Patent ID: 8602393

Claim:
A device for lifting a tag axle of a platform trailer comprises an upright post, a socket tube and an outrigger assembly, said socket tube having an open end and a stop end, said stop end of said socket tube disposed into a bed of said platform trailer, said socket tube rigidly affixed to a frame of said platform trailer, said upright post provided with a butt end adapted to be removably disposed into said socket tube, said upright post provided with a pulley adjacent an upper end thereof, said outrigger assembly comprising a sleeve, an arm and a brace, said arm disposed at an angle from said sleeve, said brace extending from said sleeve to said arm, said brace rigidly affixed to said arm and said sleeve, said arm provided with a pulley at a free end of said arm, said sleeve of said outrigger assembly adapted to slide freely over said upper end of said post and be removable therefrom wherein said sleeve is provided with means to temporarily retain said outrigger assembly on said post, said device lifting said tag axle free from a traveling surface engaging position, inverting said tag axle about a horizontal pivot disposed at an end of said platform trailer and lowering said tag axle into an inverted stowed position onto said bed of said platform trailer, said device also provided for lifting and deploying said tag axle from said inverted stowed position on said bed of said platform trailer and lowering said tag axle to said traveling surface engaging position to provide additional wheels on said traveling surface in support of additional load placed upon said bed.