Abstract:
A strapping system is used to strap loads to the deck of trailers and/or trucks. The system includes a pair of rollers supported by a frame above the deck which extend in a longitudinal direction of the deck. Strapping is rolled onto the rollers. Anchors at the free ends of the strapping can be secured along opposing sides of the deck. A tightener in the form of a crank and ratchet mechanism is coupled to the rollers for tensioning the strapping spanning between the rollers and the free ends anchored to the sides of the deck. The load, for example large round bales, is retained beneath the strapping under tension. The tightener permits common tensioning of all strapping of each roller in a single, time saving operation to ensure loads readily secured before transport.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a system and method for strapping a load onto an elongate deck supported for rolling movement along the ground for transporting the load, for example a flat bed trailer and the like.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     When hauling loads on a flat bed truck or trailer having an elongate deck, it is generally recommended to tie down loads using straps. The deck in this instance is often provided with rails extending along opposing sides of the deck between which straps can be secured when extended overtop the load from side to side of the deck. Securement and tightening of numerous individual straps however is time consuming and may require an operator to dangerously climb over top of a load for placement of the straps. Due to the inconvenience of providing multiple straps, many operators do not secure enough straps overtop of a load so that the load is unstable and causes a safety concern if the load were to come loose during transport.  
         [0003]     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,692,793 to Wilson et al, 6,499,790 to Johnston, 4,037,870 to O&#39;Neal and 5,466,030 to Harris et al disclose various examples of trucks or trailers in which an enclosure is provided over the deck for containing loads. In most instances however these devices relate only to covers which are not intended for securely strapping a load and none are suitably arranged for being supported on a flat bed type truck or trailer. Furthermore tightening of the covers in each instance typically requires multiple steps so that operators may not sufficiently secure a load.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a strapping system for an elongate deck supported for rolling movement along the ground in a longitudinal direction of the deck for transporting loads supported thereon, the system comprising: 
        a pair of elongate rollers;     a frame for supporting the rollers parallel to one another to extend in the longitudinal direction of the deck spaced above the deck, each roller being supported on the frame for rotation about a respective longitudinal axis;     strapping members, each secured to a respective one of the rollers at respective inner ends thereof and spanning outwardly to respective free outer ends thereof;     anchors supported at the free outer ends of the respective strapping members for securing the strapping members along respective sides of the deck; and     a tightening mechanism coupled to the rollers to rotate the rollers for tensioning the strapping members spanning between the rollers and the respective sides of the deck when the strapping members are rolled onto the respective rollers.        
 
         [0010]     The use of a tightening mechanism cooperating with the roller ensures that all strapping members are tightened together in a single operation on each side of the trailer for thoroughly strapping a load in a safe and secure manner. All individual straps of the strapping member are commonly mounted on the roller on each side so that the straps are unrolled together. An operator is accordingly not required to climb overtop of the load and furthermore the operator is unlikely to only partially strap a load. Providing anchors at the free ends of the strapping members provides convenience as the operator is not required to reach overtop of the load for the anchoring operation either.  
         [0011]     According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a trailer comprising: 
        an elongate deck supported for rolling movement along the ground in a longitudinal direction of the deck for transporting loads supported thereon;     a pair of elongate rollers;     a frame supporting the rollers parallel to one another to extend in the longitudinal direction of the deck spaced above the deck, each roller being supported on the frame for rotation about a respective longitudinal axis;     strapping members, each secured to a respective one of the rollers at respective inner ends thereof and spanning outwardly to respective free outer ends thereof;     anchors supported at the free outer ends of the respective strapping members for securing the strapping members along respective sides of the deck; and     a tightening mechanism coupled to the rollers to rotate the rollers for tensioning the strapping members spanning between the rollers and the respective sides of the deck when the strapping members are rolled onto the respective rollers.        
 
         [0018]     According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of strapping a load supported on an elongate deck which is supported for rolling movement along the ground in a longitudinal direction of the deck, the method comprising: 
        providing a pair of elongate rollers supported parallel to one another to extend in the longitudinal direction of the deck spaced above the deck for rotation about a respective longitudinal axis;     providing strapping members, each secured to a respective one of the rollers at respective inner ends thereof and spanning outwardly to respective free outer ends thereof;     anchoring the free outer ends of the respective strapping members along respective sides of the deck;     rotating the rollers to provide tension to the strapping members spanning between the rollers and the respective sides of the deck as the strapping members are rolled onto the respective rollers.        
