Wheel-lift assembly for wreckers
First Claim
1. A wheel-lift assembly for wreckers for towing a target automobile, the assembly comprising:
- a crossbar assembly;
a pair of support arms, each of said support arms being pivotally associated with the crossbar assembly at a predefined point, the support arms being spaced apart from each other, and defining an inbound portion of the crossbar assembly between the predefined points and an outbound portion of the crossbar assembly outside of the predefined points; and
a pair of actuating devices connected to said outbound portion of said crossbar assembly, respectively, each of said actuating devices being operatively connected to one of said support arms.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved wheel-lift assembly is provided for towing vehicles on a wrecker. The wheel-lift assembly is adapted to be mounted on the rear deck of the wrecker. The wheel-lift tow assembly includes a relatively thin crossbar assembly, a pair of pivotal lifting arms, and multiple hydraulic cylinders. Two of the hydraulic cylinders are connected to support arms, and thereby control the position of the lifting arms. The hydraulic cylinders are positioned on an outboud portion of the wheel-lift assembly. The wheel-lift assembly includes over-center locking devices for securely locking the lifting arms in place during towing. The wheel-lift assembly may also include reinforcements on the lift arms to create a wear zone for identifying usual wear due to improper usage.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A wheel-lift assembly for wreckers for towing a target automobile, the assembly comprising:
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a crossbar assembly;
a pair of support arms, each of said support arms being pivotally associated with the crossbar assembly at a predefined point, the support arms being spaced apart from each other, and defining an inbound portion of the crossbar assembly between the predefined points and an outbound portion of the crossbar assembly outside of the predefined points; and
a pair of actuating devices connected to said outbound portion of said crossbar assembly, respectively, each of said actuating devices being operatively connected to one of said support arms. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A wheel-lift assembly for wreckers for towing a target automobile, the assembly comprising:
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a crossbar assembly;
a pair of support arms, each of said support arms being pivotally associated with the crossbar assembly and having a first distal end and a second distal end; and
reinforcing steel secured proximate to at least one of the first distal end and the second distal end of each arm creating wear zone on the support arm corresponding to an area not reinforced by the reinforcing steel. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A wheel-lift assembly for wreckers, the assembly comprising:
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a crossbar assembly comprising a crossbar and a pair of opposed grid boxes mounted to the crossbar on an outbound portion of the crossbar;
a pair of support arms, each of said support arms being pivotally attached to one of the grid boxes, the support arms being spaced apart from each other;
a pair of actuating devices, each of said actuating devices being fixed relative to the outbound portion of the crossbar and fully enclosed in the grid boxes;
a pair of over-center locking mechanisms, each connected to one of the grid boxes, to one of the actuating devices, and to one of said support arms; and
reinforcing steel secured proximate to at least one of the first distal end and the second distal end of each support arm creating wear zone on the support arm corresponding to an area not reinforced by the reinforcing steel.
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27. A wrecker for towing a vehicle, the wrecker comprising a tow vehicle chassis, a wheel-lift assembly, an adjustable body sub-frame assembly mounted thereon, and an adjustable body panel assembly;
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the wheel-lift assembly comprising;
a crossbar assembly;
a pair of support arms, each of said support arms being pivotally associated with the crossbar assembly at a predefined point, the support arms being spaced apart from each other, and defining an inbound portion of the crossbar assembly between the predefined points and an outbound portion of the crossbar assembly outside of the predefined points; and
a pair of actuating devices connected to said outbound portion of said crossbar assembly, respectively, each of said actuating devices being operatively connected to one of said support arms.
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28. A wrecker for towing a vehicle, the wrecker comprising a tow vehicle chassis, a wheel-lift assembly, an adjustable body sub-frame assembly mounted thereon, and an adjustable body panel assembly;
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the wheel-lift assembly comprising;
a crossbar assembly;
a pair of support arms, each of said support arms being pivotally associated with the crossbar assembly and having a first distal end and a second distal end; and
reinforcing steel secured proximate to at least one of the first distal end and the second distal end of each arm creating wear zone on the support arm corresponding to an area not reinforced by the reinforcing steel.
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Specification