Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02341967 2001-03-23
TILTING RAMP FOR TRANSPORT OF PERSONAL RECREATIONAL VEHICLES
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of ramps for loading personal recreational
vehicles onto transports such as pickup trucks and in particular to a tilting
ramp for transport
of personal recreational vehicles which is mountable to the transport by the
use of the
transport's receiver hitch tube.
Background of the Invention
In the prior art, applicant is aware of numerous devices in the form of ramps
or
the like which may be deployed from a transport so as to ease loading of a
load-carrying bed of
the transport, and in particular, the loading of personal recreational
vehicles such as
snowmobiles.
For example, applicant is aware of United States Patent No. 3,687,314 which
issued to Haugland on August 29, 1972 for a Device For Loading A Snowmobile On
To A
Truck. The device is of two sections, the sections hinged to one another. One
section has
wheels and runs along the length of the bed of a truck, the other section is a
ramp section
which, when the wheeled section is resting on the tailgate or floor of the bed
of the truck, may
be lowered from the horizontal so that its rearward end touches the ground. A
snowmobile
may then be driven on to the ramp section and the ramp section then elevated
to the horizontal
and both sections slid forwardly on to the truck bed. An anchor cable is
provided to prevent
the wheeled section from rolling off the rearward end of the truck bed.
Applicant is also aware of three laid-open Canadian patent applications and in
particular Application No. 2,076,255 entitled Vehicle Attachment For
Transporting
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CA 02341967 2001-03-23
Snowmobiles filed by Alexander and laid open February 18, 1994, Application
No. 2,079,170
entitled Loading/Unloading Apparatus filed by Stanley and laid open March 26,
1994, and
Application No. 2,134,482 entitled Snowmobile Carrier filed by Bronstein et
al. and laid open
April 28, 1996.
Alexander teaches a snowmobile-supporting frame mountable into the bed of a
truck so as to carry snowmobiles on a platform which is pivotally mounted on
to the frame
above the upper edges of the sides of the truck bed. The platform is rotatable
so as to turn the
snowmobiles for ease of unloading down a detachable ramp which may be
connected to either
the front or rear of the platform.
Stanley discloses a tilting, slide-out deck which runs on rollers on the bed
of a
pickup truck. The rollers are secured to the truck bed and engaged by runners
on the deck.
The runners are hinged medially along their lengths so that as the deck is
pulled out the
rearward portion of the runners hinge downwardly, a ramp extension sliding out
from a stowed
position in the deck so as to engage the ground for loading.
Bronstein et al teach a tiltable and rotatable snowmobile carrier for carrying
snowmobiles elevated above the sides of a pickup truck box wherein the frame
carrying the
snowmobiles once pivoted to orient a snowmobile for unloading, is inclined so
as to cooperate
with a ramp which is removably mounted in the base of the frame for releasable
mounting to
the rear end of the base.
Summary of the Invention
The tilting ramp of the present invention is for mounting to a truck, and once
so
mounted, for loading, unloading and transport of at least one personal
recreational vehicle.
The ramp is slidable over a bed of the truck. A pivot member is mounted into a
receiver tube
mounted to the truck. The pivot member extends upwardly into translational
engagement with
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CA 02341967 2001-03-23
the ramp. The ramp may be translated over both the bed and the pivot member
between a
transport position forward on the bed and a pivoting position pivotable about
the pivot
member. In the pivoting position the ramp is pivotable between the horizontal
and an inclined
position in engagement with the ground surface.
The pivot member includes a mating portion such as one end of a cantilevered
mounting member for cantilevered mating into the receiver tube, a riser
portion rigidly
upwardly extending from, and mounted to, the mating portion, and a pivot
mounted atop the
riser portion.
In one embodiment, the translational engagement of the pivot member with the
ramp is rolling cooperation therebetween of at least one roller mounted
between the pivot and
a corresponding longitudinal member of the ramp.
The ramp may be planar and have a plurality of longitudinal members
extending between opposite front and rear ends of the ramp. The longitudinal
members may
depend downwardly from the ramp.
