Patent Publication Number: US-11660996-B2

Title: Bridge apparatus and system for vehicle transport

Description:
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     The present invention relates generally to transporting vehicles, and more particularly to an improved bridge apparatus and system for allowing cars to enter, exit, and transition through vehicle transport trailers and/or other vehicle transport systems. As is understood in art, vehicles such as automobiles, sport utility vehicles (“SUV”), etc. can be transported via transport trailers (“trailer”) that are specifically designed to transport vehicles. Multiple vehicles can be transported on such a trailer. It is also known to implement multiple levels or tiers on such trailers to maximize the number of vehicles transported. For example, many trailers implement upper platforms and lower platforms such that two levels of vehicles may be transported at the same time. Each vehicle is secured to the trailer in some fashion, such that each vehicle will be restrained to one of the upper level or platforms, or the lower level or platforms, such as by straps or chains. 
     Generally, vehicles on the lower platforms of the trailer are loaded after the vehicles on the upper platforms have been loaded and secured and after the upper platforms have been placed in a raised position. In order to load vehicles onto the “front” part of the lower platforms of the trailer (i.e. the part or portion of the lower platform closest to the truck to which the trailer is attached), an adjustable bridge mechanism may be used. The bridge mechanism allows for vehicles to be driven past the wheels of the trailer onto the rear part of the front lower platform when the upper platforms are in a raised position. In some previous trailers, the bridge mechanism is a fixed bridge extending from the rear wheels towards the front of the trailer. 
     To make the process of positioning vehicles on trailers more efficient, movable bridge mechanisms known in the art may be raised to allow for vehicles to transition from one part of the lower platform, over the rear wheels of the trailer, and onto another part of the lower platform. Such movable bridge mechanisms may be lowered out of the way to allow vehicles to be secured in a manner that optimizes the space available and prevents the underside of the vehicle, when the vehicle is in its final transport position, from contacting the bridge mechanism. However, these prior art bridge mechanisms require manually lifting each mechanism separately upwards and securing it into place, such as with retracting legs which must also be secured manually into place for each bridge mechanism. These prior art bridge mechanisms can be time consuming to operate, requiring for instance raising and securing (or lowering and securing) the bridge mechanism for one side of the lower platform, walking around the trailer, and then raising and securing (or lowering and securing) the bridge mechanism for the other side of the lower platform. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved lift system that overcomes the shortcomings of the previous implementations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Improved bridge apparatuses and systems for vehicle transportation are disclosed. In an embodiment, a system for use with a vehicle transport trailer or truck includes at least one platform configured to receive vehicles. The platform includes at least a first section extending towards a wheel supporting the platform and a second section located above the wheel. The first section of the platform is configured to move to at least a raised position and a lowered position. The system includes a ramp with a first end rotatably coupled adjacent to the second section of the platform. The ramp is configured to move to at least a raised position and a lowered position, such that the ramp allows a vehicle to transition between the first section of the platform and the second section of the platform when the ramp is in the raised position. 
     The system further includes a linkage mechanism with a first end rotatably coupled adjacent to the first end of the ramp, and a second end coupled adjacent to the first section of the platform. The linkage mechanism is configured to move in conjunction with the first section of the platform such that moving the first section of the platform to the raised position causes the linkage mechanism to move the ramp to the raised position, placing the ramp substantially aligned with the first section of the platform; and moving the first section of the platform to the lowered position causes the linkage mechanism to move the ramp to the lowered position not aligned with the first section of the platform. 
