U.S. patent number RE32,647 [Application Number 06/935,233] was granted by the patent office on 1988-04-19 for trailer for an articulated vehicle.
Invention is credited to Frederick G. Wilson.
United States Patent |
RE32,647 |
Wilson |
April 19, 1988 |
Trailer for an articulated vehicle
Abstract
A low floored trailer has a base frame welded to wheel arches
and flooring formed over the major part of corrugated sheet welded
to the base frame and overlaid with wood, between the wheel arches
i.e. above the wheel axles, the floor is formed by a flat plate.
Upright corrugated walls are also welded to the base frame. The
axles are supported by springs carried by cross beams in the wheel
arches to that the load carried by the trailer is transmitted
through the springs to the base frame in the vicinity of the wheel
arches and into the upright walls. Because of the lowness of the
floor a larger than usual internal height is obtained, which is
important especially where the overall height of the trailer is
restricted by regulations.
Inventors: |
Wilson; Frederick G. (Culcavey,
Hillsborough, County Down, GB5) |
Family
ID: |
10527947 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/935,233 |
Filed: |
November 21, 1986 |
PCT
Filed: |
January 28, 1983 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/GB83/00015 |
371
Date: |
September 28, 1983 |
102(e)
Date: |
September 28, 1983 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO83/02594 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
August 04, 1983 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
541342 |
Sep 28, 1983 |
04546969 |
Oct 15, 1985 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jan 28, 1982 [GB] |
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8202497 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
296/186.1;
280/686; 296/186.4; 296/198; 296/204 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60P
3/0252 (20130101); B62D 53/06 (20130101); B60P
3/14 (20130101); B60P 3/0255 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B62D
53/06 (20060101); B60P 3/025 (20060101); B62D
53/00 (20060101); B60P 3/14 (20060101); B62D
033/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;296/181,182,183,204,187,191,198,52,51,62 ;280/789,7888,686 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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53871 |
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Jan 1947 |
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FR |
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1109700 |
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Jan 1956 |
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FR |
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1157946 |
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Jun 1958 |
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FR |
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1513120 |
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Jan 1968 |
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FR |
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2291898 |
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Jun 1976 |
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FR |
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Primary Examiner: Song; Robert R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mason, Fenwick & Lawrence
Claims
I claim:
1. A road trailer comprising:
(a) a pair of transversely spaced wheel arches carrying at least
one wheel axle via spring means;
(b) a horizontally disposed base frame attached to said wheel
arches substantially adjacent to the level of said axle so that
said base frame is below the level of the tops of wheels attached
to each end of said axle;
(c) a floor supported by said base frame; and
(d) corrugated upright wall members supported by said base frame
for supporting a roof frame, the weight of the load carried by said
trailer being transmitted through said spring means to said base
frame in the vicinity of said wheel arches and into said upright
wall members;
(e) said floor comprising a major portion formed of corrugated
sheet material attached to said base frame and a minor portion
disposed between said wheel arches and above said wheel axle and
being formed of flat steel plate having an upper surface which is
level with the upper surface of said major portion and an underside
disposed substantially higher than an underside of said major
portion and only a short distance above said wheel axle to allow
for vertical movement of said wheel axle, thereby to provide a
low-lying floor unobstructed along its length apart from each wheel
arch.
2. A trailer according to claim 1 characterised in that an
intermediate floor is provided at a location between the .[.face.].
.Iadd.base .Iaddend.frame and the roof frame, said intermediate
floor being formed of corrugated members welded to the sides of the
trailer.
3. A trailer according to claim 2, characterised in that each of
said first-mentioned floor and intermediate floor is overlaid with
wood.
4. A trailer as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that a
counterbalance door is provided in at least one of said upright
walls and comprises upper and lower door panels pivotal
horizontally and interconnected by a linkage so that movement of
one panel causes corresponding movement of the other panel.
.Iadd.
