WO1993018934A1

WO1993018934A1 - Load carrying system

Info

Publication number: WO1993018934A1
Application number: PCT/GB1993/000589
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philip John Dandy; Steven William Goldsack
Original assignee: The Secretary Of State For Defence In Her Britannic Majesty's Government
Priority date: 1992-03-25
Filing date: 1993-03-22
Publication date: 1993-09-30
Also published as: AU3762693A; EP0586662A1; GB9206583D0

Abstract

A load carrying system including a primary rack (12) upon which secondary racks (16, 18) can be mounted. Primary rack (12) is adapted for use with a first load carrying vehicle (2) which has a load handling system (6). The load handling system (6) can engage with an upstanding A-frame (14) of the primary rack (12) to transfer the primary rack (12) to and from the platform (4) of the first vehicle (2). Each secondary rack (16, 18) is similarly adapted for use with a second vehicle (102). Each secondary rack (16, 18) is mounted on the primary rack (12) so that it may be moved relative to the primary rack (12) by a sliding or rolling action. This facilitates the transfer of loaded secondary racks (16, 18) from primary rack (12) to second vehicles (102) using their load handling systems (106) thus breaking up the load carried by the first vehicle (2) and transferring it to the second vehicles (102) without the use of back-up vehicles.

Description

Load Carrying System

The present invention relates to a load carrying system for enabling loads to be transferred between vehicles with minimum logistic back-up and in particular to a load carrying system for use in adverse terrains.

In recent years load, handling vehicles have been developed which have their own hydraulic load handling systems. The vehicle's load is carried on a load transference rack which is carried on the back of the load handling vehicle. The load transference rack is provided with an ^{" "} upstanding A-frame at its forward end that is engageable with a hydraulic lifting arm of the load handling system. To unload the rack from the back of the vehicle the A-frame is lifted by the vehicle's lifting arm so as to both tilt the transference rack and slide it rearwardly over the rear of the vehicle to engage with the ground. Re-loading of the rack is achieved by a reverse procedure.

These load handling vehicles and associated transference racks have been standardised for use with loads of International Standard dimensions, for example, ISO standard transference racks are 20 feet long and capable of carrying a 15 tonne payload. These standardised systems are widely used and have been particularly successful in military applications for transporting supplies. A drawback is that the large vehicles that are used to carry loaded standard racks have difficulties travelling over adverse terrains. Therefore, when the vehicle can carry its load no further the load carried by the standard rack has to be unloaded by a team of back-up vehicles such as fork lift trucks and transferred to one or more vehicle/s that is/are better adapted to travel over adverse terrain. The load can thus be transported over adverse terrain to its final destination where the load can be unloaded, again by back up vehicles such as fork lift trucks. Alternatively, a large tracked vehicle could be used to carry the loaded standard rack all the way to its final destination, but such tracked vehicles are relatively expensive and add considerably to the overall cost of transporting supplies.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a load carrying system which is compatible with standard vehicles and which can enable loads to be carried over adverse terrains with minimal logistic back-up and thus minimum expense.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle load carrying system comprising;

a primary load support means adapted for use with a first load carrying vehicle of the type having a load handling system, the primary load support means having an engagement means adapted to engage with a said load handling system such that the primary load support means is transferable to and from a said first vehicle by the action of the load handling system of said first vehicle,

a plurality of secondary load support means, each adapted for use with a second load carrying vehicle of the type having a load handling system, the secondary load support means each having an engagement means adapted to engage with a said load handling system such that each secondary load support means is transferable to and from a said second vehicle by the action of the load handling system of said second vehicle,

mounting means for releasably mounting each of the plurality of secondary load support means on the primary load support means, in such a way that each secondary load-support means is transferable from a primary load support means by a sliding or rolling action relative to the primary load support means onto a said second load carrying vehicle by the action of the load handling system of said second vehicle.

The main advantages of the present invention is better understood by an explanation of its preferred method of use.

