Recreational vehicle

Claim 2

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection between the power unit and the living unit associated with the side rails and recesses respectively so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are restingly fitted in the recesses to provide a substantially flush joint with the recessed portion resting in the bed, the cab having a rear wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the walls being so oriented with respect to the slidable connection that they mate closely face-to-face when the units are drawn together, the walls having registering doorways and having individual doors simultaneously openable to provide passage when the units are drawn together and individually closable for security when the units are separated from one another.

Claim 3

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection between the power unit and the living unit associated with the side rails and recesses respectively so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are restingly fitted in the recesses to provide a substantially flush joint with the recessed portion resting in the bed, the cab having a rear wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the walls being so oriented with respect to the slidable connection that they mate closely face-to-face when the units are drawn together, the walls having registering doorways and having individual doors simultaneously openable to provide passage when the units are drawn together and individually closable for security when the units are separated from one another.

Claim 4

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection between the power unit and the living unit associated with the side rails and recesses respectively so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are restingly fitted in the recesses to provide a substantially flush joint with the recessed portion resting in the bed, the cab having a rear wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the walls being so oriented with respect to the slidable connection that they mate closely face-to-face when the units are drawn together, the walls having registering doorways and having individual doors simultaneously openable to provide passage when the units are drawn together and individually closable for security when the units are separated from one another.

Claim 5

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of hollow rectangular side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the trailer body having rectangular recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body for registering with the side rails, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection of the dovetail type between the power unit and the living unit associated with the side rails and recesses respectively so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are fitted in the recesses to provide a substantially flush joint between them, the cab having a back wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the walls being so oriented with respect to the slidable connection that they mate closely face-to-face when the units are drawn together, the walls having registering doorways, and means for moving the reAr wheels of the power unit downwardly into an extended position when the units are separate and for moving the rear wheels to an upwardly retracted position when the units are drawn together.

Claim 6

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of hollow rectangular side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the trailer body having rectangular recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body for registering with the side rails, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection of the dovetail type between the power unit and the living unit associated with the side rails and recesses respectively so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are fitted in the recesses to provide a substantially flush joint between them, the cab having a back wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the walls being so oriented with respect to the slidable connection that they mate closely face-to-face when the units are drawn together, the walls having registering doorways, and means for moving the reAr wheels of the power unit downwardly into an extended position when the units are separate and for moving the rear wheels to an upwardly retracted position when the units are drawn together.

Claim 7

The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which the rear wheels of the tractor vehicle are vertically alined with the side rails thereof and are retractable upwardly into the side rails.

Claim 8

The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which the means for extending and retracting the rear wheels is housed in the side rails ahead of the rear wheels.

Claim 9

The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which the mounting means for each rear wheel includes a positioning link extending fore-and-aft coupled to the wheel at its rear end and having adjustable means for coupling to the frame at its forward end for adjusting the angular position of the link.

Claim 10

The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which the adjusting means includes a power driven screw having a nut traveling thereon, the nut being secured to the forward end of the link.

Claim 11

The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which the rear wall of the cab and the front wall of the living unit are of matching trapezoidal profile both angled forwardly to the same degree with respect to the slidable connection between the units.

Claim 12

The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which the means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit is in the form of a power driven winch located at the front of the bed and having a cable connected to the living unit.

Claim 13

The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which the horizontal slidable connection is in the form of a pair of longitudinal slides on one of the units and means providing a pair of registering longitudinal recesses on the other unit.

Claim 14

The combination as claimed in claim 9 in which a latch mechanism is provided in the power unit for latching the longitudinal slides in their forwardly seated positions.

Claim 15

The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which the horizontal slidable connection is in the form of longitudinal slides on opposite sides of the recessed portion of the living unit and facing outwardly therefrom and registering inwardly facing receptacles on the side rails of the power unit together with manually controlled means for maintaining the slides securely seated in the receptacles.

Claim 16

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and living unit, means providing a longitudinally extending dovetail-type connection between the side rails of the tractor vehicle and the recessed portion of the main body, the cab having a rear wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the side rails being dimensioned to fit into the recesses in the main body and the recessed portion being dimensioned to fit in the bed so that when the units are drawn together the rear wall of the cab mates face-to-face with the front wall of the main body, the walls having registering doorways to provide back and forth passage when the units are drawn together, the mating walls of the cab and trailer body being of trapezoidal profile, the main body being both higher and wider than the cab and having a front portion which is tapered inwardly and downwardly to provide a smoothly merging joint between the two units.

