Process for loading a shipping container with vehicles
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorFriedhelm Herr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
To load several self-propelled vehicles in a container with optimum utilization of the available volume in the container, the front axle and wheels are replaced by a smaller auxiliary wheel which is attached to the front end of the vehicle. The rear wheels are replaced by smaller auxiliary wheels. The resulting reduction in vehicle height and front end width makes it possible to locate more vehicles than previously possible into an open top, shipping container. The vehicles as modified for shipping are still driveable and steerable and thus, may be loaded and unloaded from the container by driving the vehicle under its own power.
Claims2
A process for loading a shipping container with at least two tractors which each include a rear portion supported by a pair of transversely spaced rear drive wheels having brakes, a narrow forward portion joined to the rear portion, a transverse front axle assembly connected to the forward end of and extending laterally beyond opposite sides of the narrow forward portion, a pair of front support wheels connected to the opposite ends of the front axle, and a drive means in said tractor for driving said drive wheels, and each tractor having a height greater than the height of the container and a width slightly narrower than the width of the container, comprising the steps of:
- (a) replacing the pair of rear drive wheels of each tractor with a pair of auxiliary wheels;
- (b) removing the front support wheels from the front axle of each tractor and the front axle from the forward portion of each tractor;
- (c) fixedly mounting a frame to the forward end of the forward portion and fixedly mounting a single front auxiliary wheel to said frame at the forward end of the forward portion of each tractor, with the diameters of the auxiliary wheels being such that the tractor has a height less than that of the container;
- (d) driving a first of the tractors under its own power in reverse into one end of the container and steering the tractor by operating said brakes such that as it approaches a rear wall of the container, the tractor is caused to assume a position wherein its longitudinal axis is slanted relative to a longitudinal axis of the container;
- (e) driving a second of the tractors under its own power forwardly into the container and steering by its brakes so that the forward portion thereof overlaps and is substantially parallel to a considerable length of the forward portion of the first tractor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.