The invention is related to the field of trailer dollies and specifically to a powered device for moving trailers such as recreational vehicle trailers without an attached towing vehicle.
Trailer dollies have been used to assist people moving trailers without the use of a car or truck. Common applications for trailer dollies typically involve maneuvering a trailer in areas not suitable for use with a tow vehicle, such as parking a trailer in (i) a tight parking spot, (ii) a lockable storage space with insufficient space between the storage units to maneuver a car or truck with the trailer, (iii) a parking area not reachable by car or truck, (iv) a narrow garage entrance, or (v) an off road area.
A trailer dolly aims to enable movement of a trailer without a tow vehicle such as a car, truck, or other large vehicle. A trailer dolly connects to the trailer typically on or near a ball coupling which is part of a front coupling portion of the trailer and includes a wheel or wheels on which the front coupling portion is supported. These supporting wheels of the trailer dolly can rotate freely—moved by manual force—or be motor driven to move the trailer. Trailer dollies are typically manually steered.
Common commercially available trailer dollies are generally motorized or unmotorized. Unmotorized trailer dollies are manually propelled by a human operator to maneuver the trailer dolly and an attached trailer. As a result, unmotorized trailer dollies are limited as a practical matter to rather small trailers since most people cannot manually move even moderately sized trailers and even then only on flat and level ground.
Motorized trailer dollies contain a power source for moving the trailer dolly and an attached trailer. Such motorized trailer dollies are not portable in that they are impractical for a typical individual human to physically lift and carry—especially when including all components of the trailer dolly such as deep cycle batteries which power electric trailer dollies. Some trailer dollies include rolling casters or free rotating wheels to facilitate mobility of the trailer dolly when not attached to a trailer. The rolling casters or free wheels are used to roll the dolly into position and back to the storage location. However, true portability as used herein requires that the trailer dolly can be readily transported along with the trailer for use at a remote location. Even electrically-powered trailer dollies which rely on external power sources typically weigh about 80 pounds.
Available for sale for over thirty years, the market for trailer dollies has been limited by their functionality and portability issues; however, the retail market for various models of trailers showing a trend toward ever increasing payloads has steadily been growing. Manual trailer dollies are typically sold for trailers under a total weight of 1,250 lbs since the amount of force required to move heavier trailers is generally too great for a typical person. Trailers under 1,250 lbs. can be motorcycle trailers, small sail boat trailers, or single personal watercraft (e.g., Jet Ski®) trailers, for example.
Some currently available commercial motorized trailer dollies include electrical motors that use either (i) household alternating current (AC) with one or more extension cords or (ii) one or more direct current (DC) batteries. AC trailer dollies require the operator to be near to a 110/220-volt outlet while being cautious to stay clear of water which presents a risk of electrical shock. AC trailer dollies consume in excess of eight amps of current and the manufacturers provide warnings to use rubber-soled shoes or boots when operating an AC trailer dolly.
Manufacturers of DC trailer dollies typically recommend using a towing vehicle's deep cycle battery or a similar stand alone deep cycle battery as the power supply for their product. These deep cycle requirements support the high current necessary to drive a one-quarter horsepower (HP) or greater, 12-volt DC motor which typically requires in excess of 30 amps during high torque operation. Such a battery with these types of loads generally requires recharging and maintenance that ultimately requires location near a 110/220-volt outlet, e.g., to use a battery charger, or running the tow vehicle's engine that supplied the electrical power.
Using a tow vehicle's battery may not be a practical option in some circumstances since high current loads risk damage to the vehicle's electronics or engine control modules. Appropriate care is also required due to the inherent risks of battery acid leakage. “Portability” of DC trailer dollies compared to the similarly designed AC trailer dollies from companies such as Power Caster Inc. (of Temple City, Calif.), and Powermovers Inc. (of Stanton, Calif.) is limited due to factors associated with high capacity deep cycle batteries. Ultra-Fab (of Elkhart, Ind.) has designed trailer dollies with integrated batteries for use at RV and boat lots. The smallest device currently offered by this company starts at 285 lbs in weight and their products are maneuvered by “driving” them into position.