5. A road trailer comprising:
(a) a pair of transversely opposed wheel arches;
(b) at least one wheel axle carried in said wheel arches; and
(c) a wheel mounting assembly having a front and a back and
comprising:
at least two transverse beams, a first of said beams being located
at said front of said assembly and a second of said beams being
located at said back of said assembly, said first and second beams
being attached directly to said wheel arches; and
spring means connected between adjacent ones of said beams for
supporting said at least one wheel axle, the weight of the load
carried by said trailer being transmitted through said spring means
to said wheel arches. .Iaddend. .Iadd.6. The road trailer of claim
5, further comprising:
(d) a pair of frame members, each of said frame members being
connected to one of said wheel arches and following the contours of
said one of said wheel arches to which it is connected. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.7. The road trailer of claim 5, further comprising:
(d) a floor; and
(e) a flat plate attached to the upper surfaces of said beams so as
to form a part of said floor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.8. The road trailer
of claim 6, further comprising:
(d) a floor; and
(e) a flat plate attached to the upper surfaces of said beams so as
to form
a part of said floor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.9. A road trailer
comprising:
(a) a pair of transversely opposed wheel arches,
(b) first and second wheel axles carried in said wheel arches;
(c) a wheel mounting assembly having a front and a back and
comprising:
first, second, and third transverse beams, said first beam being
located at said front of said assembly, said second beam being
located at said back of said assembly, and said third beam being
located centrally of said assembly, said first and second beams
being attached directly to said wheel arches and said third beam
being connected to the top of said wheel arches;
connection means for connecting said third beam to the tops of said
wheel arches; and
first and second spring means, said first spring means being
connected between said first and third beams for supporting said
first wheel axle and said second spring means being connected
between said second and third beams for supporting said second
wheel axle, whereby the weight of the load carried by said trailer
which is evenly distributed through said spring means to said wheel
arches. .Iaddend. .Iadd.10. The road trailer of claim 9, further
comprising:
(d) a pair of frame members each of said frame members being
attached to one of said wheel arches and following the contours of
said one of said wheel arches to which it is connected. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.11. The road trailer of claim 9, further comprising:
(d) a floor; and
(e) a flat plate attached to the upper surfaces of said beams so as
to form
a part of said floor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. The road trailer of claim
10, further comprising:
(d) a floor; and
(e) a flat plate attached to the upper surfaces of said beams so as
to form a part of said floor. .Iaddend. .Iadd.13. The trailer of
claim 9, said connection means having an inverted "V" shape.
.Iaddend. .Iadd.14. The trailer of claim 10, said connection means
having an inverted "V" shape. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. The trailer of
claim 11, said connection means having an inverted "V" shape.
.Iaddend. .Iadd.16. The trailer of claim 12, said connection means
having an inverted "V" shape. .Iaddend.
Description
This invention relates to a trailer for coupling to the traction
unit of an articulated vehicle or to the rear of a Lorry. The
trailer is intended for use principally as a conventional trailer,
but it can also be used as a mobile work shop, kitchen/diner unit,
exhibition unit and the like.
A disadvantage of known trailers is the height of the trailer floor
off the ground; for heavy goods transporters, this height can be as
much as 5 feet, and is otherwise not less than 3 feet. As there is
normally a height restriction on the trailer roof the carrying
capacity is therefore limited by those two factors. The reason for
the floor height restriction is the presence of a strong chassis
capable of bearing the loads to be carried and it is an object of
this invention to provide a trailer which has no load bearing
chassis and in which the only structural member between the top of
the axles and the floor surface between the wheel arches is a flat
plate of about six millimeter-thickness so that the floor height
can be lighter than normal for heavy goods trailers. Thus, the
capacity of the trailer, whose height is limited by law, is
increased.
According to the present invention, there is provided a trailer
having at least one pair of transversely spaced wheel arches
carrying at least one wheel axle via spring means, a horizontally
disposed base frame attached to said wheel arches substantially
adjacent to the level of the axles so that the frame is below the
level of the tops of the wheels, a floor supported by said frame, a
major portion of which floor is formed of corrugated sheet welded
to the base frame, and corrugated upright wall members also welded
to the base frame and supporting a roof frame, the weight of the
load carried by the trailer being transmitted through the axle
springs to the base frame in the vicinity of the wheel arches and
into the upright walls.
Preferably, an intermediate floor is provided at a location between
the base frame and the roof frame, said intermediate floor being
formed of corrugated sheet material welded to the side walls of the
trailer.
Preferably also, the base floor between the wheel arches is formed
by a plate.
Preferably also, the or each floor is overlaid with wood.
Preferably also, a counterbalance door is provided in at least one
side wall and comprises upper and lower door portions pivotal
horizontally and interconnected by a linkage so that movement of
one panel causes corresponding movement of the other.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by
way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a trailer according
to the invention with parts omitted for illustrative purposes.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation of a detail.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective of an alternative detail.
