Apparatus for the transportation of trucks

Two vehicles are transported in tandem by a beam assembly connecting a lead vehicle to a trailing vehicle which is reversed end-for-end. The beam assembly includes an elongated beam which is connected to the rear and extends lengthwise of the trailing vehicle. The beam extends beyond the rear end of the trailing vehicle and is elevated and connected to the rear end of the lead vehicle at a height such that the rear wheels of the trailing vehicle are raised above ground. The connection of the beam to the lead vehicle permits the beam to swing both laterally and vertically.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to the transportation of vehicles and 
relates more particularly to a beam assembly for connecting two wheeled 
vehicles in tandem so that the trailing vehicle can be pulled along by the 
lead vehicle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The conventional way of transporting trucks in tandem is for the trailing 
truck to have its front end lifted up and mounted on the rear bed of a 
lead truck. A saddle of suitable construction on the bed of the lead truck 
may be connected to the front axle of the trailing truck. In many 
instances this is a satisfactory arrangement. However, it requires the 
front end of the trailing truck to be raised a substantial distance above 
the ground. Since the cab of the truck, which is usually the highest part 
of the vehicle, is at the front, and it is the front which is raised, 
certain practical and/or legal height restrictions are sometimes exceeded. 
In accordance with the present invention, the trailing truck is reversed 
end for end and attached to the lead truck but without supporting it on 
the bed of the lead truck. More specifically, an elongated beam disposed 
lengthwise of the trailing truck has one end connected to the rear end of 
the trailing truck in a manner such that when the other end of the beam is 
raised the rear end of the trailing truck is also raised. The beam is 
elevated and connected to the rear end of the lead truck at a height such 
that the rear wheels of the trailing truck are raised above the ground to 
facilitate transportation. Preferably, the connection of the beam to the 
lead truck permits the beam to swing both laterally and vertically. 
As a result of this novel construction, the rear wheels of the trailing 
truck are raised only a small distance above the ground so that the 
overall height of the trailing truck is increased only minimally. 
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an arrangement for 
transporting trucks in tandem having the foregoing features. 
Another object is to provide an apparatus for transporting trucks in tandem 
which is composed of relatively few simple parts, is rugged and durable in 
use, and is capable of being manufactured relatively inexpensively and 
easily assembled and disassembled. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more 
apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when considered 
with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a lead 
truck T1 connected to a trailing truck T2 by a beam assembly 10 enabling 
the trailing truck T2 to be pulled along a roadway 12 by the lead truck. 
The trailing truck is reversed end-for-end so that its rear end is 
adjacent to but longitudinally spaced from the rear end of the lead truck. 
The tracks are thus arranged in tandem and the arrangement is such that 
the rear wheels of the trailing truck are raised only enough to be out of 
contact with the ground to facilitate transportation. 
The beam assembly 10 comprises an elongated rigid beam 14 and three saddle 
mounts 16, 18 and 20 which may be, but are not necessarily, of identical 
construction as will be understood as this description proceeds. 
The foremost or front saddle mount 16 comprises a pair of support plates 22 
and 24, an elongated cylindrical, horizontal shaft 26 extending between 
and rotatably supported by the support plates, a platform 28 rigidly 
mounted on the shaft 26 between supports 22 and 24, a saddle 30 pivotally 
mounted on the platform 28, and clamps 32 and 34 on the saddle. The saddle 
mount 16 is preferably located on the longitudinal centerline of the truck 
T1 and is shown mounted on the top surfaces of the laterally spaced, 
longitudinally extending bars 31 which are in turn mounted on the 
longitudinally extending channels 29. The channels 29 form at least a 
portion of the rear bed of the lead truck T1. The truck T1 is shown as 
having a cab 33 at the front which is considerably higher than the rear 
bed of the truck and may, for example, have an overall height of as much 
as 13 feet. The trailing truck T2 may be of a similar or identical 
construction. 
Each support plate is formed with four holes adapted to receive U-bolts 36 
which extend around the longitudinal bars 31 and channels 29 of the lead 
truck T1. The ends of the U-bolts are secured to the support plates by 
nuts 40. Each support plate has a narrow extension along its inner edge 
indicated at 42. Aligned, cylindrical sleeves 44 are rigidly mounted on 
the top surfaces of these extensions. 
The shaft 26 extends horizontally between support plates 22 and 24, and its 
ends are journaled for rotation in the sleeves 44. 
The platform 28 is a flat rectangular plate rigidly secured as by welding 
to shaft 26 between the support plates 22 and 24. 