 
         [0023]     The strapping members secured on each roller preferably comprise a web of vertical straps and horizontal straps wherein the vertical straps and the horizontal straps are connected at each intersection. The free end of each of the vertical straps may include an anchor for securement to the respective side of the deck. When rails extend along respective sides of the deck, the strapping material and anchors are preferably secured to the rail.  
         [0024]     A crank and a ratcheting mechanism may be connected to the rollers for providing tension to the strapping material when the strapping members are anchored to respective sides of the deck. The crank can be coupled to the rollers by a chain drive or an elongate rod so permit an operator to remain standing on the ground near the rear of the deck while rotating the rollers at the top of the trailer.  
         [0025]     Each roller may comprise a tubular body supported about a rod member projecting concentrically from the tubular body at respective ends thereof. The method in this instance includes providing a frame to support the rollers on the deck and supporting the rod members in respective bearings on the frame.  
         [0026]     When a frame supports the rollers on the deck, the frame preferably includes a pair of end supports supported at opposing ends of the deck upon which the rollers are supported by respective bearings.  
         [0027]     The frame may include one or more intermediate supports supported on the deck spaced between the end supports. The rollers in this instance are supported in sections spanning between adjacent ones of the supports and are supported by respective bearings on both the intermediate and end supports. The rollers thus remain substantially parallel to one another with bending of the rollers being minimized. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]     In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention:  
         [0029]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a trailer upon which the strapping system is mounted.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of some of the components of the strapping system.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of one of the rollers.  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of one of the rails with an anchor secured thereto.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of one of the anchors.  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of a portion of the strapping.  
         [0035]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view of one of the rollers illustrating the strapping secured thereto.  
         [0036]      FIG. 8  is an elevational view of the tightener.  
         [0037]      FIG. 9  is an elevational view of a height adjustable embodiment of the frame.  
         [0038]      FIG. 10  is a section view of an alternate method of securing the anchors to the rails. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0039]     Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a strapping system generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The system  10  is particularly suited for strapping a load  70  to the deck  12  of a transport vehicle, for example a flat bed trailer or a flat bed truck which supports large round bales thereon.  
         [0040]     In the illustrated embodiment a flat bed trailer  14  is disclosed in which the deck is elongate and supported for rolling movement along the ground in a longitudinal direction of the deck. The trailer includes a pair of rails  16  which are mounted parallel and spaced outwardly from respective longitudinally extending sides  18  of the deck. The rails  16  are supported on the deck by spaced mounting bars  20  spanning therebetween at spaced positions along the deck. The trailer is a typical example of flat bed trailers used for hauling large round bales.  
         [0041]     The strapping system has a frame including two end supports  22  and one or more intermediate supports  24  spaced between the end supports  22 . Each of the supports is formed of square tubes of two inch in cross section which are welded together and secured to the deck by suitable bolting or welding.  
         [0042]     Each support includes a pair of side posts  26  vertically oriented at respective sides of the deck and joined at their top ends by a cross bar  28  extending horizontally between the side posts  26  perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the deck. One or more intermediate posts  30  are provided which span between the deck and the cross bar  28  for additional support.  
         [0043]     A pair of rollers  32  are provided which are supported on the frame parallel to one another to extend in the longitudinal direction of the deck. The rollers are supported near the centre of the deck spaced slightly from one another and spaced well above the deck for receiving the load therebeneath which is supported on the deck. In the illustrated embodiment, the rollers are sufficiently spaced from the deck to receive two stacked rows of large round bales therebetween. Spacing between the rollers may vary between a few inches and a few feet.  
         [0044]     Each roller  32  is supported on the supports  22  and  24  by respective bearings  34  which are fixed onto the supports at fixed spacing from one another. The rollers  32  remain rotatable in the bearings  34  about respective longitudinal axes of the rollers.  
         [0045]     Each roller includes a tubular body formed in sections  36  in which each section  36  extends between an adjacent pair of the supports  22  and  24 . A rod  38  is concentrically mounted with the sections  36  of the tubular body at each end of the roller and between adjacent sections  36 . The rods are rotatably seated within the respective bearings  34 .  
         [0046]     Each rod overlaps the end of the respective section of the tubular body by one or two feet at the junction of each. Circular plates  37  are fitted within the tubular body sections at each end and spaced slightly inwardly therefrom for concentrically receiving the respective rod  38  therethrough so that the tubular body sections  36  are adequately supported in relation to the respective rods with the rods  38  and the sections  36  of each roller being fixed for rotation together.  
