Abstract:
A mortar buggy with stake bed assembly provides a removable flat heavy duty base platform and a rear panel that can be fitted onto the chassis of an existing mortar buggy or similar conveyance in place of a hopper. The stake bed assembly provides removable front and side panels made of solid steel or similar alloy that can be configured to attach vertically in a hopper configuration or horizontally in an extended flat bed configuration, to provide additional loading surface for long or large items. The stake bed assembly also provides for a removable front tailgate with the ability to hinge at both its top and bottom so that the front tailgate can swing either up or down.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a divisional application of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/767,220 filed Jan. 30, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention generally relates to a powered material transporting vehicle generally known in the art as a mortar buggy for moving material, primarily mortar, concrete, gravel, dirt and other materials capable of being placed in a hopper or tub for transport to or around a job site and dumped by tilting the hopper or tub, which can be fitted with a stake bed assembly in place of the ordinary plastic or metal hopper of the mortar buggy to allow the powered, movable buggy to act as a stakebed carrying platform. The stake bed can then be configured in a variety of ways, including a flat bed or an extended flat bed, or a closed wall hopper. When assembled in the hopper configuration, a double-acting tailgate is hinged at the top or bottom.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0005]     Prior art mortar buggies are well-known light industrial vehicles designed to haul loads from a few hundred pounds to a few tons. The typical power buggy comprises 1) a chassis supported on the ground via a plurality of wheels, 2) a storage bucket or tub supported on the front end of the chassis and liftable to dump loads, and 3) a power source for propelling the vehicle and for operating other powered equipment on the vehicle. The typical power buggy is controlled by an operator who is stationed behind the power buggy and who either walks behind the power buggy or stands on an operator&#39;s platform mounted on the rear end of the chassis. Controls for the typical power buggy include a steering control mechanism, a speed control mechanism, an engine kill switch or similar controller, and dump controls which raise and lower the bucket. The vehicle is steered by a generally Y-shaped handlebar having a pair of handgrips. Vehicle propulsion is controlled by a squeeze lever mounted adjacent one of the handgrips.  
         [0006]     Power buggies of this general type are commercially available from Miller, the Morrison Division of Amida Industries, Inc., the Whiteman Division of Amida Industries, Inc., Schroeder Industries and Stone Construction Equipment, Inc., the assignee of the instant application. In almost all instances, the prior art buggies are equipped with either metal or plastic hoppers of various sizes which are only useful for carrying soft or granular materials such as mortar, sand, gravel and the like. They are not useful for conveying large or heavy materials either because of the size constraint of the hopper (such as lumber or pipe), or because it would be too difficult to load and unload (such as bricks or blocks).  
         [0007]     Recently, there has been a mortar buggy offered by Miller which can be converted to a stake bed configuration; however, it has many limitations. In the stake bed configuration, the side walls are open stake sides which are basically loose pieces of metal connected with posts and dropped into holes welded on the side of the bed. The Miller stake bed is not capable of carrying loose or granular materials nor can its stake sides be converted for an extended flat bed or platform.  
         [0008]     What is needed is a mortar buggy which can readily be converted to a stake bed equipped with a more versatile style hopper, one that can be used for hauling bricks, wood, blocks and other commonly found building materials in addition to loose granular materials, such as dry cement and mortar, gravel and dirt.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The mortar buggy with stake bed assembly of the present invention includes a standard mortar buggy with a chassis, power source and front end plastic and/or metal hopper supported on and rigidly connected to a pivoting dump plate or hopper subbase. The hopper and subbase are easily removed and replaced by the stake bed assembly. The stake bed assembly includes a heavy duty flat bed or base platform with a connected solid rear panel, a pair of side panels which can be fitted vertically on the sides of the flat bed, and a front tailgate mounted on the front edges of the side panels at all four corners.  
         [0010]     The front tailgate and two side panels are preferably reinforced flat panels so that, when assembled on the flat bed or base platform and rear panel, they form a closed wall hopper which can carry loose objects, such as gravel, cement and dirt, without falling out through openings in the walls. The front tailgate is preferably double hinged, at the top and at the bottom, so that the tailgate can fold down when using the bottom hinges and can open downwardly when hinged at the top for easily dumping materials carried in the hopper.  