The saddle 30 has a flat rectangular plate 52 parallel to and in overlying 
contact with the platform 28. The saddle is mounted on the platform 28 for 
rotation about an axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the 
shaft by means of a pivot member or bolt 54. The two parallel clamps 32 
and 34 on the top surface of saddle plate 52 are on opposite sides of the 
bolt 54. The bolt 54 extends through the shaft and through the platform 
plate 48 and saddle plate 52. A nut threaded on the opposite end of the 
bolt secures the connection. 
The clamps 32 and 34 have parallel fixed jaws 70 and parallel moveable jaws 
72. Each fixed jaw is rigidly secured to saddle plate 52 and has a 
generally C-shaped clamping portion 74. The moveable jaw is in the form of 
an elongated stud which is return bent on one end to provide a C-shaped 
clamping portion 76 opposed to the clamping portion 74 of the fixed jaw. 
The moveable jaws are mounted for sliding movement within passages 78 in 
the fixed jaws. The passages 78 are parallel and extend at right angles to 
the longitudinal axis of the shaft 26 and also at right angles to the bolt 
54. The moveable jaw 72 of each clamp can thus be moved to place its 
C-shaped clamping portion 76 in different positions with respect to the 
clamping portion of the fixed jaw 70. A nut 80 is threaded on the end of 
each moveable jaw opposite to its C-shaped clamping portion. 
A bar 82 of inverted T-shape is rigidly secured to a mounting plate 84 
which is clamped to the underside of the beam 14 by bolts 86 and a top 
clamping plate 88 in a manner such that the bar 82 extends perpendicular 
to the beam 14. The lower cross member 90 of bar 82 is adapted to be 
gripped by the jaws 70 and 72 of the front saddle mount 16. The elements 
82-90 comprise a clamping unit 92 by means of which the beam 14 is rigidly 
attached to the jaws 70 and 72. 
The two other saddle mounts 18 and 20 may be, and in this instance are, 
identical to saddle mount 16. The beam 14 is rigidly attached to the jaws 
of the saddle mounts 18 and 20 at points spaced lengthwise along the beam 
by clamping units 92 of the same type as employed for attaching the beam 
to the jaws of the saddle mount 16. The saddle mounts 18 and 20 are 
rigidly secured to the bed of the truck T2 at spaced points on the 
longitudinal centerline of truck T2. Preferably the saddle mount 20 is 
slightly elevated relative to saddle mount 18 by shims 93 so that the beam 
14 slants downwardly and rearwardly from truck T2 beyond the rear end of 
the latter. Because the beam is attached to the bed of truck T2 at two 
longitudinally spaced points, ff the free end of the beam is raised, the 
rear end of truck T2 is also raised. 
In use, the beam 14 is attached to truck T2 as described above. The truck 
T2 is turned end for end and placed behind truck T1 so that the two trucks 
are in tandem with their rear ends adjacent to but spaced from one 
another. The free end of beam 14 is raised above saddle mount 16 of truck 
T1 and then lowered sufficiently to engage the cross member 90 of bar 82 
into the jaws 70 and 72 after which the jaws are operated to clamp on the 
bar. In this position, the beam and the rear end of truck T2 are raised 
sufficiently to raise the rear wheels of truck T2 above and out of contact 
with the ground. The rear end of truck T2 is raised only enough that the 
rear wheels do not contact the ground. This is possible because the truck 
T2 is transported without having to be overlapped and supported on the 
rear end of lead truck T1. A relatively low maximum height of the trailing 
truck T2 is thus achieved. The front saddle mount 16 enables both vertical 
and lateral swinging of the beam, so that the trailing vehicle can track 
around corners and over rises and dips in the road. The saddle mounts 18 
and 20 are shown as being of the same construction as saddle mount 16, but 
do not need to be since they together hold the beam rigid with respect to 
the trailing truck T2. 
An alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 6-15. In this 
embodiment, the beam assembly 10' is optimized for transporting trucks for 
long distance delivery over interstate highways as opposed to relatively 
short distance emergency delivery to, for example, a repair facility. 
In accordance with one aspect of the optimized configuration shown in FIGS. 
6-15, the beam assembly 10' is configured so that its effective length can 
be shortened, if desired, to reduce the overall length of the lead truck 
T1 and trailing truck T2 combination. The ability to vary the effective 
length of the beam assembly 10' is important when it is necessary to 
ensure that the length of the combination does not exceed the maximum 
imposed by applicable legal regulations (i.e., seventy-five feet on 
interstate highways). 
