GB2121375A

GB2121375A - A vehicle-mounted loading device

Info

Publication number: GB2121375A
Application number: GB08215713A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Rutherford Cairns
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-05-28
Filing date: 1982-05-28
Publication date: 1983-12-21
Also published as: GB2121375B

Abstract

A vehicle loading device (4) for a on vehicle (1) comprises a load-carrying deck (5), a deck carrier (6), parallel links (7, 8) connecting the deck (5) to the deck carrier (6) and further parallel links (13, 14) connecting the deck carrier (6) to the vehicle chassis (2). An actuating mechanism, e.g. a winch (20) and a haulage cable (21), is arranged to perform a two-stage lifting or lowering of the deck (5) in which the links (7, 8, 13, 14) enable the deck (5) to be moved between a lower ground-engaging position and an upper position adjacent the floor (3) of the vehicle. During the two- stage lifting or lowering the deck carrier (6) is moved between upper and lower positions and the deck (5) remains substantially horizontal throughout the entire lifting/lowering operation. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A vehicle-mounted loading device This invention relates to a vehicle-loading device for lifting loads from ground level to the level of a load-supporting floor of the vehicle. In particular, but not exclusively, the loading device is mounted at the rear of a vehicle such as a light flat-bed truck or a pick-up truck.

According to the invention a vehicle loading device comprises a load-carrying deck; a deck carrier; first parallel links connected at one of their ends to a vehicle chassis and connected at their other ends to the deck carrier, the first parallel links being pivotable relative to the vehicle chassis to raise and lower the deck carrier between a ground-engaging lower position and an upper position; second parallel links connecting the deck to the deck carrier and being pivotable to raise and lower the deck relative to the deck carrier between upper and lower positions; and actuating means mounted on the vehicle chassis for causing the first and second parallel links to pivot thereby enabling the deck to be raised and lowered between a ground-engaging position, when the deck and deck carrier are in their lower positions, and a position adjacent the vehicle floor, when the deck and deck carrier are in their upper positions, the first and second parallel links ensuring that the deck is maintained substantially horizontal during an entire raising or lower operation.

Conveniently the actuating means is connected to the said deck, or to the second parallel links adjacent said deck, the actuating means being actuable to raise and lower the deck relative to the deck carrier only when the latter is in its lower position and being actuable to raise and lower the deck carrier relative to the vehicle chassis only when the deck is in its upper position. Suitably the actuating means comprises a winch, typically manually operable, having a haulage cable connected to the said deck.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is-a schematic side view of a vehicle loading device according to the invention with its load-carrying deck engaging the ground, Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the vehicle loading device shown in Figure 1 but with its loadcarrying deck raised from the ground but spaced beneath a load-supporting floor of the vehicle, and Figure 3 is a shematic side view of the vehicle loading device shown in Figure 1 but with its loadcarrying deck in a position adjacent, and at substantially the same level as, the loadsupporting floor of the vehicle.

Figures 1 to 3 show the rear end of a small pick-up truck, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, having a chassis 2 and an elevated load-supporting floor 3 which overhangs a short distance, e.g. up to 1 metre at the back. A mechanical loading device, generally designated by the reference numeral 4, is mounted on the chassis 2 with all its operative parts positioned beneath the load-supporting floor 3.

The loading device 4 includes a horizontal loadcarrying deck 5, a transversely extending deckcarrying frame 6 and a pair of rigid parallel lift arms 7 and 8 connecting the deck 5 to the deckcarrying frame 6 at each side of the deck (only one pair of lift arms 7 and 8 can be seen in the Figures). The lift arms 7 and 8 at each side of the deck 5 are pivotally connected at one of their ends to the deck 5 at horizontally spaced apart pivots 9 and 10, respectively, and are pivotally connected at their other ends to the deck-carrying frame 6 at horizontally spaced apart pivots 11 and 12, respectively.