     Other systems, apparatuses, and/or methods of using the same will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, apparatuses, and/or methods of using the same be included within this description, be within the scope of the exemplary embodiments, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise indicated. For reference numerals with letter character designations such as “102A” or “102B”, the letter character designations may differentiate two like parts or elements present in the same figure. Letter character designations for reference numerals may be omitted when it is intended that a reference numeral encompass all parts having the same reference numeral in all figures. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle trailer with which the disclosed improved bridge apparatus and system may be implemented; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the vehicle trailer of  FIG.  1    with an embodiment of an improved bridge system; 
         FIG.  3 A  illustrates a perspective view of aspects of an embodiment of the improved bridge system, with the bridge system in a lowered position; 
         FIG.  3 B  illustrates a side view of aspects of the improved bridge system of  FIG.  3 A ; 
         FIG.  4 A  illustrates a perspective view of aspects of the embodiment of the improved bridge system of  FIG.  3 A , with the bridge system in a raised position; 
         FIG.  4 B  illustrates a side view of aspects of the improved bridge system of  FIG.  4 A ; 
         FIG.  5 A  illustrates a side view of aspects of the improved bridge system implemented on a trailer, with the bridge system in a raised position; and 
         FIG.  5 B  illustrates a side view of aspects of the improved bridge system implemented on a trailer, with the bridge system in a lowered position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. 
     Exemplary embodiments include an improved lift apparatus and system that may be used to transport vehicles such as automobiles, sport utility vehicles (“SUV”), etc. Although discussed below with respect to vehicle transport trailers (“trailer”) designed to be attached to/decoupled from a truck, the embodiments and inventions disclosed herein are equally applicable to other vehicle transport systems such as for example, a truck with permanently attached vehicle transporting systems, tow trucks, etc. An exemplary vehicle transport trailer  100  with which embodiments of the improved bridge apparatus and system for trailers may be used is illustrated in  FIG.  1   . 
       FIG.  1    shows a multi-level vehicle transport trailer  100  in a collapsed configuration. The trailer  100  includes an upper platform  110  comprising two parallel tracks that allow for securing and transporting vehicles. The illustrated upper platform  110  includes multiple portions or sections  112   a - 112   d . Each section  112   a - 112   d  comprises an outer frame formed by parallel side rails  114   a - 114   d  and end rails  116   a - 116   d  connecting the side rails  114   a - 114   d . Inner walls  118   a - 118   d  are provided parallel to the side rails  114   a - 114   d  of each upper section  112   a - 112   d , with decking  120  between the side rails  114   a - 114   d  and inner walls  118   a - 118   d . The side rails,  114   a - 114   d , inner walls  118   a - 118   d , and decking  120   a - 120   d  are sized and spaced so that vehicles may be driven onto, and secured to, the upper platform  110  with the cars left and right tires on the decking  120   a - 120   d . The decking  120   a - 120   d  typically includes a plurality of holes and/or grating, and the decking  120   a - 120   d  may include roughened portions on the upper surface to allow vehicle tires to better grip the decking  120   a - 120   d  when the vehicles are secured to the upper platform  110 . 
     The trailer  100  also includes a lower platform  130  similar to the upper platform  110  described above, the lower platform  130  may comprise multiple sections or portions as described above. When the trailer  100  is in a first, collapsed position as illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the upper platform  110  covers or hides the lower platform  130 , such as to allow vehicles to be loaded onto or off of the upper platform  110  or to secure the trailer  100  when being transported without any vehicles. When the trailer  100  is in a second, extended position (not illustrated), the upper platform  110  is separated from the lower platform, such as to allow vehicles to be loaded onto or off of the lower platform  130  and/or to transport the trailer  100  when loaded with vehicles. As will be understood, various additional support or bracing members and a hydraulic, pneumatic, or other system may be included in the trailer  100  to allow the upper platform  110  to be extended away from and/or collapsed towards the lower platform  130 , as well as to support the upper platform  110  when in an extended position and loaded with vehicles. 
       FIG.  2    shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an improved bridge system and mechanism that may be implemented on a vehicle transport trailer. In  FIG.  2   , only a portion  230  of a transport trailer  200  is illustrated for clarity. It will be understood that trailer  200  illustrated in  FIG.  2    may be similar to trailer  100  illustrated in  FIG.  1   . The illustrated portion  230  of the lower platform includes sections  232   a  and  232   b  that are in “front” of the rear wheels  206  of trailer  200 , where the “front” end of the trailer  200  (labeled as “Front” in  FIG.  2   ) may be attached to a tractor or truck (not shown) that tows the trailer  200 . The illustrated portion  230  of the lower platform also includes a section  232   c  that approximately covers left wheels  206  and extends towards a “back” end of the trailer  200  (labeled as “Back” in  FIG.  2   ). As will be understood, the improved bridge system and mechanism may be implemented on vehicle transport trailers containing a differently configured platform, including a trailer having a lower platform with fewer sections than illustrated in  FIG.  2   , or a trailer having only one platform instead of upper and lower platforms. 
