GB2195304A

GB2195304A - Load carrier

Info

Publication number: GB2195304A
Application number: GB08719792A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Philpott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-08-21
Filing date: 1987-08-21
Publication date: 1988-04-07
Also published as: GB8719792D0; GB8620410D0

Abstract

A load carrier, suitable for mounting at the rear of a vehicle, comprises a generally flat support member, a ball-engaging member 5 projecting beyond one edge of the support member to engage a tow- ball 6 on a vehicle, a flat drop plate 14 extending downwardly from between the tow-ball and the vehicle, a support plate 9 mounted on the support member to project below the ball-engaging member such that, when the ball-engaging member engages the tow-ball the support plate abuts the drop plate, and locating means 17 to locate the support plate and the drop plate in their desired relative positions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Load carrier The present invention is a load carrier, suitable for use with motor cars and other road vehicles.

With the considerable development of the leisure industry over recent years, many families have acquired caravans and have had their cars fitted with tow-bars and associated ball hitches for towing the caravans. Others use trailers, similarly hitched to vehicles for towing purposes, to carry camping equipment or other leisure equipment, for example bicycles.

However, towing a trailer entails vehicle handling difficulties and restrictions which may be a deterrent to its use. For example, reversing becomes more difficult with a trailer attached to a vehicle, while in forward drive the rearward end of the vehicle may develop a lateral swing. In addition, vehicles towing trailers are subject to special speed restrictions.

When smaller loads are to be conveyed, one alternative practice is to use a roof-rack.

However a loaded roof-rack may add considerably to the wind resistance of a moving vehicle, may be unsuitable for more substantial loads such as bicycles and may be an unsightly addition to a vehicle. For these reasons among others, attachments to the rear of a vehicle have been suggested as an alternative to the more conventional roof-rack.

One such attachment has been described in UK Patent Specification No. 2142587 and takes the form of a wheeled unit. The unit is attached to the tow-bar of a vehicle and then the wheels are retracted vertically for transport purposes, the box-like unit remaining extended cantilever-fashion from the rear of the vehicle in transit. A somewhat similar attachment is described in UK Patent Specification No. 2125747, which illustrates a load support adaptor which engages a ball-hitch and of which a major part may be fabricated integrally from steel or other metals.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved load carrier, adapted to engage a tow-ball to enable a load to be carried on the back of a vehicle, which load carrier is relatively simple to manufacture and to instal and provides a secure support for loads carried thereon.

The load carrier according to the present invention comprises a generally flat support member, a ball-engaging member having a socket therein adapted to receive a tow-ball, said ball-engaging member being mounted upon said generally flat support member so as to project beyond one edge of said support member, a flat drop plate for mounting between the tow-ball and a vehicle and adapted to extend downwardly in use from the point of attachment of the tow-ball to the vehicle, a support plate, mounted upon said generally flat support member in a position in which it lies below said ball-engaging member and is adapted to abut said flat drop plate in use, and locating means to define the relative positions of said support plate and said drop plate in use.

The generally flat support member is the part of the load carrier upon which luggage or other articles to be carried are placed, The support member may present a continuous surface or may conveniently be slatted or otherwise present an interrupted surface. In order to yield a result which is a good balance between lightness, strength and ease of manufacture, the support member preferably takes the form of a metal framework, especially a hollow metal framework, traversed by wooden slats. The support member may, if desired, be modified to support specific articles, for example one or more bicycles or a wheelchair, but in general the versatility of a flat surface is preferred.

The ball-engaging member has a socket to receive a tow-ball and it projects from the support member to engage the ball. Preferably the ball-engaging member is provided with a latch so that the ball is automatically retained in the socket when it is inserted therein, until it is deliberately released to remove the load carrier from the vehicle.

