GB2363766A - A jockey wheel assembly for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a drive vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A jockey wheel assembly 20 for facilitating the coupling of a trailer (not shown) to a drive vehicle (not shown) comprises attachment pins 32 for attachment to the trailer and an elongate housing 22 containing a hydraulic pump which, upon operation by an operator, causes a leg 24, to extend outwardly therefrom. A fully rotatable bracket 30 is attached to the distal end of leg 24, and a wheel 26 is attached by fixings 28 to the inside of bracket 30.The bracket 30 is rotatable through 360{ about a vertical axis which enables a trailer (not shown) to be easily manoeuvred. The hydraulic pump may be bidirectional.

Description

2363766 JOCKEY WHEEL ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a jockey

wheel assembly.

Jockey wheel assemblies are well known in the art, an example of which is shown attached to a trailer as illustrated in figure 1 The trailer (and associated jockey wheel assembly) are attached to, and pulled, by a motorised drive vehicle (not shown in the figure) Currently, jockey wheel assemblies are mechanically driven and comprise a small wheel at the base of a threaded bolt received in a cupped opening of a support arm, and a handle The handle is turned by an operator to thereby turn the threaded bolt in order to adjust the height of the trailer so that it can be attached to the drive vehicle However, safety issues arise with such mechanically driven jockey wheel assemblies due to instability once the trailer is in an elevated position resulting in the possibility of collapse, possibly injuring the operator and, in particular, the operator's back In addition, elevating the jockey wheel assembly and the trailer in the first place often requires substantial strength on the part of the operator which in many cases is not possible.

With a view to addressing the problems outlined above, it is an aim of at least preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a jockey wheel assembly which exhibits improved handling and safety characteristics.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a jockey wheel assembly for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a drive vehicle, the jockey wheel assembly comprising attachment means for attachment to said trailer, and hydraulically powered height adjustment means.

The term "trailer" refers to any vehicle which is attached to, and towed by, the drive vehicle, for example, a caravan.

The hydraulically powered height adjustment means may be a hydraulic pump.

The hydraulic pump may be bidirectional ie act in two directions; upwards and downwards.

Preferably, the jockey wheel assembly comprises a wheel at the base thereof Preferably, the wheel is rotatable about 3600 about the vertical axis Preferably, the wheel is attached to a fully rotatable bracket.

The jockey wheel assembly may be permanently attached to, or may be a part of, the trailer The jockey wheel assembly may be detachable.

Preferably, the jockey wheel assembly is attached to a chassis of the trailer The attachment means may be attachment pins which communicate with corresponding attachment apertures on the chassis.

The attachment means may comprise attachment flanges which are operable to abut the chassis Preferably, a sleeve is provided, the sleeve being operable to be fitted onto the chassis and of complimentary dimensions to those of the attachment flanges of the jockey wheel assembly The sleeve may be sized for abutting engagement between the attachment flanges Preferably, securement means are provided to prevent unauthorised removal of the jockey wheel assembly from the trailer.

Preferably, the jockey wheel assembly comprises pumping means Preferably, the pumping means comprise a pumping handle with which the operator may increase the pressure of the hydraulic pump Preferably, the jockey wheel assembly comprises a housing in which the hydraulic pump may be contained.

Preferably, activation of the hydraulic pump results in a substantially vertical movement of at least part of the trailer Preferably, the jockey wheel assembly comprises a release valve for releasing pressure in the hydraulic pump The hydraulic pump may be integral with the jockey wheel assembly The hydraulic pump may be remote from the jockey wheel assembly.

Preferably, the jockey wheel assembly comprises a locking means, more preferably, a locking handle to lock the wheel in a substantially extended configuration once the trailer has been elevated a suitable distance Additionally, the locking means may act to lock the wheel in a substantially retracted configuration.

The invention includes a trailer fitted with a jockey wheel assembly according to the invention.