         [0011]     The side panels and front tailgate are removable to form a standard flat bed configuration. The side panels and the base platform are preferably configured to attach the side panels horizontally along each respective side edge of the base platform to create an extended flat bed configuration, which provides additional loading surface. When folded down, the front tailgate also extends horizontally to extend the usable flat bed surface.  
         [0012]     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mortar buggy with a stake bed assembly which can be readily and easily converted from a standard mortar buggy with plastic or metal hopper or tub to a stake bed structure which can be converted between a hopper configuration, a flat bed, and an extended flat bed for transport of various construction materials which cannot be readily transported in a mortar buggy.  
         [0013]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a stake bed assembly which can be readily adapted to fit in place of a hopper or tub on any standard mortar or power buggy.  
         [0014]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a mortar buggy with a flat bed and rear panel that support two solid metal side panels which can be fitted into the flat bed and locked into position and a solid front tailgate to form a dumpable metal hopper on the front of the mortar buggy chassis.  
         [0015]     Another object of the present invention is to provide the front tailgate of the stake bed of the preceding object with hinges at both its top and its bottom so that the front tailgate can swing down planar with the flat bed platform or open at its bottom when the hopper is moved to a dumping position so that granular materials can be spread or dumped, respectively, when the stake bed is moved to a dumping position.  
         [0016]     A further object of the present invention is to provide an interlock system which holds the solid side panels firmly in place in both the vertical hopper configuration, or in the horizontal extended flat bed configuration.  
         [0017]     Still another object of the present invention is to provide swing out supports which allow the side panels to bear extra weight while in the extended flatbed configuration, but then swing flat against the sides of the flat bed or base platform when not in use.  
         [0018]     Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly that allows all of the panels to be removed in order to allow the buggy to maneuver through doorways and other narrow spaces.  
         [0019]     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a stake bed assembly wherein the removable side panels and front tailgate fit snugly together with the flat bed or base platform and rear panel to allow the stake bed to carry loose materials such as gravel, dry cement and dirt.  
         [0020]     Yet another object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a mortar buggy in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a structure that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.  
         [0021]     These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a mortar buggy in accordance with the present invention utilizing a typical plastic hopper assembly.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is partially exploded perspective view showing a fully assembled stake bed assembly in accordance with the present invention and how it fits onto a mortar buggy chassis to replace the plastic hopper assembly.  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view showing the flat bed or base platform with connected rear panel and removable side panels of the stake bed assembly shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the stake bed assembly shown in  FIG. 2 , partially assembled, with the front tailgate and connection points.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the stake bed assembly of the present invention with an exploded view of the swing out arms and fasteners.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the stake bed assembly of the present invention showing how the stake bed assembly converts from a hopper configuration to an extended flat bed configuration.  
         [0028]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the mortar buggy converted to a stake bed assembly in the hopper configuration in accordance with the present invention, and with the hopper being in the dumping position.  
         [0029]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the mortar buggy converted to an extended flat bed configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]     Although only one preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, in describing the preferred embodiment, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. It is also understood that the present invention is related to the mortar buggy invention by Applicants which is described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/231,458 filed Aug. 30, 2002 and which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth in its entirety.  
         [0031]     Turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows an exploded perspective view of a mortar buggy in accordance with the present invention, generally designated by reference numeral  10 , utilizing a typical one piece plastic hopper or tub  12  mounted on the front thereof. The mortar buggy  10  includes a chassis, generally designated by reference numeral  14 , supported and moved along the ground surface by front wheels  16  and rear wheels  18 . The buggy  10  is powered by an engine and related motor and control components (not shown), which are covered by cowl  26  and splash guard panel  36 . The buggy  10  is steered by handle bars  22  by an operator (not shown) standing on a rear platform  24 , all in a conventional manner.  