A further pair of rigid parallel lift arms 13 and 14 at each side of the deck-carrying frame 6 (only one pair of lift arms 13 and 14 can be seen in the Figures) connect the frame 6 to respective ones of a pair of transversely spaced apart strut-reinforced fixing plates 1 5 (only one of which can be seen in the Figures) mounted on the chassis 2. The lift arms 13 and 14 at each side of the deck-carrying frame 6 are pivotally connected at one of their ends to the frame 6 at vertically spaced apart pivots 1 6 and 17, respectively, and are pivotally connected at their other ends to the respective fixing plate 1 5 at vertically spaced apart pivots 1 8 and 19, respectively.

To enable raising and lowering of the deck 5, a manually operated ratchet-driven winch 20 is mounted on the chassis 2. The winch 20 has a haulage cable 21 which passes from the winch 20, over a pulley 22 mounted on the lower side of the load-supporting floor 3, beneath a pulley 24 mounted on an upper part of the frame 6, and around a pulley 25 mounted on the deck 5 before being anchored at 26 to the frame 6 substantially midway between its transverse sides. In the Figures, for the sake of clarity, the pulleys 24 and 25 have been shown positioned at the sides of the frame 6 and deck 5, respectively. However in practice it will be realised that these pulleys would be mounted substantially midway between the transverse sides of the frame and deck.

It will be appreciated that when the loading device is positioned as shown in Figure 1, both the deck 5 and the deck-carrying frame 6 are positioned on the ground 23. In this position an object, e.g. a lawnmower, can be easily loaded onto, or unloaded from, the deck 5. In order to raise the deck 5 into a position, shown in Figure 3, closely adjacent, and at substantially the same level as, the floor 3, the winch 20 is actuated to wind in the cable 21. During a first stage of a lifting process the load-carrying frame 6 remains resting on the ground 23 and the pull of the cable 21 causes the rigid lift arms 7 and 8 to pivot about the pivots 11 and 12, respectively, so that the deck 5 is raised relative to the frame 6 from a ground-engaging lower position (shown in Figure 1).The arms 7 and 8 continue to pivot about the pivots 11 and 12, respectively, until stop means (not shown) on the frame 6 prevent further pivoting when the deck 5 is in an upper position (shown in Figure 2). This completes the first stage of the lifting process. In this first stage, the portion of the cable 21, extending from the pulley 24, around the pulley 25, to the anchorage point 26, ensures that a "double pull" is applied to the deck 5 to ensure that the latter is raised to its upper position before the deck-carrying frame 6 is raised from its ground-engaging lower position.

In a second stage of the lifting process, continued winding in of the cable 21 causes the deck-carrying frame 6 to be raised off the ground from its ground-engaging lower position. This second stage of the lifting process is achieved by the rigid lift arms 13 and 14 being caused to pivot about the pivots 1 8 and 19, respectively, whilst the deck 5 and frame 6 do not pivot relative to each other. Thus the deck-carrying frame 6 is swung upwards into an upper position (as shown in Figure 3) in which the deck 5 is positioned closely adjacent, and at substantially the same level as, the floor 3 so that objects can be loaded onto, or unloaded from, the floor 3.

The deck 5 is lowered from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 1 in a similar manner to that described with respect to the lifting process but in a reverse order. Thus on unwinding the haulage cable 21, the deck 5 is lowered in two stages; the frame 6 moving from its upper position to its ground-engaging lower position in a first stage and the deck 5 moving from its upper position to its ground-engaging lower position in a second stage.

The parallel linkage provided by the parallel arms 7 and 8 and the parallel linkage provided by the arms 1 3 and 14 ensure that, throughout the entire lifting and lowering processes, the deck 5 is maintained substantially horizontal.

A particular advantage of the loading device 4 described is that all its parts are positioned beneath the floor 3 of the truck 1. Thus no parts of the loading device 4 are positioned above the floor 3 to inhibit loading and unloading of objects between the deck 5 and the floor 3.

