Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~5 ~ ~ ~
L~/ ~/ y ?
,~
APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR TYING l)OWN VEHICLE5
Technical Field
The invention relates to devices ~or tying down
wheeled vehicle~ for transport on flatbed cars ~uch as
rail cars, trailer flatbed or thQ like.
Backqround Art
It ls generally recognized that railroad flatbed
cars arQ efficient and economlcal means for transporting
heavy load~ at high ~peedE and with a high degree o~
sa~ety. Such loads often are in the form of wheeled
vehicles, particularly au~omobiles, which are reguired to
be tied down to the flatbed surface during transport. of
all of the requirements ~or tying down automobiles ~or
transport it i8 most important to provide devices which
not onl~ maintaln a fixed position of the automobile
relative to the ~latbed car but also maintalns that
position during sudden or quick acceleratlon~ or stops or
even upon relatively minor impact~ o~ the main carrier
vehicle.
Transporting automobiles or other wheeled
vehicles on railroad flat~ed trucks or 6eagoing vessels ln
the past has normally been diracted to restraining the
actual b~dy of t~ae automobile by rhaln~ and d~vices whlch
restrain the body from movement in several directions.
Often these devices include a four point chain system
emminating from a position-centrally locAted with respect
to the automobile and extending in dif~erent directions
toward the ~our corners of the frame~ Thereafter, one or
more ratcheting devices are actuated to place the chain~
in tension so as to restrain the automoblle from movements
during tran61t.
'~
-2-
These prior art devices have been known to
6uffer from several diverse deficiencies. For example,
they provide relatively exten~ive interference to the
movemen~ of the automobiles on the flatbed. In ~ome
instance~ where an ~utomob~le has a relatively low chasis
it has been found that ~he bulk and inter~erenca o~ the
chains and related tensioning equipment actually int~rfere
with the ~rame o~ the automobiles thereby preventing them
from movements into and out of position on the flatbed.
One prior art system includes hold-down devlces
for automobiles whlch surround a ma~or portion of the
lndividual automobil~ wheels and are each provided with a
tensloning mechanism to 6ecure the wheel agalnBt the base
support. Another ~ystem provides individual wheel hold-
down harnesses and whael chock~ posltioned on each side of
the wheel and provided with a crank and a~so~iated
har~ware mechanism for applylng ~en~ion to the harness
wh~le ~ ammin~ the chocks against th~ wheel . Still another
~ystem includes a multiple chain and ratchet ~y~tem to
~ecure the frame of the vehicle to the flatbed with the
ratchet ~ystem ma~ntaining the tenslon thus applled to the
chains. In general, there are numerous fiystems for ty~ng
down or otherwise 6ecuring automobile~ or other wheeled
vehicles to flatbed transport cars. These sy~tems o~ten
lnclude common hook-type and chaln hardware, cranks;
ratchet wheels or the like. ~owever, although many o~
these sy~tems are usually only effecti~e in applying
tension to chains or harne~see which hold down ~elected
components of the automobile, none of them are capable of
mainta~ning the tension thus applied or even taking-up
slack in the t~e-down dev~ces caused by minor aberrations
or changes generally occurring in the ten~ion By~tem
during transport. For examplel on occasion the main
transport ~ehicle in a minor accident will undergo impact
with another automobile causing shi~ting of the transport
3~
3 23214-1~3
vehicles with resultant stretching oE components or distortion oE
tires at critical locations. When such incidents occurred with
prior art systems, these systems do not have the capability of
automatically replacing the resultant lost tension on the major
tie-down components to thereby talce-up the slack created durlng
the disturbances. Accordingly, when a disturbance does occur,
resumption of motion of the flatbed is normally prevented by the
fact that some or most oE the vehicles previously tied down have
worked themselves loose. Further, these prior art devices do not
include features to transfer the main tension carrying load within
a chain or other tie-down component so as to shift that tension
load to a major load carrying portion of the flatbed vehicle while
protecting the main tensioning mechanism -from -fluctuations in
tension caused by impact of the main vehicle or quick
accelerations or decelerations thereof. I have invented an
apparatus and system for tying down wheeled vehicles which avoids
all of the aforementioned disadvantages oE the prior art devices.
Summary of the Invention
An apparatus and system is disclosed for tying down
wheeled vehicles to a base support which comprises, means for
tying down a irst wheel of a vehicle to a base support, means for
tying down a second wheel correspondingly positioned in tandem
with the first wheel, means for applying tension to the tie-down
means of the first and second wheels, and means for simultaneously
maintaining the tension thus applied to the tie-down means of the
first and second wheels.
- , ,~,,
3a 23214-183
According to a first broad aspect of the present
invention there is disclosed, an apparatus for tying down wheeled
vehicles to a base support which comp-rises: a. means Eor tying
down a Eirst wheel of a vehicle to a base support; b. means for
tying down a second wheel correspondingly positioned in tandem
with the first wheel; c. means for continuously applying tension
to said tie-down means of said Eirst and second wheels; and
d. means interposed between said tensioning means and said first
and second wheels for rigidly securing said tying means to said
base support respectively with respect to each wheel so as to
prevent relaxation of tension applied thereto.
