1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to carrying devices for use in conjunction with garden tractors and other similar moving vehicles. In particular, this invention relates to a wheel-less carrying apparatus coupled to a rear portion of such a vehicle and extending rearwardly as a cantilever.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Farmer, gardeners, landscaping professionals and homeowners have long relied upon self-propelled vehicles to provide powered locomotion to aid in farming and landscaping activities. Traditionally, the vehicle of choice for farmers and gardeners has been the farm or garden tractor. However, in recent years, all-terrain vehicles with their lower cost and great flexibility have seen increased use in this role. Also, self propelled zero-turn radius vehicles (ZTR""s) commonly used in lawn care have also seen some use in this roll. In this application the term self-propelled utility vehicle will be used to encompass the group comprising all-terrain vehicles, garden tractors, ZTR""s and small farm tractors
To ensure maximum flexibility such self-propelled utility vehicles are often designed generically without task specific implements. Thus to enable the self-propelled utility vehicles to engage in particular activities, it is necessary for the user to adapt the vehicle for the task at hand. Typically this has been accomplished through the use of separable implements that are coupled to the self-propelled utility vehicle to permit the vehicle to perform a chosen task. These implements can include devices such as trailers, mowers, plows, etc. To facilitate the attachment of implements to such vehicles, the self-propelled utility vehicles feature various mountings to permit the user to rapidly but temporarily connect and disconnect various implements to the vehicle.
One particularly important task that these vehicles are often asked to perform is to transport heavy and/or large loads from one location to another location. Because tractors and all-terrain vehicles do not typically have any meaningful on-board storage capacity, the use of carrying attachments in conjunction with such vehicles is required. The most common carrying apparatus is the wheeled trailer, cart or wagon. The wheeled cart, in its most basic form simply consists of four elements, a carrying platform, a pair of wheels for engaging the ground, an axle positioned between the wheels and fixed to the platform, and a hitch for attaching the cart to a vehicle.
Another common carrying apparatus is the sled. This device, typically favored in cold weather climates, consists of a carrying platforms to which two or more rails are attached. The rails are used to slidably engage the ground and to support the platform. A hitch is also provided to attach the sled to the vehicle to permit it to be moved by power transportation. The cart, the wagon and the sled are ground supported devices. Much of the load carried by these devices is transmitted directly to the ground through the cart or wagon wheels or through the sled rails. Each of these devices is a towed device that can easily complicate the operation of the self-propelled utility vehicle. Such complications can include increased turning radius and the potential for jack-knifing. In addition, such towed devices do not necessarily follow the pathway taken by the self-propelled utility vehicle and can easily deviate from the anticipated path of travel, resulting in damage to crops and, potentially, damage to the towed device and/or its contents. Such towed devices are particularly difficult for the occasional user to back up.
Accordingly, it is an objective of this invention to provide apparatus for use in conjunction with a self-propelled utility vehicle that provides an elevated load carrying platform, that is not a towed device. It is a further objective of this invention to provide such a platform that is quickly and easily coupled to and disengaged from a self-propelled utility vehicle preferable without the aid of any tools. It is yet another objective that the elevated load carrying platform be quickly and easily converted to various purposes. It is still another objective to provide an elevated load carrying platform that helps to protects the self-propelled utility vehicle from damage and that provides a flexibly elevated support for the carrying apparatus. It is a further objective of this invention to provide a wheel-less carrying apparatus that quickly and effectively attaches to a vehicle without substantially impairing the operation of the combined carrying apparatus/vehicle and that reduces the amount of wear on the draw-bar, frame, and tractor mountings.
Any load carrying device must have adequate flexibility in its function to accommodate the various types of loads that the user will encounter. Accordingly, a load carrying device must have features that permit the user to conform the load carrying device to the type of load being carried. Some loads require a substantially continuous platform surface to adequately support the load. Still other loads, such as loose materials, must be contained within a shaped perimeter, while other discrete loads or oversized loads are ill suited for transport using a shaped perimeter.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a load carrying device that permits the user to define the characteristics of the load carrying devices and to tailor the characteristics of this device to best match the requirements of the load. Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a load carrying device with a dumping feature to permit the user to transport loose materials and to unload these loose materials with a simple dumping action. Such dumping features are not unknown in the prior art, however, prior art dumping devices are often complicated devices that make the load carrying device more difficult to install and use, and further make the load carrying device heavier and more expensive. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a load carrying device that provides a low-cost, light-weight dumping mechanism that easy to install and remove from the self-propelled utility vehicle.
