JPH0227279B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a removable cargo container trailer, and more particularly to an apparatus for transporting the wheeled frame of the trailer to a storage location after unloading the container.

After a removable cargo container is unloaded from a car frame or chassis at a railway or ship loading/unloading area, conventionally, the car frame is usually left in the loading/unloading area in a horizontal position supported by wheels. Ta. Even if these frames are placed at loading and unloading yards in a location that does not impede the normal movement of trucks and other vehicles as much as possible, a large number of wheeled frames stored in such a horizontal position will , inevitably occupy too much valuable space and obstruct normal traffic. Moreover,
These vehicle frames are untethered and easily accessible, making them easy to steal.

A vehicle frame carrying device for storing a trailer vehicle frame, disclosed in the applicant's prior U.S. Patent No. 96563 (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-50872) filed on August 24, 1979, is suitable for large tractors. Although it is fully equipped and performs its intended function, its size and lifting capacity are more than necessary and too large for most trailer frames.

The present invention provides a trailer frame carrying system having a frame holding mechanism mounted on an elongated boom adjustable between horizontal and vertical positions and supported by a lift carriage that is movable up and down on the vehicle. This aspect of the invention provides a trailer frame carrier that is significantly smaller in size and less expensive to manufacture than that described in the above-mentioned US patent application.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trailer frame carrying system that can be attached to the lift carriage of a conventional lift truck with little need for modification of the truck.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a trailer frame carrier that can be quickly and easily attached to and detached from a lift truck to allow for versatile use of the lift truck.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a typical elongated wheeled frame 10 of a cargo container detachable trailer is supported at its rear end by a tandem dual wheel assembly 12.
It is shown. As is well known, the tandem dual wheel assembly 12 can be selectively adjusted to various load bearing positions along the length of the vehicle frame to comply with various highway traffic regulations. A fifth wheel mounting assembly 14 is secured to the front end of the vehicle frame for connection to a power tractor. In order to support the vehicle frame removed from the tractor in a horizontal position, a pair of vertically adjustable jacks 16 are suspended from the front part of the vehicle frame, spaced apart from each other on the left and right sides. Transverse frame members 18 spaced longitudinally on the top of the vehicle frame are for mounting removable luggage containers (not shown).

Although the trailer frame carrier of the present invention may be permanently coupled to a vehicle having a lift carriage that is movable up and down, it can be attached as an accessory to conventional lift trucks of various types and sizes. The illustrated lift truck is representative and includes a vehicle frame 20 supported over a driven front wheel 22 and a steered rear wheel 24.
The lower end of an elongated mast 26 is pivotally attached to the front end of the vehicle frame. The mast 26 can be adjusted slightly from vertical by means such as a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 28 pivotally connected to the chassis and the mast. A lift carriage 30 is mounted to the mast 26 for movement up and down therealong and preferably also movement laterally relative to the mast. The lift carriage 30 is driven by means such as a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit (not shown) connecting the elevator and the mast.

In accordance with the present invention, the inner end of the elongated boom 32 is pivotally connected to the lift carriage 30 of the lift truck and is supported for adjustment between horizontal and vertical positions. To explain with reference to FIG. 7, the boom 32
is a pair of laterally spaced elongated I-beams 3
4 and a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse beams 36 connecting the booms 34 and 34. Longitudinal boom 3
The rear end of 4 is pivotally connected to the lift carriage 30, for example by passing a shaft 38 transversely through the beam and a bracket 40 projecting forwardly from the lift carriage 30.

The power means for moving the boom 32 between the horizontal and vertical positions includes, in the illustrated embodiment, one
It is constituted by a pair of laterally spaced apart hydraulic piston and cylinder units 42. Each piston-cylinder unit 42 has its lower end pivotally connected to its respective corresponding bracket 44 of the lift carriage 30 by a pivot shaft 46, and its upper end is pivotally connected to a bracket 50 projecting downwardly from the beam 36 by a pivot shaft 48. pivot.

