Hinged carriage deck for vertical reciprocating conveyor

A vertical reciprocating conveyor comprising:

• a frame including a pair of spaced vertical rails;
• a carriage assembly movable along the pair of spaced vertical rails;
• and
• a drive mechanism operable to move the carriage along the pair of spaced vertical rails between a plurality of vertical positions,
• wherein the carriage assembly comprises:
• a pair of spaced uprights;
• a pair of pivot brackets each mounted to a lower end of one of the pair of spaced uprights, each of the pivot brackets including a pair of spaced arms that extend perpendicular to the pair of spaced uprights;
• and
• a carriage deck including a pair of spaced side beams and a platform mounted between the pair of side beams, wherein the pair of side beams define an entire width of the carriage deck and each extend between an outer end and an inner end, wherein of the side beams is pivotably mounted between the pair of spaced arms of one of the pair of pivot brackets at a mounting location spaced from the inner end of the side beam, wherein the side beams are pivotable between the pair of spaced arms of the pivot brackets and are movable between an operating condition and a storage condition, wherein the carriage deck is perpendicular to the pair of spaced uprights in the operating condition and parallel to the pair of spaced uprights in the storage condition.