FIG. 4 is a further alternative detail to that shown in FIGS. 2 and
3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective side elevation of another trailer according
to the invention.
Referring firstly to FIG. 1, a trailer is shown which is 12 m long,
2.4 m wide and with a base floor 10 the surface of which is only
0.558 m above ground level, as explained more fully
hereinafter.
At the front end of the trailer is a stepped portion 11 to
accommodate thereunder a towing pin 12 for connection to the fifth
wheel coupling of the traction and of an articulated lorry;
alternatively, a turntable axle may be provided for towing by
drawbar.
The trailer illustrated has two pairs of double wheels 13 which may
be the standard 825.times.15 twin tyres, thus placing the centres
of the wheel axles 14 at a height of 0.419 m off the ground; for
axles of 0.126 m dia., the upper limit of the axle is therefore
0.48 m. The underside of the floor 10 of the trailer can be about
0.076 m above the axles 14 in order to provide space for vertical
oscillation of the axles during use. A flat heavy gauge steel plate
15 of 0.635 cm can provide the flooring above the axle, thus
setting the height of the floor surface at 0.558 m above ground
level.
The wheels 13 are located in a pair of transversely spaced wheel
arches 16 formed of the same heavy gauge steel plate material and
the said floor plate 15 is welded between the arches.
Also welded to the arches 16 is a horizontally disposed base frame
20 of box or channel frame metal as detailed hereinafter FIGS. 2 to
4, the upper limit of which is 0.558 m off the ground and the depth
being 0.064 m.
The flooring is formed by continuously welding corrugated sheet
steel panels 21 to the base frame 20 the corrugations being
transversely disposed and of 5.07 cm depth. The lower face of the
floor panels 21 lie level with the lower face of the base frame 20
and sheets or planks of wood 21A, overlie the corrugated flooring
21 to bring the floor up to the level of the steel plate 15 thus
providing a level floor 10 obstructed only at the wheel arches 16
which extend about 0.058 m in from the sides 22 of the trailer. The
total depth of the floor (except at the plate 15) is 0.064 m. The
corrugated sheets 21 are of 14 gauge minimum thickness.
The side and front walls of the trailer are formed from similar
corrugated steel panels 22 continuously welded to the base frame 20
with the corrugations upright.
At the wheel arches 16, three transverse beams 25-27 are provided
two (25, 27) at the front and rear ends of the arches and one 26
centrally. These beams carry axle springs 28 and the central beam
26 is connected to the top of each arch by a substantially V shaped
block 29 for even distribution of the load which is carried from
the axle springs 28 into the base frame surrounding the wheel
arches and into a large section of each side wall 22. Thus, the
side walls 22 are the load bearing members of the trailer, taking
the function of the normal chassis.
A roof frame 31 is welded to the top of the side and end walls 22
and enclosed by a roof 32 formed of corrugated sheet panels
continuously welded thereto. The assembled roof provides rigidity
for the walls 22 of the trailer so that they do not deflect in
transit. The corrugations of the roof are disposed transversely and
of 4 cm depth. Thus, for a trailer whose height is restricted to 4
m, the internal height of the container from floor to roof is 3.42
m.
In view of the internal height gained by the low location of the
floor it is possible to include within the trailer an upper deck 35
as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The upper deck 35 is formed of the same type of corrugated sheet 36
and wood covering 37 as used on the base floor and thus has a depth
of only 0.064 m. The height above each deck 10, 35 can therefore be
1.71 m (where the overall height of the trailer is limited to 4
m).
The upper deck 35 extends the full length of the trailer so it
overlies the stepped portion 11 and is welded to the side and front
walls of the trailer either directly or via a peripheral plate 38.
Preferably the floor 36 is first welded to the surrounding plate 38
and then the assembly is welded to the upstanding walls 22.
The plate may be flat and vertically disposed or box or channel
section.
The base frame 20 may also be of various forms as illustrated in
FIGS. 2 to 4; in the preferred form (FIG. 2) the frame 20 is of
channel section outwardly facing and with the lower horizontal
flange 40 of greater width than the upper one 41. The base floor
panels 21 are welded to the inner face of the web 42 and the
upright side panels 22 are supported on the lower flange .[.60.].