A trailer frame retention mechanism is preferably mounted to the elongated boom 32 for movement along the length of the boom. Referring primarily to FIG. 10, the vehicle frame retention mechanism includes a central base 52 formed of a structural plate and a pair of spaced upright side plates 54 secured to the base.
A plurality of rollers 56 are mounted on each side plate and abut the inner surfaces of the outer upper and lower flanges of the corresponding I-beam 34. Base 52 and plate 54 thus form a carriage movable along the length of boom 32.

The power means for moving the base carriages 52, 54 are constituted in the illustrated example by an elongated hydraulic piston-cylinder unit 62, 68. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the unit is extended along the longitudinal centerline of the boom 32 and the piston rod 58 of the unit is
The outer end of the unit is secured to a bracket 60 projecting upwardly from the base carriages 52, 54, and the cylinder 62 of the unit is attached to the rear transverse beam 36 of the boom 32.
Connect to.

Thus, by selectively introducing hydraulic fluid to both ends of cylinder 62, base carriage 5
2,54 can be moved along the length of the boom.

Guide plates 64 from both sides of the base 52 to the sides.
to protrude. Each guide plate is elongated transversely to the boom 32 and has a clamping jaw carrying carriage 66 mounted thereto for adjustment laterally thereto. Each carriage 66 can be moved laterally by a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 68. As shown, the inner end of the cylinder of each unit 68 is connected by a pivot shaft 70 to a base carriage 52,54, and the outer end of the piston rod of the unit is connected by a pivot shaft 72 to a respective clamping jaw carrying carriage 66. Connect to.

Extending downwardly from each clamp jaw carrying carriage 66 is an elongated stationary clamp arm. As shown, each clamp arm has a reinforcing inner web 7.
6, an outer web 78, and a plurality of plates 74 spaced apart thereby. A plate-shaped fixed clamp jaw 80 projecting inward is fixed to the lower end of each clamp arm. Rubber pads 82 are provided on the upper surface of the fixed jaw 80 and the inner vertical surface of the web 76 of the clamp arm that faces it to protect these surfaces and to serve as a gripping friction surface.
be coated with.

A movable clamp jaw 80 is provided which can be adjusted up and down and cooperates with each fixed clamp jaw 80. The movable clamp jaw consists of a longitudinally elongated frame-like jaw 84 disposed across the inner surface of the clamp arm. The jaws 84 are formed with a plurality of spaced apart guide grooves for slidably receiving the edges of the vertical webs 76 of the corresponding clamp arms. Jiyo 8
A rubber pad 86 is attached to the lower surface of 4.

The lower protruding ends of the piston rods 88 of the pair of hydraulic piston/cylinder units are connected to the pivot bolts 9.
0 to the lateral end of each frame-like jaw 84, and the end of the hydraulic cylinder 92 opposite the piston rod of the unit is connected by a pivot bolt 94 to a corresponding clamping jaw carrying carriage 66.
It is connected to side ends of a pair of mutually spaced apart flanges 96 that protrude upward from the flange 96 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the vertically adjustable frame-shaped movable clamp jaw 84 has a width approximately twice as wide as the plate-shaped fixed clamp jaw 80, and is used to grip the trailer frame 10. Exhibits a wide clamping area.

Preferably, means are provided to assist the clamping mechanism in moving the trailer frame into and out of storage. For this purpose, a pair of trailer support pads 98 are attached to the boom 32 as shown in FIG.
placed close to the outer surfaces of both sides. Each pad 98 has a bell crank lever arm 100 (first to
4), the arm 100 is secured to a transverse pivot shaft 102 rotatably mounted to the boom 32. Bell crank lever second arm 104
The second arm 104 is also fixed to the shaft 102 at an angle to the second arm 100, and the outer end of the second arm 104 is connected by a pivot pin 106 to a piston rod 108 of the hydraulic piston and cylinder unit. The end of the cylinder 110 of the unit opposite the piston rod 108 is connected to a bracket 114 of the boom 32 by a pivot shaft 112.

Thus, by introducing hydraulic fluid into the chamber on the piston rod side of cylinder 110, trailer bumper pad 98 is moved from the retracted position of FIGS. 1-3 and 6 to the extended position of FIGS. 4 and 5. be able to. In this extended position, the pad 9
8 is adapted to be abutted by the rear end of the trailer frame, thereby assisting the clamping mechanism in supporting the trailer frame during transport into and out of the storage location.