     Throughout this disclosure, “front” or “forward” will correspond with the end of the trailer  200  or direction labeled “Front” in  FIG.  2   . Similarly, “back” or “backward” will correspond with the end of the trailer  200  or direction labeled “Back” in  FIG.  2   . In the embodiment of  FIG.  2   , the illustrated portion  230  comprises part of the left-side of the lower platform of trailer  200 . As will be understood (and as illustrated in  FIG.  1   ) trailer  200  will also include a corresponding right side of the lower platform which is not separately shown for clarity. In an embodiment, this right side of the lower platform will contain the same features illustrated in  FIG.  2    and discussed below to allow loading, securing, and carrying of vehicles on trailer  200 . 
     As will be understood, at least the second section  232   b  of the lower platform may be raised to at least one elevated or upper position and at least one lowered or down position. The elevated position, when the bridge system  250  is engaged, allows vehicles to be driven from the third section  232   c  to sections  232   b  and  232   a  in order to load vehicles onto those parts of the lower platform for transport and/or to allow vehicles transported on sections  232   a / 232   b  to be driven to section  232   c  when offloading the vehicles from the trailer  200 . The lowered position (or multiple lowered positions) allows for section  232   b  to be lowered once vehicles are secured to the lower platform so that upper platform (see upper platform  110  of  FIG.  1   ) may be lowered to transport vehicles and/or to load vehicles to/offload vehicles from the upper platform. In the illustrated embodiment, the “back” end of section  232   b  may be raised to the elevated position(s), while the “front” end of section  232   b  may or may not be raised or lowered. As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , a bridge system  250  may be implemented to allow vehicles to transition between the “front” end of section  220   c  and “back” end of section  232   b . The bridge system  250  may be made of metal or any other appropriate material and the bridge system is illustrated in  FIG.  2    in a lowered or down position. 
     Turning to  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B , an embodiment of a bridge system  350  are illustrated. Bridge system  350  of  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B  may be implemented as the bridge system  250  on the lower platform of trailer  200  of  FIG.  2    (or trailer  100  of  FIG.  1   ). Only a portion of one side of a lower platform of a trailer  300  is illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B  for clarity.  FIG.  3 A  shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the bridge system  350  in a lowered position, while  FIG.  3 B  is a side view of the bridge system  350  of  FIG.  3 A  in the lowered position.  FIG.  4 A  shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the bridge system  350  in a raised position, while  FIG.  4 B  is a side view of the bridge system  350  of  FIG.  4 A  in the raised position. As illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B , an embodiment of bridge system  350  may comprise a movable ramp  380  and a linkage system  370  (which may include features  371 ,  372 ,  374 , and  376 - 379  and/or  386 - 389 ) configured to couple the ramp  380  to section  232   b  of the lower platform of trailer  300 . Sections  232   b  and  232   c  of  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B  may be the same as sections  232   b / 232   c  of  FIG.  2   , including the features discussed above such as side wall  218   b  and/or decking  220   b / 220   c.    
     Ramp  380  may comprise a front end (the end closest to the “Front” of trailer  300  and adjacent to section  232   b ) and a back end (the end closest to the “Back” of trailer  300  and adjacent to section  232   c ). Ramp  380  may include decking  381  supported by two parallel walls  382  extending downwards from the underside of decking  381 . Decking  381  and walls  382  may be formed from a single piece, such as by folding the edges of the decking  381  to form walls  382 . In other embodiments, the ramp  380  may comprise a decking  381  affixed to separate walls  382 . In operation, ramp  380  allows vehicles to be driven between sections  232   b  and  232   c  and to be stored on trailer  300  for transport. To assist with these functions, decking  381  may be made of metal or any other appropriate material and may include a plurality of holes, grating, and/or roughened portions on the upper surface to allow vehicle tires to better grip the decking  381  when the vehicles are driven on and/or secured to the lower platform of trailer  300 . For example, in the illustrated embodiment, decking  381  may include an opening to allow straps or chains to secure a vehicle, such as using a ratchet  383  extending through one or more walls  382  of ramp  380 . 