The invention includes a caravan fitted with a jockey wheel assembly according to the invention.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of coupling a trailer to a drive vehicle, comprising the use of a hydraulically powered jockey wheel assembly to lift the trailer in a substantially vertical direction.

All of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects, in any combination.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:- figure 1 is schematic perspective view of a prior art jockey wheel attached to a trailer; figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a jockey wheel according to the present invention; figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a jockey wheel; figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment of a jockey wheel; and figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a jockey wheel.

Referring to figure 1, a trailer 2 is shown comprising a wheeled chassis 4 and a body 6 The chassis 4 shown in the figure has a single arm 14 for towing, although any design, for example, an A-frame, may be used A jockey wheel assembly 10 is attached to the arm 14 and, by turning a handle 12, the arm 14 may be raised such that a hitch 8 of the trailer can be attached to the rear of a motorised drive vehicle (not shown) It will be apparent that the level of effort required to turn the handle 12 by the operator will depend upon the size and weight of the trailer 2 and any contents therein.

Referring to figure 2, a jockey wheel assembly 20 is shown consisting of an elongate housing 22 containing a hydraulic pump which, upon activation by an operator, causes a leg 24 to extend outwardly therefrom It can be envisaged that the hydraulic pump can be bidirectional ie.

that activation of the pump causes the leg 24 to retract inwardly back into the housing 22 as well as extending outwardly therefrom Such bidirectional pumps would be bulkier than those which only act in one direction, however, they would greatly facilitate their use for the operator A fully rotatable bracket 30 is attached to the distal end of the leg 24, and a wheel 26 is attached by fixings 28 to the inside of the bracket 30 The bracket is rotatable through 360 about the vertical axis which enables the trailer 2 to be easily manoeuvred whilst on the ground to the rear of the drive vehicle.

Attachment pins 32 are provided at the proximal end of the jockey wheel assembly 20 for attachment to attachment means located on the arm 14 of the trailer 2 The configuration of the attachment pins 32 will depend on the size and dimensions of the attachment means of the arm 14.

The pins 32 shown in figure 2 may be positioned in equivalently sized apertures (not shown) which extend through the arm 14 of the trailer 2.

An alternative mechanism by which the jockey wheel assembly 20 can be secured to the arm 14 is illustrated in figure 3 It shows a jockey wheel assembly 20 lacking attachment pins 32 altogether but having instead a pair of flanges 40 located on one side of the housing 22 The flanges 40 are parallel to each other and located one above the other at an appropriate distance from each other such that a sleeve 42 may be positioned to tightly abut therebetween thereby securing the jockey wheel assembly 20 to the arm 14 as described below The sleeve 42 is attached by appropriate means to the arm 14 of the chassis 4 For example, the sleeve 42 may be mounted as a collar slidable along the arm 14 to the desired position The sleeve 42 may then be fixed in position on the arm 14 by passing a fixing pin through aperture 44 The pin either fits into an aperture in the arm 14 which is aligned with the aperture 44 in the sleeve 42, or the pin fixes the sleeve 42 in position by a friction fit Once in position, the jockey wheel assembly 20 is offered to the sleeve from one side of the arm 14 and positioned over the sleeve 42 such that the outer surface of the sleeve 42 abuts the inner surfaces of the flanges 40 It will be appreciated that any designs of flanges 40 and sleeve 42 may be used provided that their shapes are complimentary and a good fit is achieved The jockey wheel assembly 20 is locked into position on the sleeve 42 by a lock (not shown) at position 45 to prevent unauthorised removal thereof The jockey wheel assembly is portable since the operator has the option of either keeping it attached and locked onto the trailer 2 or removing it and attaching it to an alternative trailer 2.