At the commencement of load carrying the secondary load support means are mounted on the primary load support means. The secondary load support means are then loaded, for example, with loaded pallets. The primary load support means is then transferred onto a first load carrying vehicle using the vehicle's load handling system. The first vehicle then carries the loaded primary load support means to an intermediate location, for example, to a set drop off point or until the terrain becomes unsuitable. At the intermediate location each of the secondary load support means may be transferred from the primary load support means by a coasting action, such as a rolling or sliding action, relative to the primary load support means to a second load carrying vehicle using the load handling system of the second vehicle, thus removing the need for back-up vehicles at the intermediate location. The second vehicle then carries a loaded secondary load support means to its final destination where the second vehicle unloads the secondary load support means using its load handling system, thus removing the need for back-up vehicles at the final destination.

The second vehicle can be a vehicle that is more suited to adverse terrain than the first vehicle, for example, it may be smaller and more mobile. The advantage of this system is that the labour intensive tasks of transferring loads from first to second vehicles at the intermediate location and unloading loads from second vehicles at the final destination are avoided. A further advantage of this system is that it is very versatile and enables the large loads carried by the first vehicle to be broken down and distributed to different final destinations without the use of back-up vehicles. The load support means may be load transference racks as described above in which case the primary load support means is preferably of standard size and so compatible with standard equipment, such as standard load handling vehicles.

The secondary load support means can be transferred to the second vehicle from the primary load support means either with the primary load support means mounted on the first vehicle or with the primary load support means unloaded from the first vehicle onto the ground. The mounting means between the primary and secondary load support means allows a coasting action between the primary and secondary load support means, for example a sliding or rolling action, which facilitates the transfer of the secondary load support means from the primary load support means to the second vehicle and vice versa.

The engagement means on the primary load support means is preferably located at a forward end thereof and the engagement means on each secondary load support means is preferably located at a forward end thereof, to facilitate engagement with hydraulic load handling systems of known types of load handling vehicles.

Preferably the mounting means cooperate between the primary and secondary load support means in such a way that each secondary load support means is transferable by a sliding action relative to the primary load support means onto a said second vehicle. More preferably the mounting means include guide means arranged to permit each secondary load support means to fit slideably on the primary load support means. The guide means allow each of the secondary load support means to be slideably mounted onto the primary load support means and to be guided into the correct position on the primary load support means. Then the mounting means are secured to rigidly fasten the secondary load support means to the primary load support means. The reverse process is followed when the secondary load support means are unloaded from the primary load support means.

Preferably the guide means run longitudinally of the primary load support means so that each secondary load support means fits slideably and longitudinally along the primary load support means. This can facilitate transfer of each of the secondary load support means from the rearward end of the primary support means in the following way. In use each secondary load support means is mounted on the primary load support means so that it is oriented with its engagement means located towards rearward end of the primary load support means. A second load carrying vehicle can then reverse up to the rear of the primary load support means, the load handling system of the second vehicle can engage the engagement means of the/one of the rearmost secondary load support means and load it onto the second vehicle. As the secondary load support means is transferred to the second vehicle it slides longitudinally relative to the primary load support means. The secondary load support means can be transferred in this way either with the primary load support means loaded on the first vehicle or with the primary load support means on the ground.

The load handling system of a second load carrying vehicle may not be able to reach secondary load support means which are positioned further towards the forward end of the primary load support means. However, if the primary load support means is on the ground the second vehicle can reverse straddling the rearward part of the primary load support means, to manoeuvre into a position from which it can load the next most rearward secondary load support means.

Lowering the primary load support means to the ground to transfer the next most rearward secondary load support means can be avoided if flexible coupling means are provided for flexibly coupling the secondary load support means when they are mounted on the primary load support means. In this way, when a secondary load support means at the rearward end of the primary load support means is dispensed from the primary load support means it pulls the secondary load support means to which it is attached to the rearward end of the primary load support means. Therefore all the secondary load support means can be directly transferred to a second vehicle from the rearward end of the primary load support means without the primary load support means being lowered to the ground. This is a much quicker and more convenient way of transferring a secondary load support means from a first vehicle to a second vehicle.

Alternatively the guide means may run' transversly of the primary load support means so that each secondary load support means fits slideably and transversely along the primary load support means. Then each secondary load support means may be oriented, when mounted on the primary load support means, with its engagement means located to a side of the primary load support means. In this configuration the secondary load support' means are removed from the primary load support means by a second vehicle reversed up to a side of the primary load support means. This has the advantage that if all the secondary load support means are adjacent to a side of the primary load support means each secondary load support means can be pulled onto a second vehicle directly from the primary load support means when the primary load support means is mounted on the first vehicle. Furthermore, secondary load support means may be transferred to separate second vehicles simultaneously, thus increasing the speed at which the secondary load support means can be unloaded from the primary load support means.

