Trailer apparatus

Claim 1

A trailer apparatus, for transporting vehicles and other types of cargo, which comprises: an enclosed body including a pair of upstanding side walls and a floor; a door mounted to an end of said body; wheel means connected with said body for carrying said body along a support surface; hitch means connected with one of said body and said wheel means for connecting said body with a towing vehicle; first track means mounted within said body for carrying vehicles within said body; and second track means mountable to said body for providing a ramp connection between said first track means and the support surface to enable the loading and unloading of vehicles onto said first track means, said first track means including at least one pair of tracks having a first, extended position for supporting a vehicle and a second, retracted position for permitting the carrying of other cargo in said body, said apparatus further including locking means for locking a vehicle in position on the pair of tracks, said locking means including several pairs of rollers, each pair of rollers being positionable one roller on each side of one of the tires of a vehicle to be carried within said apparatus, said locking means further including moving means for selectively moving the rollers on each pair toward and away from one another to provide a space therebetween for reception of the tire, said body including support means positioned beneath a vehicle being transported by said apparatus, whereby the vehicle rests upon and is supported by said support means when the pairs of rollers are spaced apart to receive the vehicle's tires therebetween said moving means including connector means for connecting one roller in a pair of rollers with the other roller in the pair of rollers and for causing the rollers to move toward and away from each other upon rotation of one of the rollers, said moving means including gear means drivingly connecting at least a first roller of one of said pairs of rollers with at least a second roller on one of said other pairs of rollers, whereby rotation of said first roller causes rotation of said second roller to provide control of the spacing of the rollers in the respective pair of rollers.