Patent ID: 8376684

Claim:
An apparatus for loading and carrying a recreational vehicle on a second vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a trailer assembly on which the recreational vehicle is positionable, the trailer assembly including a frame with an upwardly slanted front end, a coupler for connecting to the second vehicle, means for rollingly supporting the frame, and a boat winch connected to a front end of the frame of the trailer assembly; a rack assembly mountable on top of the vehicle, the rack assembly having a front end and a rear end, the rack assembly further having a middle horizontal crossbar positioned between the front end and the rear end, a lower rear horizontal crossbar positioned at the rear end and at a level lower than the middle horizontal crossbar, and an upper rear horizontal crossbar positioned at the rear end of the rack assembly in horizontal alignment with the middle horizontal crossbar and in spaced apart, vertical alignment with the lower rear horizontal crossbar such that the boat winch is operably connectable to the upper rear horizontal crossbar so that operation of the boat winch causes the coupler of the trailer assembly to be positioned above the lower rear horizontal crossbar and below the upper rear horizontal crossbar, the upper rear horizontal crossbar being releasably attached to the rack assembly so that the upper rear horizontal crossbar is selectively detachable from the rack assembly; and a winch having a cable, the winch connected to the rack assembly such that the cable is extendible over the middle horizontal cross bar and connectable to the frame of the trailer assembly such that when the upper rear horizontal crossbar is detached from the rack assembly, actuation of the winch pulls the upwardly slanted front end of the trailer assembly into contact with the lower horizontal crossbar so as to guide the frame in an upward direction and thereafter pulls the frame of the trailer assembly along the lower rear horizontal crossbar and the middle horizontal crossbar until the trailer assembly is caused to move through space vacated by the upper rear horizontal crossbar to a substantially horizontal position on the rack assembly.