Another commercially available motorized trailer dolly is made by Powrwheel Limited, a company based in the United Kingdom. They manufacture AC and DC trailer dollies and have special cables that connect to a battery of trailered vehicle such as a recreational vehicle or boat, or to a trailer-mounted battery, or to a standalone battery. These dollies with battery cables for connection to a separate vehicle's battery require extension cabling and increase the risk of draining the vehicle's battery beyond its reserve capacity, resulting in an inability to subsequently start the vehicle. If such a trailer dolly is used to maneuver a trailer into position for long term storage, the borrowed battery of the trailered vehicle can be stored for long periods in a discharged state. Such risks substantial damage to the battery plates. It may be tempting to run the engine of the trailered vehicle which powered the dolly to thereby recharge the trailered vehicle's battery prior to long-term storage. However, running the engine of a trailered power boat to provide such charging power may not be possible since a majority of boats use open cooling systems requiring the presence of water to run the engine. Without water present for running the engine, an AC battery charger would be required to recharge the boat's battery—both for starting the boat engine and for trailer maneuvering power.
Another Powrwheel Limited model includes a battery integrated into a trailer dolly. The integrated battery adds substantial weight to their product, substantially reducing portability of the trailer dolly.
Trailer dollies powered by internal combustion engines generally suffer from the fact that internal combustion engines are not reversible. Electric trailer dollies simply reverse electric poles to provide a reverse drive for maneuvering trailers. However, trailers dollies with internal combustion engines typically provide elaborate and intricate designs allowing the trailer dolly to be rotated about to provide the equivalent of reverse drive. The reason for this is that a transmission would add significant weight and cost to the trailer dolly.
In summary, currently available trailer dollies do not offer features intending maximum portability coupled with ease of use through simplification of the dolly design. To be truly portable, a single person of normal strength should be able to lift the dolly by hand. In addition, a method to easily store and transport the dolly should be offered. Currently available designs rely on the dolly either being stored at a fixed location or being transported loose in a car trunk, within the recreational vehicle, or inside the boat. Lifting conventional dollies into any of these transportation locations with their designed in weight and awkward shapes would present the average person with a significant challenge. Trailer dollies with the battery included also increase the risk of battery acid leakage should the battery be stored in a non-upright position. AC electrically powered trailer dollies require that an appropriate power outlet is available at all locations at which the trailer dolly is to be used and care must be taken to avoid the presence of water in and around the area of usage. By design, trailers are frequently near water in the form of rain, puddles, landscaping, etc. Simplified maneuvering must include forward and reverse modes. Finally, a method of gradually increasing power to slowly accelerate the dolly is critical for the control and simplified operation.
In accordance with the present invention, a trailer dolly includes an internal combustion engine, a transmission providing both forward and reverse drives, and a centralized lifting handle. The internal combustion engine provides much better power and much less weight than electric counterparts. As other lightweight alternatives to electric motors become available, such alternatives can be used in place of the internal combustion engine. The forward/reverse transmission overcomes the disadvantages of conventional trailer dollies powered by internal combustion engines, namely, awkward control and maneuvering. The transmission constructed in accordance with the present invention is simple and lightweight—and therefore particularly well-suited for use in trailer dollies. Due to the exceptionally light weight achieved with the internal combustion engine and the lightweight and simple transmission, the lifting handle mounted generally at the center of gravity makes single-handed lifting and carrying of the trailer dolly quite easy.
Further in accordance with the present invention, the trailer dolly can be mounted on an adapted trailer dolly mount on the trailer itself. Thus, the trailer dolly can be easily transported with the trailer. The trailer mount includes generally a post that the trailer dolly can be set upon. A locking pin holds the trailer dolly on the mount securely during transportation.
Thus, the trailer dolly according to this invention surpasses any currently available product. This trailer dolly is light in weight, hand carried, easily maneuverable, overall simple in design, and stores on the trailer. The trailer dolly is small yet more powerful than competing designs.
In accordance with the present invention, a trailer dolly 40 as shown in
Engine 6, transmission 7, and wheel 10 are positioned close to one another to concentrate mass in a relatively small package. Thus, arms and moments relative to handle 15 are minimized to thereby minimize angular and linear momentum relative to handle 15. Accordingly, single-handed carrying of of trailer dolly 40 by handle 15 is quite easy.
