Balanced fowler design

A patient support stretcher, comprising:

• a base adapted for support on a floor surface;
• means defining an elongate patient support surface oriented above said base, said patient support surface including a fowler section and a main section pivotally secured to one another along a first pivot axis extending transversely to a longitudinal axis of said patient support surface;
• an elongate link, said fowler section being pivotally connected at a second pivot axis to one end of said elongate link at a location intermediate said first pivot axis and an end of said fowler section distal said first pivot axis, a second end of said elongate link being pivotally connected at a third pivot axis to said base;
• an X-lift mechanism consisting of at least one pair of arms, said arms being connected to one another at a pivot joint to form an X-shaped configuration, one end of each said arm being pivotally connected to said base at a first horizontal spacing therebetween, a second end of each said arm being pivotally connected to said main section also at said first horizontal spacing;
• and
• means for accommodating a change in said horizontal spacing between respective said one ends and respective said second ends as said arms of said X-shaped configuration pivot about said pivot joint during a movement of said fowler section relative to said main section to simultaneously cause a respective raising and lowering of said patient support surface relative to said base, said first pivot axis being a first fixed distance from said second pivot axis while a second fixed distance exists between said second pivot axis and said end of said fowler section distal said first pivot axis so that when said fowler section is pivoted about said first pivot axis to a second position oriented at an obtuse angle to said main section, said main section is then oriented beneath a position of said main section when it was generally coplanar with said fowler section.