Boat transporting, launching and retrieving trailer

Claim 2

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving a boat comprising a wheeled undercarriage having a draft tongue adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed pivotally and lOngitudinally movably mounted on the undercarriage for vertical swinging movement and fore or aft movement thereon, a first power means interconnecting said undercarriage and bed and operable to tilt the bed vertically on its pivot relative to the undercarriage, a second power means interconnecting the undercarriage and bed and operable to shift the bed longitudinally in opposite directions relative to the undercarriage while the bed is tilted or level or in an intermediate position, a power winch on the trailer having a flexible element attachable to a boat for drawing the boat onto said bed or for delivering the boat from the bed into the water, a pair of laterally spaced guide arms on said bed near the rear end of the bed and having stored and active positions, and another power means on the bed and connected with said guide arms and operable independently of the aforementioned power means to move the guide arms to and from their active and stored positions.

Claim 3

The structure of claim 1, and said guide arms carried by a transverse rocker shaft on said bed, said another power means comprising a power cylinder having an extensible and retractable rod, and a crank arm on said rocker shaft connected with said rod.

Claim 4

The structure of claim 2, and means forming pivotal connections between the guide arms and said rocker shaft, springs biasing the guide arms laterally inwardly toward each other and the guide arms moving outwardly to solid boat guiding positions responsive to contact with the tapered hull of a boat.

Claim 5

The structure of claim 1, and a control console on the trailer having separate remote manually operable controls for said first and second power means, said power winch and said another power means.

Claim 6

The structure of claim 4, and said control console mounted on said bed near the forward end of the bed.

Claim 7

The structure of claim 5, and said first power means second power means and another power means comprising three independently operable power cylinders and said separate controls including an independently operable control valve for each said power means.

Claim 8

The structure of claim 1, and centrally located longitudinally spaced keel guiding and support rollers on said bed, and coacting laterally spaced self-adjusting boat cradling roller units on the bed on opposite sides of said keel rollers.

Claim 9

The structure of claim 1, and said first and second power means comprising first and second fluid pressure operated cylinders on said undercarriage having extensible and retractable piston rods and intervening mechanism connected with said bed.

Claim 10

The structure of claim 8, and said intervening mechanism including a rocker shaft on the undercarriage extending transversely thereof and having a crank arm connected with the piston rod of said first cylinder, and an additional pair of crank arms on the rocker shaft and having guide rollers thereon movably engaging longitudinal trackways on the opposite sides of said bed.

Claim 11

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving a boat comprising a wheeled undercarriage having a draft tongue adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed pivotally and longitudinally movably mounted on the undercarriage for vertical swinging movement and fore or aft movement thereon, a first power means interconnecting said undercarriage and bed and operable to tilt the bed vertically on its pivot relative to the undercarriage, a second power means interconnecting the undercarriage and bed and operable to shift the bed longitudinally in opposite directions relative to the undercarriage while the bed is tilted or level or in an intermediate position, a power winch on the trailer having a flexible element attachable to a boat for drawing the boat onto said bed or delivering the boat from the bed into water, and said second power means comprising a long longitudinally extending power cylinder pivoted to said undercarriage near its rearward rod end and having a piston rod pivotally connected to said bed, said long cylinder extending for a substantial distance forwardly of its pivotal connection with the undercarriage, and cradle supporting means for said long cylinder secured to said bed and movable therewith and slidably engaging the long cylinder so that the latter will be supported and aligned for all positions of the bed.

Claim 12

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving a boat comprising a wheeled undercarriage having a draft tongue adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed pivotally and longitudinally movably mounted on the undercarriage for vertical swinging movement and fore or aft movement thereon, a first power means interconnecting said undercarriage and bed and operable to tilt the bed vertically on its pivot relative to the undercarriage, a second power means interconnecting the undercarriage and bed and operable to shift the bed longitudinally in opposite directions relative to the undercarriage while the bed is tilted or level or in an intermediate position, a power winch on the trailer having a flexible element attachable to a boat for drawing the boat onto said bed or delivering the boat from the bed into water, and said second power means comprising a long longitudinally extending power cylinder pivoted to said undercarriage near its rearward rod end and having a piston rod pivotally connected to said bed, said long cylinder extending for a substantial distance forwardly of its pivotal connection with the undercarriage, and cradle supporting means for said long cylinder secured to said bed and movable therewith and slidably engaging the long cylinder so that the latter will be supported and aligned for all positions of the bed.

Claim 13

The structure of claim 10, and the pivotal connection between said bed and undercarriage comprising a pair of guide rollers for the bed on the undercarriage and being coaxial with the pivot of the long power cylinder on the undercarriage.

