Wheel lifting and towing apparatus
First Claim
1. For use with a tow truck having a horizontal planar bed, a wheel lift mechanism for engaging, lifting and lowering a vehicle to be towed, comprising:
- a pair of laterally spaced, parallel and registeringly aligned, elongated, rectilinear track means having laterally opposed open tracks mounted in concealed position beneath the truck bed;
said track means being vertically inclined to extend angularly downwardly and rearwardly with the upper ends thereof over the rear axle of the truck and the lower ends thereof terminating above ground level beneath the tailgate portion of the truck;
stationary, laterally opposed, elongated cam means carried by and extending lengthwise entirely within each of said open tracks, rigid lift boom means located centrally between said track means and having wheel engaging means attached thereto, plural cam follower means extending outwardly of opposite lateral sides of said boom means for operatively engaging said cam means and supporting said boom means for movement parallel to and between said track means;
said cam means being configured and arranged to effect a series of sequential vertical tilting movements of said lift boom means as said follower means move over said cam means and advance along the incline of said track means; and
power actuated means coupled to said boom means and mounted remotely of said track means in concealed position beneath the truck bed;
said power actuated means being selectively operable to effect raising and lowering movements of said boom means along said track means.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle mounted automobile "wheel lift" towing mechanism having a power actuated lift boom vertically movable between raised and lowered positions along angularly inclined parallel tracks having cam members operable to impart predetermined vertical tilting movements to the boom; the latter at ground engagement being tiltable to conform to variations in ground slope; power actuation of the boom being responsive to extension and contraction of a horizontal lift cylinder assembly having a linearly movable piston. Manually operable wheel engaging apparatus, is carried by the lift boom for positively coupling a pair of vehicle wheels to the towing mechanism and includes a pair of pivotally movable wheel restraints operable to swing arcuately about vertical axes from positions laterally outwardly of adjacently opposed vehicle wheels to positions behind such wheels for restraining the latter against opposing wheel chocks.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. For use with a tow truck having a horizontal planar bed, a wheel lift mechanism for engaging, lifting and lowering a vehicle to be towed, comprising:
- a pair of laterally spaced, parallel and registeringly aligned, elongated, rectilinear track means having laterally opposed open tracks mounted in concealed position beneath the truck bed;
said track means being vertically inclined to extend angularly downwardly and rearwardly with the upper ends thereof over the rear axle of the truck and the lower ends thereof terminating above ground level beneath the tailgate portion of the truck;
stationary, laterally opposed, elongated cam means carried by and extending lengthwise entirely within each of said open tracks, rigid lift boom means located centrally between said track means and having wheel engaging means attached thereto, plural cam follower means extending outwardly of opposite lateral sides of said boom means for operatively engaging said cam means and supporting said boom means for movement parallel to and between said track means;
said cam means being configured and arranged to effect a series of sequential vertical tilting movements of said lift boom means as said follower means move over said cam means and advance along the incline of said track means; and
power actuated means coupled to said boom means and mounted remotely of said track means in concealed position beneath the truck bed;
said power actuated means being selectively operable to effect raising and lowering movements of said boom means along said track means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- a pair of laterally spaced, parallel and registeringly aligned, elongated, rectilinear track means having laterally opposed open tracks mounted in concealed position beneath the truck bed;
Specification