Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2~7~3
T R A N S P O R T I N Ç ~ O L L Y
BACKGROUND OF THE INYENTION.
This invention relates to a dolly for on~ end ~upportsd
transporting of a ramp loaded whe~led obj~t, or a jack
loaded unwhselsd object, ~ro~ something as small a6 garden
tractors and gol~ cart~ to an au~omobile and to larger yet
5 construction and farm equipmsnt. Al~o ~heds, building~,
bridge rail~, mobil~ hemes. etc, are tran~portt3d on one or
mDre dol 1 il35 on ene or ~oth end6 .
Rather than transportin8 an automo~ile or heavy
~ uipment compistely upon a trailer, ju~t ons end i6 loaded.
10 A wheeled object i~ connæcted only by the ~ront or rsar
wheels. No bumper or ~rame oonnBction iE require~ a~ ~or a
tow bar. Also many of the ru~ber bumpers of automobile~
preclude the attachment oi` a tow ~ar. What thi~ invention
~5 relate~ to is a wheal latching rolling tow bar.
Prior art require6 dig~rent ~ i ze of dollies ~or
differQnt width~ of v~hicles. Tha loading ramp6 ar~ in a
fixed position with large vahiclE3~ not ~itting on a narrow
dolly and small vehicle~ not ~itting on a wide dolly.
The prior art utilize~ haywagon typs o~ ~t~ering with a
~wivelling loading platform that maintainc po~ition with the
towed vehicl~. Thi~ pass~s road imnpact ~tres~3& dswn the
ton~ue ~nd on to the towin~ vehicle.
~ nother version of prior art utili~e6 castaring wheel~
~5 with the draw t~ngue and towad vahicle latched to a riged
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2~783
longitudinal position with all o~ the towed vehicle mass
~eing passed down the draw tongue *o the tewing ~ehicle wh~n
turning a corner or hitting a rut in the road.
Anether need i~ ~or an end rustomer-assembleable
5 automobile sized dollY that can be marketed and delivered in
a box. Prior art is completely weld~d with all 500 to 600
pounds trailered to the end oustomer. An assembleable dolly
could also be disassembled for storage under a bench when
not in use.
Another limitation of prior art for automobiles is for
loading vehicles that are di~abled and not rolling such a~ a
smashed car. Thers i~ no way to jack up the car under a
cross member or di~ferential and set it down on the dolly
supporting plat~orm.
¦5 In the automobile towing industry, ~hers i~ a need ~or
a variable width dolly to be latched to the wheel~ o~ the
non-liftad end. Prior art require6 as~embly of component6
to a ~ixed width depending on the 5ize 0~ car being loaded.
Also large objectr and equipment nsed to be hauled from
one site to another. A larger version o~ the dolly i6
needed for frama or whsel attachment and for one end up or
both end up transporting of these object~. When lo~g
o~jects are trailered on two or more dollie~, there is a
n~ed to havs the rear wheel~ steer in the opposit3 direction
2 5 ~or less cornsr cutting. For tha~e lar8e ob~ect6. thare ir
a noed for multiple dollies to be attached to one or ~oth
end6 with the po~ibility of all dollies b0ing a~le to
steer~
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201~783
SUMMARY OF T~E INVENTION
The present invention will provide a one end up
variabl~ width object transporting dolly with ~ing-pin type
6teering controll~d by a draw control tongue and inter-
v~hicle articulation. Ths tran~porting wheel~ are in a
i!ixed widthwiss and lon~itudinal position to the *ransported
object but will pivot at tha object ~upport mounting pads
through four pivoting control arms attachad to ths center
parall~l control membar and the draw oontrol tongue during
intsr-~ehicls articuiation. It i~ by virtue o~ the
1O ~oregoing basic concspt that the principle objective i~
achieved.
Another object is to provide a transporting doll~ of
ths class described that can be f ixed to multiple widths o~
loaded objects by ~ust widening or narrowing the distance
IS between the trailaring wheels through the four pivoting
control arms and the center paral 1~1 control memb~r.
Another object of this invention is to provide a
horizontally pivoting draw oontrol tongue and loading ramps
that will *ilt ~or loading o~ rolling wheeled vehicl~s.