         [0032]     The plastic hopper or tub  12  is supported on and rigidified by a metal base plate  28 , typically made of steel or the like. The bottom  30  of the hopper or tub  12  is bolted to the top side of the base plate  28  through aligned holes  32  in a known manner. The forward end  38  of reinforcing base plate  28  is raised slightly by lugs  42  and pivoted to the chassis  14  by pivots  40  on lugs  42 . A hydraulic cylinder  54  (see  FIGS. 2 and 7 ) is mounted on the front end of chassis  14  to pivot the back end of the reinforcing base plate  28  and hopper or tub  12  mounted thereon from a generally horizontal transport position to a forward dumping position.  
         [0033]     The hopper  12  is usually molded of one piece of plastic (or constructed of steel or other metal components) and is capable of carrying sand, soil, cement and other building materials. The materials are ordinarily removed by means of raising the rear of the hopper with the hydraulic cylinder  54  and dumping the material at the location desired.  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  shows a fully assembled stake bed in accordance with the present invention, generally designated by reference numeral  50 , positioned for pivotal mounting on the front end of the chassis  14 , in replacement of the hopper or tub  12  and reinforcing base plate  28 . The fully assembled stake bed  50  defines a hopper  51  therein.  FIG. 2  also shows the pivot rod  52  about which the front end of base plate  28  with the hopper  12  thereon (in the  FIG. 1  assembly) and the stake bed  50  (in the  FIG. 2  assembly) can pivot, as well as the hydraulic cylinder  54 , connected to the chassis  14  to raise and lower the rear end of the base plate  28  and hopper  12  assembly or the stake bed assembly  50 .  
         [0035]     The details of the stake bed assembly  50  are shown in  FIGS. 3-6 . The assembly  50  includes a stake bed base platform or flat bed, generally designated by reference numeral  56 , rear panel  58  and two removable side panels  60  and  62 . The flat bed  56  includes a generally flat rectangular platform  64  and a subframe structure  66 . The subframe structure  66  reinforces the platform  64  and aligns the flat bed  50  for proper positioning on the buggy chassis  14  for the various stake bed configurations.  
         [0036]     In the preferred embodiment, the rear panel  58  is actually part of the flat bed platform  64  and is made from one piece of solid steel or other similar metal or material with the rear panel  58  bent almost to 90°. The platform  64  is then welded or otherwise permanently attached to the subframe structure  66  which provides strength and rigidity to the platform  64 . While it is contemplated in the preferred embodiment that the components of the stake bed assembly are all constructed from steel or similar metal, polymers with reinforcing carbon fibers or the like, or similar composite materials could also be used.  
         [0037]     The side panels  60  and  62  are preferably flat panels made of steel or like material, which are reinforced by horizontal and vertical members  68  and  70 , respectively. The reinforcing members  68  and  70  are preferably square steel tubing welded to the outside of the side panels  60  and  62 . The vertical members  70  are known in the art as “stakes” which include stake extensions  72  extending beyond the lower edge of the side panels  60  and  62 , preferably about three inches. When installed for the stake bed or hopper configuration, the side panels  60  and  62  are placed in a generally vertical position so that the stake extensions  72  fit securely into vertical aligned stakeholders  74  which are welded to the side of the subframe  66 . The platform  64  has openings  76  above the vertical stakeholders  74  which allow the stakes  72  to fit through the platform  64  and into the vertical stakeholders  74 .  
         [0038]     The back edges of side panels  60  and  62  have connecting plates  78  welded thereon. The connecting plates  78  include rearwardly extending projections  80  which engage in slots  82  of the back panel  58  as the side panels  60  and  62  are moved downwardly to engage stake extensions  72  within stakeholders  76 . The projections  80  are positioned such that the notch  84  defined therein engages the lower edge of corresponding slot  82  when the bottom edges of the side panels  60  and  62  engage the upper surface of the flat bed platform  64  and the stake extensions  72  are fully fitted within stakeholders  74 . The stake extensions  72  fitted into the stakeholders  74 , and the notches  84  fitted over the bottom of opening  82 , thus hold the side panels  60  and  62  in their properly designed position, provide strength and rigidity to the platform  64 , rear panel  58 , and side wall panels  60  and  62  combination, and provide a solid wall structure for hopper  51  to retain gravel, dry cement, dirt and other loose materials within the hopper  51 .  
