Abstract:
A trailer for transporting snowmobiles, all terrain vehicles and other vehicles that are driven onto the trailer and that includes a trailer bed onto which the vehicles are driven, a wheel supported undercarriage beneath the bed, a motor powered drive assembly to fully rotate the bed with respect to the undercarriage and protector/ramps at opposite ends of the trailer bed to provide ramps for driving vehicles on to and off of the trailer bed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Not Applicable  
         STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not Applicable  
         REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
         [0003]    Not Applicable  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    This invention relates to trailers and is particularly related to trailers used in transporting snowmobiles.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    Snowmobile users frequently use trailers to transport the machines from storage to a use location and return. It is not uncommon that one snowmobile or even as many as four to six machines are transported on a single trailer. Very few snowmobiles are capable of reverse travel so it frequently is a difficult task to load the snowmobile or snowmobiles on a trailer bed such that they can be readily removed. Generally the machines are simply dragged off the trailer when they are unloaded. The machines are heavy and cumbersome and it is not only hard work to drag them from the trailer, but it is also somewhat dangerous, particularly when such procedures may be taking place in snow storms or other inclement weather conditions. Also, it is very common that loading and unloading of the trailer may be taking place in locations affording limited mobility of the trailer or towing vehicle. For example the vehicle and trailer may be driven to the end of a single lane mountain road at which location it is necessary to unload the snowmobiles from the rear of the trailer. Or, the vehicle and trailer may be driven into a parking lot at a ski-resort, where parking space is at a premium and there is no alternative to dragging the snowmobiles from the rear of the trailer.  
           [0006]    Trailers have been developed in the past that allow front ramps to be lowered into position allowing snowmobiles to be driven off the trailer at an angle that will afford clearance of the towing vehicle. This, of course requires side clearance alongside the tow vehicle to permit the machines to be run off the trailer. Often, such side clearance is not available and the user of the trailer must resort to dragging the transported snowmobiles from the rear of the trailer.  
           [0007]    Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a trailer that can be used to transport snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and the like and that will provide for easy loading and unloading of the trailer.  
           [0008]    Still other objects are to provide a trailer that will permit snowmobiles and ATV&#39;s to be driven onto the trailer and off of the trailer even when the vehicles do not have a reverse drive.  
           [0009]    It is yet another object of the invention to allow loading and unloading of a trailer from any desired location around the trailer and from ground level or from a hillside, snow bank or other elevated terrain feature at the loading and unloading site.  
           [0010]    Principal features of the invention include a trailer with a rigid, supporting, wheeled undercarriage and a trailer bed supported by bearings carried by the undercarriage. An electric motor rotates the bed on the bearings, through sprockets and a drive chain. An electrical switch operates to turn the motor on and off and a locking assembly is provided to secure the bed against rotation relative to the undercarriage during travel of the trail t.  
           [0011]    Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description and drawings, disclosing what is presently contemplated as being the best mode of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    In the drawings:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the trailer of the invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 a similar view with the bed of the trailer rotated;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3, a pictorial view showing the undercarriage and trailer bed;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4, an enlarged view of the drive motor for the bed;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5, an enlarged view of the front end of the undercarriage and trailer bed, shown fragmentarily, and the locking assembly;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6, a reduced top plan view of the trailer;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7, a side elevation view;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8, an enlarged side elevation view of the coupling between trailer bed and drive sprocket; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9, a transverse section, taken on the line  9 - 9  of FIG. 7. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0022]    Referring now to the drawings:  
         [0023]    In the illustrated embodiment, the trailer of the invention is shown generally at  10 . Trailer  10  includes a trailer bed  12  with a front protector/ramp  14  having a section  16  pivotally connected by hinges  18  to a front edge  20  of the bed  12 . A rear protector/ramp  22  has a section  24  that is similarly pivotally hinge connected at  26  to the rear edge  28  of the bed  12 .  
         [0024]    Side rails  30  and  32  project upwardly from rails  34  and  36  at opposite sides of the bed  12 . Plates  38  project upwardly from ends of side rails  30  and  32  and locking pins  40  are inserted through plates  38  and frames  42  of the protector/ramps  14  and  22 . Upper sections  44  and  46  of the protector/ramps  14  and  22  are respectively hinged at  48  to the sections  16  and  24 .  
