Abstract:
Truck towing apparatus connecting a tow truck to a truck to be towed. End pieces are attached to fifth wheels of the respective trucks. End booms are attached to the respective end pieces. Each end boom has a proximal end attached to its associated end piece and a distal end extending in the direction of the other truck. The distal ends of the end boom are attached to a connecting boom. A straddle bar attaches to a rear end of the truck to be towed and straddles the connecting boom. The rear end of the truck to be towed is raised off the ground to facilitate towing by the towing truck, and the straddle bar is secured to the rear end of the truck to be towed, after it is raised, to maintain the rear end of the truck to be towed in its elevated position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 09/503,808 filed Feb. 15, 2000.  
     
    
     
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not applicable.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    This invention relates to vehicle hauling, and more particularly, to a towing apparatus attachable to a truck used to transport or tow other trucks from one location to another.  
           [0004]    It is often necessary to haul trucks of various types, for example, tractor vehicles. Sometimes the truck is hauled from one truck dealership to another, or from a central receiving site to a remote dealership. At other times when a vehicle breaks down, it is necessary to haul the vehicle from wherever it became disabled to a repair facility.  
           [0005]    It is known to use a towing apparatus to accomplish such transport, and examples of prior towing systems are disclosed in these patents, as well as other towing systems known in the art have a number of drawbacks.  
           [0006]    First, these prior systems are very expensive, costing many thousands of dollars. Second, they can be cumbersome to install and use. One reason for this is the number of components which must be assembled together in order to attach the two vehicles together. An incorrect assembly or connection between the towing and towed vehicles not only puts the vehicles at risk, but also the driver of the towing vehicle as well as occupants of other vehicles in the vicinity of the two trucks if something goes wrong.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of a truck transport apparatus for use in towing a vehicle such as tractor vehicle. The transport of the present invention is advantageous in being readily installed on the vehicle. Connections between the towing vehicle and towed vehicle are also readily made. Installation of the apparatus and attachment of the towed and towing vehicles can be done by one person, quickly, and without the need of special tools. Once the vehicles are attached together, transport of the towed vehicle to its destination is accomplished safely and there is no danger of the towed vehicle becoming disconnected from the towing vehicle. The connection between vehicles is such that the towed vehicle is very stable and will not sway as it turns through corners. At the destination site, the towed vehicle can be quickly disconnected from the towing vehicle. Thereafter, the boom apparatus is easily removed and stored. Advantageously, the apparatus of the present invention requires few parts, can be fabricated from readily obtainable structural steel or similar material, and can be fabricated so as to cost substantially less than other truck transport systems.  
           [0008]    In accordance with the invention, generally stated, a transport boom apparatus of the present invention includes first and second end pieces each of which is attachable to the fifth wheel of either a towing truck or a towed truck. An end boom is securably attached to each end piece, each end boom extending rearwardly of the vehicle to which it is connected toward the other vehicle. A connection boom has one end attachable to the distal end of one end boom, and its other end attachable to the distal end of the other end boom. A straddle bar straddles the connection boom adjacent its end near the towed truck. The rear end of the towed vehicle is raised and a chain, for example, is used to attach the frame of the towed vehicle to the straddle bar to maintain this end of the towed vehicle in its elevated position. The resulting assembly securely connects the two vehicles together so the one vehicle can safely tow the other. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    In the drawings,  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a first embodiment of the tow boom apparatus in use;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the apparatus also in use;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3. Is a perspective view of the apparatus, partially exploded;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 4A and 4B are respective side and end elevational views of one end piece of the apparatus;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 5A and 5B are respective side and end elevational views of the other end piece;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIGS. 6A and 6B are respective side and end elevational views of one of the end booms;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 7A and 7B are respective side and end elevational views of the connecting boom;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 8A, 8B, and  8 C are respective perspective, side elevational and end elevational views of the one straddle bar used with the apparatus; and,  
         [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 9A and 9B are respective top plan and side elevational views of a second straddle bar used with the apparatus.  