At least one of the secondary load support means may include a portion which is extensible, the portion being located at a rearward end of the secondary load support means. Therefore, when a secondary load support means is loaded onto a second vehicle the rearward end of the load support means, which will be located towards the rear of the second vehicle, can be extended to increase the load bearing length and capacity of the secondary load support means and thus the second vehicle. A locking mechanism would be provided to secure the extensible portion in the extended or unextended position.

In practice, division of a standard load by the provision of two secondary load support means mounted on the primary load support means enables second vehicles which are each adapted to carry one secondary load support means to meet adverse terrain mobility requirements. It is preferable to break the initial load up as little as possible so that the number of second vehicles required is minimised.

The primary load support means can be alternatively adapted to carry standard loads instead of secondary load support means, for example ISO containers and ISO compatible units. This makes the primary load support means more versatile.

In a second aspect of the present invention the load carrying system additionally includes at least one second load carrying vehicle having a load handling system and adapted for use with one secondary load support means. This second aspect has all the advantages described above in relation to the first aspect.

Presently used load handling systems on load handling vehicles can be modified to work as-a crane so that they can unload loads from a load support means when the load support means is on the ground. However, when the first vehicle is a large vehicle, such as a standard large wheeled vehicle adapted to carry 20 foot standard racks capable of carrying 15 tonne payloads, it is not practical to modify its load handling system to act as a crane. This is because it is difficult to manoeuvre such a large vehicle to position it and reposition it relative to each load to be unloaded from the load support means so that its load handling system can reach the said loads. However, when the second vehicles are smaller and more mobile their load handling systems can be modified to unload the loads carried by the secondary load support means, without the problems associated with larger vehicles. This removes the need for a team of back-up vehicles, for example fork lift trucks, at the final destination should the need arise to completely or partially unload a secondary load support means» The second vehicle can then reload the unloaded or partially unloaded secondary load support means and is ready for further use. This feature adds further to the versatility of the load carrying system.

In a third aspect of the present invention the load carrying system additionally includes a first load handling vehicle having a load handling system and adapted for use with one primary load support means. Again this third aspect of the invention has all the advantages described above in relation to the first aspect. Preferably the mounting means and each second vehicle are arranged in such a way that a secondary load support means is transferable from a primary load support means to a second vehicle while the primary load support means is mounted on the first vehicle.

The vehicle load carrying system according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which: -

Figure 1 shows a first load handling vehicle upon which is mounted a primary load support means upon which are mounted longitudinally two loaded secondary load support means.

Figure 2 shows one embodiment of a primary load support means upon which two secondary load support means are mountable longitudinally.

Figure 3 shows a transverse section of the primary load support means of Figure 2 taken along line AA.

Figure 4 shows the primary load support means of Figure 2 with two secondary load support means mounted longitudinally upon it.

Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of a secondary load support means which has an extensible rearward end.

Figures 6a to 6c show three sequential stages in the loading of a secondary load support means onto a second load handling vehicle from a primary load support means on the ground.

Figure ~ shows a first load carrying vehicle upon which is mounted a primary load support means upon which are mounted transversely two loaded secondary load support means.

Referring first to Figure 1 which shows a first load handling vehicle 2 having a load carrying rear platform 4 and an hydraulic load handling system 6 comprising a hydraulic lifting arm 8 fitted with a hook 10. A primary load support means or rack 12 is mounted on the platform 4 and comprises an upstanding A-frame 14 located at its forward end which is engageable with the hook 10 of the lifting arm 8. The primary rack 12 is mounted on the platform 4 in the conventional manner so that the load handling system 6 can unload the primary rack 12 from the platform 4 and load it back onto the platform 4 by engaging the A-frame 14. Two secondary load support means or racks 16 and 18 are releasably mounted on the primary rack 12 as described below with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4. The secondary racks 16 and 18 comprise upstanding A-frames 20 and 22 respectively at their forward ends which are engageable with a load handling system 106 of a second vehicle 102 (see Figure 6) . Four loaded pallets 24 (the nearside two of which are shown in Figure 1) are lashed to the secondary rack 16 and similarly four loaded pallets 26 (the nearside two of which are shown in Figure 1) are lashed to the secondary rack 18.

