Patent Application
20200063491
This application discloses a ladder particularly suited for performing engine maintenance of tractor-trailer trucks. More particularly, the present application discloses a ladder with an integrated platform allowing easy access to the engine of a tractor-trailer truck.
Large trucks, and in particular tractor-trailer trucks, require constant maintenance because they are typically used in long haul operations, such as shipping and delivery. As a result, the engines of tractor-trailer trucks must constantly be serviced. In most tractor-trailer trucks, the hood is hinged to allow easy access to the entire engine of the tractor-trailer cab. However, the engine is at a much higher height than that of a typical vehicle and requires a ladder or other device to access the majority of the engine.
A stepladder is typically used to access the engine of a tractor-trailer truck during maintenance. However, when using the stepladder, the mechanic must typically lean over the engine to access various components, leading to potential injury and/or unnecessary strain. Therefore, a need clearly exists for a ladder, which provides easier access to the engine of tractor-trailer trucks while remaining stable and portable.
Disclosed herein is a ladder adapted to service the engine of a tractor-trailer truck. The ladder comprises a set of rails having rungs extending between them. A set of rear rails is coupled to the set of rails. A pair of stability beams, terminating in ground contacting feet, extends rearward from the front rail and rear rails on each side of the ladder. A platform, extending rearward from between the set of rails, provides a planar surface allowing a mechanic access to the engine.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily understood with reference to the following specifications and attached drawings wherein:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with references to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail, since such minutia would obscure the invention in unnecessary trivia.
Referring to
Rails 102 and 104 are preferably mirror images of each other and made from the same material, such as wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or another metal. Preferably, rails 102 and 104 are formed from cut or pressed aluminum.
Rungs 106 may be joined to rails 102 and 104 using any known techniques, such as welding or bolting. In the instant embodiment, four rungs 106 are shown joined to rails 102 and 104 using welding. The vertical spacing or width of rungs 106 can be varied to accommodate different sized rails 102 and 104 or for different applications. Preferably, rungs 106 are formed from a similar material to that of rails 102 and 104. A top surface of rungs 106 is provided with a flat non-slip surface 108 that is corrugated, knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or otherwise treated to minimize slipping as is known in the art.
Each rung 106 is further provided with one or more angled braces 110 coupled to an interior of rails 102 or 104 and a bottom surface of rungs 106. Angled braces 110 provide extra support for weight placed on rungs 106. Particularly, in servicing engines of tractor-trailer trucks, rungs 106 may need to bear the weight of a person far longer than a rung of a normal ladder. Angled braces 110 help to alleviate the extra weight, which may be experienced by rungs 106 in comparison to a typical ladder. However, depending upon the application, angled braces 110 may also be omitted if weight is of a concern. Angled braces 110 are preferably formed from wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or another metal.
The bottom of each rail 102 and 104 is fitted with feet 112 where contact is made with the ground. If ladder 100 is primarily used on a level surface, such as in a mechanic's garage, foot 112 may only serve to protect a bottom of rails 102 and 104 and can be affixed to rails 102 and 104 through a bolted or welded connection. The underside of feet 112 may comprise a gripping material to minimize slippage. For example, the gripping material could be a rubber pad, a smooth hard surface, or a spiked surface. In other embodiments, the underside of feet 112 may comprise a large planar foot surface to create a larger surface area to prevent sinking of ladder 100 (e.g., on dirt or sand). Depending on the choice of feet 112, the ladder 100 can be used on ground surfaces such as concrete, dirt, steel, tile, grating, brick, stone and most floor materials.
Rail 102 is joined to rear rail 114 and rail 104 is joined to rear rail 116 using a bolted connection as depicted in
A bottom of rear rail 114 is coupled to rail 102 just above foot 112 using beam 120 (
Referring to
A first wheel 130 is coupled to beam 120 in the vicinity of rail 104 and a second wheel 132 is coupled to first stability beam 124. As better shown in
Referring now to
As will be described later, first stability beam 124 and second stability beam 126 extend a predetermined distance rearward from rails 102 and 104, respectively. This prevents ladder 100 from tipping when a large weight, such as a human or other equipment, is placed on ladder 100.
A first platform beam 136 is coupled to an exterior of rail 102 and rear rail 114 as depicted in
A second platform beam 140 is coupled to an exterior rail 104 and rear rail 116 as depicted in
A platform 144 is provided between first platform beam 136 and second platform beam 140. The platform 144 may be a planar piece of metal that is slid between rails on first platform beam 136 and second platform beam 140 or first platform beam 136, second platform beam 140, and platform 144 may all be integrally formed from a single piece of metal, for example. As shown in
Support brace 138 and support brace 142 support any weight that is placed on the top surface of platform 144 for extended periods of time. As will be shown later, a mechanic can stand on platform 144 comfortably for extended periods of time to access the engine of a tractor-trailer truck. Specifically, platform 144 can support a great deal of weight without the ladder tipping due to the rearward placement of rear foot 128 and rear foot 134.
Rails 102 and 104 purposely do not have any rungs 106 located above platform 144. This allows rails 102 and 104 to be used as stabilizing handles or grips while a user is standing on platform 144. Rails 102 and 104 preferably have a grip length such that the rails 102 and 104 extend upwards above a standing grip height of an average height of a male or female (e.g., 3-4 feet). In another embodiment, the upper portions of rails 102 and 104 may be provided with telescoping extensions to allow a mechanic to selectively adjust the grip height of rails 102 and 104. Further, rails 102 and 104, above platform 144, may be coated with an anti-slip surface to provide better grip.
To provide added stability to ladder 100, an interior of beam 120 is preferably coupled to an interior of beam 122 using first stabilizing beam 146. A second stabilizing beam 148 is coupled, on a first side, to an interior of beam 120 and rear rail 114, and, on a second side, to an interior of beam 122 and rear rail 116.
A second embodiment of ladder 100 is depicted in
As previously state, the described components forming ladder 100 may be coupled to each other using releasable connections, such as bolts, or more permanent connections, such as welding. Further, the various element of ladder 100 that have been described may be integrally formed or separately formed and then later joined together. In this embodiment, a first spacer beam 702 is provided between beam 120 and first stability beam 124 (
Support braces 138 and 142 are angled such that they do not contact the wheel and thus do not interfere with placement of ladder 100. The rearward placement of rear feet 128 and 134 allows a user to confidently place his/her entire weight anywhere on platform 144 without worrying about ladder 100 tipping or rocking.
After use, the ladder 100 can be removed from the engine by pulling back on ladder 100 so that rear feet 128 and 134 clear the wheel of the tractor-trailer. First wheel 130 and second wheel 132 can then be used to move ladder 100 to a different location.
While the present invention has been described with respect to what are currently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation, so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
All U.S. and foreign patent documents, all articles, all brochures and all other published documents discussed above are hereby incorporated by reference into the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.
