This application relates to a hand truck that has a folding toe plate.
There is a need for a hand truck having a sturdy, simple arrangement for a folding toe plate that may be positioned in an extended operating position and in a retracted, folded position. It is particularly useful to have a folding toe plate hand truck with easily removable wheels so that the hand truck may be partially disassembled by removing the wheels and shipped in a low profile box at a minimum shipping cost.
The above noted need is addressed by a hand truck that includes frame assembly, wheels and a toe plate assembly. The frame assembly includes two side members and a base member extending between the lower ends of the side members. The wheels are mounted to a wheel axle that is, in turn, mounted to the two side members by wheel brackets in a manner that is well known in the art. The toe plate assembly includes a toe plate axle and a toe plate. The toe plate axle extends between the side members of the frame and is spaced above the base member. The toe plate axle is rotatably mounted to hand truck frame. The toe plate is formed so that it is generally L shaped so that it presents a brace portion and a toe portion. In this example, the brace portion of the toe plate presents an edge that is suitable for being welded to toe plate axle so that the toe plate and the toe plate axle are able to rotate with respect to the hand truck frame. The toe portion extends away from the brace portion at preferably a right angle. The toe plate assembly is arranged so that the brace portion of the toe plate is able to lay against the base member of the frame so that the toe plate is supported in an extended, operating position suitable for sliding under and lifting loads when the hand truck is used to lift and move loads. The toe plate assembly is also arranged so that the toe plate may be rotated on the toe plate axle between the extended operating position, a minimum depth shipping position and to an upright storage position in which the toe plate lays upon the wheel axle. If the hand truck is arranged with the toe plate in the storage position, the hand truck may be parked next to a wall or the like and thereby require a minimum of floor space and if the hand truck is arranged in the shipping position and the wheels of the hand truck are removed, the hand truck may be shipped in a box with a minimum depth dimension.
Referring to the drawings,
As can be best understood by referring to
Toe plate assembly 50 includes a toe plate axle 52 and a toe plate 70. The toe plate axle 52 extends between side members 22 and 24 of frame assembly 20 and is spaced above base member 28. Preferably, toe plate axle 52 is parallel to base member 28 and the spacing between toe plate axle 52 and the bottom of base member 28 is only a fraction of the spacing between side members 22 and 24. As can be seen in
In actual practice, the assembly of hand truck 10 is preferably accomplished as follows: The U shaped portion of frame 20, cross members 29A, 29B, base member 28, wheel assembly 30 (exclusive of wheels 42 and 44 which can be easily installed later) and toe plate assembly 50 are all held in a welding jig in a position such as is shown in
As can be best seen in
It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto, except in so far as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof. a Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/635,123 filed on Feb. 26, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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62635123 | Feb 2018 | US |