The embodiment of figure 2 further consists of an attachment region 16 for a handle (not shown) which is used, by a pumping action, to increase the pressure of the hydraulic pump within the housing 22 As the pressure is increased, the leg 24 extends outwardly from the housing 22 thereby lifting the arm 14 of the trailer 2 in an upward direction away from the ground The extent of elevation is chosen to minimise the difference in height between the hitch 8 of the trailer 2 and the rear of the drive vehicle It will be appreciated that the use of hydraulics requires much less effort from the operator than prior art mechanically driven jockey wheel assemblies

Once the desired height has been achieved, accidental collapse of the jockey wheel assembly 20 is prevented by locking it in an extended position by locking means as illustrated by a handle 17 in figure 4 The handle 17 is connected to a threaded screw which extends through the casing enabling the screw to be turned clockwise thereby applying a force to the leg 24 The leg 24 is locked in position The assembly 20 may be unlocked by turning the handle anti-clockwise.

Once the trailer has been successfully attached to the drive vehicle, a release pin 18 located at the proximal end of the jockey wheel assembly 20 is used to release the hydraulic pressure The leg 24 retracts back into the housing 22 either under the weight of the trailer 2, by force from the operator or by hydraulic power which acts in the opposite direction ie upwardly The handle 17 may also be used to lock the leg 24 in a retracted position such that the jockey wheel assembly 20 does not collide with the ground when moving.

Referring to figure 5, an alternative embodiment of a jockey wheel assembly 20 is illustrated in which a remote hydraulic pump 46 is provided as opposed to an integral pump as previously described in the other embodiments.

Piping 48 is connected between the housing 22 of the jockey wheel assembly 20 and the remote hydraulic pump 46.

The remote hydraulic pump 46 has a handle 50 The embodiment functions in the same way as previous embodiments, ie the handle 50 is used to increase the pressure of the pump 46 thereby causing the leg 2 to extend outwardly from the housing.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s) The invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims (19)

1 A jockey wheel assembly for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a drive vehicle, the jockey wheel assembly comprising attachment means for attachment to said trailer, and hydraulically powered height adjustment means.

2 A jockey wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydraulically powered height adjustment means is a hydraulic pump.

3 A jockey wheel assembly according to claim 2, wherein the hydraulic pump is bidirectional.

4 A jockey wheel assembly according to either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the jockey wheel assembly comprises a housing in which the hydraulic pump may be contained.

5 A jockey wheel assembly according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the jockey wheel assembly comprises a release valve for releasing pressure in the hydraulic pump.

6 A jockey wheel assembly according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the hydraulic pump is integral with the jockey wheel assembly.

7 A jockey wheel assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the jockey wheel assembly comprises a wheel at the base thereof.

8 A jockey wheel assembly according to claim 7, wherein the wheel is rotatable about 3600 about the vertical axis.

9 A jockey wheel assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means comprises attachment pins which communicate with corresponding attachment apertures on a chassis of the trailer.

A jockey wheel assembly according to claim 9, wherein the attachment means comprises attachment flanges which are operable to abut the chassis.

11 A jockey wheel assembly according to claim 10, wherein a sleeve is provided, the sleeve being operable to be fitted onto the chassis and of complimentary dimensions to those of the attachment flanges of the jockey wheel assembly.

12 A jockey wheel assembly according to claim 11, wherein the sleeve may be sized for abutting engagement between the attachment flanges.

13 A jockey wheel assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein securement means are provided to prevent unauthorised removal of the jockey wheel assembly from the trailer.

14 A jockey wheel assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the jockey wheel assembly comprises pumping means.

15 A jockey wheel assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the jockey wheel assembly comprises a locking means.

16 A trailer fitted with a jockey wheel assembly according to any preceding claim.

17 A caravan fitted with a jockey wheel assembly according to any of claims 1 to 15.

18 A method of coupling a trailer to a drive vehicle, comprising the use of a hydraulically powered jockey wheel assembly to lift the trailer in a substantially vertical direction.

19 A jockey wheel assembly as described herein with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.

A method of coupling a trailer to a drive vehicle as described herein with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.