Pallet transport system

Claim 2

An adaptable wheel dolly attachable with a plurality of like wheel dollies to a shipping skid for lifting and transporting said skid comprising: a frame; a wheel and axle; a strut member coupled to the axle and pivotably mounting the wheel to a first portion of the frame positioned over the wheel; means coupled to the strut member and the frame for elevating the frame relative to the strut member and wheel between a lowered position suitable for engaging a shipping skid and a selected elevated position for lifting said skid; a second portion of the frame angled downwardly from the first portion and extending to a level adjacent the bottom an elongated cantilevered support member shaped to fit within a fork lift envelope of a standard shipping skid, the support member being rigidly attached at its proximal end to the second portion of the frame adjacent its lower end and means for locking the support member to the shipping skid comprising at least one pin for engaging matching holes in the support member and in the fork lift envelope of the shipping skid.

Claim 3

The wheel dolly of claim 1 wherein said frame comprises an upper planar, generally horizontal portion rigidly attached to a generally vertical planar portion, said vertical portion being rigidly affixed to the support member.

Claim 4

The wheel dolly of claim 2 wherein the upper planar portion has an edge remote from the juncture with the vertical portion, said edge being configured to receive the end of a towing tongue.

Claim 5

The wheel dolly of claim 3 further including means for pivotably securing said tongue to said upper planar portion adjacent said edge.

Claim 6

The wheel dolly of claim 4 wherein the end of said towing tongue is in the form of a bar and wherein said edge is configured with a notch shaped to receive said bar.

Claim 7

The wheel dolly of claim 5 wherein the securing means comprises a pin and generally aligned holes in the bar and the upper planar portion respectively adjacent the edge, said pin being insertable through said holes to engage the bar so as to permit the tongue to pivot relative to the wheel dolly frame about a horizontal axis.

Claim 8

The wheel dolly of claim 1 wherein the strut member is mounted in a vertical attitude for pivoting with the wheel about a vertical axis.

Claim 9

The wheel dolly of claim 7 further comprising means for locking the strut member relative to the frame to prevent pivoting of the wheel about the axis of the strut member.

Claim 10

The wheel dolly of claim 1 wherein the elevating means comprises a manually operable crank for adjusting the elevation of the frame relative to the strut member.

Claim 11

The wheel dolly of claim 1 wherein the elevating means includes a cylindrical member affixed to the frame and encircling the strut member for bearing against the strut member to selectively adjust the elevation of the frame relative to the strut member and wheel.

Claim 12

A pallet transport system comprising: a standard shipping skid having at least two opposed, generally parallel, fork lift envelopes extending substantially through the skid from one end to the other and being located respectively adjacent opposite sides of the skid; and four adaptable wheel dollies for attachment to the skid by insertion of respective support members into opposite ends of the respective fork lift envelopes for lifting and transporting the skid, each of the wheel dollies comprising: a frame; a wheel and axle; a strut member coupled to the axle and pivotably mounting the wheel to a first portion of the frame positioned over the wheel; means coupled to the strut member and the frame for elevating the frame relative to the strut member and wheel between a lowered position suitable for engaging the shipping skid and a selected elevated position for lifting said skid; a second portion of the frame angled downwardly from the first portion and extending to a level adjacent the bottom an elongated cantilevered support member shaped to fit within a fork lift envelope of the skid, the support member being rigidly attached at its proximal end to the second portion of the frame adjacent its lower end and means for locking the support member to the shipping skid comprising at least one pin for engaging matching holes in the support member and in the fork lift envelope of the shipping skid.

Claim 13

A pallet transport system comprising: a standard shipping skid having at least two opposed, generally parallel, fork lift envelopes extending substantially through the skid from one end to the other and being located respectively adjacent opposite sides of the skid; and four adaptable wheel dollies for attachment to the skid by insertion of respective support members into opposite ends of the respective fork lift envelopes for lifting and transporting the skid, each of the wheel dollies comprising: a frame; a wheel and axle; a strut member coupled to the axle and pivotably mounting the wheel to a first portion of the frame positioned over the wheel; means coupled to the strut member and the frame for elevating the frame relative to the strut member and wheel between a lowered position suitable for engaging the shipping skid and a selected elevated position for lifting said skid; a second portion of the frame angled downwardly from the first portion and extending to a level adjacent the bottom an elongated cantilevered support member shaped to fit within a fork lift envelope of the skid, the support member being rigidly attached at its proximal end to the second portion of the frame adjacent its lower end and means for locking the support member to the shipping skid comprising at least one pin for engaging matching holes in the support member and in the fork lift envelope of the shipping skid.

Claim 14

The pallet transport system of claim 11 wherein at least two of the wheel dollies have an edge of the first portion of the frame remote from the juncture with the second portion, which edges are configured to receive the ends of an A-frame towing tongue.

Claim 15

The pallet transport system of claim 12 further including means for pivotably securing said tongue to said wheel dolly edges for towing the skid.

Claim 16

The pallet transport system of claim 13 further including means for locking the strut members relative to the frames of those dollies remote from the dollies coupled to the towing tongue in order to prevent pivoting of the wheels of the locked dollies about the axes of their strut members.