Building system

A building system in which knock-down buildings are shipped in stacked packages. The skids are standard width for loading on an oil field trailer and cooperating with guides on the trailer. The buildings have a greater width dimension than the skid and outriggers extend outwardly from the skid to support stacking plates between stacked skids at spaced points on each side of the building.

This invention relates to building systems and more particularly to systems 
for stacking knock-down building for shipping. 
My U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,616 taught the use of stacking racks to vertically 
space skids on which knock-down buildings are supported. As buildings 
became longer this system required hearer skids. Also the racks sometimes 
interfered with joining adjacent structures to form large buildings. 
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,833 solved problems of the '616 by placing the skid 
runners at the periphery of the building resulted in wide runner spacing 
which did not cooperate with standard guides of oil field trailers for 
transporting the buildings. These guides are approximately eight feet 
apart and as the periphery positioned skid runners of buildings may be 
wider than 8 feet, problems in loading the buildings on oil field trailers 
were experienced. 
An object of this invention is to provide a building system for 
transporting stacked buildings in which skids having standard width runner 
are employed and in which knock-down buildings are supported at 
intermediate positions along their length so that minimum size skids which 
will cooperate with oil field trailer guides may be employed. 
Another object is to provide a building system as in the preceding object 
in which weight of a building is transmitted to a lower skid through 
members in compression and not in shear and in which retainer flanges 
properly positions the support system prior to it being bolted together. 
Another object is to provide a building system as in the preceding objects 
in which removable stacking racks are employed and are provided with means 
for attaching the racks to the skids in an out-of-the-way position when 
not in use. 
Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent 
from the drawings, the specification and the claims.

FIG. 1 shows three knock-down buildings indicated generally at 10, 11, and 
12 assembled as a shipping package by stacking plates 13, 14, 15, and 16. 
These plates are attached to the skid of each building and are arranged at 
points spaced from the ends of each building to permit lifting of the 
package with minimum bending of the skids. Thus the plates provide lift 
points which share the load of the middle section of the package with the 
ends of the package cantilevers out from the lift points. 
FIG. 2 illustrates the arrangement of the building components. The skids 
are identical and include two skid runners 17 and 18 provide by I-beams. 
The runners extend substantially the length of the building and are joined 
by a plurality of transverse structural members such as pipes 19 which are 
welded to the web of each I-beam. In accordance with this invention the 
length of the pipes 19 and their attachment to the runners are selected to 
position the skid runners at spacing so that they will cooperate with 
guides on oil field trailers on which they will be transported. Typically 
the webs of the runners will be spaced 7 feet 6 inches apart to cooperate 
with the guides on the rear of an oil field trailer which are 
conventionally provided by a pair of horizontally extending king-pins on 
the rear of the trailer. As many pipes 19 may be utilized as desired. The 
pipes will be positioned along the skid runner as desired. Preferably two 
of the pipes are positioned at the lift points for a skid. Additional 
pipes are preferably positioned at each end of a skid. Preferably the web 
of each skid runner has a hole cut to receive the pipes 19 at the one 
third point of each runner and the pipe 19 is extended through and welded 
to the web. If desired the runner web may be left intact and the pipe cut 
and welded to the inside of the web of each runner. Then outrigger pipes 
will be welded to each runner web to the outside of each runner to provide 
the equivalent structure. The portion 19a of the pipe 19 or a comparable 
welded pipe section extending horizontally outwardly beyond the runner 
skid is referred to herein as an outrigger. 
Supported on and attached to the skid runners by fasteners (not shown) is a 
floor indicated generally at 21. The floor is dimensioned for the size of 
the building and may be several feet wider than the skid as shown in FIG. 
2, where the floor is illustrated to extend beyond the two skid runners. 
For instance the floor may be dimensioned for a 12 foot wide building and 
will extend approximately 2 feet beyond each skid runner. 
In knock-down condition the building walls indicated generally at 22 are 
laid down on the floor and the roof indicated generally at 23 positioned 
over the walls. Weather proofing is provided by barriers 24 and the 
package generally banded together for shipment. 
In accordance with this invention the outrigger section 19a of the pipes 19 
are positioned at the one third position of each skid and are utilized for 
stacking the buildings. 
A mounting plate 25 is secured to each outrigger pipe 19a as by welding. 
The plate is preferably rectangular in elevation with its vertically 
spaced upper and lower edges 26 and 27 extending horizontally and provide 
support for the stacking plates. Bolt holes 28, 29, 31 and 32, preferably 
four in number extend through the plates and provide for attachment of the 
stacking plates. These holes are preferably arranged in rectangular form 
and in identical horizontally and vertically extending planes as shown. 
The horizontal spacing between mounting plates 25 on opposite sides of 
each skid is slightly greater than the width of the floor of the building 
as shown in FIG. 2. 
Stacking plates indicated generally at 33 are provided for attachment to 
the mounting plates to supports stacked buildings. Each stacking plate is 
provided by a flat structural member 34 of generally rectangular 
configuration. The end configuration of each stacking plate 33 is 
identical and includes a pair of bolt holes 35 and 36 (FIG. 5) and a 
structural support bar 37 welded to the member 34 and extending across the 
member 34. When the stacking plate 33 is arranged vertically as shown in 
FIG. 3 with the bolt holes 35 and 36 in each end in register with bolt 
holes 28 and 32 of a lower skid and bolt holes 29 and 31 of an upper skid 
as in FIGS. 3 and 4 the support bars 37 engage confronting horizontal 
sides of the mounting plates. The several bolts and nuts 38 secure the 
stacking plates to the mounting plates of stacked buildings with the 
weight of the upper building supported by the support bars engaging the 
mounting plates. 
When the buildings are unstacked the stacking plates 33 are extended in a 
horizontal direction with the holes 35 and 36 in one end overlying the 
holes lying in a vertical plane in a mounting plate such as holes 31 an 32 
and bolts and nuts 38 used to secure the stacking plates to the skids so 
that they will not be lost (FIG. 5). 
FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate form of structure. A retainer flange 39 is 
provided on each support bar 37 and extends toward the end of the stacking 
plate beyond the support bar as by welding a separate bar 39 to the bar 37 
to provide a U-shaped groove for receiving the mounting plate. When the 
stacking plate is positioned on the mounting plate the flange 39 extends 
behind the mounting plate and temporarily positions the stacking plate for 
installation of the bolts and nuts 38. 
From the above it will be seen that a system for stacking buildings has 
been provided that solves the problems of prior systems. The skid runner 
may cooperate with the guides on oil field trailers in loading the 
buildings on trailers. Hooks depending from straddle bars may be engaged 
with the mounting plates of a lower skid to lift a bundle of stacked 
buildings. As the mounting plates are preferably placed approximately one 
third of the way along the length of a skid the load is distributed along 
the length of the skid and the problem of middle sag encountered when 
lifting from the ends of a skid is eliminated. The result is a substantial 
savings in cube as the skid may be of smaller size and a substantial 
savings in the cost of the skid as it may be fabricated of lighter 
material. 
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative 
and explanatory thereof and various changes in the method and apparatus 
and system and in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details 
of the illustrated construction, may be made within the scope of the 
claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.