Motor vehicles such as automobiles are commonly transported by transport vehicles such as trucks, vans and railway cars and an anchoring harness is used to anchor the wheels of the vehicles to the floor of the transport vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,159,848 relates to the securing of heavy bodies such as coils of metal or the like. The lashing mechanism includes cables and an inverted U-shaped frame over which the cables extend. Guide rollers are provided which permit the cables to extend perpendicularly to the floor. These guide rollers are not, however, attached to the harness. These are fixtures which are releaseably attached to the floor and around which the cable extends.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,052,914, Williams, discloses an anchoring device in which C-section holder rails are provided for retaining the specially designed anchor members therein. The anchor members can be moved along the channel to be positioned at a plurality of longitudinally spaced fixed positions. The anchoring devices are permanently retained in the channels and are releaseably attached to a chain which forms the harness which extends around the wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,746, Huber, is directed to a structure in which attachment members are located at fixed points on the floor of the transporter and elongated belts extend to the attachment points where a take-up spool is provided for applying tension to the strap.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,279,397, Michod, discloses a structure in which a wire harness is stapled to the floor of a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,023,972, Otis, discloses a structure in which simple hooks extend through passages in the floor of the vehicle and are connected to angle members which are mounted below the floor. A turnbuckle is provided for adjusting the tension in the chain.
The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive form of anchor which is used to attach an end of a harness strap to the floor of the vehicle wherein simple mounting passages are formed in the floor of the vehicle.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheel harness for anchoring a wheel of a motor vehicle with respect to the floor of a transportation vehicle comprising an elongated strap having first and second ends and a sufficient length between said ends to extend around the wheel from points on the floor of the transport vehicle located forwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle to embrace a portion of the circumference of the wheel, first and second anchor means at said first and second ends of said strap for securing said first and second ends of said strap with respect to the floor of the transportation vehicle, and wheel chock means slidably mounted on said strap, said wheel chock means being adapted to be releaseably secured to the floor in close proximity to a wheel in use to form a chock which will bear against the wheel to prevent movement of the wheel in use, length adjustment means on said strap for adjusting effective length of the strap to increase or decrease the effective length of the strap to tighten or release the harness with respect to the wheel in use.