         [0039]     Once the side panels  60  and  62  are fitted into the flat bed  56  and rear panel  58 , the front tailgate  86  can be fitted onto the front edges of the side panels.  FIG. 4  illustrates the preferred embodiment of a front tailgate, generally designated by reference numeral  86 , in accordance with the present invention. The tailgate  86  includes a flat panel  87  and horizontal and vertical reinforcing square metal tubing  88  and  90  that is welded to the outside of panel  87  to provide strength and rigidity for the tailgate  86 .  
         [0040]     The outermost vertical square metal tubes  90  protrude above and below the top and bottom edges of the panel  87  in order to attach the front tailgate  86  to the forward edge of side panels  60  and  62 . Projections  92  of outer vertical tubing  90  extends above panel  87  and projections  94  extend below. These projections  92  and  94  permit the front tailgate  86  to be attached to the front edge of the side panels  60  and  62  and the subframe flat bed  66  at all four corners of the tailgate  86  by the use of a hinge pin or similar connection.  
         [0041]     The upper and lower projections  92  and  94 , respectively, each includes a hole or opening  96  extending therethrough parallel to the panel  87 . The holes  96  align with matching holes  98  on upper and lower tabs  100  and  102 , respectively. The upper tabs  100  project forwardly from the top front edge of the side panels  60  and  62 , and the lower tabs  102  project forwardly from the front edge  108  of the subframe  66 . When the holes  96  and  98  are aligned, the projections  92  and  94  can be assembled on tabs  100  and  102  by utilizing hinge pins  104  and  105  or other similar connecting assemblies.  
         [0042]     To install the front tailgate  86 , the user will fit the panel  87  against the front edges of the side panels  60  and  62 , with the projections  92  and  94  at each corner of the tailgate properly positioned relative to their respective tabs  100  and  102  at the top of the side panels  60  and  62  and front edge  108  of subframe  66 . The user then aligns the holes  96  in the projections  92  and  94  with the holes  98  in the tabs  100  and  102 , respectively, and inserts the hinge pins  104  and  105  therethrough. A leash or other securing device  106  holds the hinge pins  104  and  105  from falling free when not in use.  
         [0043]     The assembly of the projections  92  and  94  of the front tailgate  86  into tabs  100  at the top front edge of panels  60  and  62  and into tabs  102  at the front edge  108  of subframe  66  serve to secure the front end of panels  60  and  62  into proper orientation with respect to the platform  64 .  
         [0044]     The bottom of the tailgate  86  can be left unsecured from tabs  102 , which allows the tailgate to pivot about hinge pins  104 . This permits the stake bed assembly  50  to dump a load within hopper  51  in a traditional dumping action when the stake bed  50  is lifted by hydraulic cylinder  54  as shown in  FIG. 7 . The piston end of hydraulic cylinder  54  is shown not connected in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0045]     Alternatively, the top of tailgate  86  can be left unsecured from tabs  100 , which allows the tailgate to swing downwardly around pivots  105  and away from the platform  64  into a position generally parallel to the platform  64 . See  FIG. 6 . Stops  107 , preferably mounted on the front of the tailgate  86 , engage the front edge  108  of subframe  66  to prevent the tailgate  86  from moving downwardly past the generally horizontal position. This downward position can be useful when spreading material when the hopper  51  is lifted by the hydraulic cylinder  54  and also expands the usable surface of the flat bed  56  when in an expanded, flat bed configuration.  
         [0046]      FIG. 5  shows the stake bed  50  in the fully assembled hopper configuration with the hopper  51  defined by the platform  64 , front tailgate  86  secured at both top and bottom, the side walls  60  and  62  and rear wall  58 . Swing-out arms  120  are used in the extended flat bed configuration. In a preferred embodiment the swing-out arms  120  have a tubular member  122  welded to its hinge end which fits within a pair of hinge tabs  124 . The tabs  124  have holes to allow a hinge pin  126  to fit through the hinge tabs  124  and through the tubular member  122  to support and hingedly attach the swing-out arms  122  to the subframe  66 . The hinge pins  126  are held in place with a cotter pin or other fastener  128 .  