Claim 17

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and living unit, means providing a longitudinally extending dovetail-type connection between the side rails of the tractor vehicle and the recessed portion of the main body, the cab having a rear wall and the main body having a conforming front wall, the side rails being dimensioned to fit into the recesses in the main body and the recessed portion being dimensioned to fit in the bed so that when the units are drawn together the rear wall of the cab mates face-to-face with the front wall of the main body, the walls having registering doorways to provide back and forth passage when the units are drawn together, the mating walls of the cab and trailer body being of trapezoidal profile, the main body being both higher and wider than the cab and having a front portion which is tapered inwardly and downwardly to provide a smoothly merging joint between the two units.

Claim 18

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit so that the side rails are fitted in the recesses, the frame of the power unit including main longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the respective inside surfaces of the side rail, the frame of the living unit including main longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the side surfaces of the recessed portion, the exposed portion of the longitudinal frame members being constructed and arranged for mutual telescoping engagement as the units are drawn horizontally together, and means for securing the frame members in their fully telescoped relation so that the frames of the power and living units are rigidly integrated with one another.

Claim 19

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit so that the side rails are fitted in the recesses, the frame of the power unit including main longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the respective inside surfaces of the side rail, the frame of the living unit including main longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the side surfaces of the recessed portion, the exposed portion of the longitudinal frame members being constructed and arranged for mutual telescoping engagement as the units are drawn horizontally together, and means for securing the frame members in their fully telescoped relation so that the frames of the power and living units are rigidly integrated with one another.

Claim 20

The combination as claimed in claim 13 in which the exposed frame members of the living unit are in the form of parallel slides and in which the exposed frame members of the power unit are in the form of parallel inwardly facing channels for telescopingly receiving the slides.

Claim 21

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the rear wheels having means for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a forward cab with a rearwardly facing wall and an adjacent horizontally extending bed at the back, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having a front wall which conforms to the rear wall of a cab and having an adjacent front portion which is dimensioned to be received in the bed, the frame of the power unit including longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the bed, the frame of the living unit including longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the front portion, the exposed portions of the respective frame members being dimensioned and arranged for mutual telescoping engagement as the units are drawn horizontally together, and means for securing the frame members in their fully telescoped relation so that the frames of the power and living units are rigidly integrated with one another and so that the walls of the cab and living unit seat closely face-to-face, the walls having registering doorways for passage back and forth between the units.

Claim 22

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the rear wheels having means for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a forward cab with a rearwardly facing wall and an adjacent horizontally extending bed at the back, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having a front wall which conforms to the rear wall of a cab and having an adjacent front portion which is dimensioned to be received in the bed, the frame of the power unit including longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the bed, the frame of the living unit including longitudinal frame members exposed and extending along the front portion, the exposed portions of the respective frame members being dimensioned and arranged for mutual telescoping engagement as the units are drawn horizontally together, and means for securing the frame members in their fully telescoped relation so that the frames of the power and living units are rigidly integrated with one another and so that the walls of the cab and living unit seat closely face-to-face, the walls having registering doorways for passage back and forth between the units.

Claim 23

In a recreational vehicle assembly, the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another having inside surfaces defining a horizontal bed as well as outside surfaces, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, the recessed portion being dimensioned to fit into the bed of the power unit while the side rails are received In the horizontal recesses, the living unit having vertical and horizontal dimensions which are substantially greater than the cab on the power unit, the roof of the living unit having a downwardly sloping surface at its forward end to merge smoothly with the roof of the cab, the side walls of the living unit having inwardly convergent surfaces merging with the side walls of the cab and with the outside surfaces of the side rails thereby to provide a smoothly fitted joint between the power unit and the living unit notwithstanding the differences in cross section thereof.

Claim 24

In a recreational vehicle assembly, the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another having inside surfaces defining a horizontal bed as well as outside surfaces, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, the recessed portion being dimensioned to fit into the bed of the power unit while the side rails are received In the horizontal recesses, the living unit having vertical and horizontal dimensions which are substantially greater than the cab on the power unit, the roof of the living unit having a downwardly sloping surface at its forward end to merge smoothly with the roof of the cab, the side walls of the living unit having inwardly convergent surfaces merging with the side walls of the cab and with the outside surfaces of the side rails thereby to provide a smoothly fitted joint between the power unit and the living unit notwithstanding the differences in cross section thereof.