         [0025]    The protector/ramps  14  and  22  are locked in a to the side rails in a raised position when snowmobiles are positioned on the trailer bed. In the raised position the protector/ramps hold the snowmobiles on the trailer and the front protector/ramp  14  protects the snowmobiles from slush and Either debris thrown up by the tow vehicle wheels. The protector/ramps  14  and  22  are pivoted downwardly and sections  44  and  46  are pivoted to form extensions of the sections  16  and  24  that will serve as extended access ramps for movement of snowmobiles onto and off the trailer bed. A trailer tongue  50  is connected to and projects from a front rail  52  of an undercarriage  54  beneath the trailer bed  12 . The usual trailer jack  56  is fixed to tongue  50  and a hitch coupler  58  is mounted to the end of the tongue remote from the front rail  52  for attachment to a tow vehicle (not shown).  
         [0026]    Undercarriage  54  further includes a pair of spaced apart long rails  60  and  62 , a pair of spaced apart short rails  64  and  66  respectively welded to long rails  60  and  62 . A pair of leaf springs  68  and  70  are suspended by spring hangars  72 ,  74  and  76  from each of the short rails and a pair of roles  78  and  80  with wheels  82  and  84  on the ends thereof are secured t) the springs by clamps  86  and  88 .  
         [0027]    A gear motor  90  is bolted at  92  to a cross beam  94  interconnecting the long rails  60  and  62  and the output shaft of the motor has a small sprocket  96  thereon. A chain  98  passes around small sprocket  96  and a large sprocket  100 . An idler sprocket  102  is suspended by a hangar  104  from a plate  106  extending between the long rails  60  and  62 . Large sprocket  100  is driven by chain  98  and a shaft  108  connects the center of the sprocket through a coupling  110  to a shaft  112 . Shaft  112  is fixed to and projects downwardly from a plate  114  that is welded or otherwise affixed to a plate  116  fixed beneath the bed  12  of the trailer  10 .  
         [0028]    Shaft  112  projects downwardly through a hole  118  provided therefore through a steel plate  120  that is fixed to long rails  60  and  62 . Thrust bearings  122  have housings welded, or otherwise affixed to steel plate  120 . The thrust bearings are equidistant from the shaft  112  and are on a circle surrounding the shaft  112 .  
         [0029]    Plate  116  rests on the balls of the thrust bearings and when the bed  12  is turned the plate  114  turns on the bearings.  
         [0030]    Operation of motor  90  turns small sprocket  96  and drives chain  98  to turn large sprocket  100  and through shafts  108  and  112  and plate  114 , bed  12  of the trailer. Motor  90  is a DC motor, powered by the battery of the tow vehicle. Wires  124 , connected to motor  90  and to a connector  126  allow the motor to be coupled to the tow vehicle. A switch  126  is also connected in the wires  124  to allow the motor to be turned on and off. Switch  124  is preferable mounted on tongue  50 , but it will be apparent that the switch could be mounted elsewhere.  
         [0031]    A locking plate  130  is pivotally connected at  132  to front rail  52  of undercarriage  54  and hangs from the pivot connection. A handle  134  projects from locking plate  130  and is used to pivot the locking plate to a position where a portion  136  of the locking plate overlaps the front edge  20  of bed  12  to prevent rotation of the bed. A pin  138  is inserted through aligned holes in the front rail and the locking plate. A small spring clip)  140  through the end of pin  138  holds pin  138  in place to prevent undesired turning of the trailer bed  12 .  
         [0032]    With the rotating bed  12  trailer  10  can be conveniently used to load and unload snowmobiles, or all terrain vehicles, at any desired angle with respect to the trailer undercarriage. The bed is merely turned to the desired angle with respect to the fixed undercarriage and the ramp  42  is lowered to permit the vehicle to be driven onto the trailer bed. After loading the bed  12  ramp  42  is again pivoted to its raised and locked position and the bed is rotated to be aligned with and locked relative to the undercarriage. The, bed is turned to a desired angle relative to the undercarriage and ramp  40 ) is lowered to permit the vehicles to be driven from the bed  12 . Ramp  41 ) is then raised and locked in place.  
         [0033]    Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been herein disclosed, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is by way of example and that variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which subject matter I regard as my invention.