Combination freight and vehicle carrying trailer

An enclosed vehicle for alternately carrying vehicular and non-vehicular cargo comprising:

• (A) a wheeled chassis;
• (B) means for removably coupling the front part of said chassis to a towing vehicle;
• (C) a framework defining an enclosure having a length, a width and a height and mounted on said chassis;
• (D) a floor mounted on said chassis;
• (E) a top mounted on said framework;
• (F) a plurality of walls mounted on said framework, said walls forming an enclosure mounted to said framework and said chassis and wherein one said wall is equipped with an opening;
• (G) at least one door within said opening;
• (H) means for opening said door;
• (I) a plurality of full-range hydraulic actuators each having a fixed length substantially equal to the height of said enclosure and disposed vertically at intervals within said enclosure;
• (J) a plurality of mounting trolleys, one said trolley mounted on each said actuator;
• (K) at least one elongated planar support located within said enclosure attached to said trolleys;
• (L) means for actuating said actuators to raise and lower said at least one elongated planar support, said means including a deactivation device comprising at least one infrared light beam emitter and corresponding beam receiver, whereby an infrared light beam is located in close proximity to the upper limits of the enclosure, above said at least one planar support and causes a deactivation of said hydraulic actuators when the infrared light beam is interrupted;
• and
• (M) said elongated planar support being adapted to be moved substantially along the entire height of said enclosure by said hydraulic actuators.

A method for alternatively carrying vehicular and non-vehicular cargo utilizing an enclosed container having a length, a width and a height comprising:

• (A) loading cargo onto at least one elongated planar support which is adapted to be moved substantially along the entire height of said container by continuously acting hydraulic actuators;
• (B) raising said cargo on said at least one elongated planar support through the use of said continuously-acting hydraulic actuators, each of which has a fixed length substantially equal to the height of said container and each of which is disposed vertically within said enclosed container and attached to said at least one elongated planar support until said actuators are deactivated by said cargo interrupting a light beam oriented above said elongated planar support at the upper limits of said enclosed container whereby preventing damage to said cargo and said enclosed container;
• and
• (C) loading cargo into said enclosed container below said cargo which was raised on said at least one elongated planar support.

A method for alternatively carrying vehicular and non-vehicular cargo utilizing an enclosed container having a length, a width and a height comprising:

• (A) loading cargo on a plurality of elongated planar supports each of which is adapted to be moved substantially along the entire height of said container by continuously acting hydraulic actuators;
• (B) raising said cargo on a first of said plurality of elongated planar supports through the use of said continuously-acting hydraulic actuators each of which has a fixed length substantially equal to the height of said container and each of which is disposed vertically within said enclosed container and attached to said at least one elongated planar support until said actuators are deactivated by said cargo interrupting a light beam oriented above said plurality of elongated planar supports at the upper limits of said enclosed container whereby preventing damage to said cargo and said enclosed container;
• (C) lowering said first of said plurality of elongated planar supports until said light beam is not interrupted by said cargo;
• (D) raising said cargo on a second of said plurality of elongated planar supports through the use of continuously-acting hydraulic actuators which are disposed within said enclosed container and attached to said at least one elongated planar support until said actuators are deactivated by said cargo interrupting a light beam oriented above said plurality of elongated planar supports at the upper limits of said enclosed container whereby preventing damage to said cargo and said enclosed container;
• and
• (E) loading cargo into said enclosed container below said cargo which was raised on said at least one elongated planar support.