     Ramp  380  is configured to allow movement between a lowered position ( FIGS.  3 A- 3 B ) and a raised position that is substantially aligned with section  232   c  of trailer  300  ( FIGS.  4 A- 4 B ) to allow vehicles to move from section  232   c  over ramp  380  to section  232   b  (and to also move in the reverse direction). In some embodiments, ramp  380  may be aligned with section  232   c  such that these two portions are substantially parallel or co-planar. In other embodiments, ramp  380  and section  232   c  may be aligned even though there is an angle formed between the ends of ramp  380  and section  232   c.    
     In an embodiment, the decking  381  at the front end of ramp  380  may extend beyond the ends of walls  382  to form a lip affixed to a ramp support which is illustrated as a metal tube  356  in the figures. Tube  356  may in turn be coupled to one end of rod  386  of linkage system  370  which supports the front end of ramp  380  in the raised position ( FIGS.  4 A- 4 B ) and also moves ramp  380  between the raised and lowered positions as discussed below. At its back end, ramp  380  may be coupled to trailer  300 , such as to a portion of section  232   c  to allow the ramp  380  to move between the raised and lowered positions. In an embodiment, the back end of the ramp  380  may be rotatably coupled to section  232   c , such as by hinge  384  which may comprise a bolt or pin through a bracket affixed to section  232   c  or a welded rod. For such embodiments, moving between the raised and lowered positions may comprise the ramp  380  rotating around hinge  384  such that only the front end of the ramp  380  is moved between the lowered position ( FIGS.  3 A- 3 B ) and the raised position ( FIGS.  4 A- 4 B ). 
     The illustrated bridge system  350  also comprises a linkage system  370  configured to couple the ramp  380  to section  232   b  of the lower platform of trailer  300 . Linkage system  370  allows ramp  380  to automatically raise and lower along with section  232   b , greatly improving the functionality and ease of use of bridge system  350  over previous systems. As will be understood, section  232   b  may be moved to a raised or upper position to allow transition of vehicles from section  232   c  over rear wheels  206  of trailer  300  (for loading or unloading vehicles onto sections  232   a  and  232   b ). Section  232   b  may also be moved to a lowered or down position once vehicles have been secured to section  232   b  (or to allow upper platform  110  of  FIG.  1    to be lowered to unload vehicles). Such movement of section  232   b  may be performed by a hydraulic system or other powered or mechanical mechanism such as actuator  376 . 
