Hydraulic wheel lift system for tow vehicles

Claim 1

A device adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle and adapted to raise the wheels of a vehicle to be towed, said device comprising: (a) at least one main boom adapted to be mounted on said towing vehicle; (b) a wheel boom connected to said main boom in a position substantially transverse to said main boom; (c) a pair of lift-arms, each of said arms being substantially L-shaped and each being pivotally attached to said wheel boom; (d) means for pivoting said lift-arms between a rest position in which said lift-arms are adjacent to said wheel boom and an operative position in which each lift arm forms a substantially U-shaped frame with a portion of said wheel boom, said U-shaped frame comprising means for engaging and supporting the underside of a respective vehicle tire, said lift-arm pivoting means comprising a pair of hydraulically operated cylinders, each of said hydraulic cylinders including a cylinder portion and an arm portion which is adapted to reciprocate along a linear path parallel to the longitudinal axis of said wheel boom linear motion of respective hydraulic cylinders causing each of said generally L-shaped arms to pivot and to form, together with a portion of said wheel boom, a generally U-shaped, outwardly directed wheel bowl, each wheel bowl comprising means for receiving a vehicle wheel.

Claim 2

A device adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle and adapted to raise the wheels of a vehicle to be towed, said device comprising: (a) at least one main boom adapted to be mounted on said towing vehicle; (b) a wheel boom connected to said main boom in a position substantially transverse to said main boom; (c) a pair of lift-arms, each of said arms being substantially L-shaped and each being pivotally attached to said wheel boom; (d) means for pivoting said lift-arms between a rest position in which said lift-arms are adjacent to said wheel boom and an operative position in which each lift arm forms a substantially U-shaped frame with a portion of said wheel boom, said U-shaped frame comprising means for engaging and supporting the underside of a respective vehicle tire, said lift-arm pivoting means comprising a pair of hydraulically operated cylinders, each of said hydraulic cylinders including a cylinder portion and an arm portion which is adapted to reciprocate along a linear path parallel to the longitudinal axis of said wheel boom linear motion of respective hydraulic cylinders causing each of said generally L-shaped arms to pivot and to form, together with a portion of said wheel boom, a generally U-shaped, outwardly directed wheel bowl, each wheel bowl comprising means for receiving a vehicle wheel.

Claim 17

A method for towing an automobile by using a device adapted to be attached to a tow vehicle and adapted to raise the wheels of a vehicle to be towed, the device including at least one main boom, a wheel boom connected to said main boom, and a pair of generally L-shaped lift-arms pivotally attached to said wheel boom, each of the lift-arms comprising a pair of hydraulically operated cylinders, each hydraulic cylinder including a cylinder portion which is adapted to reciprocate along a linear path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wheel boom, said method comprising: (a) lowering the main boom which is attached to said tow vehicle; (b) backing up said tow vehicle until said main boom is located substantially at the midpoint between tires on said automobile, so that said wheel boom, which is transversely attached to said main boom, abuts the tread portion of said tires; (c) hydraulically actuating said pair of cylinders attached to said wheel boom so as to reciprocate along a linear path parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wheel boom such that said pair of L-shaped arms attached to said cylinders pivot away from said wheel boom to form an open-ended, U-shaped frame, together with said wheel boom, to frame the underside of each of said automobile tires; (d) lifting said main boom to raise said automobile tires off of the ground; and (e) moving said automobile.

Claim 18

A method for towing an automobile by using a device adapted to be attached to a tow vehicle and adapted to raise the wheels of a vehicle to be towed, the device including at least one main boom, a wheel boom connected to said main boom, and a pair of generally L-shaped lift-arms pivotally attached to said wheel boom, each of the lift-arms comprising a pair of hydraulically operated cylinders, each hydraulic cylinder including a cylinder portion which is adapted to reciprocate along a linear path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wheel boom, said method comprising: (a) lowering the main boom which is attached to said tow vehicle; (b) backing up said tow vehicle until said main boom is located substantially at the midpoint between tires on said automobile, so that said wheel boom, which is transversely attached to said main boom, abuts the tread portion of said tires; (c) hydraulically actuating said pair of cylinders attached to said wheel boom so as to reciprocate along a linear path parallel to said longitudinal axis of said wheel boom such that said pair of L-shaped arms attached to said cylinders pivot away from said wheel boom to form an open-ended, U-shaped frame, together with said wheel boom, to frame the underside of each of said automobile tires; (d) lifting said main boom to raise said automobile tires off of the ground; and (e) moving said automobile.

Claim 19

A device adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle and adapted to raise the wheels of a vehicle to be towed, said device comprising: (a) at least one main boom adapted to be mounted on said towing vehicle; (b) a wheel boom connected to said main boom in a position substantially transverse to said main boom, and means for moving said main boom in both horizontal and vertical planes, said wheel boom being pivotally connected to said main boom and being pivotal over at least 55° angle in either direction, as viewed along a horizontal plane, said wheel boom and said main boom being connected by a flange having one arcuate end attached to a central point of said wheel boom, said flange having a flange aperture located adjacent to an end of said flange opposite from said arcuate end, said flange aperture being aligned with an aperture in said main boom, a first pin being adapted to be inserted through said flange aperture and into said main boom aperture thereby pivotally connecting said wheel boom to said main boom; (c) a pair of tire lift-arms, each of said arms being substantially L-shaped and each being pivotally attached to said wheel boom, on opposite sides of the connection between said wheel boom and said main boom, each of said lift-arms comprising an integral, arcuately shaped base portion and an arm portion having upper and lower segments, each base portion having first and second apertures, said second aperture of said base portion being located adjacent to said lower segment of said L-shaped arm; and (d) means for pivoting said lift-arms between a rest position in which said lift-arms are adjacent to said wheel boom and an operative position in which each lift-arm forms a substantially U-shaped frame with a portion of said wheel boom, said U-shaped frame comprising means for engaging and supporting the underside of a respective vehicle tire.

Claim 20

A device adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle and adapted to raise the wheels of a vehicle to be towed, said device comprising: (a) at least one main boom adapted to be mounted on said towing vehicle; (b) a wheel boom connected to said main boom in a position substantially transverse to said main boom, and means for moving said main boom in both horizontal and vertical planes, said wheel boom being pivotally connected to said main boom and being pivotal over at least 55° angle in either direction, as viewed along a horizontal plane, said wheel boom and said main boom being connected by a flange having one arcuate end attached to a central point of said wheel boom, said flange having a flange aperture located adjacent to an end of said flange opposite from said arcuate end, said flange aperture being aligned with an aperture in said main boom, a first pin being adapted to be inserted through said flange aperture and into said main boom aperture thereby pivotally connecting said wheel boom to said main boom; (c) a pair of tire lift-arms, each of said arms being substantially L-shaped and each being pivotally attached to said wheel boom, on opposite sides of the connection between said wheel boom and said main boom, each of said lift-arms comprising an integral, arcuately shaped base portion and an arm portion having upper and lower segments, each base portion having first and second apertures, said second aperture of said base portion being located adjacent to said lower segment of said L-shaped arm; and (d) means for pivoting said lift-arms between a rest position in which said lift-arms are adjacent to said wheel boom and an operative position in which each lift-arm forms a substantially U-shaped frame with a portion of said wheel boom, said U-shaped frame comprising means for engaging and supporting the underside of a respective vehicle tire.