One embodiment of the primary rack 12 is shown in more detail in Figures 2 and 3- The primary rack 12 comprises a pair of parallel longitudinal box structures _\2 and 3 which are held rigidly in place by several transverse supports. The longitudinal box structures 3 and 4 have outwardly extending portions which define long channels 28 and 30 respectively along the sides of the the box structures. The A-frame 14 is mounted upon a forward transverse mounting support 36 which comprises a central portion 36a and two portions 36b and 36c which extend from the sides of the box structures 32 and 3^ respectively. The ends of the support portions 36b and 36c each have standard connectors 38 located on them. Four further transverse mounting supports 40, 42, 44 and 46, similarly comprising portions a, b and c, are provided with standard connectors 38 located at their ends. The ends of the transverse mounting supports 42 and 44 also have longitudinal connector supports 48 and 50 fixed between them for the location of further standard connectors 38. Transverse mounting supports 36 and 46 have standard downwardly facing connectors 52 located at their ends. The connectors 2 may be used, if required, to secure the primary rack 12 to the back of a vehicle that does not have a load handling system. The primary rack is secured to the first vehicle via locks (not shown) mounted on the load handling system 6 of the vehicle. These locks engage with the primary rack during the final motion of the rack as it is drawn onto the first vehicle.

Referring now to Figure 4, which shows secondary racks 16 and 18 mounted on the primary rack 12 of Figures 2 and 3- The secondary racks 16 and 18 are each provided with a pair of downwardly projecting longitudinal rails, labelled 60 and 62 on secondary rack 16 and 64 and 66 on secondary rack 18. Each pair of longitudinal rails 60, 62 and 64, 66 fits sildeably within the pair of longitudinal channels 28, 30 of the primary rack 12. A layer of decking 98 is mounted on each of the secondary racks 16 and 18 to provide a platform on which loads can be stacked. The secondary rack 16 has a rearward pair of corner connectors 68 which are engageable with the connectors 38 at the ends of the transverse mounting support 40 and a forward pair of corner connectors 70 which are engageable with the connectors 38 at the ends of the transverse mounting support 42. The corner connectors 68 and 70 are standard connectors which are mounted on the secondary rack 16 so that they lie beneath the secondary rack 16.

In use the secondary rack 16 is mounted on the primary rack 12 by lining up the longitudinal rails 60, 62 with the longitudinal channels 28, 30 and sliding the secondary rack along the channels 28, 30 until connectors 68 and 70 are directly above the corresponding connectors 38. The standard connectors are then engaged so that the secondary rack 16 is rigidly secured to the primary rack 12 during transportation.

The secondary rack 18 is mounted on the rack 12 in a similar manner with rearward end connectors 74 engaging with the connectors 38 at the ends of the transverse mounting support 44 and forward end connectors 76 engaging with the connectors 38 at the ends of the transverse mounting support 46 which extend forwardly from the said support 46. To remove a secondary rack 16 or 18 from the primary rack 12 the relevant corresponding connectors are disengaged and the secondary rack 16 or 18 is slideably removed.

Figure 5 shows a secondary rack 80 similar to racks 16 and 18 described above, but which is extensible. The secondary rack 80 comprises 4 hollow longitudinal support members 82 held together by transverse support members 84, and a forward support member 86 upon which A-frame 87 is mounted. The extension to the secondary rack 80 comprises four longitudinal extension members 88 which correspond to and fit slideably within the longitudinal support members 82. The extension members 88 are held together by a rearward transverse support member 90 attached to the rearward ends of the extension members 88. The rack 80 has standard connectors 95 and 97 which ^*arε provided to securely attach the secondary rack 80 to a primary rack 12. A locking mechanism (not shown) is used to hold the extension to the rack 80 in the extended or unextended position. Wooden decking 98 is shown part cut away on the secondary rack 80 and provides a platform,.on which the secondary rack's load can be mounted. In addition standard connectors 96 and 97 allow standard containers (10 foot ISO) to be mounted to the secondary rack 80 when the secondary rack is mounted on the second vehicle 102 (see Figure 6).