     
    
       [0019]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     Description of the Components  
       [0020]    Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention is a truck towing apparatus  10 . The truck towing apparatus  10  includes a first end piece  12  having a kingpin  14 . A first end boom  20  has a proximal end  21  attached to the first end piece  12 . A second end boom  22  also has a proximal end  23  attached to the second end piece  16 . A distal end  25  of the first end boom  20  and a distal end  27  of the second end boom  22  are inserted into, and connected to, a connecting boom  24 .  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 shows the truck towing apparatus  10  configured to tow a truck T 2  when the truck to be towed does not have its own fifth wheel. In that configuration, a chain is used to attached a straddle bar  26  to the chassis of the truck to be towed. Cross member  58  is then attached by another chain to the elevated rear frame of the truck to be towed.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 shows the truck towing apparatus  10  configured to tow a truck T 2  when the truck to be towed has its own fifth wheel. In that configuration, a second end piece  16  is engaged to the fifth wheel of the truck to be towed. A chain is then used to attach the cross member  58  to the elevated end of the truck to be towed.  
         [0023]    A first end piece  12  shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B includes a first kingpin plate  28  depending from the underside of the end piece  12 , and from which the kingpin  14  extends. Four vertical plates  30  are welded or otherwise secured to a top surface  31  of first kingpin plate  28 , and extend vertically above the first kingpin plate. A collar  32  is welded or otherwise attached to edges  33  of the vertical plates  30 . Collar  32  is rectangular in cross-section and is formed by a first vertical side plate  34   a , a second vertical side plate  34   b , an upper cap piece  36   a , and a lower cap piece  36   b , all of which are welded or otherwise connected to from the rectangular cross-section. Alternatively, collar  32  may be manufactured from a single piece of rectangular tubing, however, in all cases, the inside height and width of collar  32  must correspond to the outside height and width of the first end boom  20 , and must be sized to allow the first end boom  20  to slideably fit within collar  32 . Lower cap piece  36   b  is welded to the edges  33  of vertical plates  30 , thereby attaching collar  32  to end piece  12 . Four reinforcing ribs  37  are attached to vertical plates  30  and first kingpin plate  28  to reinforce the end piece  12 .  
         [0024]    The first end piece  12  includes two locking pin openings  38   a  and  38   b  having a distance A between the center lines of the locking pin openings. Locking pin openings  38   a  and  38   b  are located within the first vertical side wall plate  34   a  and second vertical side wall plate  34   b  such that the locking pin openings in the first vertical side wall plate  34   a  are axially aligned with the locking pin openings in the second vertical side wall plate  34   b . The locking pin openings are located along the horizontal center line of first vertical side wall plate  34   a  and the second vertical side wall plate  34   b . The locking pin openings  38   a  and  38   b  are sized to provide a clearance fit for locking pins  42  (FIG. 3).  
         [0025]    A second end piece  16  shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B comprises a collar  44  which is rectangular in cross-section and is formed by a first vertical side wall plate  41   a , a second vertical side wall plate  41   b , an upper cap piece  43   a , and a lower cap piece  43   b . Alternatively, collar  44  may be manufactured from a single piece of rectangular tubing. The inside height and width of collar  44  correspond to the outside height and width of the second end boom  22  and are sized to allow the second end boom to slideably fit within collar  44 . The kingpin  18  is connected to, and depends from, lower cap piece  43   b.    
