Convertible trailer for hauling grain and a harvesting machine

The trailer converts from a hopper for hauling grain to an overwidth flatbed with tracks for carrying a harvesting machine. The side and front panels of the hopper fold to a horizontal position from the erected position. The rear panel of the hopper is removable and stores on the folded front panel. A base track extends along each side of the trailer frame. An extensible track is hinged to the base track and folds in a vertical plane from a storage position on top of the base track to an extended position laterally outward of the base track, to increase the trailer width for hauling harvesting machines with wide wheel width. Transverse tapered box beams support the base track and extensible track. A second extensible track has beams that slide into the transverse box beams of the first extensible track for further widening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates in general to truck trailers and in particular to a 
trailer convertible from a hopper for hauling grain to an overwidth flat 
bed for hauling a harvesting machine. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A large amount of grain and other crops that are harvested by machine are 
harvested by independent contractors. These crews furnish the harvesting 
equipment and trucks for hauling the harvested grain from the fields to a 
storage elevator in the nearest town, or other suitable storage places. 
The harvesting machines normally called combines, are large self-propelled 
vehicles. Combines travel at a relatively slow speed and are not adapted 
for highway traffic, thus are normally hauled from one area to the other, 
if the distance is more than a few miles. 
Many combines have an overall wheel width that may be as wide as 121/2 feet 
from outer side to outer side of the wheels or tires. The headers or 
cutting assemblies may be 26 feet wide or greater. The header is usually 
removed for hauling, and carried on the bed of a grain hauling truck. 
However, even though the header is removed, the combine remains overwidth. 
Any width greater then legal width, which is now 8 feet for highway 
traffic, is used herein to mean "overwidth". Special permits and 
regulations are required for overwidth vehicles to be transported on 
highways. 
Normally these overwidth combines are hauled on specially constructed 
trailers towed by conventional legal width grain hauling trucks. Some of 
these trailers are of variable width from legal width to 12 feet. On the 
variable width type, outriggers along the sides telescope in transverse 
pipes. Overwidth combines are carried by the extended outriggers. Other 
trailers are of fixed overwidth. 
It would be desirable to increase the grain hauling capacity of the trucks 
without increasing truck size. The combine trailers known serve only to 
carry combines and are not capable of carrying grain, since they lack a 
hopper and dumping means. The fixed overwidth trailers are unsuitable for 
grain hauling, even if they contained the necessary structure, because of 
the special permits and regulations required for transporting overwidth 
vehicles on highways. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is accordingly a general object of this invention to provide an improved 
trailer that is capable of hauling granular material in bulk at legal 
width and is convertible for hauling a vehicle with an overwidth wheel 
spacing. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved combine 
hauling trailer that is capable of hauling grain at legal width and is 
quickly convertible for hauling a combine with overwidth wheel spacing. 
In accordance with these objects, a trailer is provided that has side, 
front, and end panels that may be disposed to define selectively a hopper 
and a flat bed. Preferably the sides and front panel are hinged to fold 
flat with the trailer. The end panel is detachable. Base and extensible 
tracks extend along the sides of the trailer. The outer edge of the base 
track is aligned with the outer side of the wheel, which is substantially 
legal width. The extensible track rests on the base track in a storage 
position and folds out to an extended overwidth position, laterally of the 
base track. This increases the width of the trailer for receiving a 
combine with overwidth wheels. The tracks are supported by tapered box 
beams that fold on each other to the storage position. A second extensible 
track has projecting beams that may be inserted into the tapered box beams 
for further extending the width of the trailer. The tongue of the trailer 
is attached to the frame from below to allow the grain truck to tip its 
bed for dumping.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, a grain truck A is shown towing a trailer B in its 
hopper or grain hauling position. In FIG. 2, the trailer B is shown 
converted to its combine hauling position, with a combine C loaded. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, trailer B has a rectangular frame 11 of 
longitudinal and transverse I-beams mounted on a tandem set of dual wheels 
13. A tongue 15, comprised of two converging I-beams, is welded to the 
lower surface of the frame 11. Near the point at which the beams of tongue 
15 converge, the forward portion of the tongue, or leveling member 17, 
extends upward and forward a selected distance, terminating at 
approximately the height at which hitches are normally located on trucks. 
The hitch means 19 between truck A and tongue 15, is preferably ring and 
pintle. As shown in FIG. 2, dumping means for releasing stored grain in 
the trailer comprise three funnel shaped hoppers 21 attached below and 
between the frame 11. Trap doors 23 in the bottom of hoppers 21 may be 
drawn by levers 25, FIG. 1, to open the hoppers 21. 