A number of advantages are realized by trailer dolly 40 of
Fork 12 supports a trailer at a fork opening 13 over a single wheel 10 in a substantially vertical position. Fork opening 13 is a hollow cylinder which forms a trailer coupler which couples with a maneuvered trailer in a manner described below. Since fork opening 13 is substantially directly above wheel 10, an operator of trailer dolly 40 can rotate trailer dolly 40, and therefore wheel 10, about a fork opening 13 at the top of fork 12 by simply pushing handle grips 3 left or right to thereby steer trailer dolly 40. During such rotation, wheel 10 simply pivots under fork opening 13. Transmission 7 and engine 6 are fixed to fork 12 at an acute angle, e.g., an acute angle such as 20-25 degrees, such that ground clearance below transmission 7 and engine 6 is increased, stress at the joint between fork 12 and a transmission bracket 11 is reduced, and a handle 1 can be shortened while still being comfortably reachable by a typical human operator. Handle 1 is collapsible for storage and locks into position with pins 2 when in use. Handle grips 3 include controls 4 to provide the operator with throttle, brake, and transmission shifting control. The controls are linked by cables 5 to engine 6 and transmission 7.
In this illustrative embodiment, engine 6 produces approximately 1.5 horsepower and is a four-stroke design for improved starting, cleanliness, and reduced noise. Transmission 7 houses forward and reverse gears selectable by the cable and control linkage on the handle. In this illustrative embodiment, engine 6 typically runs at about 6,000-7,000 revolutions per minute and transmission 7 provides a collective reduction of about 130 to 1 such that trailer dolly 40 typically travels at about 2 miles per hour during operation. Transmission 7 is shown in greater detail in
The upper part of the transmission bracket 11 includes fork 12. Fork 12 includes a top opening 13, which is a hollow cylindrical tailer coupler as described above, into which a sturdy pin 14 (
A trailer receiver post 32 (
As described briefly above, transmission 7 (
One or more reductions 21 are included on the opposite side of a sealed oil partition 22. Reduction 21 is a chain and sprocket reduction in the illustrative embodiment. Reduction 21 connects to the forward and reverse gears 23F and 23R, respectively, located at the opposite end of lower shaft 20B of sliding shaft 20. Gears 23F and 23R are bevel gears and engageable with a bevel gear 23B. When sliding shaft 20 slides, reduction 21, forward gear 23F, and reverse gear 23R slide with it. Sliding of gears 23F and 23R alternatively engages forward gear 23F or reverse gear 23R with bevel gear 23B. A spring 24 provides tension on the shifter control cable of cables 5 (
The primary advantages of transmission 7 is that transmission 7 is very simply and light-weight while still providing both forward and reverse gears for easily maneuvering of trailer dolly 40 and an attached trailer. In addition, transmission 7 is quite compact and helps keep the mass of trailer dolly 40 concentrated in a relatively small package further facilitating easy handling of trailer dolly 40. An alternative to transmission 7 is described below in conjunction with
Alternate embodiments of trailer dolly 40 (
In this illustrative embodiment, transmission 47 uses chains and sprockets rather than interlocking gears as do most transmissions. In other embodiments, other types of drive bands are used such as V-belt, cog belts, and flat belts, for example. The result is —that no enclosing case is needed for lubrication. Instead, ordinary chain lubrication is all that is needed or no lubrication at all for belt-type drive bands. By omitting a case to enclose the transmission, transmission 47 is made particularly light. In addition, sprockets and chains—as well as pulleys and belts—are generally less expensive to manufacture as cheaper materials can be used and greater tolerances are allowed.
Transmission 47 uses a dog-tooth disc 53 like a traditional manual automobile transmission. However, dog-tooth disc 53 slides along shaft 54C to mate with holes in sprockets rather than gears, namely, either forward drive sprocket 56 or reverse drive sprocket 57. An operator uses controls 4 to move one of cables 5 to cause dog-tooth disc 53 to slide along shaft 54C to thereby shift between forward, reverse, and neutral drives. The overall operation of transmission 47 is as follows.
Engine 6 output is mounted at a 90-degree angle to the drive wheel when viewed from above as shown in
The reduction of the alternative forward and reverse drives are shown in
Engine 6, through centrifugal clutch 17 and clutch cylinder 18, drives shaft 54A which is fixed to sprocket 49A. Sprocket 49A drives chain 50A which in turn drives sprocket 49B. Sprockets 49B-C are fixed to one another and turn independently of the remainder of shaft 54C. Thus, sprocket 49B drives sprocket 49C which in turn drives sprocket 49D. Sprocket 49 turns shaft 54B which in turn drives sprockets 49E-F.
To provide selectable forward and reverse drives, dog-tooth disc 53 is mounted on shaft 54C with the ability to mechanically slide from side to side. Dog-tooth disc 53 is rotationally fixed to shaft 54C so that turning of dog-tooth disc 53 drives shaft 54C and sprocket 25. Forward sprocket 56 and reverse sprocket 57 turn independently of shaft 54C on respective sets of bearings. Dog-tooth disc 53 can engage either forward sprocket 56 or reverse sprocket 57, thereby locking shaft 54C to either forward sprocket 56 or reverse sprocket 57.
