Patent ID: 7083182

Claim:
A trailer ( 10 ) for the recovery of vehicles comprising: a drawbar ( 12 ) with means ( 24 ) for attachment to a towing vehicle, a pair of wheels ( 70 ) attached to the drawbar ( 12 ) and a pair of wheel pans ( 50 ) secured to the drawbar ( 12 ) characterized in that: the drawbar ( 12 ) has first and second sections ( 14 , 16 ), the first and second sections ( 14 , 16 ) being hinged together at adjacent ends, about a horizontal transverse axis; the first section ( 14 ) of the drawbar ( 12 ) having means ( 24 ) by which it may be secured to a towing hitch ( 100 ) of a recovery vehicle, at an end thereof remote from the end hinged to the second section ( 16 ); the second section ( 16 ) of the drawbar ( 12 ) having a pair of arms ( 30 ) pivotally mounted adjacent an end thereof remote from the end hinged to the first section ( 14 ), the arms ( 30 ) being pivotal between a stowed position in which they are disposed parallel to the drawbar ( 12 ), one on either side of the drawbar ( 12 ) in juxtaposed relationship thereto and a deployed position in which they are disposed coaxially of one another on an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawbar ( 12 ); the wheel pans ( 5 ) being mounted and able to slide, one on each of the arms ( 30 ), the wheel pans ( 50 ) being interconnected to the second section ( 16 ) of the drawbar ( 12 ) by a linkage mechanism ( 60 , 62 ), so that when the arms ( 30 ) are in the stowed position, the wheel pans ( 50 ) are slid inwardly towards the pivot connections of the arms ( 30 ) to the drawbar ( 12 ) and, when the arms ( 30 ) are in the deployed position, the wheel pans ( 50 ) being slid outwardly towards the free ends of the arms ( 30 ); and a self steering wheel ( 70 ) being mounted on each of the arms ( 30 ), the self steering wheels ( 70 ) being disposed outboard of the wheel pans ( 50 ) when the arms ( 30 ) are in the deployed position.