According to a second broad aspect of the present
invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for tying down a
wheeled vehicle to a base support, the vehicle having at least a
first front wheel and a second rear wheel positioned in general
tandem alignment with the front wheel, which comprises: a. first
wheel tie-down means Eor encompassing at least a portion of the
first wheel, said first wheel tie-down means having means at a
first end portion for securement thereof to said base support;
b. second wheel tie-down means for encompassing at least a portion
of the second wheel, said second wheel tie-down means having means
at a flrst end portion for securement thereof to said base
support; c. means for selectively and simultaneously applying
tension to at least one end portion of each of said first and
second wheel tie-down means; d. means interposed between said
tension applying means and said first wheel tie-down means for
rigidly securing said first wheel tie-down means to the base
support at a second end portion so as to prevent relaxation of
~ r; ~
~3~
3b 2321~-183
tension applied to said first wheel while permitting the
application of additional tension as re~uired; and e. means
interposed between said tension applying means and said second
wheel for rigidly securing said second wheel tie-down means to the
base support at a second end portion so as to prevent relaxation
of tension applied to said second wheel while permitting the
application of additional tension as required~
~ ccording to a third broad aspect of the present
invention; there is disclosed an apparatus for tying down a
wheeled vehicle to a base suppor-t, the vehicle having at least a
first front wheel and a second rear wheel positioned in general
tandem alignment with the first fron-t wheel, which comprises:
a. base support means dimensioned and configured Eor supporting at
least said first and second wheels of the vehicle; b. first wheel
tle-down means for encompassing at leas-t a portion of the first
wheel, said first wheel tie-down means having means at each end
portion for securement to said base support and chain means
connected to one end por~ion for applying tie down forces thereto
by applying tension to said chain means; c. second wheel tie-down
means for encompassing at least a portion of the second wheel,
said second wheel tie-down means having means at each end portion
for securement to said base support and chain means connected to
one end portion for applying tie-down forces thereto by applying
tension to said chain means; d. means for selectively and
simultaneously applying and maintaining tension to at least one
end portion of each of said first and second whee~ tie-down means
and associated chain means and for continuously maintaining said
wheel tie-down means in a predetermined tensioned condition;
3c 2321~1-183
e. means interposed between said tension applying means and said
first wheel tie-down means for rigidly securing said Eirst wheel
tie-down means to the base support means so as to prevent
relaxation of tension applied thereto by said tension applying
means while permitting increases in tension when the tension
decreases below a predetermined value; and f. means interposed
between said tension applying means and said second wheel tie-down
means for rigidly securing said second wheel tie-down means to the
base support means so as to prevent relaxation of tension applied
thereto by said tension applying means while permitting increases
in tension when the tension decreases below a predetermined value.
According to a fourth broad aspect of the present
invention, there is disclosed a system for tying down a wheeled
vehicle to a base support, the vehicle having at least a first
front wheel and a second rear wheel positioned in tandem alignment
with the front wheel which comprises: a. a base support plate
dimensioned and configured for supporting at least said first and
second wheels of the vehicle, said base support plate having a
plurality oE slots positioned for reception of wheel tie-down
hooks; b. a Eirst wheel tie-down harness dimensioned and
configured for encompassing a-t least a portion oE the first wheel,
said first wheel tie-down harness having a tie-down securement
hook positioned at each end for securement to the base support
plate; a second wheel tie-down harness dimensioned and configured
for encompassing at least a portion of the second wheel, said
second wheel tie-down harness having a tie-down securement hook
positioned at each end for securement to the base support plate;
c. means for selectively applying and maintaining tension to at
~'; ~`;'
, !'.1' ~
3d 23214-183
least one portlon of each of said Eirst and second wheel tie-down
harnesses and Eor continuously maintaining said wheel tie-down
harnesses in a predetermined tensioned condition which comprises:
i. a housing; ii. two opposed toothed gear rac~s positioned within
said housing and mounted for relative parallel movements toward
and away from each other; iii. a pinion mounted within said
housing Eor rotational simultaneous toothed engagement with said
gear racks so as to provide movement of said racks toward and away
Erom each other depending upon the direction of said pinion gear;
iv. a coil spring attached to opposed end portions of each gear
rack at one end and at the other end, each coil spring being
attached to tie-down chains connected to respective opposed end
portions of said wheel tie-down harnesses; v. a toothed ratchet
wheel mounted for rotation with said pinion gear and having
associated therewith two spaced spring loaded pawls arranged for
selective and alternate engagement with the teeth of said ratchet
gear as said ratchet gear rotates; vi. a handle mounted to said
housing for pivotal rotation and connected to said ratchet and
said pinion so as to simultaneously rotate therewith when said
handle is rotated; vii. cam means rotatably mounted to one of said
pawls and being dimensioned and configured such that rotation of
said cam means in a first direction causes sequential engagement
and disengagement of said pawls so as to release tension on said
wheel chains and rota-tion of said cam means in a second direction
removes said cam means lnto sequential interference relation with
said pawls as said handle is rotated in a back and forth motion
such that said pawls sequentially rotate said ratchet wheel and
pinion in steps and in a direction to cause tensioning of said
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3e 23214-183
wheel chains; an~ viii. a bracket connected to an end portion of
each harness to attach each harness to said base support plate and
to guide each wheel chain Erom said harness to said chain
tensioning unit, each said braclcet containing ratchet and pawl
means adapted to maintain tension applied to the associate wheel
chain by engagement oE the pawl with a tooth on the ratchet to
thereby transfer the tenslon thus applied to each wheel chain and
ratche-t tooth and said respective brac~et and to said base support
plate.