A further object of this invention i~ to provide for an
absence o~ 6tru~-ture betwe~n the two mounting pads 80 ~n
object to be tran~ported can be jacked up between the
mounting locations and tha dolly backed under without
i nter fering with ths jack.
A further object of thi~ invsntion i~ to provide for a
cu6~0mer Assembleable automobil~ sized dolly that can ~e
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di~assembled ~or ~torage.
A further object of thi~ invention i6 ~or the dolly to
be utiliz~d as rear end ~ran~porting dolly with ths draw
control tongue bein8 ~unctionless and optionally removed,
5 and with the mounting pads not ~wivelling.
A further object of thi~ invantion is ts provide a
varia~le width castering dolly with a "v" tongue pivoting at
the mounting pads allowing a transported vehi~le to be
bacXed up in the same manner as a trailer or a tow bar.
A furthsr object o~ thi~ invention i~ to provide for
mul~iple dol 1 ie~ to be at*ached to an objec~ with the ~ront
dolliss steering progre~sively less as controlled by the
draw control tongue and the piggy-back inter-tongue
connection. The rear end of the object can also ~e
1~ supported by a rear dolly or set o~ dollie~ and can be jU6t
a support dolly or it can provide rsar wheel steering in the
opposite direction controlled by a ~ront and rear dolly
mechanical and~or hydraulic interconnsction.
The dolly or dollies can be mounted on a frams for
2~ front only. ~iddle only ca6tering, rear only supporting,
rear only supported ~teerin~, or the ~rams can be extended
for complete object trailering.
She ~oregoing and other objectivss and advanta~ o~
this inv2ntion will appear from the detailed description
2 5 takon in ronnection with accompanying drawing of the
pref~rred embodiment~. Any detail or other option not
descr}bed does not preclude its inclu~ion within the spirit
and scope o~ this invention.
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201~7~
B~I~.F DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a ~chsmatic plan view of a vehicl~ towing
dolly embodying the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the dolly showing
the inter vehicle articulation movement of all of the dolly
5 compone~ts providing for ths articulat~d ~teering;
FIG. 3 is a ~chematic plan view o~ an unloaded dolly
latched to it~ narrow trailering po6ition;
~ IG. 4 is a schematic 6ide elevation at the axle of the
dolly with a vohicle loaded u~ing a removable ramp,
1~ ~I&. 5 is a schematic side elevation at the axle o~ the
dolly showing th~ fixsd ramp and tilting tongue vehicle
loading position,
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a mounting pad
utilizing multiple wheels for each side o~ the transporting
dolly;
FI&. 7 is a schematic plan view o~ a frame mount or
equipment 6wivelling mounting pad:
~ IG. 8 is a schematic plan view of a ~wivellad wheel
well mounting padr
2~ FIG. 9 i~ a ~chematic plan view o~ multiple dolli~s in
a pi8gyback mode.
FIG. 10 i6 a 6chematic plan view of multiple
articulating dollies for complete object trail3rin~
utilizin~ both snd Gteering;
FIG. 11 i~ a ~chematic plan view of multiple dolliee
for both end ~teering utilizing dual ~tinger~,
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FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view o~ multiple dollies
f~r both and steering utilizing a mechanical tie bar;
~ IG. 13 is a ~chematic plan ViBW 0~ multiple dollies
~or both end 6tesring utilizing hydraulic means for csntrol
5 and rear wheel stsering power.
FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of a castering dolly
including a "v" draw tongue with a pivot joint attachment to
the steering pivot point under the mounting pads.
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20~7~3
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the drawings, th~ tran~porting dolly of the pre&0nt
invention i~ designated in it~ entirety by the rsfersnce
numsral 10.
