Chassis Stacker

A chassis stacker comprised of:

• a first and a second vertical storage rack, said first and second racks displaced from one another by a first distance wide enough to accommodate a trailer chassis, and connected at a top end by a trolley rail support beam;
• a trolley positioned on the trolley rail support beam, said trolley having an elevation system capable of raising and lowering an elevating structure that is suspended from the trolley and guided in its vertical motion by low-friction, storage-rack contact members attached at respective first and second ends of the elevating structure, said contact members in contact with an inner surface of the respective first and second vertical storage racks;
• a chassis gripping device attached to the elevating structure opposite the trolley rail, said chassis gripping device having first and second chassis contact members telescopingly attached to the chassis gripping device;
• a movable counter weight attached to the elevating structure opposite the chassis gripping device and proximal to the trolley rail;
• and
• a drive system powering the chassis gripping device and the movable counter weight.

A method for storing an empty trailer chassis, the method comprised of the steps of:

• positioning a trailer chassis between a first and a second vertical storage rack;
• lowering a first and a second stabilizing beam supporting a spreader containing a chassis clamping mechanism on to the chassis;
• engaging the chassis clamping mechanism with the chassis;
• raising the first and the second stabilizing beam so as to align the chassis with an empty storage space in one of the first and second vertical storage racks;
• traversing the spreader along the first and the second stabilizing beam so as to align the chassis with the empty storage space;
• lowering the chassis on to a shelf member located in one of the first and second vertical storage racks;
• disengaging the chassis from the chassis clamping mechanism;
• and
• repositioning the spreader between the first and the second vertical storage rack.

A method for storing an empty trailer chassis, the method comprised of the steps of:

• positioning a trailer chassis between a first and a second vertical storage rack;
• lowering a chassis gripping device to the chassis;
• engaging the chassis gripping device with the chassis;
• raising the chassis gripping device so as to align the chassis with an empty storage space in one of the first and second vertical storage racks;
• extending the chassis into one of the first and second vertical storage racks;
• lowering the chassis on to a chassis support member located in one of the first and second vertical storage racks;
• disengaging the chassis from the chassis gripping device;
• and
• repositioning the chassis gripping device between the first and the second vertical storage rack.