A further difference between the secondary rack 80 and secondary racks 16 and 18 is that the standard connectors 95. 9 and 97 which are engageable with connectors 38 on the primary rack 12 are mounted at the same level as the secondary rack 80 instead of beneath it. This has the advantage that the secondary rack 80 is mounted closer to the primary rack 12, ie. the secondary rack 80 is lower. Therefore, the secondary rack 80 when mounted on the second vehicle 102 provides a lower load platform height than the secondary rack 16 or 18 mounted on the second vehicle. This has the advantage of providing a more stable and safe vehicle. The secondary racks 16 and 18 could alternatively be arranged with standard connectors 68, 70, 7^ and 76 mounted at the same level as the racks instead of beneath the racks, in a similar way to the connectors 95. 96 and 97 on the rack 80.

In use the embodiment of the vehicle load transference system described above operates in the following way. The secondary racks 16 and 18 are mounted on the primary rack 12 and rigidly secured thereto as described above with reference to Figure 4. Loaded pallets 24 and 26 are then loaded and strapped onto the secondary racks 16 and 18 respectively. The first load handling vehicle 2 then reverses up to the forward end of the primary rack 12 and the hook 10 of the hydraulic lifting arm 8 engages the A-frame 14 of the primary rack 12. The load handling system 6 of the first vehicle 2 then pulls the primary rack onto the.platform 4 of the vehicle 2. The primary rack 12 is positively secured to the platform via the use of corresponding locking jaws mounted on the platform 4 and the primary rack 12 and the engagement of the hook arm 10. The forward motion of the primary rack 12 as it is drawn longitudinally onto the platform is used to interlock corresponding jaws. The loaded pallets can then be transported on the vehicle 2 to an intermediate drop off point.

On reaching the intermediate drop off point the hook 10 of the hydraulic lifting arm 8 which is still engaged with the A-frame 14 is used to push the primary rack 12 over the rear of the platform 4 and onto the ground in the conventional manner. The hook 10 of the hydraulic lifting arm 8 is then disengaged from the A-frame .14,

Then a second vehicle 102 reverses up to the A-frame 22 of the secondary rack 18 (see Figure 6a) and a hook 110 of a hydraulic lifting arm 108 of the load handling system 106 of the second vehicle 102 engages the A-frame 22 of the secondary rack 18. The hook 110 of the hydraulic lifting arm 108 then pulls the secondary rack 18 towards it and upwards over the rear of the platform 104 of the second vehicle 102 as shown in Figure 6b. The secondary rack 18 is guided by the longitudinal rails 64, 66 which are restrained within the longitudinal channels 28, 30 of the primary rack 12 until the rails 64, 66 are pulled out of the channels 28,30. The secondary rack 18 is pulled completely onto the platform 104 until the forward motion of the secondary rack causes the locking jaws to contact and securely attach the secondary rack to the second vehicle, in the same manner as the primary vehicle, described above. The loaded pallets 26 on the secondary rack 18 can then be transported to their final destination on the second vehicle 102 over rough terrain, see Figure 6c.

To load the secondary rack 16 onto a second vehicle (not shown) the second vehicle can be reversed over the rearward end of the primary rack 12 so that it straddles the primary rack 12 in a position where its load handling system can engage the A-frame 20 of the secondary rack 16 and load it as described above for the secondary rack 18.

When the second vehicle 102 reaches its final destination it unloads the secondary rack 18 by a reverse process to that described above for loading the secondary rack 18. The hydraulic load handling system 106 of the vehicle 102 can be controlled so that it can act as a crane, ie. the hook 110 can be moved vertically up and down by operating two hydraulic rams in opposition. The hook 110 can be attached to the strappings that hold the loads onto the pallets to lift the loaded pallets 26. Alternatively, hook engagement means, such as a harness can be attached to the loaded pallets 26, preferably when the loads are originally strapped to the pallets. The second vehicle 102 can then reload the empty secondary rack 18 as described above with reference to Figures 6a to 6c and proceed to its next destination.