The operation of the trailer frame supporting device of the present invention described above is as follows. The apparatus is assumed to be mounted on a vertically movable lift carriage 30 of a conventional lift truck from which the forks have been previously removed. The frame carrier is attached to the lift carriage of the lift truck by means of the pivot shafts 38, 46 previously described.

Referring to FIG. 1, a lift truck operator operates the vehicle to longitudinally align it with a trailer frame 10 lying horizontally at a loading and unloading location. The operator then introduces hydraulic fluid into hydraulic cylinder 42 to pivot boom 32 to the horizontal position shown in FIG. such that the trailer clamp mechanism attached to the boom 32 is located a certain distance above the trailer frame;
The operator raises and lowers the lift carriage 30 of the lift truck along the mast 26 to the position shown in FIG.

If the boom 32 is offset laterally relative to the longitudinal centerline of the trailer frame, the operator may reposition the vehicle so that it is accurately aligned with the trailer frame, or alternatively, If the lift carriage is adjustable, the lift carriage can be adjusted laterally.

Next, the operator introduces hydraulic fluid into the cylinder 68 to release the pair of clamp jaw carrying carriages 66.
is moved outward, and the clamp jaws 76, 76 facing left and right are expanded left and right to a width greater than the width of the trailer frame to be gripped. Hydraulic fluid is also introduced into the cylinder 92 to lift the corresponding piston rod 88 and the movable clamp jaw 84 attached thereto upwardly as far as possible from the opposing stationary jaw 80.

The operator then lowers the lift carriage 30 (FIG. 2) to align the clamp jaw horizontally with the trailer frame, and then moves the cylinder 68
Hydraulic fluid is introduced to move the pair of clamp jaw carrying carriages 66 inwardly toward each other, causing the vertical rubber pads 82, 82 to impinge on opposite sides of the vehicle frame. Next, the lift carriage 30 is raised to lift the fixed clamp jaw 80 from below and make it collide with the lower surface of the trailer frame 10, and then hydraulic fluid is introduced into the cylinder 92 and the movable clamp jaw 84 is lowered to collide with the upper surface of the trailer frame. Connect and tighten.

Since the brakes on the tandem double wheels 12 of the trailer are automatically applied when the vehicle frame is removed from the tractor, the operator must raise the trailer frame, which is fastened to the lift truck carriage jaws and clamp jaws, and lift the trailer frame to the tandem wheel frame. The wheels 12 can be lifted off the ground (FIG. 3). Next, hydraulic fluid is introduced into the piston rod side chamber of the cylinder 110 to release the trailer support pad 9.
8 to the operating position (Fig. 4). Then,
By introducing hydraulic fluid into the piston rod side chamber of cylinder 62, clamp base carriages 52, 54 are moved rearwardly along boom 32, causing the rear end of the trailer frame to impinge on support pad 98. The trailer frame is thus supported by the clamping mechanism and support pad 98.

The operator then introduces hydraulic fluid into the chamber on the piston rod side of the boom cylinder 42 to extend the piston rod and pivot the boom 32 to the position shown in FIG. The trailer frame, together with the boom 32, is thus moved to the vertical position of FIG. In this state, the lift truck can be operated to transport the trailer frame to a suitable storage location for storage in a vertical position. At the storage location, the operator first selects the cylinder 110.
trailer support pad 9 by introducing hydraulic fluid into the chamber on the opposite side of the piston rod.
8 is retracted, and then the lift carriage 30 is lowered to place the rear end of the trailer frame on the ground of the storage location. The clamping mechanism is then released from the trailer frame, leaving the frame in place and allowing only the lift truck to move.

The frame storage unit shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is the same as that described in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 69,563 and will therefore only be briefly described here.
The storage unit has a pair of side walls in the form of an open frame structure. That is, each side wall is comprised of a longitudinal base beam 116, a longitudinal top beam 118, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertical beams 120 connecting them. Diagonal stay beams 122 may be provided between adjacent vertical beams 120 to increase the stability of the frame structure. The frame structure is formed with a plurality of longitudinally disposed compartments each for receiving and storing a wheeled trailer frame. To that end, a plurality of pairs of restraint gates 124 are spaced along the length of the frame structure such that they can be advanced into or retracted from a central channel defined by additional beams of the frame structure. It is arranged as follows. Each pair of restraining gates thus cooperates with the side walls of the frame structure to define a compartment for restraining the trailer frame.