     Linkage system  370  in an embodiment may comprise an arm  374  with a front end of arm  374  rotatably coupled to the back end of section  232   b . In other embodiments, the arm  374  may be part of a lifting system. In the illustrated embodiment, a back end of arm  374  may be rotatably coupled to the trailer  300  adjacent to section  232   c  or may be rotatably coupled to section  232   c  itself. Arm  374  may be any desired shape or material. In the illustrated embodiment, arm  374  is rotatably coupled at one end to a support structure comprising a back wall  352  coupled to the trailer  300  and a shelf  354  attached to the bottom edge of the back wall  352 . Arm  374  may also be rotatably coupled at the other end to the platform. Back wall  352  may be substantially rectangular in shape, formed of metal, and may extend downwards perpendicular to the top surface of section  232   c . Shelf  354  may comprise a rectangular metal tube affixed along a bottom edge of back wall  352  as illustrated. In an embodiment, the back end of arm  374  is rotatably coupled to back wall  352  in a way that allows the arm  374  to rotate in an upwards and downwards direction (i.e. in a direction perpendicular to section  232   c ). Back end of arm  374  may be coupled to the back wall by any desired means, such as a hinge, or by attaching the arm  374  to a bracket  389  extending from (or affixed to) back wall  352  with a pin or bolt as illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B , the linkage system  370  may also include or may be coupled to a rod  386  that is rotatably coupled at one end to the tube  356  supporting the front end of ramp  380 . Rod  386  may be any desired shape or material and, in the illustrated embodiment, is solid metal that is generally cylindrical. The first end of rod  386  may be rotatably coupled to the tube  356  in any desired manner, such as by a bolt or pin in a bracket  388  extending from or attached to the underside of tube  356  as shown in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B . The second end of rod  386  is rotatably coupled to arm  374 . As illustrated, the second end of rod  386  may be rotatably coupled to one side or surface of arm  374  relatively near or adjacent to the back end of arm  374  that is coupled to the back wall  352 . The second end of rod  386  may also be coupled to the arm  374  in any desired manner, such as by a bolt or pin in a bracket  387  extending from or attached to one side or surface of the arm  374  as shown in the figures. In operation, rod  386  serves to allow ramp  380  to automatically move in conjunction with section  232   b  of the lower platform of trailer  300 . Rod  386  also serves to provide support for the front end of ramp  380  when the ramp  380  is in a raised or upper position (see  FIGS.  4 A- 4 B ), holding the ramp  380  in place in the raised or upper position such that separately operated support legs are not needed as in prior systems. 
     Returning to the arm  374 , the front end of arm  374  is coupled to a back end of section  232   b . In an embodiment, the front end of arm  374  may be coupled to a tube  390  coupled to section  232   b  where the tube  390  is configured to slide into and out of section  232   b . In another embodiment, the front end of arm  374  may be coupled directly to section  232   b , such as to one of the side walls  218   b  of a back end of section  232   b . In yet other embodiments, the arm  374  may be coupled to a support  355  located underneath and supporting the back end of section  232   b  as illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B  and  4 A- 4 B. Support  355  may be a series of intersecting metal tubes (such as in an “H” or “#” pattern) providing support for the back end of section  232   b . The front end of arm  374  is coupled to the back end of section  232   b  in a manner to allow the front end of arm  374  to raise and/or lower in conjunction with the back end of section  232   b . For example as illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B , the front end of arm  374  may rotate about its back end that is affixed to the back wall  352  such that the front end of arm  374  may raise and lower with the back end of section  232   b . As discussed above, the movement of arm  374  in conjunction with section  232   b  allows for the front end of ramp  380  to also raise and lower in conjunction with section  232   b  via rod  386 . 
     In an embodiment, the back end of section  232   b  may include a transition portion comprising transition decking  371  supported by two parallel walls  372  extending downwards from the underside of transition decking  371 . Transition decking  371  and walls  372  may be formed from a single piece, such as by folding the edges of the transition decking  371  to form walls  372 . In other embodiments, the transition decking  371  may comprise a separate piece attached to the walls  372 . Transition decking  371  may be made of metal or any other appropriate material and may include a plurality of holes, grating, and/or roughened portions on the upper surface to allow vehicle tires to better grip the decking  371  when the vehicles are driven on and/or secured to section  232   b . The transition decking  371  may include an opening to allow straps or chains to secure a vehicle. In other embodiments, no transition portion may be implemented. 
     Linkage system  370  may also include or may be coupled to an actuator  376  configured to lift the arm  374  and/or to provide support to the back end of section  232   b , such as when the back end of section  232   b  is in a raised or upper position. In an embodiment, the actuator  376  may comprise any mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, or other means for lifting arm  374  and/or providing support to the back end of section  232   b . For example, actuator  376  may comprise a telescoping member, such as a piston, where the piston is in a “closed” configuration and positioned out of the way, generally parallel to section  232   b  when section  232   b  is in a lowered or down position. In such embodiments, the actuator  376  is in an “open” or “extended” configuration when section  232   b  is in a raised or upper position, helping to support the back end of section  232   b  to allow vehicles to transition to and from section  232   b . As illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B , actuator  376  may comprise a generally cylindrical telescoping member or piston and may provide support to the back end of section  232   b  by hydraulic, electrical, or any other desired method. 
