system, a telescopic ground-engageable support, the cylinder of said unit being mounted in the upper tubular part of a telescopic member and being slidable between an upper limit position, and a lower limit position in which it urges the other part of the tubular member into a ground-engaging position, and means for releasably locking the piston of the unit against movement and said other part of the telescopic member in its ground-engaging position.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, in which said support is a telescopic leg which is pivotal between a lowered ground-engaging position and a raised out-of-use position in which it extends across and below the gate and supports the latter or acts as a safety catch therefor.

9. A load-carrying system comprising a vehicle having a load-carrying platform, an endless conveyor on said platform extending fore-and-aft of the platform, said conveyor comprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a pair of head wheels about which said endless member is trained at the ends of said runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulation therewith, wheel means that rollably support on said platform the sides of said receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member and substantially the whole load space being utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, means for bodily adjusting said head wheels together as a unit in a horizontal direction lengthwise of said runs relative to said platform thereby bodily to adjust said endless member in the direction of its runs, a gate lift provided at one side of the platform comprising a gate forming part of said platform, and means movable with the conveyor provided for supporting the receptacles when they project beyond the rear of the platform when the conveyor is in its operative position.

10. A load-carrying system as claimed in claim 1, in which said base is a floor of a vehicle park, and said receptacles are for receiving vehicles.

11. A load-carrying system as claimed in claim 1, in which said base is a vehicle platform, the conveyor extends fore-and-aft of said platform, and the conveyor is bodily adjustable horizontally in the fore-and-aft direction relative to said platform for movement to a position which is closer to the front end of the platform during travel of the vehicles, and to a position which is further from said end when the conveyor is in operation.

12. A load-carrying system comprising a load-carrying base and an endless conveyor on said base, said conveyor comprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulation therewIth, wheel means that rollably support on said base the sides of said receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member and substantially the whole load space being utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, each of said receptacles having a door and means for the purpose of attaching a sealing strip so that unauthorized or accidental opening thereof may be easily detected, said means comprising a device for holding the door closed and displaceable so as to permit opening of the door and carrying a connector for one end of a sealing strip, and a releasable fastener for the other end of the sealing strip, said device with its connector and said fastener being so arranged on the receptacle that, when they are connected by a sealing strip, the latter extends across the free end of the door, and said device being displaceable only in a direction away from said fastener to permit opening of the door, and the fastener being releasable only from inside the receptacle, so that the door cannot be opened without the sealing strip being broken.