The present invention relates to platforms, scaffolds, hunter's stands, and the like, and more particularly to a lift for all terrain vehicles that provide a vehicle-mounted telescopic platform for homeowners, hunters, construction workers, and the like that can be mounted on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), pickup truck, or other off-road vehicle.
The relatively easy access to areas now provided by all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) has encouraged the development of stands that can be mounted on ATVs. Most common among these stands are hunting stands for all terrain vehicles. These stands are not portable and are partially supported by the vehicle. Such stands often must abut a tree for further support. These stands are unsuitable for use in flatlands or in areas where a forest has been harvested, since no trees are available to support the stand.
Additionally, these stands are not easily used by a homeowner trying to get a house painted on a ladder or a worker trying to get to an area that a truck cannot go because of the terrain. Most construction jobs or homeowner jobs in non-major cities only require a ladder or platform to reach twenty feet. Many homeowners, hunters, and workers have ATVs that are underutilized, and sitting in a garage or storage because there is no further use for the ATV after riding up and down the terrain. The homeowner is constantly trying to use the ATV for work around the house. The worker searches for a way to not have to use expensive, non-movable scaffolding for jobs at a height of twenty feet or less. The hunter seeks a hunting stand that does not require a tree for support and that can be raised and lowered to different heights.
Thus, a lift for all terrain vehicles solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The lift for all terrain vehicles has a plurality of telescoping box-shaped frame members, each frame member having top and bottom rectangles made of square tubing, the rectangles being spaced apart by posts at each of the corners. The inner telescoping box-shaped member has a standing platform mounted on the bottom rectangle. A plurality of telescopic support and leveling legs are attached to the outer telescoping box-shaped member. The legs, when extended, provide stability when raising and lowering the standing platform. A plurality of vertically disposed, elongated legs also extend from the outer telescoping box-shaped member, and are adapted for attachment to an ATV or other vehicle.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
As shown in
Once the ATV lift 10 is ready for use, ground support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53 can be lowered to a ground level to provide stability. The ground support legs 50, 51, 52, 53 are telescopic, and are easily extended for use and retracted for travel. The legs 50, 51, 52, and 53 extend at a predetermined angle from the extendable boxed-shaped platform 40. Each of the respective ground support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53 include a pad 54, 55, 56, 57 that adjustably extend generally from the lower end of each of the legs. The pads 54, 55, 56, 57 are generally square and extend outside a footprint formed by the ATV 12 or exterior of the ATV 12. The four ground support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53 attach at one end to the bottom of the extendable generally boxed-shaped platform 40, between the apices 30, 32, 34, 36 at support leg contact points 58, 59, 60, 61. Two of the four support and leveling legs 51, 53 include braces 62, 64 that help absorb some of the weight of the ATV lift 10 against the ATV 12. The other two legs 50, 52 are attached to the cargo racks 14, 16. Thus, the load support is divided between ATV cargo racks 14, 16 and the ground support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53.
The ground support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53 also perform an additional function in that they provide stability to the ATV lift 10 and to the generally boxed-shaped platform 40. Each of the support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53, when extended, can be locked into place with a final leveling adjustment. The last approximately twenty-four inches of each of the legs 50, 51, 52, 53 utilizes a pushpin mechanism, generally indicated with numbers 66, 67, 68, 69 that have through-holes in the legs 50, 51, 52, 53 near the pads 54, 55, 56, 57, and a push pin is inserted into the holes of each to lock them in place.
After the support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53 are lowered, the pads 54, 55, 56, 57 are moved into position and locked into place with the pushpin mechanisms 66, 67, 68, 69. At this point, the ATV lift 10 is stabilized on and around the ATV 12. The extendable generally boxed-shaped platform 40 is ready to use. As such, the platform 40 can be telescoped or raised to a height of approximately twenty feet from the ground, including the height of the ATV 12, at four-foot intervals. The platform 40 can lift at intervals of four feet with the collapsed height being eight feet from the ground, including the height of the ATV 12, to a base area 70 where a standing floor 71 is initially positioned.
The arrangement of the support and leveling legs 50, 51, 52, 53 within the frame can be varied to provide the desired or required support. For example, the embodiment shown in
The standing floor 71 can be platform for standing and can be about four feet by four feet. There is room for tools, paint, hunting equipment, camera equipment, or other suitable type of equipment to be used outdoors. Of course, the floor 71 can also be used with a chair and an optional umbrella 72 may be attached to provide shade, as shown in
Around the standing floor 71 are three generally box-shaped frames 74, 76, 78. These box-shaped frames 74, 76, 78 are made of the same tubular material as the other parts of the ATV lift 10. Each box-shaped member is a frame formed from two rectangles made from square tubing that are joined at the corners by four posts that separate or space the rectangles apart. The members 74, 76, 78 are telescopic in construction, so that an initial position is about twelve feet in height when the standing floor 71 is at the lowest level, so that the frames 74, 76, 78 will be collapsed inside of each other, as shown in
A mechanism, such as a cable 80 from a winch and pulley system 82 can be used to raise and lower the telescoping box frames 74, 76, and 78. Controls 84 for the winch and pulley system 82 are located on a rail 86 of the inner box-shaped frame 78. Alternatively, the telescoping box frames 74, 76, and 78 may be raised and lowered by a mechanism such as hydraulic cylinders driven by a hydraulic pump powered by the engine of the ATV 12, or by pneumatic cylinders driven by an air compressor powered by the ATV engine. The lifting member may be steel cable or a steel chain driven by the winch found on most ATVs. Of course, a hand winch can also be used, and a rope ladder can be available for emergency use.
It should be understood that the ATV lift 10 could be adjusted to fit other vehicles, rather than just an ATV. For example, a pick-up truck can be fitted with the ATV lift 10 in the bed of the truck. The ATV lift 10 can also be utilized in marine vessels in situations where elevated positioning of the user is desired, e.g., fishing. As a further alternative, the ATV lift 10 can utilize a variety of pulley/winch systems or linear actuators to facilitate telescoping operation of the box frames 74, 76, and 78 with power supplied integrally from the ATV or other vehicle upon which the ATV lift 10 is mounted or an independent power source.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/755,854, filed Jan. 23, 2013.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61755854 | Jan 2013 | US |