Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – With load-receiving portion – or significant section thereof,...
Patent
1998-11-06
2000-09-26
Bratlie, Steven A.
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
With load-receiving portion, or significant section thereof,...
414480, B60P 312
Patent
active
061234990
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to recovery vehicles, and more particularly to such vehicles incorporating tilt and slide flat bed bodies to receive thereon stranded vehicles.
BACKGROUND
It is well established practice to provide a recovery vehicle incorporating a tilt and slide flat bed body the carrying surface of which can be slid rearwards relative to the chassis of the recovery vehicle and then tilted so that its rear end engages the ground whereby a stranded vehicle can be winched aboard. The body is then returned to its original position on the chassis with the stranded vehicle thereon.
Such arrangements suffer from the major disadvantage that stranded vehicles can only be recovered from positions directly behind the recovery vehicle, it being necessary to line up the recovery vehicle with the stranded vehicle prior to rescue. Thus recovery of vehicles stranded in narrow streets or restricted areas is often difficult.
It has been proposed, for example in EP-A-0087752, to mount the flat bed body on a turntable whereby the body can be lined up with stranded vehicles other than directly in line with the main chassis of the recovery vehicle.
However, the turntable mechanisms, which are usually driven by electric motors through intermeshing worms and gears, are of substantial height and weight, reducing the capacity of the recovery vehicle and extending above the main chassis of the recovery vehicle whereby the angle of approach of the stranded vehicle onto the extended flat bed body is steep.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It would be desirable to be able to provide a recovery vehicle incorporating a rotatable flat bed body, but in a more compact and lightweight manner than heretofore.
According to the present invention there is provided a recovery vehicle comprising a main chassis, a turntable mounted on the main chassis to be rotatable about a vertical axis, a vehicle support body mounted on the turntable and movable relative to the main chassis between an inoperative position superimposed on the main chassis and an operative position extending rearwardly of the main chassis, and means reacting between the main chassis and the turntable to rotate the vehicle support body said vertical axis, characterised in that the means reacting between the main chassis and the turntable comprises a first hydraulic ram the position of the line of action of which relative to the turntable can be altered whereby the vehicle support body can be selectively rotated in either direction about said vertical axis, the first hydraulic ram including a piston the free end of which is pivotally attached to the turntable, and a cylinder movable along an arcuate guide track, fixed relative to the main chassis, by means of a second hydraulic ram reacting between the main chassis and the cylinder of the first hydraulic ram, the arrangement being such that, on extension of the second hydraulic ram from a retracted position, the line of action of the first hydraulic ram is moved from a position extending to one side of a line interconnecting the free end of the piston of the first hydraulic ram and the vertical axis to a position extending to the other side of said line.
The main chassis may include a vehicle chassis and a subframe rigidly secured to the vehicle chassis, the turntable being mounted to the subframe and the first hydraulic ram reacting between the subframe and the turntable.
Such an arrangement enables the vehicle support body and the associated rotating mechanism to be provided as a unit for rigidly securing to the vehicle chassis of the recovery vehicle.
Conveniently the vehicle support body is mounted to the turntable by means of an intermediate subframe longitudinally fixed relative to said turntable but pivotal about a horizontal axis relative thereto, whereby the vehicle support body can be tilted relative to the turntable, the vehicle support body being movable horizontally relative to the intermediate subframe between its inoperative and operative positions.
Preferably the intermediate subframe is pivot
REFERENCES:
patent: 2621072 (1952-12-01), Sherburne
patent: 3884158 (1975-05-01), Rumell
patent: 4470746 (1984-09-01), DeLachapelle
patent: 5011362 (1991-04-01), Pijanowski
patent: 5263807 (1993-11-01), Pijanowski
Thornton George
Thornton Keith
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