The ramp may also include means such as wheels or slides, or rollers or other
translation means for sliding the front end of the ramp over the load
receiving bed. When a
personal recreational vehicle is parked on the ramp, the combined center of
gravity of the
vehicle and the ramp is proximate to the pivot to assist in ease of raising or
lowering the
loaded ramp about the pivot. The pivot may be at least one pivotable roller
mount pivotally
mounted atop the riser portion. The riser portion may include a post and a
cross-bar rigidly
mounted atop the post. The longitudinal members may be a parallel pair of
laterally spaced
apart longitudinal members in which case a pair of pivotable roller mounts are
provided spaced
apart along the cross-bar and correspondingly positioned to the pair of
longitudinal members.
Rollers may be mounted to the roller mounts so that the longitudinal members
ride on the
rollers.
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The longitudinal members may each have a spaced array of first apertures. The
roller mounts may be elongate in a longitudinal direction and have second
apertures for pinned
or latched or other means of releasable locking of the roller mounts to the
longitudinal
members for example by pins insertable through aligned first and second
apertures.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is, in side elevation view, the ramp of the present invention
inclined
for loading or unloading.
Figure 2 is, in side elevation view, the ramp of Figure 1 being elevated
during
loading.
Figure 3 is, in side elevation view, the ramp of Figure 2 being rolled into
the
box of a pickup truck.
Figure 4 is, in side elevation view, the ramp of Figure 3 locked in place for
transportation.
Figure 4a is, in enlarged partially cut-away view, the hitch mounted ramp
trolley according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is, in side elevation enlarged view, the ramp and pivoting trolley of
Figure 4.
Figure 6 is, in top perspective view, the ramp and pivoting trolley of Figure
5.
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CA 02341967 2001-03-23
Figure 6a is, in partially cut-away enlarged view, the pivoting trolley of
Figure
6.
Figure 7 is, in bottom perspective view, the ramp and pivoting trolley of
Figure 6.
Figure 8 is, in perspective view, the pivoting ramp trolley of Figure 6.
Figure 9 is, in front elevation view, the ramp and pivoting trolley of Figure
6.
Figure 9a is an enlarged partially cut-away view of a portion of Figure 9.
Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention
As seen in Figures 1 - 5, the tilting ramp of the present invention pivotally
and
slidably mounts onto a mounting bracket which itself is mounted into a
receiver style hitch on
the back of a pickup truck. In particular, ramp 10 is slidably mounted onto
roller mounts 12,
one on either side of the ramp as better seen in Figures 6-9. Roller mounts 12
are pivotally
mounted to transverse supporting member 14. Post 16 is rigidly mounted
medially along
supporting member 14 so as to extend vertically downwardly. Post 16 mounts
onto receiver
member 18. Receiver member 18 mounts into receiver tube 20, for example, a
conventional
two inch receiver tube mounted beneath the rear bumper of pickup truck 22. The
tailgate of
the truck has been removed.
In the lowered position of Figure 1, ramp 10 is in contact with the ground at
its
rearward or distal end 10a thereby allowing a personal recreational vehicle
such as the
snowmobile 24 illustrated to be driven up onto the ramp. Without limiting,
personal
recreational vehicles are intended to include snowmobiles and all-terrain
vehicles. The
personal recreational vehicle is driven far enough up onto the inclined ramp
so as to position at
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CA 02341967 2001-03-23
least part of its weight forward of the fulcrum formed below ramp 10 by the
pivoting mount of
roller mounts 12 onto supporting member 14 by hinges 26 as better seen in
Figures 4a and 6a.
Hinges 26 may in one embodiment comprise a pair of raised flanges 26a
supporting pivot pins
26b.
As seen in Figure 2, the center of gravity 28 of recreational vehicle 24 as
illustrated is not intended to be other than an approximating representation
of the actual
location of the center of gravity of a particular recreational vehicle. A
vertical plane A
containing center of gravity 28 is horizontally spaced a distance d~ from a
parallel vertical
plane B containing the fulcrum or pivot line of hinges 26. Distance d2, being
the horizontal
distance between plane B and a vertical plane C through the contact between
distal end 10a
and the ground, gives a mechanical advantage to a user 30 lifting distal end
10a vertically
upwards by the ratio of d2/dl. When this ratio is sufficiently large, that is,
when center of
gravity 28 is positioned relatively close to the fulcrum at hinges 26, a
single user 30 may lift
1 S the distal end of the ramp with recreational vehicle 24 parked on the ramp
so as to rotate the
ramp in direction D to the horizontal so that the ramp may be slid
horizontally in direction E
into the box of the pickup truck.