         [0047]     At the rear of each roller  32  the rod  38  projects rearwardly beyond the respective bearing  34  for mounting a driven gear  40  thereon. The driven gear is fixed to the rod for a rotation with the respective roller. A tightener  42  in the form of a tightening mechanism is provided at the rear of the deck  12  in association with each of the rollers  32 . The tightener includes a drive gear  44  which is rotated by a crank arm  46  and which engages a ratchet mechanism  48 . The drive gear  44  drives rotation of the driven gear  40  by action of a chain drive  49 . In operation, manual rotation of the crank arm  46  in a tightening direction causes the ratchet mechanism  48  to be deflected so that the drive gear  44  rotates the driven gear  40  by action of the chain drive  49 . Rotation in the reverse direction is prevented by the ratchet mechanism  48  until the ratchet mechanism is manually released.  
         [0048]     Strapping  50  is secured on each of the rollers  32  to span between the roller and a respective side of the deck  12 . The strapping on each roller comprises a web of vertical straps  52  and horizontal straps  54  which are joined at the intersection thereof.  
         [0049]     Vertical straps are provided at a spacing of approximately two feet from one another, whereas the horizontal straps span the vertical straps at spacings of approximately two feet, five feet and eight feet from the free ends  56  of the strapping so that when secured overtop of a load one horizontal strap extends near the base of the load, another extends across the middle of the load and a third strap extends near the top of the load.  
         [0050]     The inner ends  58  of the vertical straps  52  forming the strapping are secured to the roller by a flat bar  60  bolted alongside the tubular sections  36  on the roller by fasteners which are received in threaded holes in the tubular body. The straps are thus secured between the flat bar  60  and the outer circumference of the sections  36  of the tubular body of the rollers.  
         [0051]     The outer free end  56  of each vertical strap of the strapping  50  locates a hook  62  thereon. The hooks  62  are configured for gripping the respective rails  16  extending alongside the deck. Each hook comprises a flat rear portion  63  a bottom portion  64  and a hook portion  66  oriented in a U-shaped configuration to define a wide flat hook suitable for securement to a rail in the form of a flat bar.  
         [0052]     An aperture formed in the rear portion  63  permits the respective vertical strap  52  to be received therethrough and sewn to itself. Each of the straps is a two inch wide strap formed of flexible material having a tensile strength in the order of 5000 lbs.  
         [0053]     The trailer  14  in the illustrated embodiment is suitably arranged for supporting a load  70  such as large round bales supported on the deck  12  in a safe and secure manner. Once the load is supported on the deck, the strapping  50  is unrolled from the respective rollers to hang from the respective sides of the deck by action of the crank with the ratchet mechanism  48  released. Once the hooks  62  are secured along the respective rails, rotation of each tightener in a tightening direction causes the strapping to be rolled onto the rollers respectively until the free end portions of the strapping span between the respective rails and the roller under tension with the load being compressed against the deck beneath the strapping. Each side of the deck permits all of the strapping to be secured under tension with a single tightening operation of one of the tighteners  42 .  
         [0054]     In further embodiments the tightener  42  may be replaced with hydraulic or electric motors so that tightening is an automated operation. Furthermore the tighteners may be replaced with rod type cranking mechanisms connected directly to the free ends of the roller. In addition, depending upon the size of the deck, plural intermediate supports may be provided at evenly spaced positions between the end supports to ensure that the rollers are adequately supported with minimal bending thereof.  
         [0055]     Turning now to  FIG. 9 , a further embodiment of the frame is illustrated in which each of the end supports  22  and intermediate supports  24  is height adjustable. The side posts  26  and intermediate posts  30  of each support  22  and  24  are telescopic, including a narrow base portion  80  and a wider upper portion  82  slidably received overtop of the base portion for relative sliding movement therebetween. One or more hydraulic piston cylinders  84  are coupled between the deck and the upper portions  82  of the posts to control extension and contraction of the posts so as to adjust the height of the cross bars  28  relative to the deck. The tightener  42  is coupled to the upper portions of the posts and the rollers are supported on the cross bar  28  so that the tightener  42  and rollers are movable together with the upper portions of the posts and the cross bar relative to the base portions  80  of the posts and the deck  12 .  
         [0056]     A variant of the mounting of the hooks  62  to the respective rails  16  is illustrated in  FIG. 10 . To prevent unintentional release of the hooks, the straps  52  are wrapped around a bottom edge of the rails with the hooks being secured over the top edge of the rails. Accordingly, if there is no tension on the strap, the hooks remain secured over top of the rails ready for tightening instead of falling loosely from the bottom edge of the rails.  
         [0057]     While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. The invention is to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.