     Actuator  376  may be coupled to trailer  300  by any desired method. For example, a first end of actuator  376  may be rotatably coupled to a cross beam  377  affixed to a side of arm  374 . As illustrated, cross beam  377  may extend from arm  374  such that cross beam  377  lies parallel to the width of the platform/perpendicular to the length of the platform of trailer  300  (or perpendicular to the length of section  232   b ). In such embodiments, actuator  376  may be rotatably coupled to cross beam  377  by any desired method such as via a bolt or pin through a bracket  379  extending from or attached to a top surface of cross beam  377  as illustrated. In other embodiments or implementations of the system, the first end of actuator  376  may be rotatably attached to arm  374 , section  232   b , or another part of trailer  300  rather than to cross beam  377  if desired. Similarly, a second end of actuator  376  may be rotatably coupled to the shelf  354  as illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B , such as via a pin or bolt through a bracket  378  extending from or attached to a top surface of shelf  354 . In other embodiments, the second end of actuator  376  may be rotatably attached to the back wall  352  or another portion of trailer  300  rather than to shelf  354 . 
     Additionally, actuator  376  and/or bracket  379  may be located at a different position than that illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B . For example, in another embodiment (not illustrated), actuator  376  may be located on the “outside” of section  232   b  instead of located in the “interior” of section  232   b  as illustrated. In such embodiment, a first end of actuator  376  may be rotatably coupled to the side of sidewall  218   b  (such as by a modified version of bracket  379 ). Additionally, the second side of actuator  376  may be rotatably affixed to back wall  352  at a different location than that illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B . As will be understood, additional locations for and configurations of actuator  376  are also possible. 
     In operation, the bridge system  350  of  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B  move automatically to a raised or elevated position when section  232   b  (or the back end of section  232   b ) is moved to a raised or elevated position. This automatic movement in conjunction with section  232   b  means that the bridge system  350  is always in place when vehicles are transitioning between section  232   b  and  232   c , such as for loading vehicles onto or offloading vehicles from trailer  300  (or trailer  100  of  FIG.  1   ).  FIG.  5 A  shows aspects of a bridge system  350  implemented on a trailer  300 , which may be a trailer like that illustrated in  FIG.  1    or any other type of car transport trailer including a trailer with a single platform rather than upper and lower platforms. Only a portion of trailer  300  is illustrated in  FIG.  5 A  for clarity. As shown in  FIG.  5 A , when section  232   b  is in a raised or elevated position, bridge system  350  is also in a raised or elevated position such that ramp  380  is aligned with section  232   b . In this configuration, vehicle  500  may be loaded onto trailer  300  by driving vehicle  500  onto the lower platform, over section  232   c  of the lower platform positioned over the trailer wheels  206 , and onto (or partially onto) section  232   b  of the lower platform of trailer  300 . As will be understood, this movement may be reversed to allow vehicle  500  to be removed from trailer  300 . As will also be understood, in an embodiment, section  232   b  may be towards the “rear” of the trailer  300  rather than to the “front” of the trailer  300  as illustrated in  FIG.  5 A . 
     Similarly, in operation, bridge system  350  automatically moves to a down or one or more lowered positions when section  232   b  (or the back end of section  232   b ) is lowered. This ensures that bridge system  350  is automatically out of the way to create more space for the vehicle and, in turn, to allow the vehicle to be more efficiently secured to the trailer  200 / 300 . For example,  FIG.  5 B  shows aspects of the bridge system  350  implemented on the trailer  300  of  FIG.  5 A  with the bridge system  350  (and platform section  232   b ) in a lowered or down position. Again, only a portion of trailer  300  is illustrated in  FIG.  5 B  for clarity. As shown in  FIG.  5 B , when section  232   b  is in the down or lowered position, bridge system  350  is also in a down or lowered position such that ramp  380  is out of the way allowing vehicle  500  to be secured to trailer  300  in a “straddle” position with a first wheel  502  of the vehicle  500  secured to section  232   b  and a second wheel  504  of the vehicle  500  secured to section  232   c.    