In the illustrated embodiment, the forward end of the beam 14' can be 
pinned to a front beam support 100 in any one of a number of different 
positions. The rear end of the beam 14 is connected to a rear beam support 
102. The front beam support 100 and rear beam support 102 are detachably 
mounted on the lead truck T1 and trailing truck T2 respectively. The 
effective length of the beam assembly 10' can be changed by changing the 
amount by which the beam 14' extends through the beam support 100. In the 
illustrated embodiment, five opposed pairs of apertures or holes 104 are 
formed in the forward end of the beam 14' and three opposed pairs of 
complimentary apertures or holes 106 are formed in the front beam support 
100. Two or more pins 108 extending through the aligned apertures in the 
forward end of the beam 14' and in the front beam support 100 secure the 
beam 14' to the from beam support 100. The effective length of the beam 
assembly 10' can be adjusted by selecting which holes 104 in the beam 14 
align with which holes 106 in the front beam support 100 before the two 
are pinned together. In this manner, it is possible to shorten the total 
length of the combined lead and trailing trucks T1 and T2 to bring the 
combination within legal limits. 
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the optimized beam 
assembly 10' shown in FIGS. 6-15 provides flexibility to enable the 
assembly to be used in connection with any combination of trucks 
regardless of whether the trucks are or are not provided with fifth wheel 
assemblies. For example, in FIG. 6, both the lead truck T1 and the 
trailing truck T2 are attached to the boom assembly by means of their 
respective fifth wheel assemblies 110. In FIG. 9, the lead truck T1 is 
attached to the boom assembly 10' by means of a fifth wheel assembly 110 
while the trailing truck T2 is not. In FIG. 12, the lead truck T1 is not 
attached to the boom assembly 10' by means of a fifth wheel 110. 
To provide such flexibility, the front and rear beam supports 100, 102 that 
engage the lead truck T1 and the trailing truck T2 respectively each 
include a downwardly projecting king pin or trailer pin 112 that couples 
to a standard fifth wheel assembly 110. Alternatively, either or both of 
the front and rear beam supports 100, 102 can be inverted and coupled to 
the frame of the truck T1, T2 by means of a frame saddle 16' that can be 
similar or identical to that shown in FIG. 2. The frame saddle 16' is 
bolted to the frame of either truck T1, T2 by means of U-bolts 36 as 
previously described. The respective front or rear beam support 100, 102 
is then inverted and coupled to the frame saddle 16' by means of the 
clamps 32 and 34. To facilitate such attachment, each front and rear beam 
support 100, 102 includes a mounting bar 114, opposite the king pin 112, 
that is engagable with the clamps 32 and 34. 
Each of the front and rear beam supports 100, 102 includes two 
substantially parallel side plates 116, positioned vertically between 
horizontal top and bottom plates 118, 120, that define an open channel 122 
through which the beam 14' is received. It will be appreciated that the 
beam 14' can be received in the channel 122 formed between the two side 
plates 116 regardless of whether the beam support 100, 102 is positioned 
with the king pin 112 down (mounting bar 114 up) for attachment to the 
fifth wheel assembly 110 or with the mounting bar 114 down (king pin 112 
up) for attachment to the frame saddle 16' . One advantage of the 
optimized boom assembly 10' is that the same front and rear beam supports 
100, 102 can be used in both fifth wheel and non-fifth wheel attachment 
configurations. 
A frame attachment 124 that locks the mid portion of the beam 14' to the 
end of the trailing truck T2 and resists pivoting movement relative to the 
truck T2 is shown in detail in FIGS. 10 and 11. The frame attachment 124 
includes a pair of parallel side plates 126 that are spaced from each 
other a distance sufficient to permit the passage of the beam 14' 
therebetween. The side plates 126 project upwardly from a base plate 128 
and are supported by a plurality of gussets 130. The base plate 128 is 
mounted to the frame of the truck T2 by means of a plurality of U-bolts 36 
much in the same manner as the frame saddle 16'. A pivoting top plate 132 
extends over the beam 14' and pivots to accommodate the relative angle 
between the beam 14' and the frame of the truck T2. 
Preferably, the boom 14', boom supports 100, 102, frame attachment 124 and 
frame saddle 16' are all formed of welded plate steel. 
The alternative embodiment provides many advantages over prior systems. The 
adjustable length feature of the boom assembly permits adjustment of the 
overall length of a combined leading and trailing truck to bring such a 
combination within maximum length restrictions. The reversible or 
invertable front and rear beam supports permit convenient attachment to 
trucks that are equipped with fifth wheel assemblies and, with the 
addition of a standard frame saddle, permit convenient coupling to trucks 
lacking fifth wheel assemblies. In either case, the same set of front and 
rear boom supports can be used. The boom itself is a rigid, unitary 
structure that lacks moving parts and that provides strength and rigidity 
with relatively light weight. The frame saddle when used, along with the 
frame attachment, are secured to the truck frame by means of closely 
fitting U-bolts rather then chains as in the past. The use of U-bolts not 
only provides greater stability and security to the vehicle being towed 
but also minimizes the likelihood of frame and suspension damage as could 
occur with prior chain-based methods of attachment. 
While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and 
described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and 
modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its 
broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to 
cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit 
and scope of the invention.