Apparatus for washing and drying motor vehicles

Apparatus for automatically washing, drying, buffing, polishing, or otherwise finishing a motor vehicle which is transported therethrough comprising:

• a frame;
• a first generally horizontal support carried by said frame;
• said frame including a first pair of generally vertical leg means;
• a second generally horizontal support interconnecting said first pair of leg means;
• a second pair of generally vertical leg means disposed opposite said first pair of leg means;
• and a third generally horizontal support interconnecting said second pair of leg means, said third support being substantially parallel to said second support and parallel to the direction in which said motor vehicle is transported through said apparatus;
• and wherein said first generally horizontal support is generally perpendicular to said second and third supports and is carried thereby, one end portion of said first support being carried by a central portion of said second support and the opposite end portion of said first support being carried by a central portion of said third support;
• rack means for carrying pack units of finishing material for operatively engaging said motor vehicle;
• arm means supportively carrying said rack means, said arm means including a first portion pivotally connected to said support and a second portion coupled to said rack means;
• means operatively coupled to said arm means for at least partially rotating said arm means in an arc about said first pivotally connected portion to rockably move said rack means in a generally horizontal plane to facilitate the washing, drying, buffing, polishing or otherwise finishing of said motor vehicle;
• said rack means including a first generally rectangular rack having its longitudinal dimension parallel to said first horizontal support, said first rack being adapted to carry a plurality of said pack units;
• and a second generally rectangular rack having its longitudnal dimension parallel to said first horizontal support, said second rack being adapted to carry a plurality of said pack units;
• said first and second racks being disposed on opposite sides of said first horizontal support such that both of said racks will serially engage said motor vehicle as it is transported through said frame.

Apparatus for automatically washing, drying, buffing, polishing, or otherwise finishing a motor vehicle which is transported therethrough comprising:

• a frame;
• a generally horizontal support carried by said frame;
• rack means for carrying a plurality of pack units of finishing material for operatively engaging said motor vehicle;
• arm means supportively carrying said rack means, said arm means including a first portion pivotally connected to said support and a second portion coupled to said rack means;
• and means operatively coupled to said arm means for at least partially rotating said arm means in an arc about said first pivotally connected portion to rockably move said rack means in a generally horizontal plane to facilitate the washing, drying, buffing, polishing or otherwise finishing of said motor vehicle;
• said rack means including a first and second elongated rack plate having its longitudinal axis disposed generally parallel to said horizontal support, each of said rack plates including a plurality of pack unit mounts for suspending a plurality of pack units therefrom, said first and second rack plates being disposed on opposite sides of said horizontal support;
• said arm means including an elongated member having one end portion pivotally connected to said first rack plate for supporing same, a second end portion pivotally connected to said second rack plate for supporting same, and a central portion pivotally connected to said horizontal support and carried thereby such that the partial rotation of said elongated member in an arc about said pivotally connected central portion causes said first and second rack plates to reciprocate generally back and forth in opposite directions.

Apparatus for performing a processing operation such as washing, drying, buffing, polishing or otherwise finishing a motor vehicle comprising:

• a frame including an entrance, an exit, and an intermediate portion having a pair of opposing sides, said frame being oriented such that a motor vehicle to be processed may be transported through said entrance, processed while said motor vehicle is being transported between said opposing sides and under said intermediate portion, and then transported out of said exit after said processing operation is complete;
• a first support member extending substantially across the intermediate portion of said frame between said pair of opposing sides;
• a pair of arm means carried by said first support member adjacent the opposite ends thereof, the central portion of each of said pair of arm means being pivotally connected to and carried by said first support member;
• first and second elongated rack means generally disposed transversely of said frame entrance and exit, said rack means being disposed on opposite sides of said first support member;
• pack means supportively carried by said rack means for operatively engaging said motor vehicle as it is transported through said intermediate portion to perform said processing operation thereon;
• means adjacent the ends of said pair of arm means which are disposed generally toward said entrance for supportively carrying said first elongated rack means and means adjacent the opposite ends of said pair of arm means which are disposed generally toward said exit for supportively carrying said second elongated rack means;
• a rotatable element;
• drive means carried by said frame for drivably rotating said element;
• and
• linkage means having one end pivotally coupled to said rotatable element and its opposite end pivotally coupled to a portion of one of said pair of arm means at a point spaced from the central portion thereof for reciprocally rocking said first and second rack means back and forth in a generally arcuate path in horizontal plane to facilitate said processing operation.