Hinged float attachment system

A float assembly adapted to be mounted on an elongated collapsible belt to form a floatable boom comprising;

• a support with attachment means for mounting the float assembly on the belt, a float member hinged to the support to be rotatable between the first position adjacent to the belt for storage and a second position laterally extended from the belt for facilitating floatation of the boom, the float member being mounted for limited angular displacement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt when in the second position, each float member is formed with a support including a substantially flat plate, a hub having a passageway therethrough and extending laterally from the plate, an axle mounted in the passageway of the hub and extending axially from both ends of the hub, the float member being formed with a recess adjacent the inner side thereof to receive the hub therein and openings to receive the ends of the axle extending axially from both ends of the hub to mount the float to the hub and accordingly to the support, the axle permitting rotation of the float with respect to the support between a first position adjacent to the support and accordingly to the belt to which the support is mounted and a second position substantially perpendicular to the support and extending laterally therefrom to act as a floatation member for floatation of the boom.

A float assembly adapted to be mounted on an elongated collapsible belt to form a floatable boom comprising;

• a support with attachment means for mounting the float assembly on the belt, a float member hinged to the support to be rotatable between a first position adjacent to the belt for storage and a second position laterally extended from the belt for facilitating floatation of the boom, the float member being mounted for limited angular displacement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt when in the second position, releasable holding means is provided to retain the float in the second position during use and releasable to permit the float to fall by gravity into the first position in close adjacent relationship to the belt, the holding means includes a latch arm fixed at one end to the support and extending laterally therefrom as a cantilever member and terminating in a latch tongue extending downwardly therefrom, the top of each float member containing a latch well for alignment with the latch tongue and shaped to interengage with the latch tongue when subjected to a predetermined force therebetween, the latch arm being releasable by exerting a sufficient predetermined force to displace the latch tongue from the latch well and thus permit the float to return to the first position.

A float assembly adapted to be mounted on an elongated collapsible belt to form a floatable boom comprising;

• a support with attachment means for mounting the float assembly on the belt, a float member hinged to the support to be rotatable between a first position adjacent to the belt for storage and a second position laterally extended from the belt for facilitating floatation of the boom, the float member being mounted for limited angular displacement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt when in the second position, each float member contains a pair of spaced rollers mounted in a recess adjacent its inner edge for engagement with an adjacent support surface thereby alleviating wearing action of sliding friction when the float tilts when in the second position and when the float rotates between the second and first positions.