Method and apparatus for transporting construction equipment in an enclosed container within the hold of a vessel
OwnerAdalberto Prinz, Hugo M. Ledezma +1inventors
InventorsAdalberto Prinz, Hugo M. Ledezma, Alejandro A. Prinz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for permitting construction equipment, and particularly backhoe loaders, to be transported in the hold of a seagoing vessel within the interior of an enclosed cargo container includes front and rear rollers that temporarily replace the wheels of the equipment and allow it to be driven into and out of the container without any disassembly of the equipment.
Claims10
Apparatus for permitting the loading of a piece of equipment into an enclosed cargo container of the type transported by vessels, the equipment having at least one front wheel, at least two rear wheels and a height dimension defined by the lowermost and uppermost portions of the piece of equipment, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one first roller and at least two second rollers, each of said first and second rollers comprising:
- (i) a first generally circular plate having a center section with a first flange extending outwardly about the circumference of said center section, said center section being formed with a central bore and a number of wheel stud holes circumferentially spaced about said central bore;
- (ii) a second generally circular plate having a center section with a second flange extending outwardly about the circumference of said center section, said center section being formed with a central bore and a number of wheel stud bores circumferentially spaced about said central bore;
- (iii) said first and second plates being connected to one another so that said central bores and said wheel stud holes thereof align, and so that said first and second flanges of said first and second plates, respectively, are located in substantially the same plane;
- (iv) an outer ring extending around said first and second circular plates and being connected to said first and second flanges, said outer ring being formed with a recess;
- (v) an insert connected within said recess of said outer ring and protruding radially outwardly therefrom in position to contact a surface;
- whereby said at least one first roller is adapted to temporarily take the place of the at least one front wheel of the piece of equipment, and said at least two second rollers are adapted to temporarily take the place of the at least two rear wheels of the piece of equipment while driving the piece of equipment into and out of the interior of an enclosed cargo container and storing it therein during transport within the hold of a vessel.
The method of transporting a backhoe loader within an enclosed cargo container for shipment within the hold of a vessel, comprising:
- (a) engaging the ground with the stabilizer arms and the loader of the backhoe loader;
- (b) extending the stabilizer arms and the loader of the backhoe loader so as to lift the frame and the wheels thereof off of the ground;
- (c) removing the front wheels and removing the rear wheels of the backhoe loader with its frame elevated from the ground;
- (d) providing a pair of front rollers and a pair of rear rollers;
- (e) mounting said front rollers to the backhoe loader in place of the front wheels, and mounting the rear rollers to the backhoe loader in place of the rear wheels;
- (f) retracting the stabilizer arms and the loader so that said front and rear rollers contact the ground;
- (g) driving the backhoe loader on the front and rear rollers into the interior of an enclosed cargo container for shipment within the hold of a vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.