If desired, at the intermediate location a secondary rack may be extended, as shown in Figure and two additional pallet loads can be secured to the extended secondary rack before it is loaded onto a second vehicle. This enlarged load does not hinder the mobility of the second vehicle but enables supplies to be delivered to the final destination with a minimum number of second vehicles or with fewer trips per secondary vehicle.

Alternatively, the secondary racks can be transferred from the primary rack to the second vehicle with the primary rack mounted on the first vehicle. If the platforms 4 and 104 of the first and second vehicles respectively are at a similar height the secondary rack 18 in the position shown in Figure 1 can be pulled directly onto the second vehicle 102 by the load handling system 106. The first and second vehicles may be fitted with variable ride height suspension which will allow the heights of the primary and secondary vehicles to be matched. The vehicles 2 and 102 are then simply aligned and the load handling system 106 of the second vehicle 102 engages the secondary rack 18 and pulls it across onto the platform 104 of the second vehicle 102.

However, the load handling system 1Q6 of a second vehicle 102 may not be able to reach far enough over the platform 4 of the first vehicle 2 to engage the secondary rack 16 as positioned in Figure 1 (with secondary rack 18 removed) . A simple addition of a flexible coupling 120 shown in in Figure 4, between the secondary racks 16 and 18 can solve this problem. With the flexible coupling 120 between the secondary racks 16 and 18, when the secondary rack 18 is transferred onto a second vehicle it will pull the secondary rack 16 into the original position of the secondary rack 18. The coupling 120 is releasable to allow the rack 18 to be loaded onto a second vehicle. Meanwhile- the secondary rack 16 is in a position from which it can also be loaded onto a second vehicle 102 directly.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7. it is possible to adapt the primary rack 12 so that two or more secondary racks 116, 118 can be slideably mounted transversely onto the primary rack 12 from the side of the primary rack. The primary rack 12 has transverse channels instead of the longitudinal channels 28 and 30 shown in Figure 2. The respective A-frames 120 and 122 of the secondary racks 116, 118 are located to one side of the primary rack 12 and so a second vehicle would reverse up to the side of the primary rack to unload one of the secondary racks 116 or 118. This provides a convenient way of transferring the seconary racks 116, 118 from the primary rack 12 while the primary rack is mounted on the first vehicle 2. A second vehicle could approach each of the secondary racks 116 and 118 simultaneously and load them simultaneously thus reducing the time it takes to unload the secondary racks 116, 118 from the primary rack 12.

Claims

1. A vehicle load carrying system comprising;

a primary load support means adapted for use- with a first load carrying vehicle of the type having a load handling system, the primary load support means having an engagement means adapted to engage with a said load handling system such that the primary load support means is transferable to and from a said first vehicle by the action of the load handling system of said first vehicle,

mounting means for releasably mounting each of the plurality of secondary load support means on the primary load support means, in such a way that each secondary load support means is transferable from a primary load support means by a sliding or rolling action relative to the primary load support means onto a said second load carrying vehicle by the action of the load handling system of said second vehicle.

2. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 1 wherein the engagement means on the primary load support means is located at a forward end thereof and the engagement means on each secondary load support means is located at a forward end thereof.

3. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the mounting means cooperate between the primary and secondary load support means in such a way that each secondary load support means is transferable by a sliding action relative to the primary load support means onto a said secondary vehicle.

4. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 3 wherein the mounting means include guide means arranged to permit each secondary load support means to fit slideably on the primary load support means.

5. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 4 wherein the guide means run longitudinally of the primary load support means.

6. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 5 wherein flexible coupling means are provided for flexibly coupling the secondary load support means when they are mounted on the primary load support means.

7. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 4 wherein the guide means run transverse of the primary load support means.

8. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the secondary load support means comprises a portion which is extensible, the portion being located at a rearward end of the secondary load support means opposite to the forward end thereof.

9- A vehicle load carrying system according to any one of the preceding claims having two secondary load support means.

10. A vehicle load carrying system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the primary load support means is alternatively adapted to carry standard loads instead of secondary load support means.

11. A vehicle load carrying system according to any one of the preceding claims, additionally including at least one second load carrying vehicle having a load handling system and adapted for use with one secondary load support means.

12. A vehicle load carrying system according to claim 11, additionally including a first load carrying vehicle having a load handling system and adapted for use with one primary load support means.