         [0026]    Two locking pin openings  40 , also having a distance A between the center lines of the locking pin openings, are located within first vertical side wall plate  41   a  and second vertical side wall plate  42   b  such that the locking pin opening are positioned to be axially aligned. The locking pin openings are located along the horizontal center line of first vertical side wall plate  41   a  and the second vertical side wall plate  41   b . The locking pin openings  40  are sized to provide a clearance fit for locking pins  42  (FIG. 3).  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B depict the general configuration of first end boom  20 . First end boom  20  is rectangular in cross-section and is formed by a first vertical side plate  46   a , a second vertical side plate  46   b , an upper cap piece  48   a , and a lower cap piece  48   b . Alternatively, end boom  20  may be manufactured from a single rectangular tube. The exterior rectangular dimensions of the first end boom  20  are sized to slideably fit within connecting boom  24 . One group of five locking pin openings  50  is located near each end of first end boom  20  and each locking pin opening is positioned such that the locking pin openings in the first vertical side wall plate  46   b  are axially aligned with the locking pin openings in the second vertical side wall plate  46   a . The distance between any locking pin opening  50  and its nearest locking pin opening in each end of the first end boom  20  is equal to dimension A of the first end piece  12  and the second end piece  16 . The locking pin openings  50  are sized to provide a clearance fit for locking pins  42  (FIG. 3). Second end boom  22  is identical in all general respects to first end boom  20 .  
         [0028]    Connecting boom  24  is shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B. Connecting boom  24  is also rectangular in cross-section and is formed by a first vertical side wall plate  52   a , a second vertical side wall plate  52   b , an upper cap piece  54   a , and a lower cap piece  54   b . Alternatively, connecting boom  24  may be manufactured from a single piece of rectangular tubing. One group of two locking pin openings  56  is located near each end of the connecting boom  20  and each locking pin opening is positioned such that the locking pin openings in the first vertical side wall plate  52   a  are axially aligned with the locking pin openings in the second vertical side wall plate  52   b . The locking pin openings are located along the horizontal center line of first vertical side wall plate  52   a  and the second vertical side wall plate  52   b . The distance between the locking pin openings  50  at each end of connecting boom  24  is equal to dimension A of the first end piece  12  and the second end piece  16 . The locking pin openings  56  are sized to provide a clearance fit for locking pins  42  (FIG. 3).  
         [0029]    Straddle bar  26  is shown in FIGS.  8 A- 8 C. The straddle bar  26  comprises a rectangular plate  60 , a first vertical plate  62   a , a second vertical plate  62   b , and four reinforcing ribs  63 . The first vertical plate  62   a  and the second vertical plate  62   b  are attached to the upper surface  61  of the rectangular plate  60  and are spaced apart such that there is a clearance fit to allow the second end boom  22  to slide between the vertical plates  62   a  and  62   b . The center of the space between vertical plates  62   a  and  62   b  is centrally located on the length of rectangular plate  60 . A reinforcing rib  63  is positioned where vertical plates  62   a  and  62   b  intersect with the upper surface  61  of rectangular plate  60 , and are placed at the outer corner edges  65  of the vertical plates and the rectangular plate.  
         [0030]    Each vertical plate  62   a  and  62   b  includes a locking pin opening  64 . Each locking pin opening  64  is located on the vertical centerline of each vertical plate  62   a  and  62   b  and is sized to provide a clearance fit for locking pin  66 . Each locking pin opening  64  is positioned such that the locking pin opening in the first vertical side plate  62   a  is axially aligned with the locking pin opening in the second vertical side plate  62   b . Locking pin openings  64  are located to align with the locking pin openings  50  in second end boom  22 .  
         [0031]    In FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, a cross member  58  is shown. The cross member  58  comprises a rectangular plate  68 , first end plate  70   a , second end plate  70   b , two first face plates  74 , and two second end plates  76 . First end plate  70   a  and second end plate  70   b  are attached to each end of rectangular plate  68  such that edges  77  are flush with the upper surface  79  of rectangular plate  68 . Two first face plates  74  and two second face plates  76  are attached to the bottom surface  81  of rectangular plate  68  and are positioned such that the distance between the end surfaces  83  of the face plates allow the second end boom  22  to fit between the end surfaces.  
         [0032]    A keyhole is located in first end plate  70   a  and second end plate  70   a . The keyhole  72  is positioned on the vertical centerline of the end plates  70   a  and  70   b , and is configured to allow the insertion of the links of chain C (FIG. 1).  