According to a fifth broad aspect of the present
invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for tying down cargo to
a base support which comprises: a. tie-down means configured and
adapted to encompass and extend about at least a major portion of
the cargo sufficient for tying down the cargo, said tie-down means
having at least one end portion adapted to be secured to the base
support and at least a second end portion adapted for applying
tension thereto; b. means for directly and continuously applying
tension to at least said second end portion of said tie-down
means; and c. means located along said tie-down meansr spaced at a
distance away from said tension applying means, and interposed
between said tension applying means and the first end portion oE
the tie-down means, for rigidly restraining and securing at least
said second end portion oE said cargo tie-down means to the base
support and for ~aintaining tension on said cargo tie-down means
with respect to the cargo so as to prevent relaxation of tension
applied to the cargo by said cargo tie-down means while
continuously permitting the application of tension to said cargo
tie-down means as required to maintain a predetermined tension
~3~
3f 2321~-183
while the cargo is restrained.
According to a sixth broad aspect of the present
invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for tying down wheeled
vehicles to a base support which comprises: a. first wheel tie-
down means conEigured to encompass at least a portion of a first
wheel Eor tying down the first wheel of the vehicle to the base
support, said first wheel tie-down means having means at a first
end portion for securement thereoE to the base support; b. second
wheel tie-down means configured to encompass at least a portion of
a second wheel correspondingly positioned in tandem with the first
wheel, said second wheel tie-down means having means a-t a first
end portion for securement thereof to the base support; c. means
for continuously applying tension to at least one end portion of
each of said first and second wheel tie-down means; d. means
interposed between said tension applying means and said first
wheel Eor rigidly securing at least one end portion of said first
wheel tie-down means directly to said base sllpport with respect to
said first wheel so as to prevent relaxation of tension applied
thereto while con-tinuously permitting the applica-tion of
additional tension; and e. means interposed between said tension
applying means and said second wheel for rigidly securing at least
one end portion of said second wheel tie-down means directly to
said base support with respect to said second wheel so as to
prevent relaxation of tension applied thereto while continuously
permitting the application of additional tension.
In a preferred embodiment an apparatus is disclosed for
tying down a wheeled vehicle to a base support, the vehicle having
at least a first front wheel
Jt
-4-
and a second rear wheel positioned in general tandem
alignment wlth the front wheel, which comprises, ba6e
~upport means dimensioned and configured for supporting at
least the ~irst and ~econd wheel~ of the vehicle, Pirst
wheel tie-down mean~ for encnmpas~ing at least a portion
of the fir~t wheel, the first wheel tie-down means having
means at each end portion for ~ecurement to the base
support, second wheel tie-down ~eans Por encompassing at
least a portion of the ~econd whael, the ~econd wheel
tie-down means having means at each end portlon for
securement to the ba~e support, and means for,~electively
and simultaneously applylng t~n~on to at lea~t one end
port~on o~ each o~ the flr~t and ~econd wheel tie-down
mean6 and for continuously maintainlng the wheel tie-down
means in a predetermined tensioned condition and
automat~cally increa~ing the tension applied to the first
and second wheel tie-down means in response to decreases
in tension.
The apparatu~ according to the invention
include~ a ba~e support me~ns in the form of a support
plate de~ining a plurality o~ ~lots for reception of ~heel
tie-down device~. This support plate i8 pre~erably welded
to a fir~t bed o~ a rail car.
Wheel harnesses are adapted to encompa~ at
laast a portion of the fir~t wheel and include tle-dvwn
"T"-shaped hooks means dimens~oned and conf~gured for
insertion into the slots of the base support plate and
rotated to interference relation therewith 60 as not to be
readlly removable. The harne6ses are preferably
constructed oP synthetlc fiber webbing ~uch as nylon or
polyester, but ~ay be made of any strong durable material
having little ~tretch under tension.