In the position of FIG. 1, side panels 27, 29, front panel 31, and rear 
panel 33 are erected to define a hopper for carrying grain. Referring to 
FIG. 3, the side panels are rectangular and connected by hinges 35 to the 
frame 11. Side panels 27, 29 will fold or rotate in the vertical plane 
with respect to the frame from a substantially flat position parallel to 
the plane of the frame, to the erected position, as shown by the dotted 
lines and arrows in FIG. 3. In the storage position, side panels 27, 29 
rest on each other and on frame 11. In the erected position, the outside 
upper edges of the side panels 27, 29, are substantially in vertical 
alignment with the outer sides 37 of the wheels 13, approximately 94 
inches apart. The lower edges of the side panels 27, 29, are substantially 
aligned vertically with the inner sides 39 of wheels 13, approximately 46 
inches apart. This provides an angle of inclination for the side panels of 
approximately 120.degree., as rotated from the storage position. 
The front panel 31 and rear panel 33 are trapezoidal in configuration, 
being approximately 94 inches across the top and 4 feet across the bottom. 
As shown in FIG. 7, front panel 31 is connected by hinge 41 to frame 11 
and folds from a vertical position to a storage position that is 
substantially parallel with and resting on the frame 11. Front panel 31 
folds outward from the hopper to the storage position, while side panels 
27, 29 fold inward toward each other. 
Rear panel 33 is carried by frame 11 through columns 43, FIG. 1, which 
project beyond the lower surface of panel 33 and slide into apertures (not 
shown) in frame 11. Rear panel 33 is moved from the erected or vertical 
position to the horizontal storage position by drawing it upward then 
sliding it onto the front panel, as shown in FIG. 8. In the storage 
position, the bed of the trailer is substantially flat so that a vehicle 
may be driven over it. 
As shown in FIG. 9, all of the panels are constructed of sheet metal with a 
square tubular frame 45. In the erected position, the front, side, and 
rear panels are held together through L-shaped brackets 47, attached to 
the sides of the front and rear panels 31, 33. The brackets 47 extend 
inward from the respective panels a distance sufficient to engage the 
tubular frame 45 of the side panels 27, 29, when erected. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3-6, a base track 49 is fixedly mounted to frame 
11 along the length of each side. The width of base track 49 extends from 
frame 11, below hinge 35 to substantial vertical alignment with the outer 
side 37 of the wheels 13. The base track 49 is rectangular and planar with 
a plurality of transverse bars 51 connected across it. Transverse bars 51 
create a surface upon which a vehicle with tires may roll. Base track 49 
is made up of 3 separate frames on each side, as indicated in FIG. 2: a 
front section 49a, which extends from the front panel 31 to wheels 13; a 
mid-section 49b, which extends across the tandem wheels 13, and a rear 
section 49c, which extends from the wheels 13 to a selected distance 
behind rear panel 43. 
Each section is supported by a pair of tapered box beams 53 (FIGS. 4-6) 
cantilevered from frame 11. The cross sectional area of each tapered beam 
53 decreases in height as it extends outward from frame 11. The upper 
surface 55 of each tapered beam 53 is inclined at a negative angle with 
respect to the plane of frame 11, the lower surface 57 remaining parallel. 
Extensible or hinged tracks 59a, b, c are foldably attached to each base 
track section 49a, b, c respectively. A hinge 61 is connected between each 
tapered beam 53 and a corresponding tapered box beam 63, which supports 
hinged track 59. Tapered beam 63 is aligned with tapered beam 53, its 
lower surface parallel to the lower surface 57, and its upper surface 
parallel with the inclined upper surface 55. As shown by the arrows 55, 
hinged track 59 may be rotated or folded in a vertical arc from the 
storage position as shown in FIG. 4 to the extended position as shown in 
FIGS. 5 and 6. In the storage position, the inclined upper surface of each 
tapered beam 63 contracts the inclined upper surface 55 of each tapered 
beam 53. In the extended position, hinged track 59 is disposed laterally 
outward from base track 49, increasing the width of the trailer. The 
increase in width in the preferred embodiment is approximately 22 inches 
on each side. In the storage position, the inner end at hinge 61 of the 
hinged track 59 extends approximately 1 inch further outward from the 
outer side 37 of wheels 13, making the distance across 8 feet. 