The tooth shape on the outside edges of dog-tooth disc 53 is designed to fit into holes cut into sprockets 56-57. Through this ability to slide dog-tooth disc 53 to engage either the of the counter-rotating sprockets, torque can be applied in either direction to shaft 54C, which in turn drives sprocket 25, chain 8, sprocket 9, and wheel 10. If dog-tooth disc 53 is positioned between sprockets 56-57, i.e., engaged with neither, a neutral drive setting is accomplished for rolling the dolly on the ground.
To facilitate adjustment of tensions in chains 50A-D and 8, shafts 54A-E are mounted between transmission brackets 11A-B in slots such that relative positions of shafts 54A-E can be adjusted. In addition, symmetry in sprocket sizes enables adjustment of multiple chains by movement of a single shaft. In particular, in this illustrative embodiment, sprockets 49C, 49E, and 49F are equal in size, and sprockets 49D, 56, and 57 are equal in size. In addition, chains 50B and 50D are the same length. Thus, the amounts by which tensions of multiple chains are adjusted by movement of shaft 54B alone are the same, and by moving shaft 54B relative to shaft 54C, tensions of chains 50B-D can be adjusted at once. Chain 50C can be adjusted independently by moving shaft 54E.
A brake assembly 59 is attached to shaft 54D and is controlled by controls 4 and cables 5. Various types of brakes can be used, including band brakes, drum brakes, and disc brakes for example. Brakes commonly used on go carts generally provide sufficient stopping force and are small and relatively inexpensive. A brake may be unnecessary as weight of a trailer applied to wheel 10, whose tire is inflated to 10-15 lbs. per square inch for example, can generate enough rolling resistance in addition to the rolling resistance already provided by the tires of the trailer itself to avoid unintended rolling of the trailer. However, inclusion of a brake is preferred to an added margin of safety and controllability.
As with transmission 7 (
By gradually opening the throttle of engine 6 (e.g., by moving a throttle lever of controls 4 or by using a twist-grip throttle control—either of which moves a throttle cable of cables 5), the operator causes centrifugal clutch 17/18 to gradually engage and apply force through transmission 47 to wheel 10. Closing the throttle disengages centrifugal clutch 17/18 and allows the operator to select the other drive by repeating the simple process described above.
In
To facilitate understanding of the usage of the trailer dolly of
The trailer is in a position supported by the trailer jack, e.g., trailer jack 34 (
With sturdy pin 14 fully seated within fork opening 13, the operator starts engine 6. In this illustrative embodiment, engine 6 is started by a pull-cord much like a typical lawn mower. It does not matter whether forward or reverse gear is selected at engine start since the centrifugal clutch 17 does not engage during the staring process or during idling of engine 6. The operator selects the appropriate gear using control 4, either forward or reverse, and holds handle grips 3. As the operator increases the throttle (which can be either a twisting grip or a lever near handle grips 3), centrifugal clutch 17 engages, thus transferring drive power through transmission 7 (or alternatively transmission 47) to wheel 10. As wheel 10 is driven, the trailer begins to move in the intended forward or reverse direction. To stop the motion, the throttle is released (thus lowering RPM and consequently disengaging centrifugal clutch 17) and the operator applies pressure on a brake lever of controls 4 on handle grips 3 to provide additional stopping power through band brake 19 (
Once the trailer is in the desired position, the operator shuts down engine 6. The operator extends trailer jack 34 to lift the trailer off trailer dolly 40, providing a bit of vertical clearance between fork opening 13 and sturdy pin 14. The operator rolls trailer dolly 40 clear of sturdy pin 14 and lifts the trailer dolly by lifting handle 15. The operator places receiver style opening 38 of trailer dolly 40 back on trailer receiver post 32. The locking pin 16 is replaced and trailer dolly 40 is in storage until the next required maneuvering operation. A secure cover can be placed over the trailer dolly for protection against the elements.
Although the description above contains much specificity, this description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the trailer dolly can have other shapes, more wheels, a different mechanism for mounting on the trailer, different connections to the trailer, different motor and power options, etc. A locking coupling to the trailer could be provided that covers the ball coupling and serves as a lock and connection to the dolly. The dolly could be placed in a carrier instead of placed on a post and receiver combination. In fact, the dolly could be stored in a place other than the trailer if the operator has different requirements.
Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.