       Description of the Operation of the Invention  
       [0033]    The truck towing apparatus  10  (FIG. 1) allows a truck T 1  (FIG. 1) to tow another truck T 2 . However, before the truck towing apparatus  10  can be used, it must be properly installed onto the trucks T 1  and T 2 .  
         [0034]    To install the truck towing apparatus  10 , proximal end  21  of first end boom  20  is slid into collar  32  of first end piece  12  until the locking pin openings  50  of the first end boom align with locking pin openings  38   a  and  38   b  of end piece  12 . End boom  20  is secured to end piece  12  by insertion of two locking pins  42  into the two aligned locking pin openings. Proximal end  23  of end boom  22  is then slid into end piece  16  until the locking pin openings  50  of the second end boom align with the locking pin openings  40  in the second end piece. Two more locking pins  42  are inserted into the aligned locking pin openings.  
         [0035]    If truck T 2  has a fifth wheel F 2 , the assembly consisting of end boom  22  and end piece  16  is attached to truck T 2  by inserting the kingpin  18  of end piece  16  into the fifth wheel F 2  of truck T 2 , and then engaging and locking the kingpin into the fifth wheel.  
         [0036]    If truck T 2  does not have a fifth wheel, second end piece  16  is not used. Instead, straddle bar  26  is attached to truck T 2  by placing the straddle bar onto a cross member of the chassis of truck T 2  and then attaching the straddle bar to the truck cross member of the truck chassis by means of bolts and nuts. After attachment of straddle bar  58  to the truck chassis, proximal end  23  of end boom  22  is slid into position between vertical plates  62   a  and  62   b  of the straddle bar until the locking pin openings  50  of the second end boom align with the locking pin openings  64  of the straddle bar.  
         [0037]    After end boom  22  is attached to truck T 2 , connecting boom  24  is slid onto distal end  27  of end boom  22  until the locking pin openings  56  of the connecting boom align with the locking pin openings  50  of the second end boom. Two locking pins  42  are inserted into the aligned locking pin openings to attach connecting boom  24  to end boom  22 . Distal end  25  of first end boom  20  is then inserted into connecting boom  24  until the locking pin openings  50  of the first end boom align with the locking pin openings  56  of connecting boom  24 . Two locking pins  42  are inserted into the aligned locking pin openings.  
         [0038]    First end piece  12  is slid onto proximal end  21  of first end boom  20  until the locking pin openings  38   a  and  38   b  of the first end piece align with the locking pin openings  50  of the first end boom. Two locking pins  42  are inserted into the aligned locking pin openings.  
         [0039]    Cross member  58  is then placed into position on second end boom  22  and the cross member is adjusted along the length of the second end boom until the cross member is over a truck frame chassis member capable of supporting the rear end of truck T 2 . Chain C is wrapped around the truck frame chassis member and the chain is passed through the keyhole openings  72  of cross member  58 .  
         [0040]    The rear end of truck T 2  is then raised by either backing the rear end of truck T 2  onto wheel ramps or by lifting the rear end of truck T 2  with a hoist. The rear end of truck T 2  is lifted until kingpin  14  of front end piece  12  is engaged with fifth wheel F 1  of truck T 1 . While wheel ramps and hoists are suggested for elevating the rear end of truck T 2 , these are offered as examples only and any other elevating means may be used to lift the rear end of the truck. The lifting elevating means is not an integral part of the present invention.  
         [0041]    Truck T 1  is slowly backed toward front end piece  12  until kingpin  14  engages and is locked into fifth wheel F 1  of truck T 1 . After the kingpin  14  is engaged and locked into fifth wheel F 1 , either the chain hoist is removed or the attached trucks T 1  and T 2  are backed off of the wheel ramps. Upon connection of all electrical wiring and brake lines from truck T 1  to truck T 2 , truck T 2  is ready for towing to another location by truck T 1 . Upon arriving at its destination, the truck towing apparatus is removed from trucks T 1  and T 2  by reversing the above installation procedure.  
         [0042]    In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results are obtained.  
         [0043]    As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.