Claim 25

The combination as claimed in claim 16 in which the sloping and convergent surfaces at the front end of the living unit are at least partially occupied by windows for direct forward viewing by the passengers in the living unit.

Claim 26

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body which includes a cab at the front and a receiving space including a longitudinal bed at the back, a pair of front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, a pair of rear wheels freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the cab having a generally flat rear wall surface including a door opening, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having a front wall conforming in profile and orientation to the rear wall of the cab and having a door opening registering with the door opening in the latter, gasket means interposed between the walls and generally following the wall periphery, means for drawing together the power unit and the living unit, and means providing a dovetail-type horizontally slidable connection between the frames of the power and living units for securing a rigid joint between them and for maintaining the units in predetermined orientation with respect to one another as they are drawn together for flat and continuous seating of the gasket with respect to the wall surfaces.

Claim 27

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body which includes a cab at the front and a receiving space including a longitudinal bed at the back, a pair of front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, a pair of rear wheels freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the cab having a generally flat rear wall surface including a door opening, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having a front wall conforming in profile and orientation to the rear wall of the cab and having a door opening registering with the door opening in the latter, gasket means interposed between the walls and generally following the wall periphery, means for drawing together the power unit and the living unit, and means providing a dovetail-type horizontally slidable connection between the frames of the power and living units for securing a rigid joint between them and for maintaining the units in predetermined orientation with respect to one another as they are drawn together for flat and continuous seating of the gasket with respect to the wall surfaces.

Claim 28

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a tail gate hinged at its lower edge along the rear edge of the bed for bridging the space between the side rails, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection between the units so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are nestingly received in the recesses with the recessed portion of the main body received in the bed, the tail gate being forwardly swingable about its hinge so that when the units are assembled the tailgate lies between the recessed portion of the body and the bed.

Claim 29

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body and having pairs of front and rear wheels, the front wheels having means for driving and steering the same, the rear wheels being freely rotatable and mounted for vertical positioning relative to the frame, the body having a cab at the front and a pair of horizontal side rails at the back, the side rails being spaced parallel to one another and defining a horizontal bed between them, a tail gate hinged at its lower edge along the rear edge of the bed for bridging the space between the side rails, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and having centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having horizontal recesses formed in its front end and extending along the sides of the body to define a recessed portion, means for axially drawing together the power unit and the living unit, means providing a horizontally slidable connection between the units so that as the units are drawn together the side rails are nestingly received in the recesses with the recessed portion of the main body received in the bed, the tail gate being forwardly swingable about its hinge so that when the units are assembled the tailgate lies between the recessed portion of the body and the bed.

Claim 30

The combination as claimed in claim 19 in which the bed of the power unit has a shallow flat-bottomed recess adjacent the tail gate of a depth which is substantially equal to the thickness of the tail gate for conformingly receiving the tail gate when it is in its forwardly swung position.

Claim 31

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body which includes a cab at the front and a receiving space including a longitudinal bed at the back, the power unit having a pair of front wheels having means for driving and steering The same and a pair of freely rotatable rear wheels, the cab having a rear wall with a door opening, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having a cooperating front wall conforming in profile and orientation to the rear wall of the cab and having a registering door opening, means providing a dovetail-type horizontally slidable connection between the frames of the power and living units, means for securing the units together in assembled relation with the cooperating walls face-to-face to form a rigid joint between them, the rear wheels of the power unit being retractable with respect to the frame of the power unit when the units are assembled together and being extendible into ground engagement for separate usage of the power unit.

Claim 32

In a recreational vehicle assembly the combination comprising a power unit in the form of a tractor vehicle having a frame mounting a body which includes a cab at the front and a receiving space including a longitudinal bed at the back, the power unit having a pair of front wheels having means for driving and steering The same and a pair of freely rotatable rear wheels, the cab having a rear wall with a door opening, a living unit having a frame mounting a main body and centrally located supporting wheels, the main body having a cooperating front wall conforming in profile and orientation to the rear wall of the cab and having a registering door opening, means providing a dovetail-type horizontally slidable connection between the frames of the power and living units, means for securing the units together in assembled relation with the cooperating walls face-to-face to form a rigid joint between them, the rear wheels of the power unit being retractable with respect to the frame of the power unit when the units are assembled together and being extendible into ground engagement for separate usage of the power unit.