In a modification shown in dashed lines in Figure 3, the load-carrying deck may be formed of three articulated sections 5A, 5B and 5C. Section SB is foldable upwardly relative to section 5A to adopt a substantially vertical position and section 5C is foldable downwardly relative to section 5B also to adopt a vertical position against section 5B (see the positions of sections 5B and 5C in dashed lines in Figure 3). The sections 5B and 5C can be releasably locked in these positions to provide a tailgate or tailboard for the truck 1.

The loading device 4 could be modified in other ways within the scope of the present invention.

For example a power-operated winch could be provided instead of the manually operated winch 20. Alternatively, the winch 20 could be replaced by other actuating means, e.g. power-operated rams. However, having mentioned this it should be realised that the loading device 4 is primarily intended for use with small load-carrying vehicles, e.g. light flat bed trucks and pick-up trucks, and is particularly intended to provide a comparatively cheap loading device for small businesses. For this reason it is preferred to employ a manually operated winch 20 which is relatively inexpensive.

Claims

1. A vehicle loading device comprising a load carrying deck; a deck carrier; first parallel links connected at one of their ends to a vehicle chassis and connected at their other ends to the deck carrier, the first parallel links being pivotable relative to the vehicle chassis to raise and lower the deck carrier between a ground-engaging lower position and an upper position; second parallel links connecting the deck to the deck carrier and being pivotable to raise and lower the deck relative to the deck carrier between upper and lower positions; and actuating means mounted on the vehicle chassis for causing the first and second parallel links to pivot thereby enabling the deck to be raised and lowered between a groundengaging position, when the deck and deck-carrier are in their lower positions, and a position adjacent the vehicle floor, when the deck and deck carrier are in their upper positions, the first and second parallel links ensuring that the deck is maintained substantially horizontal during an entire raising or lowering operation.

2. A vehicle loading device according to claim 1, in which the actuating means comprises a winch having a haulage cable connected to enable raising and lowering of the deck and deck carrier on operation of the winch.

3. A vehicle loading device according to claim 2, in which the haulage cable is connected so that, on operation of the winch, the deck can only be raised or lowered relative to the deck carrier when the latter is in its lower position and the deck carrier can only be raised or lowered relative to the vehicle chassis when the deck is in its upper position.

4. A vehicle loading device according to claim 2 or 3, further including pulley means comprising a first pulley fixed relative to the deck carrier, the haulage cable passing from the winch, over the first pulley to the deck.

5. A vehicle loading device according to claim 4, in which the pulley means comprises a second pulley fixed relative to the deck, the haulage cable passing from the winch, over the first pulley, over the second pulley and being fixed relative to the deck carrier.

6. A vehicle loading device according to claim 4 or 5, in which the pulley means comprises a third pulley fixed relative to the chassis, the haulage cable passing from the winch over the third pulley before passing to the first pulley.

7. A vehicle loading device according to claim 1, in which the actuating means is connected to the said deck, or to the second parallel links adjacent said deck, the actuating means being actuabie to raise and lower the deck relative to the deck carrier only when the latter is in its lower position and being actuable to raise and lower the deck carrier relative to the vehicle chassis only when the deck is in its upper position.

8. A vehicle loading device according to claim 7, in which the actuating means comprises a winch having a haulage cable which is connected to said deck or to the second parallel links adjacent said deck.

9. A vehicle loading device according to any of claims 2 to 6, or claim 8. in which the winch is manually operable.

10. A vehicle loading device according to any ot the preceding claims, in which the load-carrying deck comprises articulated sections.

11. A vehicle loading device constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1, and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A vehicle fitted with a vehicle loading device according to any of the preceding claims.

13. A vehicle according to claim 12, having a load-supporting floor, the deck being arranged to be positioned adjacent, and at substantially the same level as, the load-supporting floor when the deck and the deck carrier are in their upper positions.

14. A vehicle according to claim 13, in which the operative parts of the vehicle loading device are arranged beneath the load-supporting floor.