The flat drop plate is designed to be mounted between the tow-ball and the vehicle and may conveniently be secured to the vehicle by one or more bolts, preferably at least two bolts, by means of which the towball is also secured. The drop plate must extend, when installed, downwardly from the point where the tow-ball is attached to the vehicle and is intended to form the base from which the load carrier obtains support in use additional to that afforded by the tow-ball.

Mounted upon the generally flat support member so as to lie below the ball-engaging member is the support plate. The support plate is also spaced a little away from the edge of the generally flat support member and may therefore be mounted upon one or more arms extending forwardly (that is in the direction of the ball-engaging member) from the support member. In this position, when the load carrier has been fitted to a vehicle, the support plate abuts the drop plate.

Locating means are provided to place the support plate and the drop plate in the desired abutting relative positions. Such means may simply be one or more fixed pins or lugs engaging in cooperating apertures, slots or sockets. However a more positive locking together is preferable and with that in mind, it is preferred that the locating means should take the form of one or more bolts, passing through aligned apertures in the two plates and retained by means of threaded nuts or of pins passings transversely through such bolts. In either case, the locating and/or locking means is preferably easily disengageabie to permit the load carrier to be readily mounted and removed. However, it may be desirable, for security against theft of the load carrier itself, to provide an additional facility for locking at least one bolt in position using a padlock.

-The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of load carrier according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a view from the side of the load carrier of Fig. 1, shown mounted upon a tow ball.

The illustrated load carrier comprises a generally flat, tubular metal frame 3 constructed of box section steel. Transverse hardwood slats 4 form the load-carrying surface. Mounted adjacent to one edge of the frame 3 and projecting forwardly from it is a tow hitch 5, provided in the usual way with a socket to receive a tow-ball 6 (Fig. 2) and latched to retain automatically a tow-ball inserted in it.

The frame 3 includes downwardly inclined bracing struts 7 and short vertical struts 8, which together form a structure upon which a flat support plate 9 is mounted by means of forwardly-extending arms 10.

The tow-ball 6 is mounted upon a vehicle chassis member 11 by bolts 12, which pass through apertures 13 in a drop plate 14 and retain the latter securely between the tow-ball and the chassis.

The relative dimensions of the components of the load. carrier are such that, when the tow hitch 5 engages the tow-ball 6, the support plate 9 squarely abuts the drop plate 14 and thereby supports the frame 3 in a horizontal position. A pair of apertures 15 in the support plate 9 are aligned with a corresponding pair of apertures 16 in the drop plate 14 and thereby permit the insertion of locating bolts 17 to keep the two plates in their de desired relative positions. Transverse holes 18 in the bolts 17 are provided to receive locking pins (not shown), while a further transverse hole 19 can receive a padlock (not shown) to prevent unauthorised removal of the load carrier from the vehicle.

Claims

1. A load carrier, suitable for mounting at the rear of a vehicle, which comprises a generally flat support member, a ball-engaging member having a -socket therein adapted to receive a tow-ball, said ball-engaging member being mounted upon said generally flat support member so as to project beyond one edge of said support member, a flat drop plate for mounting between the tow-ball and a vehicle and adapted to extend downwardly in use from the point of attachment of the towball to the- vehicle, a support plate, mounted upon said generally flat support member in a position in which it lies below said ball-engaging member and is adapted to abut said flat drop plate in us, and locating means to define the relative positions of said support plate and said drop plate in use.

2. A load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generally flat support member comprises a metal framework traversed by wooden slats..

3. A load carrier as claimed in either of the preceding claims, wherein said ball-engaging member is provided with a latch to retain a tow-ball in the socket.

4. A load carrier as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising one or more bolts to secure said tow-ball and said drop plate together to a vehicle.

5. A load carrier as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said support plate is mounted upon one or more arms extending from the support member.

6. A load carrier as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said locating means comprises one or more bolts, passing through aligned apertures in said support plate and in said flat drop plate.

7. A load carrier as claimed in claim 6, wherein said bolts are retained by means of threaded nuts or transverse pins.

8. A load carrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.