         [0047]     A second pair of securing tabs  130  with holes are also attached on both sides of the subframe  66 , and located a short distance forward of the hinge tabs  124 . When not in use, the swing-out arms  120  are held against the sides of subframe  66  by a clevis pin  132  which is fitted through the holes of the securing tabs  130  after the swing-out arms  120  have been positioned between the securing tabs  130 . The clevis pins  132  are also held in place by cotter pins  134 , to secure the clevis pins  132  from falling free. When in this hopper configuration, the side panels  60  and  62 , front tailgate  86  and rear panel  58  fit snugly together so that hopper  51  can readily carry loose granular loads such as dirt, dry cement, sand, gravel, etc.  
         [0048]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 6 , with the side panels  60  and  62  removed,  FIG. 3  shows the stake bed assembly  50  in a normal flat bed configuration, without side panels or front tailgate.  FIG. 6  shows the stake bed assembly  50  partially assembled in the extended flat bed configuration. For each side panel  60  and  62 , the clevis pin  132  is removed from the securing tabs  130  and the swing-out arm  120  is released and positioned at a right angle to the subframe  66 . The side panels  60  and  62  are lifted vertically to remove the panels from the vertical stakeholders  74  and slots  82  and away from the top of the platform  64 . The side panels  60  and  62  are then oriented horizontally and the stake projections  72  of each side panel are fitted into a pair of horizontal stakeholders  140  which are positioned, preferably by welding, adjacent to and at right angles to the vertical stakeholders  74  on the subframe  66 .  
         [0049]     When the stake projections  72  of the side panels  60  and  62  are fitted into the horizontal stakeholders  140 , the side panels  60  and  62  are held in a generally horizontal position planar to platform  64  and rest upon their respective swing-out arms  120 . The swing-out arms  120  and the side panels  60  and  62  are aligned so that a securing hole  142  at the distal end of the swing-out arms  120  is positioned in alignment with a securing hole  144  at the outer edge of the side panels  60  and  62 . The clevis pins  132  that were removed to allow the swing-out arms  120  to be released from alongside subframe  66 , are then placed into the securing holes  144  of the side panels  60  and  62  and through securing holes  142  at the end of swing-out arms  120  to hold the swing-out arms and the side panels  10  in position during use of the stake bed assembly  50  in the extended flat bed configuration.  
         [0050]     When the assembly  50  is converted to a flat bed configuration or an extended flat bed configuration, the mortar buggy can be used to move heavy loads that would be difficult or impossible to place inside a hopper. For example, any construction materials of large length, such as lumber, pipe, tubing, and rebar, can be bundled and loaded onto the extended flat bed configuration easily. In addition, other materials that are heavy but would be awkward to load or unload from a deep hopper are also easily carried by the present invention. For example, materials such as bricks, blocks, nails, and other heavy objects that cannot be dumped or where the user would have to bend over the edge of the hopper to load and unload causing back strain are easily handled with the stake bed assembly.  
         [0051]     The stake bed assembly  50  of the present invention is designed to be easily adapted to most mortar buggy chassis with ordinary fastening hardware. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base plate  28  and bolted on plastic hopper  12  assembly are easily removed from the chassis  14  by pulling out the pivot rod  52  and the pivot connection between the piston rod end and a bracket or other connection on the underneath side of plate  28  (not shown). The plate and hopper assembly can then be lifted off from chassis  14  and replaced by the stake bed assembly  50 .  
         [0052]     The pivot rod  52  is then reinserted in pivot openings  150  on both sides of the forward end of subframe  66  and the distal end of the piston rod is reconnected to a bracket or other connection on the underneath side of platform  64 . The same or similar connections are already present or can be installed on most mortar buggy chassis in order to accommodate the stake bed assembly  50  of the present invention.  
         [0053]     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.