Patent ID: 7828304

Claim:
A method for immobilizing a wheel of a vehicle, the method comprising: recognizing the vehicle as including a body, a first axle having a first wheel for supporting a body of the vehicle relative to a ground surface, the first axle connected to the body by a first air bag for selectively moving the first axle between a first distance relative to the vehicle body and a second distance relative to the vehicle body, a second axle having a second wheel for supporting the vehicle body relative to the ground surface, connected to the body by a second air bag for selectively moving the second axle between the first distance relative to the vehicle body and the second distance relative to the vehicle body, and at least one pressurized air source supplying a flow of pressurized air to the first and second air bags, the second wheel displaced relative to the first wheel along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the first and second wheel contacting the ground surface; depressurizing the first air bag while the first and second wheel are contacting the ground surface; mechanically securing the first axle to the vehicle body to maintain the first axle at the first distance relative to the vehicle body after depressurizing the first air bag; and disengaging the first wheel from the ground surface by raising the vehicle body relative to the second wheel while the first axle remains mechanically secured to the vehicle body at the first distance relative to the vehicle body after mechanically securing the first axle to the vehicle body.