The present invention provides a wheel-less carrying apparatus for use in conjunction with a self-propelled utility vehicle having a rearwardly projecting extension including at least one opening for receiving a pin and having lateral extensions on either side of the rearwardly projecting extension. The rearwardly projecting extension generally takes the form of the conventional trailer hitch commonly found on such vehicles. While the lateral extensions are typically formed by an axle housing of the self-propelled utility vehicle, other lateral structures could be employed for the same purpose.
The wheel-less carrying apparatus of the present invention comprises a frame having a pair of spaced longitudinal beams, with each beam having a proximate and a distal end. The frame includes a brace fixed between the beams near the proximate ends of the beams, the brace including at least one pin adapted to be received in the opening of the rearwardly projecting extension of the self-propelled utility vehicle. The brace preferably also includes a lateral stabilizer that can take the form of at least one additional projecting element to engage an additional surface of the rearwardly projecting extension of the self-propelled utility vehicle. The proximal ends of the beams extend forwardly from the brace a distance sufficient to upwardly engage the lateral extensions on either side of the rearwardly projecting extension of the self propelled utility vehicle to support the frame in cantilever fashion. The frame also includes at least two lateral ribs, each rib secured to the beams in spaced relation to each other between the cantilever brace and the distal ends of the beams. An additional lateral rib is secured adjacent the distal ends of the beams. At least portions of the additional lateral rib are adapted to pivotally receive an additional load supporting body.
The wheel-less carrying apparatus of the present invention also comprises an additional load carrying body that includes a continuous load supporting surface. At least one downwardly extending coupling member is fixed to the load supporting body for removable pivoting engagement with the additional lateral rib at the distal end of the frame so that the continuous load supporting surface can be tilted with respect to the frame by pivotal motion with respect to the additional lateral rib. Downward extending flanges are provided along each side of the load carrying body for engaging ends of the lateral ribs of the frame to provide lateral stability of the load carrying body with respect to the frame. A bracket preferably extends downwardly from a lower surface of the load carrying body to engage a distal surface of either one of the lateral ribs or the rearwardly projecting extension of the self-propelled utility vehicle to inhibit longitudinal movement of the continuous load supporting surface with respect to the frame. An upstanding perimeter is preferably secured to the continuous load supporting surface to permit transport of loose materials. The rearward portion of the upstanding perimeter is preferably releasable to permit dumping of any load by a pivoting action of the continuous load supporting surface relative to the additional lateral rib at the distal end of the frame.
The wheel-less carrying apparatus of the present invention is easily installed and removed from the self-propelled utility vehicle. Importantly, the frame of the present invention is separable from the load carrying body. Thus, the user need only contend with handling the frame and not the combined frame and load carrying body. The frame, without the load carrying body, is of a space frame construction which does not block the user""s ability to see the various surfaces involved in the installation of the apparatus. The frame is also easily maneuvered as its construction provides a number of surfaces that can be used as convenient hand holds and further permits the user to reach through the ribs and beams of the frame to obtain better access the surfaces used during installation. The light weight construction of the present invention greatly simplifies the process of installing the frame allowing the frame to be installed quickly and efficiently by one person.
The load carrying body of the present invention is likewise easily attached to and removed from the frame. The coupling member that couples the load carrying body to the frame is designed for slip engagement and disengagement, which is easily achieved by one person handling the load carrying body. The downward flanges on the load carrying body automatically laterally locate and stabilize it during transport. Dumping is easily achieved by simply releasing the rearward portion of the upstanding perimeter and lifting the front edge of the load carrying body. During a dumping operation, the load carrying body easily pivots about the distal most lateral rib of the frame without risk of becoming disconnected from the frame.
With the wheel-less carrying apparatus of the present invention installed on a self-propelled utility vehicle, the driving characteristics of the vehicle remain substantially unchanged. The vehicle is easily maneuvered, even in when being backed up, with no risk of jack-knifing. Thus, both the installation and operation of the present invention makes it suitable for use by the occasional user. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention that illustrated in the accompanying drawings.