Claim 14

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving a boat comprising a wheeled undercarriage having a draft tongue adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed pivotally and longitudinally movably mounted on the undercarriage for vertical swinging movement and fore or aft movement thereon, a first power means interconnecting said undercarriage and bed and operable to tilt the bed vertically on its pivot relative to the undercarriage, a second power means interconnecting the undercarriage and bed and operable to shift the bed longitudinally in opposite directions relative to the undercarriage while the bed is tilted or level or in an intermediate position, a power winch on the trailer having a flexible element attachable to a boat for drawing the boat onto said bed or for delivering the boat from the bed into the water, and said first power means including a pair of vertically swingable crank arms mounting a pair of guide rollers which engage opposite side trackways of said bed guidingly and supportingly, and an additional pair of guide and support rollers for said bed rearwardly of the rollers on said crank arms, said additional pair of rollers constituting pivot elements for said bed allowing the bed to be tilted relative to the undercarriage in any longitudinally adjusted position of the bed under influence of the second power means.

Claim 15

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving a boat comprising a wheeled undercarriage having a draft tongue adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed pivotally and longitudinally movably mounted on the undercarriage for vertical swinging movement and fore or aft movement thereon, a first power means interconnecting said undercarriage and bed and operable to tilt the bed vertically on its pivot relative to the undercarriage, a second power means interconnecting the undercarriage and bed and operable to shift the bed longitudinally in opposite directions relative to the undercarriage while the bed is tilted or level or in an intermediate position, a power winch on the trailer having a flexible element attachable to a boat for drawing the boat onto said bed or for delivering the boat from the bed into the water, and said first power means including a pair of vertically swingable crank arms mounting a pair of guide rollers which engage opposite side trackways of said bed guidingly and supportingly, and an additional pair of guide and support rollers for said bed rearwardly of the rollers on said crank arms, said additional pair of rollers constituting pivot elements for said bed allowing the bed to be tilted relative to the undercarriage in any longitudinally adjusted position of the bed under influence of the second power means.

Claim 16

The structure of claim 12, and the second power means comprising an extensible and retractable cylinder-piston unit having a piston rod connected with the bed and having a cylinder body pivoted to said undercarriage coaxially with the rotational axes of said additional pair of guide and support rollers.

Claim 17

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving boats comprising a wheeled undercarriage adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed mounted on said undercarriage for pivotal movement vertically and for longitudinal fore and aft movement relative to the undercarriage, guide roller means on the undercarriage engaged with trackway means of said bed and forming simultaneously the pivot point for the bed with the undercarriage and the means for guiding the bed in its fore and aft longitudinal movement, a first power cylinder having a pivotal connection with the undercarriage adjacent the rotational axis of said guide roller means whereby said cylinder may swing vertically in unison with the bed relative to the undercarriage, said first power cylinder having an extensible and retractable piston rod coupled to the bed for moving it fore and aft longitudinally, power-operated means connected with the bed to swing it vertically about said guide roller means in any longitudinally adjusted position of the bed, said power-operated means comprising a second power cylinder having a pivotal connection with the undercarriage and having an extensible and retractable piston rod, pivoted crank means on the undercarriage coupled with the last-named piston rod, and guide roller means on the pivoted crank means engaged with said trackway means of said bed, and a winch means on the trailer adapted for connection with a boat to be drawn onto the bed or discharged therefrom.

Claim 18

A trailer for transporting, launching and retrieving boats comprising a wheeled undercarriage adapted for connection with a towing vehicle, a boat supporting bed mounted on said undercarriage for pivotal movement vertically and for longitudinal fore and aft movement relative to the undercarriage, guide roller means on the undercarriage engaged with trackway means of said bed and forming simultaneously the pivot point for the bed with the undercarriage and the means for guiding the bed in its fore and aft longitudinal movement, a first power cylinder having a pivotal connection with the undercarriage adjacent the rotational axis of said guide roller means whereby said cylinder may swing vertically in unison with the bed relative to the undercarriage, said first power cylinder having an extensible and retractable piston rod coupled to the bed for moving it fore and aft longitudinally, power-operated means connected with the bed to swing it vertically about said guide roller means in any longitudinally adjusted position of the bed, said power-operated means comprising a second power cylinder having a pivotal connection with the undercarriage and having an extensible and retractable piston rod, pivoted crank means on the undercarriage coupled with the last-named piston rod, and guide roller means on the pivoted crank means engaged with said trackway means of said bed, and a winch means on the trailer adapted for connection with a boat to be drawn onto the bed or discharged therefrom.

Claim 19

The structure of claim 14, and said winch means comprising a power-operated cable winch on the forward portion of said bed, and a control console on the forward portion of said bed having individual manual controls for said first and second poweR cylinders and said power winch, whereby such components may be independently remotely controlled by a single operator standing on said bed.

Claim 20

The structure of claim 14, and a power-operated guide arm means on said bed near the rearward end thereof for guiding a boat as the boat is being drawn onto said bed during a retrieval procedure.

Claim 21

The structure of claim 16, and said last-named power-operated means comprising a pair of laterally spaced guide arms having a pivotal connection with the bed, and a power cylinder on the bed operatively connected with a crank element of said guide arms so that the latter may be swung from stored to active positions.

Claim 22

The structure of claim 14, and a cradle support means for said first power cylinder slidably engaging said cylinder and being secured to said bed and movable with the bed relative to the first power cylinder, whereby the latter will be supported and properly aligned relative to the bed in all adjusted positions of the bed.