Chains are connected rom each nylon harness and
extend into a unit for applying ten~ion to the chains to
promote tie~down o~ the Pir~t and second wheel tle-down
mean~
The t.ensionlng unit includes two gear racks and
common plnlon connected to a plvotally attached handle
with ratchet and dual pawl~ for alternate engagement with
the ratchet to provida ~tepped rotat~on o~ the ratchet and
pin~on. The ten~onlng un~t al80 includes a coil spring
attached to ona end o~ each associated elongated rack
member and at the other end to an associated wheel chain.
At least two pawls are pivotally arranged and
biased for selective and sequential movement into and out
of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel such
that rotation of the ratchet means and the pinion gear
against the tension forces provided by the resillent
spring means alternately tran6fer~ the forces from the
tension between the first and eecond pawls as the ratchet
means and the pinion means are E~imultaneously rotated.
The handle is preferably connected ~or rotation with the
ratchet and the pinion for providing selective rotation of
the ratchet means and the pinlorl means when the handle
mean~ i8 xotated to thereby cauae the elongated gear racks
to move in parallel directions toward each other to apply
tension to the wheel chain6.
Means for releasing tension to the elongated
gear racks and the wheel chains comprises cam means
pivotally ~ttached to one of the pawls and dimensioned and
configured for engagement by at least a portion of the
handle means when the handle means is rotated in
predetermined directlon relative to the pawls to
sequentially dlsengaga each of the pawls from the ratchet
means ~o as to facilitate corresponding stepped rotation
of the ratchet means and the p~nion means in a direction
to cause the elongated rack members to move away from each
other to thereby reduce the tension applied to the chain
means when the cam i~ rotated to its ~econd po~itlon it no
longer inter~ere~ with the handle and ratchet and pawl
operation and thus rotates the ratchet and plnlon in steps
in a direction to ~ncrease the tension on the tie-down
cha~n~ and harnesses.
A bracket i6 selectively 6ecured to the base
support plate by mean~ o~ a nT" hook having a "T"
conf~guratlon, each the hook ~elng in6erted lnto ~
~elective adjacent ~lot ~n the base eupport plate and
rotated to an ~nterfering relation with the base support
plate to prevent removal of the "~" hook when tension is
applied thereto by the wheel chains and the tension
applying means. The bracket contains a ra~chet and pawl
arrangement to transfer the tenslon forces to the bracket
and thereby to the base plate of the apparatus.
A system is disclosed for tying down a wheeled
vehicle to a ba~e support, tha vehicle having at least a
first front wh~el and a second rear wheel pos~tloned in
tandem alignment with the front wheel whic~ comprises a
base eupport plate dimen~loned and con~igured for
support~ng at least the ~irst ancl second wheels of the
vehicle. The base ~upport plate has a plurality of 610ts
positioned for reception o~ whee]. tie-down hooks, a fir~t
wheel tie-down harness dimensioned and configured for
encompassing at least a portion of the first whael, the
Z5 flrst wheel ~e-down harness having a t~e-down ~ecurement
hook posit~oned at each end for securement to the base
support plate. A second wheel tie-down harnes3 ~
dimensioned and configured for encompassing a~ least a
portion of the ~econd wheel, the second wheel tie-down
harness having a tie-down ~ecurement hook positioned at
each end for securement to the ha~ support plate. Means
for selectively applying and maintain~ng tension to at
least one portion of each of the first and second wheel
tie-down harnesses and for continuou~ly maintaining the
wheel tie-down harnesses in a predetermlned tensioned
-- f~
--7--
condition is provided which oompri6es, a housing, two
opposed tooth~d gear rack~ positiuned withln the housing
and mounted for relative parallel movements toward and
away Erom each other, and a pinlon mounted within the
housing for rotatlonal ~imultaneous toothed engagement
with the year racks ~o as to provide movement oP the racks
toward and away from each other depending upoh the
direction of the p~nion gear. A coll spring is attached
to opposed end portlons of each gear rack at one end and
at the other end, ~ach coil ~pring i~ attached to tie-down
chains connected to respective opposed end portlons of the
wheel tie-clown harne~ses. A toothed ratchet wheel mounted
for rotation with the pinion gear and having a~sociated
therewith t.wo sp~ced spring loaded pawls arranged for
selective and alternate engagement with the teeth of the
ratchet gear as the ratchet gear rotates. A handle is
mounted to the housing for p~votal rotation and conneoted
to the ratchet and the pinion ~o as to ~mult~nsou~ly
rotate therewith when the handle i6 rotated. Cam means is
rotatably mounted to one of the pawls and bsin~
dimensloned and con~igured such that rotation o$ the cam
means to a fir~t position causes sequential engagement and
disengagement of the pawls ~o as to release tan~ion on the
wheel chalnæ and rotation o~ the cam means in a ~econd
directlon removes the cam means into sequential
interference relation with the pawls as the handle is
rotated in a back and forth motlon such that the pawls
sequentially rotate th~ ratchet wheel and pinion in steps
and ln a direction to cause tensioning of the wheel
chains. A bracket is connectad to ~n end portion of each
harness to attach each harnes~ to the base 6upport plate
and to guide each wheel chain ~rom the harness to the
chain tensiGning unlt. Each brac~et contains ratchet and
pawl means adapted to maintain tension applied to the
associate wheel chaln by engagement o~ the pawl with a
tooth on the ratchet to thereby transfer the tension thus
applled to each whe~l chain and ratch~t tooth and the
respective bracket and to the base ~upport plate.