.Iadd.40 .Iaddend.and welded to both flanges 40, 41.
In FIG. 3 the frame 20 is of box section; the upright side panels
22 are welded to the top 44 and the floor panels .[.20.]. .Iadd.21
.Iaddend.are welded to the inner face 45. In FIG. 4 the frame is of
right angled section with the horizontal limb 46 extending
outwardly.
In FIG. 1, at the right hand side thereof, the alternative forms of
FIG. 3 and FIGS. 2 and 4 are illustrated, the box frame .[.44.].
.Iadd.20 .Iaddend.(FIG. 3) being visible when the construction is
used, while when the channel and angle sections are used, they lie
behind the side panels 22. For a double-decked trailer a tail lift
48 is provided at the rear end. Tail lifts are well known and
usually consist of a platform connected by wire ropes to an
hydraulic cylinder powered by batteries and operated by controls
from ground level. The lift can have a lifting capacity of 1 ton.
The platform extends across the width of the trailer and is about
1.2 m long. When not in use it folds upright to form part of the
rear door.
A doorway 49 is provided in at least one side wall 22, opening into
the lower deck 10, the opening extending from the lower deck to the
upper deck 35 and closeable by a pair of vertically hinged doors.
The doorway 49 is positioned remote from the wheel arches 16 and
from the stepped portion 11 at the front of the trailer.
Reference is now made to FIG. 5 in which the trailer has no upper
deck; such a trailer can be used for other than as a container; for
example as a mobile workshop and the side doorway 51 can be wider
and also higher but no more than 2/3rd length of the side wall. One
suitable doorway is illustrated in FIG. 5 and is in the form of a
counterbalance door which comprises a pair of rectangular doors 52,
53 hinged horizontally along a major side and connected by a
linkage 54 so that downward movement of one door causes
corresponding upward movement of the other. The upper panel 52
carries a depending plate 55 at each end, the plates being
parallel, transverse of the trailer and extending inwards beyond
the door panel 52. The lower panel 53 has an upstanding transverse
lug 56 at each end spaced from the inner end of the door. A lingage
54 connects each lug 56 with the corresponding plate 55 and thus
extends upwardly and inwardly from the lug. With the door panels
open and in parallel as shown in FIG. 5, a covered vestibule is
formed. To close the counterbalance door, the lower door panel 53
is raised and pushes the inner end of the upper panel plate 55
upwards, thus pivoting the upper panel 52 downwards. The
counterbalance door is preferably an inner door normally concealed
behind a pair of vertically hinged outer doors 57, 58. These outer
doors also serve as sides for the vestibule as shown in FIG. 5,
having means for engaging the lower door panel 53 in its horizontal
position. A rear door 50 is provided.
In an alternative arrangement, the vertically hinged doors are the
inner doors; this arrangement permits an opening of longer length
for example 3 meters which is closed when the counterbalance door
is vertical i.e. closed. When the counterbalance door is open, the
upper and lower portions lie horizontal and the vertically hinged
doors can be opened to form the sides of the vestibule. Each
vertically hinged door has a width equal to half the length of the
counterbalance door.
The one-deck trailer is primarily for use in transporting heavy
goods, for which purpose the side doors are optional; with the side
doors however, the trailer can be used for purposes other than as a
conventional trailer, for example as a mobile workshop, and a
gantry crane unit can be incorporated including a longitudinal
track attached to the underside of the roof to carry a crane
capable of lifting two tons into and out of the trailer via the
rear end.
The trailer can also be used as a mobile exhibition unit or the
like, or as a mobile kitchen/diner, the vestibule allowing full use
of the trailer interior and thus increasing the effective working
area. Two one-deck trailers, for example, can be placed side by
side so that with their counterbalance doors in the open position
an enclosed walkway is provided between the trailers. One trailer
could house the kitchen and storage area and the other could form
the dining area.
The primary use of the trailer however, is as a transporter of
goods and in this it is advantageous because of its low level base
frame and floor. Many commodities have bulk rather than weight and
because of the low floor base, the capacity of the trailer is
substantially increased over normal trailers. In addition, the low
head-room provided in the two deck trailer means that goods are not
stored above head-height, with a consequent reduction in possible
accidents to persons loading the trailer. The level base floor
permits movement of pallets, even past the wheel arches which
intrude into the base floor area.
* * * * *