Device for loading and carrying boats on top of vehicles

Claim 2

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier comprising: an upper frame to be secured horizontally above a vehicle for supporting a load to be carried and a ramp extending slantingly downwardly from an end of said upper frame to facilitate loading, said upper frame and said ramp each having a pair of parallel side rails, the rails at each side being joined together end-to-end to provide a continuous rail, a carrier bar extending transversely between said continuous rails, each end of said carrier bar being constrained to follow the respective one of said continuous rails and being readily movable therealong, fastening means connected to said carrier bar for carrying a load to be attached thereto, said fastening means being rotatable on said carrier bar for permitting a load attached thereto to be rotated about said carrier bar to the extent of inverting the load to have a suitable portion of the load facing downwardly for subsequently supporting the load, the attached load being rotated while the load is suspended between opposite ones of said side rails at a position removed from the layer end of said ramp and from the vehicle to which the upper frame is attached, load propelling means connected to said carrier bar for moving said carrier bar along said continuous rails to move said attached load to a position over said frame, supporting means connected to said upper frame for securing said upper frame above a vehicle, and said frame having transverse members for supporting said attached load.

Claim 3

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper frame has an outer frame comprising an outer frame member on each side thereof into which a respective one of said of said side rails of said upper frame is a sliding telescopic fit, said side rails being rigidly connected together to form a movable inner frame with respect to said outer frame, driving means connected between said outer frame and said inner frame operable to extend said inner frame and thereby to increase the distance between said ramp and a vehicle to which said upper frame is secured, and said driving means operable to retract said inner frame substantially within said outer frame for use during transportation.

Claim 4

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier as claimed in claim 2 wherein each side rail of said ramp is joined by a slanting pivot to the respective side rail of said upper frame, each of said side rails of said ramp being foldable outwardly about said respective pivot to a position adjacent a respective one of said outer frame members, and fastening means between each of said side rails of said ramp and said adjacent outer frame member to be fastened while said inner frame is retracted to retain said ramp in a folded position.

Claim 5

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier comprising: an upper frame and a folding ramp extendable from the rear end of said upper frame, said upper frame and said ramp each having a pair of opposite parallel side members with channels facing each other, the rear end of each of said side members of said upper frame pivotally attached to the upper end of a respective one of said side members of said ramp such that while said ramp is unfolded a continuous inwardly facing channel is formed within at least the upper portion of each of said side members of said ramp and at least the rear portion of the respective one of said side members of said frame, a carrier bar extending transversely between said opposite continuous channels with the ends thereof supported within respective ones of said channels for supporting said carrier bar and any load attached thereto, bearing means on each end of said carrier bar permitting said carrier bar to be freely movable along said continuous channels while said carrier bar is maintained perpendicular to said side members, load propelling means connected to said carrier bar for moving said bar along said continuous channels, and supporting means for attaching said upper frame to a vehicle to support said upper frame above the vehicle, each of said side members of said upper frame comprises an outer frame member connected rigidly to said supporting means and an inner frame member telescopically mounted within the respective one of said outer frame members, said side members of said ramp being pivotally attached to respective ones of said inner frame members, rearwardly propelling means for moving said inner frame members rearwardly to etend substantially beyond the rear portion of said outer frame members, and forwardly propelling means for telescoping said inner frame members until said inner frame members are positioned substantially within said outer frame members.

Claim 6

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier comprising: an upper frame and a folding ramp extendable from the rear end of said upper frame, said upper frame and said ramp each having a pair of opposite parallel side members with channels facing each other, the rear end of each of said side members of said upper frame pivotally attached to the upper end of a respective one of said side members of said ramp such that while said ramp is unfolded a continuous inwardly facing channel is formed within at least the upper portion of each of said side members of said ramp and at least the rear portion of the respective one of said side members of said frame, a carrier bar extending transversely between said opposite continuous channels with the ends thereof supported within respective ones of said channels for supporting said carrier bar and any load attached thereto, bearing means on each end of said carrier bar permitting said carrier bar to be freely movable along said continuous channels while said carrier bar is maintained perpendicular to said side members, load propelling means connected to said carrier bar for moving said bar along said continuous channels, and supporting means for attaching said upper frame to a vehicle to support said upper frame above the vehicle, each of said side members of said upper frame comprises an outer frame member connected rigidly to said supporting means and an inner frame member telescopically mounted within the respective one of said outer frame members, said side members of said ramp being pivotally attached to respective ones of said inner frame members, rearwardly propelling means for moving said inner frame members rearwardly to etend substantially beyond the rear portion of said outer frame members, and forwardly propelling means for telescoping said inner frame members until said inner frame members are positioned substantially within said outer frame members.

Claim 7

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier as claimed in claim 4 having a pair of bolts adapted to be fastened in the oarlocks of a boat, a sleeve connected to each of said bolts, said sleeves being rotatably mounted about said carrier bar and spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between opposite oarlocks of a boat to be carried as said load, said sleeves facilitating rotation of a boat fastened thereto from a normal horizontal position to an inverted position while said carrier bar is supported high enough by said load propelling means to permit the boat to be turned freely about said carrier bar, and crossbars connected between said upper frame to aid in supporting the boat to be carried in an inverted position.

Claim 8

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier as claimed in claim 5 having a slanting pivot connecting each of said side members of said ramp to the rear end of a respective one of said inner frame members, each of said side members of said ramp being foldable outwardly about said respective pivot to a position adjacent a respective one of said outer frame members, fastening means between said side member of said of said ramps and said respective adjacent outer frame members, said fastening means to be fastened to retain said side members of said ramp in a folded position and to fix said inner frame members with respct to said outer frame members.

Claim 9

A vehicle top-mounted load carrier as claimed in claim 5 wherein said sleeves are movable along said carrier bar to change the distance between said bolts to accommodate different boats with different distances between the oarlocks thereof.