FIG l illu~trate6 the top schematic plan view of a
5 vehicle transporting dolly with wheel wells 40 for
attachment to the tran~port~d vehicle 70 front or rear
wheels. Ths draw control bar 14 is attached with a
conventional trailer hitch and coupler 12 to the pulling
vehicle 11. The parallel control membar 2S is att~ched to
l~ the mounting pad~ 40 with vertically pivoting joint~ 32 at
ths parallel control mamber, vertical pivot joints 34 at the
mountin~ pads and with control arm~ 30 connscting the
pivoting joint~ at the eight pivot~ 32. 34. From the
drawings it will be apparent that line6 sxtended through the
IS axe~ of the pivots 32, 34 of each latsral pair of control
arm6 30 ~orm a parallelogram. It ic by thi~ arran~ement
that the laterally spaoed pair o~ moun*ing pad~ 40 r~main
parallel to each other throughout tha range of independent
lateral movement illustrated in ~ig8. 1. 2 and 3. The
2 joints 34 could be under and toward the c~nter of the
mounting pad 40 or even naar the outside ~dge for bettsr
horizontal leverage. ~x10s 50 are attached to ths mounting
pads and are o~ conv~ntional ar~ being ~ixed axle. drop
axle~ torsioned axle or spring mount~d axle ~or one or more
wheel~ 60 on each sids. Whon the mounting pad6 40 ar0
attached to the tran~ported vshicle 70 whs31s. th~ mounting
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pads will take and remain in ihis position to the
transported vehiGle 70 during the stopping and pulling
aGtion of ~he pulling vehicle 11 even though the control
arms 30 try to ~icissior the moun~ing pad6 40 together and
5 apart. The mounting pad 40 width between each other and
their individual longitudin21 position are fixed by the
transported vehicle. with wider vehicles requirin~ the
control arms 30 scissoring wider, and narrowsr vshicle~
requiring the control arms ~0 ~ci~isoring narrower.
l I~ ther transported vehicle was damaged and one o~ its
wheels on ths transported ond wa~ ~urther b~ck then the
undamaged side, one of the mounting pads 40 would be further
back with the control arms 30 on each 6ide not ~ing
siymmetrical and causing the parall~l control member ~5 to be
closer to tha damaged side.
Note that the tran~ported vehicle 70 in this and al 1
the following ~igurss could be an object that i~ tran6port~d
or A frame upon which the dolly i~ *ied to the object.
FIG 2 illustrates the turning tachni~ue o~ thi~
2~ invBntion that is cau6ed by the inter-vahicle articulation,
Specifically, th~ draw control tongue 14 i5 pulled toward
one ~ide of the transported vehicle 70. Th0 paral lel
control memb~r 25 iCi longitudinally fixed to the draw
control tongue 14 and pushes and pulls on the control arm~i
which in turn push and pull on the mounting pad6 ~0
cau~ing the mounting pads 40 and the transportine wheels 60
to maintain longitudinal alignment to the draw control
*ongue 14 with 5wiv211 ing at the mounting pad either through
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- the steering of the transported vehicle or betw2sn the
mounting pad 40 and the tire of the tran~ported vehicls i~ a
non-steerin~ end i5 transported.
In the above d~cribed way. a transported vehicle 70
will trail a towing vehicle 11 with king-pin type o~
steerin~.
~ I~ 3 is an unloaded dolly with its width narrowed and
~ixed by a widthwi~e latching bar 36. A wider bar with
pivotin~ connection~ can be utilized to ~tabilize and fix
IO the width ~or loading transported objsctfi.
FJG 4 illustrate~ a ~ide view of the dolly with the
wheel 60 not shown. This view i~ of a ~ront 103ded vehicle
utilizing the ramp~ 41 in a remova~le modo with th0 ramp
bracket ~5 over top and re~ting on the wheel well pads.
l5 Note *hat *he tilt action of the tongue i~ not utilized in
this mode. The main advantage o~ thifi mode is *hat the ramp
is removed when the vshicle i~ being towed and will not hit
or scrape the vehicle undercarriage wh0n at a crest of a
driveway or roadway. Al~o prevented is ~craping of ths
pavemsnt in a valley o~ a driveway or ro~dway.
~ IG 5 is a ~ide view. a~ain with the transporting wheel
removed, showing the tilt ~ction at the tilt joint 16 with
the tilt pin 20 removed allowing the ~ongue to tilt
longitudinglly about the widthwi~0 horizontal plane on the
2~ tilt pivot bolt 18. In this mode the ramp~ 41 are in a
gized position with the ramp brac~et 45 mounted under the
mounting pad 40. Thc tilting actiGn 8top8 only when the
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ramp 41 makes contact with the road surface. When the
vehicle is loaded. ths center of gravity over the
transporting wheels rock~ the wheel pads and ramps down at
the ~ront end straightening out the tilt action of the
5 tongue. When the tilting tongus i8 bac~ to its normal
position, the ti lt pin 20 is manually reinssrted and clipped
to fix the tilting into the normal po~ition.
