Freight-loading apparatus

Claim 1

IN A CARRIER FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES, A CARRIER BODY FRAME ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT A PLURALITY OF AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES, A RAMP MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL SWINGING MOVEMENT ON SAID CARRIER BODY FRAME AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A VEHICLE THEREON AND TO HAVE SAID VEHICLE FASTENED SECURELY THERETO, PIVOTS ON SAID RAMP AT ONE END THEREOF, A CROSS SUPPORTING MEMBER ON SAID RAMP AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, BEARING PLATES CARRIED BY AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID BODY FRAME HAVING BEARINGS RECEIVING SAID PIVOTS, SHOCK ABSORBERS FASTENED TO SAID BEARING PLATES AND TO SAID BODY FRAME FOR YIELDABLY RESISTING THE RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BEARING PLATES AND SAID BODY FRAME, CATCH MEANS ARRANGED TO RECEIVE AND DETACHABLY CONNECT SAID CROSS SUPPORTING MEMBER TO SAID BODY FRAME, SAID CATCH MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIER BODY FRAME FOR LIMITED LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, AND SHOCK ABSORBERS FASTENED TO SAID CATCH MEANS AND SAID BODY FRAME YIELDABLY RESISTING RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN.