GLASS TRANSPORT TRAILER

• US 20170217353A1
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trail King Industries Incorporated (Henry Crown & Co.)
• Original Assignee: Trail King Industries Incorporated (Henry Crown & Co.)
• Inventors: Vander Pol, Scot J., Job, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,518,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/002 for carrying glass plates
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 7/10 the load being plates, cases, or boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/02 Platforms; Open load compartments flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/0207 Connections of movable or detachable racks or stanchions to platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 53/061 of flat bed or low loader type or fitted with swan necks detachable swan necks B62D53/065; swan neck-fifth wheel couplings B62D53/08

Abstract

A trailer for carrying plate glass has an elongated deck and an elongated rigid beam that extends above the deck. The beam supports plate glass transported by the trailer. The deck and the beam may be made from aluminum.

Claims

1. A trailer for carrying plate glass, comprising:

an elongated deck comprised of at least one deck segment defining a surface at an upper major side of the deck;

an elongated rigid beam extending longitudinally in parallel with a longitudinal axis of the deck;

a plurality of wheels attached to at least one of the deck and the beam at a first end of the elongated deck at or below a lower major side of the deck opposite the upper major side so that the plurality of wheels are rotatable about at least one axis transverse to a longitudinal axis of the deck;

a coupler for coupling to a wheeled rear end of a towing vehicle, the coupler being attached to at least one of the deck and the beam and disposed at a second end of the deck opposite the first end;

wherein the beam extends above at least a portion of the deck and is attached to the deck so that the beam transfers load from the deck to the plurality of wheels and the coupler; and

a generally planar receiving surface that is defined by or attached to the beam above the at least a portion of the deck so that the beam supports at least one glass plate received by the receiving surface in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the generally planar surface.

2. The trailer as in claim 1, wherein the elongated deck comprises a plurality of said deck segments that define respective portion of said surface of the upper major side that are parallel to each other, wherein the respective surface portion of each said deck segment is offset from the respective surface portion of at least one other said deck segment in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

3. The trailer as in claim 1, wherein the coupler is a kingpin.

4. The trailer as in claim 2, comprising a first said deck segment at the first end of the deck, a second said deck segment at the second end of the deck, and a third said deck segment between the first deck segment and the second deck segment, wherein the third deck segment is below the first deck segment and the second deck segment.

5. The trailer as in claim 4, wherein the beam comprises a top section comprised of at least one generally planar portion and a web extending between the top section and the deck, wherein the top section extends to and between the first end and the second end, and wherein the generally planar portion defines at least one planar dimension that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and parallel to a planar dimension of the respective generally planar surfaces.

6. The trailer as in claim 5, wherein a central said generally planar portion of the beam is directly vertically above the third deck segment and is vertically offset from the third deck segment by a distance greater than respective vertical offsets between the third deck segment and the first deck segment and between the third deck segment and the second deck segment.

7. The trailer as in claim 6, wherein the distance is at least about four feet.

8. The trailer as in claim 6, wherein the distance is about eight feet.

9. The trailer as in claim 7, wherein the respective vertical offsets are about four feet or less.

10. The trailer as in claim 5, wherein the web comprises at least one metallic sheet extending from the top section of the beam to the deck.

11. The trailer as in claim 1, wherein the beam and the deck are aluminum.

12. The trailer as in claim 4, including respective pluralities of generally vertically extending rails attached to opposing sides of the beam and defining respective said generally planar receiving surfaces, so that glass plates received by the respective generally planar receiving surfaces are supported by the third deck segment in a vertical direction and by the beam in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the generally planar surface.

25. The trailer as in claim 4, including respective pluralities of generally vertically extending rails attached to opposing sides of the beam and defining respective said generally planar receiving surfaces, so that glass plates received by the respective generally planar receiving surfaces are supported by the third deck segment in a vertical direction and by the beam in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the generally planar surface.

13. A trailer for carrying plate glass, comprising:

an elongated deck comprised of at least one deck segment defining a surface at an upper major side of the deck;

an elongated rigid beam extending longitudinally in parallel with a longitudinal axis of the deck;

a plurality of wheels attached to at least one of the deck and the beam at a first end of the elongated deck at or below a lower major side of the deck opposite the upper major side so that the plurality of wheels are rotatable about a plurality of axes, each axis corresponding to at least two wheels of the plurality of wheels, transverse to a longitudinal axis of the deck;

a coupler for coupling to a wheeled rear end of a towing vehicle, the coupler being attached to at least one of the deck and the beam and disposed at a second end of the deck opposite the first end;

wherein the beam extends above a highest portion of the deck between the coupler and the plurality of wheels and is attached to the deck so that the beam transfers load from the deck to the plurality of wheels and the coupler; and

a generally planar receiving surface that is defined by or attached to the beam above at least a portion of the deck so that the beam supports at least one glass plate received by the receiving surface.

14. The trailer as in claim 13, wherein the receiving surface is attached to the beam and the deck.

15. The trailer as in claim 14, where the receiving surface is attached to the beam and the deck so that the receiving surface transfers load from the at least one glass plate to the beam directly and via the deck.

16. The trailer as in claim 13, wherein the receiving surface transfers load from the at least one glass plate only directly to the beam.

17. The trailer as in claim 13, comprising two said generally planar receiving surfaces at respective opposing sides of the beam.

18. The trailer as in claim 17, wherein the elongated deck comprises a plurality of said deck segments that define respective portions of said surface of the upper major side that are parallel to each other, wherein the respective surface portion of each said deck segment is offset from the respective surface portion of at least one other said segment in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

19. The trailer as in claim 18, comprising a first said deck segment at the first end of the deck, a second said deck segment at the second end of the deck, and a third said deck segment between the first deck segment and the second deck segment, wherein the third deck segment is below the first deck segment and the second deck segment.

20. The trailer as in claim 19, wherein the beam comprises a top section comprised of at least one generally planar portion and a web extending between the top section and the deck, wherein the top section extends to and between the first end and the second end, and wherein the generally planar portion defines at least one planar dimension that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and parallel to a planar dimension of the respective generally planar surfaces.

21. The trailer as in claim 20, wherein a central said generally planar portion of the beam is directly vertically above the third deck segment and is vertically offset from the third deck segment by a distance greater than respective vertical offsets between the third deck segment and the first deck segment and between the third deck segment and the second deck segment.

22. The trailer as in claim 21, wherein the distance is at least about four feet.

23. The trailer as in claim 21, wherein the distance is about eight feet.

24. The trailer as in claim 13, wherein the beam and major surfaces of the deck are aluminum.