The present in~ention i~ easily utlliz~d along
with existing devices sln~a exi~ting devicas are attached
to the frame of the automsblle and the present apparatus
secures two wheels. Also it will be appreciated that a
plurality of tensionlng unlts of the present lnvention can
be ~lidably posltloned on a rail car and each ~ystem can
be used to tle-down a front and rear wheel of the ~ame
vehicle or alternately, the rear wheel of one v~hicle and
the front wheel of an ad~acent vehicle. Also, it will be
appreciated that the present apparatu~ can be used with a
plurality of differ~nt ~ized automob~les by merely elidlng
a plurality of tensioning units in respective pos~tions
along an end rail of a flatbed car to accommodate as many
automobiles of a given size as w~ll f~t on a rail car.
The flatbed o~ the car can b~ provided wlth ~ plurality of
continuous slotted base support plates to accept a
plur~lity of cars parked in tandem r~latlon along the
length of the ~latbed car.
Although my invention :Lncludes posts for
mounting and storing harne~ses, ~uch posts are optlonal.
~urther, it should be no~ed that a significant feature ~f
my invention pertains to the capabil~ty to automatically
maintain tension of the wheel tie-down chains and to
automatically ta~e-up 61ack in the chains occurr~ng due to
temporary or perman~nt changes in tire shapes, or
stretching of eguipment due to sudden deceleratlons or
impacts or even sudden accelerations. In the case of a
tire yoing flat, my tens~on apparatus will take-up any
resultant 61ac~ in the tle-down chain~ up to 14 to 16
lnches.
- r` 13U~$~
Brief De~cr~ption of the Drawings
Preferred embodiments of the invention are
described hereinbelow with re~erence to the drawings
wherein:
FIG. l is a perep~ctive view illu~trating an
apparatu~ and ~ystem for tying down wheeled veh~cles
constructed according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspec~ive view of the apparatus
~hown i~ FIG. l illu~trating the arrangement for tying
down two wheels of a vehicle with the actual vehicle body
removed for convenience o~ illustratlon:
FIG. 3 is a top vlew partially in cross-section
of the central cha~n tensioning unit of the lnvention;
FIG. 4 i~ a front vlew partially in cros~-
Bection of the central chain tQnsioning unit shown in FIG.
3;
FI~. 5 iB a view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4
illu~tratlng the pocket wheel arrangement ~or guiding and
maintaining one wheel loading chain ln the proper
orientation for ty~ng down the wheel:
FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged sequential views
illustrating the tension release mechanism fox releasing
tension from the chain~ of the wheel tie-d~wn chains
FIGS. 8 and 9 are enlarged view~ ~llustrating
the tens1on applying mechanl~m for the wheel tie-down
chains:
FIG. lO i~ a s~de v~ew o~ a wheel tied down by a
harness to a deck plate with means for ~aintaining cha~n
tension: and
FIG. ll i~ a front view of the wheel of FIG. lO
tied down to a deck plate with a corresponding front view
of ~he means for ~aintaining chain tension.
--10--
Detailed De6cription o~ the Pre~erred _mbodiments
Referrlng to FIG. 1 there ~8 illustrated a
perspective vlew of the apparatus lo and ~ystem for tying
down wheel~ constructed according to the present
lnvention. A slotted plate 12 is secured to a common base
plate 14 which i~ ln turn secured to a deck of a
transporting vehicle or other ground 8upport for reception
o~ each of a forward 16 and rearward 18 wheels of a
vehicle to be transported a~ is shown ln ~IG. 2. It
should be noted that the entire ~ase plate 14 and attached
slotted vehicle support plate 12 may be secured to any o~
a plurality o~ base ~upport~ lncludlng the deck of a
flatbed truck or the deck of a cargo ~essel or any ground
support. It may al60 be ~ecured to a base support of an
air transport plane.
~ eferrlng to FIG. 1 there is lllustrated a front
wheel harness 20 and 22 each balng stored ~n pos~tion when
not in use as shown on respective associated storing posts
24 and 26. Harne~ses 20 and 22 are pre~erably
constructed of a strong durable material such as nylon and
each is prov~ded with threP separ~tely positioned end
straps 28 and 30 as shown to accommodate automobile wheels
o~ various sizes. These ~traps 28 and 30 each
respectively contaln "T" hooks 32 and 34 as shown for use
in securing the associated end of the nylon harness to the
deck plate 12 by insertion lnto the slots of base plate 12
and rotation to prevent withdrawal from tha 810t in
accordance wlth the arrangements shown ln FIG. 2.