Each of the illustrated pairs of restraining gates 124 can be retracted laterally outwardly to leave the central channel of the frame structure unrestrained and permit passage of a trailer frame therealong. Thus, the first trailer frame to be stowed is moved to the ninth position by the lift truck as previously described.
It is moved to the rearmost position of the frame structure as shown in the figure and stored in the rearmost compartment. Then, one of the sections
A pair of restraint gates 124 are laterally inwardly extended to the position shown in FIG. 8 to block the center channel and prevent forward displacement of the trailer frame along the center channel. Each pair of restraint gates thus cooperates with corresponding side walls of the storage unit to define a storage compartment for the trailer frame.

The trailer frames are sequentially stored one by one from the rearmost compartment to the frontmost compartment of the storage unit.
To remove the trailer frame, perform the procedure in reverse. That is,
The units are taken out one by one from the front compartment to the rear compartment.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described below, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that this is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a trailer frame carrier mounted on the carriage of a lift truck, showing the frame carrier in an initial ready position for clamping a trailer frame. FIG. 2 is a side view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the vehicle frame carrier in an initial state in which the vehicle frame is clamped. Figure 3 is the second
Figure 3 is a side view similar to that shown, but with the carrier device lifting the vehicle frame off the ground; FIG. 4 is a side view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the carrier device moving the vehicle frame rearward in the longitudinal direction so that the rear end of the vehicle frame impinges on the support mechanism. FIG. 5 shows the carrying device and the trailer frame clamped thereto pivoted from the horizontal position of FIG. 4 to a vertical position for transport to a storage location. FIG. 6 is a side view similar to FIG. 5, but with the carrier device lowered from the position of FIG. 5 and with the rear end of the vehicle frame seated on the ground in a vertical storage position. Figure 7 shows arrow 7 in Figure 4.
Figure 8 is a front view of the storage unit, Figure 9 is a side view seen from the right side of Figure 8, and Figure 10 is a front view taken along line 10--10 in Figure 2. It is a diagram. In the figure, 10 is a trailer frame, 30 is a lift carriage, 32 is a boom, 42 is a piston/cylinder unit (power means), 52 is a base, 54 is a side plate, 58 is a piston rod, 62 is a cylinder, and 66 is a clamp jaw carrier. ,
68 is a piston/cylinder unit (power means);
74, 76, 78 are clamp arms, 80 is a fixed clamp jaw, 84 is a movable clamp jaw, 88 is a piston rod, 92 is a cylinder, 98 is a frame support pad, 100 is a bell crank lever arm, 1
08 is the piston rod, 110 is the cylinder.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. Empty wheeled chassis 10 of a removable cargo container trailer with a wheel assembly 12 near the rear end.
In a trailer frame carrier for transporting a vehicle and for combination with a power vehicle having a vertically movable lift carriage 30, (a) one end is adapted to be pivotable between a horizontal position and a vertical position; an elongated boom 32 mounted on said lift carriage 30; (b) power means 4 for engaging said boom and pivoting it between said horizontal and vertical positions;
(c) a trailer frame retaining means attached to the boom and adapted to releasably secure the trailer frame to the boom forward of the wheel assembly thereof; By moving the boom up and down, the trailer frame fixed to the trailer frame holding means can be moved up and down, and by pivoting the boom between a horizontal position and a vertical position, the trailer frame can be supported on the ground. normal horizontal position, and the rear end of the vehicle frame is lifted off the ground,
The front end is adapted to be selectively movable between an upwardly facing vertical position;
The trailer frame holding means includes the boom 32
A base 52 is attached to the base 52, and the base 52 is spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction. a pair of vehicle frame engaging clamp arms 74 attached;
The frame engaging clamp arms 74, 76, 78 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and are moved toward and away from each other in order to releasably tighten the trailer frame from both upper and lower surfaces thereof. A trailer frame supporting device characterized by having a pair of clamp jaws 80 and 84 that are relatively movable in the vertical direction.