Servicing station for tractor trailer trucks
A servicing station for flatbeds includes a workers platform which is driven along one lateral side of the flatbed by an electric motor driving a spur gear in mesh with a rack on an overhead beam positioned sufficiently high to not interfere with lift truck loading and unloading of the flatbed. The electric motor is supplied electrical power through a power chain positioned on the overhead beam.
1. A servicing station for tractor trailer trucks having a flatbed trailer, comprising:
a fixed horizontal support base;
a pair of vertical support columns mounted on said support base and spaced horizontally from one another a distance at least as great as the length of said trailer said columns extending upwardly above the height of said trailer a sufficient distance to avoid interference with loading and unloading of said trailer at one of its laterally opposite sides by a lift truck,
a horizontally disposed I-beam having longitudinally opposite ends supported on said columns, respectively; said I-beam having upper and lower parallel horizontal flanges centrally interconnected by a longitudinally extending vertical web having laterally opposite inner and outer sides,
a gear rack on top of said lower flange at the laterally outer side of said vertical web,
a longitudinally extending track on said support base parallel to and beneath said I-beam,
a servicing platform having
a horizontal workers deck disposed at the height of a flatbed trailer of a tractor trailer truck,
a first pair of longitudinally spaced wheels mounted on and guided by said track,
a second pair of longitudinally spaced wheels engaging said support base and spaced laterally from said first pair of wheels,
a stairway secured to said servicing platform providing human access to said deck,
an electric motor support structure extending upwardly from said deck,
an electric motor mounted on said electric motor support structure having a horizontal output shaft,
a spur gear driven by said output shaft, said spur gear being in mesh with said rack, and
an electric supply station on said servicing platform positioned above said I-beam and connected in electrical supply relation to said motor, and
an elongated electrical energy guiding chain having one end secured to the top of said I-beam and its other end secured to said electric supply station.
2. The servicing station of claim 1 having a roller mounted on said electric motor support structure in vertical thrust transmitting relation with the underside of said I-beam.
3. The servicing station of claim 2 having a pair of guide rollers rotatably mounted on said motor support structure on vertical axes and in rolling guided relation to laterally opposite sides of said web of said I-beam.
4. The servicing station of claim 2 wherein said motor is secured to a biased support mounted on said electric motor support.
5. The servicing station of claim 4 wherein said biased support includes counterbalance spring acting in upward biasing relation to said motor.
6. The servicing station of claim 1 wherein said track has an inverted V shaped in cross section.
7. The servicing station of claim 1 having a signal light on said servicing platform which flashes when said platform is moving on said track.
8. The servicing platform of claim 1 having a horn which emits a warning noise when said platform is moving on said track.
9. The servicing platform of claim 1 having a travel limit mechanism including a toggle switch mounted on said electric motor support structure including a toggle and longitudinally spaced abutments on said I-beam with which said toggle engages to stop travel of said servicing platform.