FIG 6 illu~trates a wheel pad ~0 with dual axle~ S0 and
transporting whsels ~0 for horizontal ~tability when
lO attached to the rsar wheel~ of a transported vehicle. Mo
tongue i6 necessary in this mode.
FIG 7 illustrates a swivelling frame mount ~7 with the
6WiVi 1ling joint 48 attaching it to a n3rrow mounting pad 40
for attaching the mount 47 to a frame when transpGrting
l5 unwheeled objectc or as a frame m~unt for wheeled equip~ent.
~ IG 8 illustrates a wheel well mount 47 with a swivel
joint 48 attaching it to the mounting pad ~0. This
swivelling mounting pad would be utilized for transporting
the non-steering end of a vehicla when the swivelling
be~ween the tire and the fixsd mounting pad i~ not
con6idered adequate.
FIG 9 illu~trates a multipls of dollies 10 in a
piggybac~ed attachment ~wivel joint 13 to interconnect th~
tongues for multiple dolly 6t0ering at one end o~ a
~` ~ 5 transported obiect.
~ IG 10, i~I& 11. FIG 12 and FIG 13 illustrate multiple
dollies embodying the sama sci~60ring arm6 ~or ~oth end
object trailerin~ with rear wheel steering in the opposite
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direction controlled only by the inter-vehicle articulation.
The various techniques of rear stinger to tongue. rear
stlnger to rear stinger, mechanical tie bar. and hydraulic
control and ram ~re in no way intended to b~ an exhaustive
set of altsrnatiYes.
~ IG lO utilizes two dollies lO. with the ~ront dolly
having a rear tele6coping swivelling stinger 27 extending
from the parallel control mem~er. The rear dolly i5
attached to the sting~r providing ~or rear dolly iteering a~
10 described above regarding ~IG 2.
FIG 11 illustrates a rear facing rear dolly including a
6tin8er 28 with a coupler for 5wivel connection tu the ~ront
stinger 27. This rear facing dolly configuration will allow
multiple dollie6 to be attached at each end a~ descri~ed in
~5 FIG 9, all o~ which would have ~teering controlled by tha
inter-vehicle articulation.
~ IG 12 illu6trate~ multiple dolliex with a fixsd arm ~6
extsnding from the mounting pad with a ~wivelling joint for
connection o~ a steering tie bar 48 to the rear ~upporting
2 dolly or dollie~.
FIG 13 illu~trates a hydraulic sourc 55 attached to a
hydraulic control 56 with a tie lin~ 57 for powering the
~` hydraulic ram 58 to rontrol the ~itesring of ths rear
6upporting dolly or dollio~.
FIG 14 illu~trate~ a variable width ca~tsring
tran6porting tolly including a "v" draw tongue 15 fix~d,
~` wit~ a pivot attachment 4~ to ths steerin~ pivot peint on
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the whssl pad 5 4 0, i n a 1 ong i ~ud i na 1 pos i tien to the
transportsd objec~ 70 and the mounting pads 40, allowing the
whssl pads to castsr whether the transporting vehicle 11 is
pulling forward or pushing backward. Tho advantage of this
5 mode is tha* the transpor~d object can be backed up the
sams as with a tow bar or trailer.
It is to bs noted from the drawings that the pi~ots 32,
34 of each pair o~ control arms 30 are arranged to form a
parallogram. It is by this arrangsment that the pair of
mounting pads 40 remain parallsl to each oth~r throughout
the rangs o~ lateral movement ~f the pad~ toward and away
; ~rom each oth~r.
It will be apparant to those ~killed in th~ art that
various changes and combination other than those discus~ed
may be made in ths size. shape, type, number and arrangem~nt
of the parts described hereinbefors and could take vari~us
other forms within the ~cope and ~pirit~o~ the followin8
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