Referring now to FIG. 2 in con~unction w~th FIG.
3 wheels 16 and 18 of a vehicle are located on slotted
base plate 12 and the vehicle is secured ~n posltion by
securing these wheels ut~l~zing nylon harnesses 20 and 22
respect~vely as ~hown. The ~nner end of each nylon
harness ~s secured to the base plate by an approprlate "T"
hook 34 and 36 (36 not shown in FIG. ~) and the opposite
end of each nylon harnes6 16 and lB is re~pectively
secured to base plate 12 by "T" hooks 32 and 34 ("T" hook
34 not shown in ~IG. 2). In operat~on ~he "T~' hook~ are
dimensioned to be inserted ~nto the slots 11 of ba~e plate
12 and rotated 90 de~rees so as to prevent removal of the
"~" hooks by the lnterference relation thereby created.
Each inner end of each nylon harness is respectively
connected to a tensloning chain 38 and 40 (38 not shown in
FIG. 2) which in turn i5 connected to a base securement
bracket 42 and 44 (42 not ~hown in FIG. 2) having the
construction illu3trated at 42 ~n FIG. 11. The hous~ng
contains a rotatable cha~n pocket wheel for engaged
reception of the chain in correspondingly configured
poakets and a ratchet wheel and pawl arrangement to
maintain pre-applied tension on the wheel chain. The
pocket wheel receives chain 40 and turns its direct~on
toward the central tensioning unit 46.
Re~erring now to FIG. 3 there i~ illustrated a
top view, partially in aross-~ection, of the c~ntral chain
tensionln~ unit 46 wh~ch orms part of the invention.
FIG. 4 illu~7trates a front view, partlally in cross-
section, o~ the central chain tensioning unit 46 o~ FIG.
3. ~he chain tensloning unit 46 has positioned therein,
~paced elongated toothed racks 48 and 50 which are
arranged to 6hift toward and away from each other by
rotational movement of pinion 52 as shown. Each rack 48
and 50 is connected to a re6pective ~pr~ng 53 and 54 which
in turn are each connected by hook ends 56 and 58 to
respective chains 40 and 38. The pinlon is connected ~or
rotation with handle 60 which ~s connected to ratchet 62
as shown in FI~. 4. Handle 60 also has attached thereto
pivotal spring loaded pawl 62 and there i~ also positioned
pawl 64 which ~s spring loaded by spring 68 as shown.
-12
Pawl 64 is pivoted to the frame and spring 68 is attached
to the frame. Pawl 63 i~ spring loaded by spring 66.
Referring once again to FIGS. 3 and 4 tensloning
of the respective wheel chains 40 and 38 i6 accomplished
by rotating handle 60 in a counterclockwi6e d~rection so
as to rotate ratchet wheel 62 and pinion S2 by engagement
of pawl 63 with a tooth of rat~het wheel 62. Rotation of
plnion 52 in turn engages the teeth 4~ and 51 of racks 48
and 50 and causes them to move simultaneously toward each
other thereby extending ~prings 53 and 54 and thu~
applying tenslonlng to chain~ 38 and 40. As pawl 63
remains in engagement with the tooth of ratchet wheel 62
as shown, the ratchet wheel and plvot cont~nue to rotate
until pawl 64 drops by pressure caused by spring 68 into
the next available tooth o~ ratchet wheel 62 thereby
effect~vely holding ratchet wheel 62 and pinion 52 in thi~
new rotated position. This engagement actually maintains
any tenslon thus ~ar applied to springs 53 and 54 and
respective chains 40 and 38. Therea~ter, handle 60 i~
rotated back In a clockwise direction until the end of
pawl 63 drops into the next availablQ tooth and the
process i~ repeated until ~u~ficient tension ~s applied to
the respective chains 40 and 3~ thus applyinq sufficient
tension to ~ecure the vehicle to the deck.
Chains 38 and 40 are each rece~ved in respective
p3cket wheels 39 and 41 which contain a plurality of
~uccessive po~ket6 whlch alternat~ly receive chain link~
in nestled relation BO as to a~ t the chain to remain in
position in any predetermined, loaded position~ Once the
chains ar~ tensioned and the vehicle i8 tied down as ~hown
in FIG. 2 transporting the vehicle can proc0ed whereby the
vehicle is secured and protected agalnst the po~sibil~ty
oP relativaly quick accelerations and deceleration~ as
well as relatively high ~mpacts o the main tran~porting
vehicle. To protect and preserve the tension which has
~3~,~ ~
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been applled to the wheel tle-down chain~ 38 and 40, a
tension locking arrangement ~hown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and is
disclosed in greater detail ln FIG5. 10 and 11. For
convenlence of descrlption base securement bracket 42 and
associated hardware i5 shown in FIG. 10: however, base
securement bracket 44 associated with wheel 18 is
substantlally the same as bracket 42, but not shown.
