Vehicle transporter

Claim 2

A wheeled transporter for supporting a plurality of vehicles in a vertical position during transit, comprising a base frame supporting a roof portion to form an enclosure having a plurality of openings on each side of the transporter, a door provided for each opening on each side of the transporter, and having one end thereof hingedly connected to said base frame for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the transporter, said door adapted to be moved about said horizontal axis between a raised position wherein the opening is closed and the door is substantially vertically orientated and a lowered position wherein the door is inclined downwardly from said one end so as to form a ramp for vehicle loading, a pair of parallel tracks formed on the inner side of said door, each of said tracks extending substantially perpendicular to said horizontal axis and having a pair of wells formed therein for the front and rear wheels of a vehicle, guide plates attached to the door adjacent the tracks for guiding the wheels of a vehicle driven onto said door along said tracks when the door is in the lowered position, each of said wells having a wall for preventing the vehicle from freely rolling in a direction away from said one end of the door after the vehicle has been driven onto said door and when the latter is in said lowered position, cooperating means attached to the underside of the vehicle and to each door for automatically locking the vehicle on said door when the wheels of the vehicle are located in said wells and when the door is moved from the lowered position to the raised position, said wall being so positioned relative to the engaging member on the door that the engaging member on the vehicle is spaced longitudinally from the engaging member on the door when the door is in the lowered position with the vehicle thereon but allows the vehicle to move towards said one end of the door to cause interlocking of said engaging members when the door is moved to the raised position.

Claim 3

A wheeled transporter for supporting a plurality of vehicles in a vertical position during transit, comprising a base frame supporting a roof portion to form an enclosure having at least one opening on each side of the transporter, a door provided for each opening on each side of the transporter and having one end thereof hingedly connected to said frame for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the transporter, said door adapted to be moved about said horizontal axis between a raised position wherein the opening is closed and the door is substantially vertically orientated and a lowered position wherein the door is inclined downwardly from said one end so as to form a ramp for vehicle loading, a pair of parallel tracks formed on the inner side of said door, each of said tracks extending substantially perpendicular to said horizontal axis and having a pair of wells formed therein for the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, vertical guide plates attached to the door adjacent the tracks for guiding the wheels of a vehicle driven onto said door along said track when the door is in the lowered position, each of said wells having a wall for preventing the vehicle from freely rolling in a direction away from said one end of the door after the vehicle has been driven onto said door and when the latter is in said lowered position, hook members fixed with said door between said tracks and spaced along the length thereof, keeper memberS attached to the underside of the vehicle for automatically mating with said hook members for locking the vehicle on said door when the wheels of the vehicle are located in said wells and when the door is moved from the lowered position to the raised position, said wall being so positioned relative to the hook members on the door that the keeper members on the vehicle are longitudinally spaced to the rear of said hook members when the door is in the lowered position with the vehicle thereon but allows the vehicle to move towards said one end of the door to cause interlocking of said hook and keeper members when the door is moved to the raised position.

Claim 4

A wheeled transporter for supporting a plurality of vehicles in a vertical position during transit, comprising a base frame supporting a roof portion to form an enclosure having at least one opening on each side of the transporter, a door provided for each opening on each side of the transporter and having one end thereof hingedly connected to said frame for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the transporter, said door adapted to be moved about said horizontal axis between a raised position wherein the opening is closed and the door is substantially vertically orientated and a lowered position wherein the door is inclined downwardly from said one end so as to form a ramp for vehicle loading, a pair of parallel tracks formed on the inner side of said door, each of said tracks extending substantially perpendicular to said horizontal axis and having a pair of wells formed therein for the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, vertical guide plates attached to the door adjacent the tracks for guiding the wheels of a vehicle driven onto said door along said track when the door is in the lowered position, each of said wells having a wall for preventing the vehicle from freely rolling in a direction away from said one end of the door after the vehicle has been driven onto said door and when the latter is in said lowered position, hook members fixed with said door between said tracks and spaced along the length thereof, keeper memberS attached to the underside of the vehicle for automatically mating with said hook members for locking the vehicle on said door when the wheels of the vehicle are located in said wells and when the door is moved from the lowered position to the raised position, said wall being so positioned relative to the hook members on the door that the keeper members on the vehicle are longitudinally spaced to the rear of said hook members when the door is in the lowered position with the vehicle thereon but allows the vehicle to move towards said one end of the door to cause interlocking of said hook and keeper members when the door is moved to the raised position.