     Thus, the movement of ramp  380  out of the way when section  232   b  is lowered provides great benefit when transporting vehicles with low ground clearance, allowing more options when securing such low-to-the-ground vehicles to the lower platform of the trailer  200 / 300 . Further, the ability to automatically move the ramp  380  in conjunction with section  232   b  provides another benefit by avoiding the need to manually raise/lower previous ramps and to manually secure/unsecure supporting legs for the previous ramps. This additional benefit is increased when a bridge system  350  is implemented on both the left side of lower platform (as illustrated in the figures) and the right side of the lower platform (not illustrated). 
     Only one bridge system  350  for the lower platform of trailer  200 / 300  has been illustrated for clarity. In some embodiments, left-side and right-side versions of bridge system  350  may be coupled together, one for each side of the lower platform. In such embodiments, both left-side and right-side bridge systems  350  automatically raise and lower at the same time with section  232   b  (or with the back end of section  232   b ). In some embodiments, the right-side bridge system will be a mirror image of the left-side bridge system, such that each of the right-side bridge system and the left-side bridge system has all of the features discussed above for bridge system  350 . 
     However, it is not necessary that both the left-side and right-side bridge systems have all of the components discussed above. For example, in another embodiment, a left-side bridge system for the lower platform of trailer  300  may be implemented as illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B  while a right-side bridge system does not include an additional arm like arm  374 . For such embodiments, the right-side ramp is connected to the left-side ramp such as by dimensioning tube  356  supporting the front end of left-side ramp to extend to the right-side bridge system. 
     In this manner, dimensioning tube  356  may also support right-side ramp and/or ensure that right-side ramp moves upward and downward in conjunction with left-side ramp (and therefore also in conjunction with section  232   b ). Similarly, a right-side rod may be implemented in this embodiment to support right side ramp. For example, the right-side rod may be rotatably affixed on one end to the dimensioning tube  356  and on the other end to cross beam  377  (or to another part of the trailer  300  or section  232   b ) to allow the right-side rod to support right-side ramp. As will be understood, other configurations of a bridge system  350  comprising a left-side bridge system coupled with a right-side bridge system may be implemented with differing combinations of the features illustrated for bridge system  350  in  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B and  4 A- 4 B . 
     Although the present bridge system  250 / 350  has been discussed in terms of a single raised or elevated position and a single lowered or down position, other intermediate positions are possible. For example, in some embodiments, section  232   b  may be configured to move to multiple raised, lowered, or intermediate positions for various purposes. For such embodiments, bridge system  250 / 350  may be configured to move ramp  380  and the other components of bridge system  250 / 350  along with section  232   b  to the various raised, lowered, or intermediate positions. Alternatively, bridge system  250 / 350  to move ramp  380  and/or the other components of bridge system  250 / 350  to a single raised/elevated position when section  232   b  is in its highest elevated position (e.g. for transitioning vehicles). In these alternative embodiments, bridge system  250 / 350  may be configured to move ramp  380  and/or the other components of bridge system  250 / 350  to a single lowered/down position when section  232   b  is moved to any other position such as a lowered/down position and any intermediate positions. 
     Additionally, although the present bridge system  250 / 350  has been discussed in terms of fixedly moving ramp  380  in conjunction with section  232   b , other implementations are possible. For example, part or all of bridge system  250 / 350  may be adjustable such that the amount ramp  380  moves with section  232   b  varies as desired. For such adjustable implementations, it may be possible to manually or automatically adjust the amount that ramp  380  moves with section  232   b , including implementations where ramp  380  may not move at all with section  232   b  (or where ramp  380  may be moved independently of section  232   b ). In one example, rod  386  may be manually adjustable or automatically adjustable with an actuator to allow variable movement of ramp  380  with section  232   b.    
     While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure, including the alternate embodiments discussed above. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments discussed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc., do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc., do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. Similarly, use of the terms set, plurality, etc., also do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least two of the reference item.