Re~erring to ~IG. 10, a U-shaped bracket 70 ~
shown. Bracket 70 in FIG. 10 has associated therewith a
chain guide 72 with chain pocket wheel 74 and associated
ratchet wheel 76 rotatably mounted on shaft 78. Pawl 80
i~ pivotally mo~nted to bracket 42 and is ~pring loaded by
a spring (not ~hown) concentrically positloned on the same
shaft as the pawl ~0 (behind it in FIG. 11~ E;uch that pawl
16 80 engages successive teeth of ratchet w~eel 76. As the
respective tension o~ the cha~ns 38 and 40 ls increased
pawl 80 engage~ successive teeth of ratchet wheel 76 so as
to mainta~n the tension on tho chaln. Thus, in the event
of impact of the main vehicle and movement or shifting of
the tran~ported vehicle dua to hlgh acceleration or the
lika, this ratchet wheel 76 and pawl 80 effectively
transfers the major vehicle stabiliz~ng foroe to the
slotted plate and deck via IIT~ hook 36 and base securement
bracket 4 2 while at the ~ame time permittlng automatic
tightening of the chain tension as may be needed while
transporting the vehicle as w~ll he described here~nbelow.
It should be noted that U-shaped bracket 42 has assoc~ated
therewlth a "T" hook which 18 readily insertable into the
slotted plate and readily removable from the slotted plate
as disclosed previou~ly ~or the 'IT" hooks. Upon removal
the ~haped bracket 42 is stored as shown in FIG. 1 on
its respe~tive support post 24 and 26.
Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 there is
illustrated the dev~ce which permits selective release of
chain tension and select~ve application of tenslon to the
wheel chains 38 and 40 as ~ay be desired by the operator.
Initially, the arrangement which :Eacilitates release of
chain tension as shown ln FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described.
In FIGS. 6 and 7 the arrows show the direction of the
handle at tha end of eaoh ~troke as shown..
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, there i8 6hOWn
handle 60 and which is attached to ratchet wheel 62 which
ln turn is engaged by top pawl 63 (attached to handle 60)
and lock~ng pawl 64. Behind ratchet wheel 62 i5 plnion 52
which is not ~hown in ~IGS. 6 and 7 but sho~n in FIGS. 3
and 4. Upper pawl 63 is b~ased toward the teeth of the
ratchet whael ~2 by spring 66 attached to handle 60 and
pawl 64 i8 biased toward the tQeth of the ratchet wheel by
spxing 68 attached to the frame wall of tensioning unit
10.
Pawl 64 has pivotally attached to it a double
cam 81 consisting of a full ~ized cam 82 ~hown partially
in dotted lines and po~itioned behind pawl 64 as shown in
FI~. 7 and a cam 84 in front o~ pawl 64 as shown in ~IGS.
S and 7 which is identical to cam 82 except that the upper
left hand port~on ls removed as de~ined ~y dlagonal edg~.
Release o~ the chain tension i6 accomplished when this
double cam 81 ls rotated to the position shown in FIGS. 6
and 7. When handle ~0 i5 rotated clockwise a3 6hown in
FIG. 6 the upper le~t hand corner of full ~ized cam 82
engage~ pin 88 extending t~rough and carried by pawl 63
thus in turn lifting pawl ~3 out of engagement wlth the
tooth of the ratchet wheel 62 as ~hown. Pa~ls 63 and 64
are thus dimensioned ~uch that when pawl 63 is lifted out
of engagement with the tooth of the ratchet wheel 62, the
ratchet wheel rotates sl~ghtly clockwise due to the
tension provided by spring~ 53 and 54, and ratchet wheel
62 engages and i~ stopped by pawl 64 which thereby assumes
the load of maintaining cha~n tension. Thereafter, handle
60 is rotated counterclockwisa until t~e lower end 90
- ~3~6~3~
-15-
engages th8 lower portion o~ front cam 84 as shown thus
cau~ing pawl 64 to lift out o~ engagement with the ratchet
wheel tooth and permitting th2 ratchet wheel and pinion to
rotate clockwise further by the tenslon ~orces provided by
springs 53 and 54 until pawl 63 engages the next tooth and
thereby assumes the load. Thus, this rotation of pinion
62 causes movement of associated racks 48 and 50 away from
each other thereby Eelea~ing the tens~on of cha~ns 38 and
40. Full r21ease i8 accomplished by sequentlally
repeat~ng the "back and forth" rotational motion of the
handle as described whlch ~5 ~lmilar to the well known
release motlon of an auto bumper ~ack.
The structure and sequential step~ for
tensioning chains 38 and 40 will now be described with
reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In FIGS. 8 and 9 the arrows
show the direction o~ ~he handle at the beginnin~ of each
stroke as shown. When a vehlcle is in po~ltion awaltiny
tie-down and the harnesses~ 20 and 22 have been posit~on~d
about the forward and aft wheel~ of the vehicle utilizing
the "T" hooks 32 and 34 and brackets 42 and 44 a~
described, the next ~tep In the tie-down procedure ie to
apply tension to chains 38 and 40. This ~s acoompllshed
by rotating the double cam ~1 to the upright position
shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and thereafter rotating handle 60
with the same "back and forth" motion utllized ~or
releasing chain tensioning. The difference here i~ that
the cam portions are thus inactivated from inter~ering
with the natural motion and motion o~ the handle 60 and
pawl~ 63 and S4.
