Portable car hoist and trailer with removable wheels

Portable hoist apparatus for lifting a vehicle with wheels above the ground, comprising:

• a base frame assembly;
• a platform frame assembly positioned above the base frame assembly;
• a pair of elongated, upwardly-opening platform channels positioned in parallel, spaced apart relation to each other on the platform frame assembly for receiving and retaining the vehicle's wheels when it is positioned on the hoist;
• a pair of elongated, upwardly-opening ramp channels positioned in parallel, spaced-apart relation to each other, one end of each of said ramp channels being pivotally attached to an end of one of said platform channels and being foldable about said pivotal attachment between a folded position with the ramp channel positioned upwardly and over the platform channel to which it is pivotally attached and an extended position with the ramp channel extending outwardly and downwardly from the platform channel to which it is attached, said pivotal attachment including a first plate rigidly affixed to, and extending downwardly from, one side of the platform channel, a second plate rigidly affixed to, and extending downwardly from, the other side of the platform channel, a third plate rigidly affixed to one side of the ramp channel, and a fourth plate rigidly affixed to the other side of the ramp channel, said third and fourth plates being oriented to extend downwardly from the ramp channel adjacent the first and second plates when said ramp channel is in said extended position with the tops of said first and third plates being pivotally connected together and the tops of said second and fourth plates being pivotally connected together;
• and
• lift means connected to the base frame assembly and to the platform frame assembly for lifting and lowering the platform frame assembly in relation to the base frame assembly.

Portable hoist apparatus for lifting a vehicle above the ground, comprising:

• a base frame assembly;
• a platform frame assembly positioned above the base frame assembly;
• an elongated, upwardly-opening ramp channel extending outwardly and downwardly from said platform frame assembly;
• and
• a chock assembly removably attached to said ramp channel for preventing a vehicle on the hoist from rolling off the hoist, said chock assembly including an elongated outside tube member, an elongated inside tube member telescopically slidable into one end of said outside tube member, bias means for yieldably biasing said inside tube member into said outside tube member, a first anchor member extending downwardly from the end of said inside tube member that is not inserted into said outside tube member and a second anchor member extending downwardly from said outside tube member, a first collar extending from a lower end of said first anchor member inwardly toward said second anchor member, and a second collar extending from a lower end of said second anchor member inwardly toward said first anchor member such that a portion of the ramp is grasped between said first and second collars.

Portable hoist apparatus for lifting a vehicle above the ground, comprising:

• a base frame assembly;
• a platform frame assembly positioned above the base frame assembly;
• lift means connected to the base frame assembly and to the platform frame assembly for lifting and lowering the platform frame assembly in relation to the base frame assembly, said lift means including a scissors-shaped stabilizer support assembly including a cross-frame comprised of first and second elongated scissors arms pivotally connected together at their midsection, a first end of the first of said scissors arms being pivotally connected to the rear portion of said base frame assembly and a first end of the second of said scissors arms being pivotally connected to the rear portion of said platform frame assembly, the second end of said first scissors arm being connected to the forward portion of said platform frame assembly in such a manner that it is translatable only forwardly and rearwardly, but not upwardly and downwardly, in relation to said platform frame assembly as said platform frame assembly is lifted and lowered, the second end of said second scissors arm being connected to the forward portion of said base frame assembly in such a manner that it is translatable only forwardly and rearwardly, but not upwardly and downwardly, in relation to said base frame assembly as said platform frame assembly is lifted and lowered;
• and
• latch means on one of said scissors arms for selectively preventing and allowing said translation of said scissors arm and thus selectively preventing and allowing said lowering of said platform frame assembly in relation to said base frame assembly.

Portable hoist apparatus for lifting a vehicle above the ground, comprising:

• a base frame assembly;
• a platform frame assembly positioned above the base frame assembly and moveable upwardly and downwardly in relation to the base frame assembly;
• suspension and wheel means attached to the base frame assembly for supporting the base frame assembly above the ground, said suspension and wheel means being selectively raiseable and lowerable for selectively lowering the base frame assembly to the ground and raising the base frame assembly above the ground;
• lift means connected together with the base frame assembly, the platform frame assembly, and the suspension and wheel means for sequentially lowering the base frame.

In a trailer apparatus having a base frame assembly and a wheel connected to the base frame assembly for supporting the base frame assembly above the ground, the improvement comprising:

• a horizontal axle shaft with said wheel rotatably mounted on said axle shaft;
• a horizontal mounting shaft that is laterally and axially offset from said axle shaft;
• a suspension arm extending between, and attached to, said axle and mounting shafts;
• a sleeve affixed to said base frame assembly for slideably receiving and rotatably retaining said mounting shaft in such a manner that said mounting shaft can be slideably removed from said sleeve and such that said axle shaft is pivotal upwardly and downwardly about the axis of the sleeve when said mounting shaft is positioned in the sleeve;
• and
• lift means on said base frame assembly for moving said axle means and said wheel upwardly and downwardly in relation to said base frame assembly to a sufficient extent that said base frame assembly can be lowered to the ground, said lift means having a strut that is moveable upwardly and downwardly in relation to the base frame assembly and is positioned to bear on said axle shaft to move said axle shaft and said wheel upwardly and downwardly in relation to said base frame assembly, said strut being positioned in such a manner as to prevent removal of said mounting shaft from said sleeve when said axle shaft and wheel are lowered in relation to said base frame assembly and said strut is positioned in such a manner as to allow removal of said mounting shaft from said sleeve when said axle shaft and wheel are raised.