Wheeled military vehicle
AssigneeAmerican Growler
InventorsCurtis T. Crews, William R. Crisp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The Invention is a wheeled military vehicle that may be stacked one on top of another for efficient transportation aboard an aircraft such as a helicopter. A tubular frame reinforces the fenders of the military vehicle, allowing a first vehicle to support the weight of a second vehicle and to withstand the load applied by rigging. A pintle hook is connected to the military vehicle by a hinge and has a deployed and a folded position. The hinged pintle hook allows a combination of the military vehicle and a trailer to be shortened selectably so that the combination will occupy a reduced space within the fuselage of an aircraft.
Claims15
A stackable military vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
- a. a body;
- b. a seat connected to said body, said seat and said body being configured to accommodate an adult human occupant;
- c. a plurality of ground-engaging wheels rotatably connected to said body, said wheels being adapted to support said body;
- d. an internal combustion engine attached to said body, said internal combustion engine being adapted to selectably rotate a one of said plurality of said wheels, the military vehicle being a first vehicle of a pair of the military vehicles, said body being configured so that a second vehicle of said pair of the military vehicles may be stacked upon said first vehicle for transport, said first vehicle being configured such that said first vehicle may be driven when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle;
- e. a frame defining a body portion, said body portion being configured to support said second vehicle when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle,
- f. said frame defining a roll cage portion, said roll cage portion being configured to be removably attached to said body portion, said roll cage portion extending above said body when said roll cage is attached to said body portion whereby said roll cage portion and said body portion in combination provide a degree of protection to the vehicle and to said occupant of the vehicle in the event of a rollover of the vehicle;
- g. said roll cage portion defining a one of a male and a female connector, said body portion defining the other of said male and said female connector, said female connector defining a tapered opening, said male connector selectably and matably engaging said tapered opening of said female connector when said roll cage portion is removably attached to said body portion.
A stackable military vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
- a. a body;
- b. a seat connected to said body, said seat and said body being configured to accommodate an adult human occupant;
- c. a plurality of ground-engaging wheels rotatably connected to said body, said wheels being adapted to support said body;
- d. an internal combustion engine attached to said body, said internal combustion engine being adapted to selectably rotate a one of said plurality of said wheels, the military vehicle being a first vehicle of a pair of the military vehicles, said body being configured so that a second vehicle of said pair of the military vehicles may be stacked upon said first vehicle for transport, said first vehicle being configured such that said first vehicle may be driven when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle, wherein said configuration of said body so that said second vehicle may be stacked upon said first vehicle comprising;
- a frame having a body portion, said body portion being integral to said body, said body portion being adapted to support said second vehicle when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle;
- wherein said configuration of said body so that said second vehicle may be stacked upon said first vehicle further comprising:
- said frame having a roll cage portion, said roll cage portion being configured to be removably attached to said body portion, said roll cage portion extending above said body when said roll cage is attached to said body portion whereby said roll cage portion and said body portion in combination provide a degree of protection to the vehicle and to said occupant of the vehicle in the event of a rollover of the vehicle, wherein said configuration of said body so that said second vehicle may be stacked upon said first vehicle further comprising:
- a fender having a top side, said fender being defined by said body, said body portion comprising a body portion tubing located on said top side of said fender and reinforcing said fender, said body portion tubing and said fender of said first vehicle in combination being configured to support a one of said plurality of wheels of said second vehicle when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle.
A stackable military vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
- a. a body;
- b. a seat connected to said body, said seat and said body being configured to accommodate an adult human occupant;
- c. a plurality of ground-engaging wheels rotatably connected to said body, said wheels being adapted to support said body;
- d. an internal combustion engine attached to said body, said internal combustion engine being adapted to selectably rotate a one of said plurality of said wheels, the military vehicle being a first vehicle of a pair of the military vehicles, said body being configured so that a second vehicle of said pair of the military vehicles may be stacked upon said first vehicle for transport, said first vehicle being configured such that said first vehicle may be driven when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle;
- e. a pintle hook;
- f. a shaft connected to said pintle hook;
- g. a hinge connecting said body and said shaft, said hinge, said shaft and said pintle hook in combination defining a pintle hook assembly, said pintle hook being configured to connect to a tongue of a trailer, said trailer and said first vehicle defining a vehicle/trailer combination, said pintle hook assembly being selectably rotatable about said hinge between a deployed position and a folded position when connected to said tongue of said trailer, said vehicle/trailer combination having a first length when said pintle hook is in said deployed position, said vehicle/trailer combination having a second length when said pintle hook is in said folded position, said second length being less than said first length.
A stackable vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
- a. a body;
- b. a seat connected to said body, said seat and said body being configured to accommodate an adult human occupant;
- c. a plurality of ground-engaging wheels rotatably connected to said body, said wheels being adapted to support said body;
- d. an internal combustion engine attached to said body, said internal combustion engine being adapted to rotate a one of said plurality of said wheels;
- e. a plurality of fenders defined by said body, each of said plurality of fenders being configured to intercept a debris ejected by a one of said plurality of said wheels when said one of said plurality of said wheels is rotating, the vehicle being a first vehicle of a pair of vehicles, said plurality of said fenders being adapted to support a second vehicle of said pair of vehicles when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle, wherein said adaptation of said plurality of fenders to support said second vehicles comprises;
- each of said plurality of fenders being configured to receive and to support a one of said plurality of wheels of said second vehicle;
- f. a roll cage portion, said roll cage portion being removably attached to said body, said roll cage extending above said body when said roll cage is attached to said body, said roll cage portion defining a one of a male and a female connector, said body defining the other of said male and said female connector, said female connector defining a tapered opening, said male connector defining a tapered shank, said tapered shank selectably and matably engaging said tapered opening of said female connector when said roll cage portion is removably attached to said body.
A stackable vehicle, the stackable vehicle comprising:
- a. a body;
- b. a seat connected to said body, said seat and said body being configured to accommodate an adult human occupant;
- c. a plurality of ground-engaging wheels rotatably connected to said body, said wheels being adapted to support said body;
- d. an internal combustion engine attached to said body, said internal combustion engine being adapted to selectably rotate said plurality of said wheels;
- e. a frame attached to said body, the vehicle being a first vehicle of a pair of vehicles, said frame being adapted to support a second vehicle of said pair of vehicles when said second vehicle is stacked upon said first vehicle;
- f. a pintle hook hinge connected to said body;
- g. a pintle hook shaft, said pintle hook shaft being connected to said hinge,
- h. a pintle hook connected to said pintle hook shaft, said pintle hook being configured to connect to a tongue of a trailer, said pintle hook being selectably rotatable about said pintle hook hinge between a deployed position and a folded position when connected to said tongue of said trailer, said first vehicle and said trailer defining a vehicle/trailer combination, said vehicle/trailer combination having a first length when said pintle hook is in said deployed position, said vehicle/trailer combination having a second length when said pintle hook is in said folded position, said second length being less than said first length
- i. a deployed position latch operably connected to said pintle hook, said pintle hook latch selectably retaining said pintle hook in said deployed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.