The use of the receiver hitch tube to mount a fulcrum off the back of the
pickup
truck allows for rigid positioning of the fulcrum generally in the plane of
the bed of the pickup
truck box and sufficiently far aft of the bed so as to minimize distance dl
once recreational
vehicle 24 is parked at a relatively easily obtained position on the inclined
ramp.
Roller mounts 12 may be sections of channel supporting therein a pair of
rotatably mounted nylon rollers 32. The pair of roller mounts may be cross-
braced by cross-
members 33 rigidly mounted to the roller mounts. A pair of longitudinally
extending stringers
34 rigidly mounted on the underside of the ramp in parallel spaced apart array
are sized so as
to run on rollers 32. Cross members 36 are rigidly mounted to stringers 34 so
as to rigidly
support runners 38 thereover. Runners 38 may be channel members and, where
recreational
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vehicle 24 is a snowmobile, may be ultra high molecular weight material ski
runners. Runners
38 may be mounted to cross members 36 by means of bracing 40.
A pair of wheels 40 are mounted beneath stringers 34 and cross members 36 on
S axle 42. Wheels 40 are positioned forwardly along stringers 34 so as to be
forward of center
of gravity 28 of a recreational vehicle 24 when parked on the ramp. Axle 42 is
rotatably
supported within axle sleeve 44. Wheels 40 extend below stringers 34. They may
be mounted
so as to depend from the inner sides of runners 38 by mounting brackets 46.
Bulk head 48 is rigidly mounted at the forward end of ramp 10 and supported
by bulk head gussets 50.
Sliding forward motion of ramp 10 in direction E so as to roll wheels 40 along
the bed of the pickup truck box, or rearward motion of the ramp relative to
roller mounts 12
either when loading or once loaded, is arrested by the use of pin locks. In
particular, pins 52 in
roller mounts 12 insert so as to engage apertures 54. Apertures 54 are formed
in spaced apart
array along the length of stringers 34. It is understood that the use of pins
52 is not intended to
be limiting as other releasable locking devices such as latches may be
employed.
In use, receiver member 18 is mounted into receiver tube 20 and post 16
mounted onto receiver member 18. Ramp 10 is placed onto roller mounts 12 so as
to engage
stringers 34 on rollers 32. Ramp 10 and roller mounts 12 are inclined by
pivoting about hinges
26 so as to engage the rearward or distal end 10a of the ramp with the ground.
A pair of front
pin lock holes of the array of apertures 54, are aligned with pins 52 and the
pins inserted into
the front pin lock holes so as to lock the position of ramp 10 relative to
roller mount 12 during
loading of recreational vehicle 24 onto the ramp. The recreational vehicle is
then driven onto
runners 38 so as to clear distal end 10a of the ramp and the vehicle parked
for example by
applying its parking brake.
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Pin lock pins 52 are then removed and ramp 10 rotated upwardly in direction D
until the ramp is horizontal. The ramp is then rolled on wheels 40 and over
rollers 32 so as to
translate ramp 10 in direction E until bulk head 48 is adjacent or in
proximity to the forward
end of the pickup truck box. Stops 55 may be provided on stringers 34 so as to
engage mating
detents 12a in roller mounts 12. Pins 52 are then inserted into a pair of rear
pin lock holes,
again of the array of apertures 54, so as to lock ramp 10 into the pickup
truck box.
When it is desired to unload the recreational vehicle from the pickup truck
box,
the pins are removed from engagement with the rear pin lock holes and ramp 10
then
translated rearwardly until the center of balance is over the fulcrum of
hinges 26. Further
rearward translation then starts the ramp to tip downwardly as ramp 10 is slid
rearwardly out
of the box. The rearward end of the ramp is then lowered to the ground and the
front pin lock
holes engaged by pins 52. The recreational vehicle is then translated
rearwardly down the
inclined ramp and onto the ground.
In one embodiment, receiver member 18 has a rearwardly opening aperture 18a
which is sized to function as an extension of receiver tube 20 so as to allow
the male end of a
ball hitch to be inserted if the user desires to also tow a trailer.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing
disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of
this invention
without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of
the invention is
to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following
claims.
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