Hinged track 59 is a sufficient extension to carry most combines. The 
largest combines, however, have an overall wheel width of approximately 
121/2 feet, thus require an additional extension. A second extensible 
track or track extension 65 is adapted to further increase the trailer 
width approximately 12 inches. Track extension 65 is comprised of a 
longitudinal beam with a pair of transverse box beams 67 projecting at 
right angles from it. Each box beam 67 is slightly less in cross sectional 
size than the interior cross sectional area of tapered beam 63, so that 
beam 67 may be inserted into tapered beam 63, as indicated in FIG. 5. Once 
fully inserted, track extension 65 is retained by pins (not shown). In the 
storage position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, track extension 65 is carried 
in brackets 68 on top of hinged track 59. A track extension 65a, b, c is 
utilized with each hinged track 59a, b, c, respectively. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 10, rear base track section 49c protrudes rearward 
from rear panel 33 at a selected distance. The farthest rearward of any 
tapered beams 53, 63 are aligned with the termination of frame 11 at rear 
panel 33. To provide support, the rear portion of base tracks 49c are 
connected to each other by a pair of box beams 69. Also each hinged track 
section 59c has a corresponding box beam 71, connected across its rear end 
and positioned so that it will align with beam 69. Similarly track 
extension 65c has a box beam 73 at its end that aligns with beams 71 and 
69 when the tracks are in extended position. Referring to FIG. 10, a 
stiffener bar 75 of lesser cross-sectional area than the interiors of 
beams 69, 71, and 73, is inserted within the beams when extended, to 
strengthen the rear portion of the tracks. 
Ramps 77 are carried below the rear base track section 49c in a carrier 79. 
Ramps 77 are used for loading the combine C and are suspended by bars 80, 
attached to the rearward side of beams 69, 71, and 73, during loading and 
unloading operations. 
Combine C is hauled facing forward, its large front wheels 89 supported by 
the front sections 49a, and its smaller rear wheels 91 supported by the 
rear sections 49c. The rear wheels 91 may be narrower in overall wheel 
width than the front wheels 89, thus they may actually be in contact with 
base track 49c, while the front wheels 89 may be in contact with track 
extension 65a. The front, mid and rear sections 49a, 49b, and 49c and the 
corresponding extensible tracks are not positioned at the same elevation 
or height from the road surface. It is desired to keep the total load 
height to a minimum for clearance under bridges, thus the front and rear 
sections, 49a, 49c, are lower then the mid-section 49b, which is limited 
in height by wheel 13 height. The front section 49a is also lower than 
rear section49c, since the front of the combine has the greatest height. 
The trailer B is designed for towing behind a truck A of the type 
conventionally used in grain harvesting operations. Truck A has a box bed 
81, with detachable side boards, and a hydraulic tilting mechanism 83 for 
dumping grain through a rear trap door 85. In this type of truck, normally 
the bed 81 extends beyond the rear of the truck frame a few feet. The 
angle of inclination of leveling member 17, and elevation of tongue 15 are 
selected to allow the box bed to fully tip without contacting tongue 17. 
In FIG. 1, the truck A is shown in a dumping position over grates 85, 
which receive the grain. 
In operation, the trailer is converted from combine hauling position, as 
shown in FIG. 2, to hopper position as in FIG. 3, by initially placing the 
ramps 77 on bars 80, then driving the combine C off. The ramps 77 are then 
reloaded back into carriers 79, then the tracks are folded into storage 
position. First stiffener bar 75, FIG. 10, is withdrawn, then track 
extension 65 is removed. Hinged track 59 is folded over onto base track 
49, as shown in FIG. 4. Track extension 65 is then inserted into retaining 
brackets 68, for storing. The operations are performed for all three 
sections, front, mid, and rear. This reduces the trailer width to the 
legal width of 8 feet. 
Then rear panel 33 is removed from its storage position on front panel 31 
and inserted in vertical position into frame 11. Front panel 31 is rotated 
on its hinge 41 to vertical position. Then side panels 27, 29 are rotated 
on their hinges 35 until received within brackets 47. Consequently hinges 
35, 41, columns 43, and brackets 47 serve as means to selectively 
interconnect the panels in a position defining a hopper, as shown in FIG. 
1, and in a storage position to create a substantially flat bed, as shown 
in FIG. 2. 
It should be apparent that an invention having significant advantages has 
been provided. The trailer is capable of hauling vehicles with overwidth 
wheel spacing, including the largest combine now known to be in existence. 
In addition, the trailer is quickly convertible to a hopper of legal width 
size for carrying a large quantity of grain. 
The foregoing disclosure and the showings made in the drawing are merely 
illustrative of the principles of this invention and are not to be 
interpreted in a limiting sense.