Rotation o~ handle 60 in a counterclo~kwise
direction as ~hown in FIG. 8 causes pawl 63 to rotate
ratchet whe21 62 by engagement of pawl 63 with the tooth
of the ratchet wheel as shown. As thi~ rotation cont~nues
pawl 64 in turn remains in it~ engaged posltion biased
against the surface o~ the ratchet wheel 62 by ~pring 68
~3~
-16-
while a~sociated ratchet wheel tooth ~lides past the tip
of the pawl. Ultimately, as the ratchet wheel 62
continues to rotate counterclockwise, pawl 64 drops lnto
engaged position w~th the next available tooth of ratchet
wheel 52 as 6hown in FIG. 9. This action i~ caused by
virtue of the blas force of æpring S~ and thus act~on
thereby transfers the chain t~nsion load to pawl 64 and
permits handle 60 to be rotated clockwise once again to
engage the next available ratchet wheel tooth for
seguentlal and continued counterclockwi~e rotation of the
ratchet whesl 62. This rotation of ra~chet wheel 62 l~
accompanied by correspnnding rotation o~ pinion 52
po~itioned behind the ratchet wheel 62 as shown in FIGS. 3
and 4 with the counterclockwise rotation of the plnion 52
causing corresponding movement of racks 4B and 50 toward
each other with re~ultant tensioning of 6prlng~ 53 and 54
as well as tensioning of chains 40 and 38.
lt can be ~een that when chain~ 40 and 38 and
re~pective sprlng6 52 and 54 are maintained in tension to
~ecure the wheel~ of a vehicle to ~lotted base plate 12
and thereby to the associated deck, the tension iB
continuously ma~ntained by the springs 52 and 54 at all
times. In fact in a preferred embodiment the take-up
capability of the port~on of the length of each chain 38
and 40 ranges from between 14 to 16 inches. This
continuous application of tension on chains 38 and 40
retains the wheels of the vehicle securely t~ed dswn to
the base plate 12 while permit~ing the vehicle to ride
free on its own ~uspension. Furthermore, the tens~on
whlch is continuously applled to cha~ns 38 and 40 i~
readily aYailable and utilized in instances where unwanted
occurrences occur 6uch as partial or fully ~la~tening of a
tire or even temporary extreme cru~hing of a tlxe which
has been known to be caused by impact of the maln carrier
vehicle with another ob~ect. Tn particular, it ha~ been
! ~
- ~L3q~
-17-
found that ~uch extreme crushing of a tlre due to lmpact
of the main carrisr vehicle oft~n is temporary with the
tire comln~ back to its orlginal shape. With prior art
de~ices ~uch exten~ive crushing of the tire ~ctually
causes changes ln the tie-down systems ~uch as ~tretching
or releasing of components or the lik~ with the re~ult
that when the tire returned ko its original conPlguration
the tie-down tensio~ had been relieved and the vehicle was
free to move on its support. ~hus, such prior art devices
were deficlent in thi~ respect.
Wlth the present invention any ma~or changes in
- tire conPiguration or the like causes the chains 4~ and 3
to become increasingly ten~ioned and thie ten~ion is
maintained by the ratchet wheel and pawl arrangements of
brackets 42 and 44 as descrlbed. The advantage o~ the
present arrangement ls that upon return to status quo, the
vehicle wlll be tied down even tighter than before the
temporary change ln configuration occurred. In
particular, it has been ~ound that in one pre~erred
ambodiment an ~mpact o~ the carrler vehicle occurred at
13.6 mph causing 6evere temporary dlstortion of one of the
tires o~ the vehlcle to the extent that the steal rlm o
the wheel shifted toward the de~ok plate and Wa~ actually
prevented to move ~orward only ]by the thickness of the
rubber tire, indlcating that at least at one location the
tire was almost completely collapsed. However, after
impact the tire assumed its original shape once again and
the tie down apparatu~ accord~ng to the present invention
had ma~ntained the wheals o~ the vehicle in posit~on by
tension on the chains 38 and 40 which was substantially
greater than the tension originally applled. Thls result
was caused by the ~act that the tension which was
continuously applled sprlngs 53 and 54 caused the chains
to immediately take-up any temporary available slack ~n
the system when the distortion occurred, while the tie-
-18-
down brackets 42 and ~4 and ~sociated ratchet wheel~ and
pawls (such as wheel 76 and pawl 80 shown in FIG. 11)
prevented release of the lncreased tenslon thus applied.
Thls action cause~ the load applied by ~pring~ 53 and 54
to be effectively transferred to the base plate 12 and the
associated deck.
Z5
