Articulated utility cart
An articulated cart includes a chassis, a bed pivotably coupled to the chassis, a set of front wheels operably coupled to the chassis, and a set of rear wheels operably coupled to the bed. A method of manufacturing an articulated cart and of dumping an articulated cart are further included.
1. An articulated cart, comprising:
a chassis;
an article retaining bed pivotably coupled to the chassis along an articulation axis;
a set of front wheels operably coupled to the chassis; and
a set of rear wheels operably coupled to the article retaining bed,
the articulation axis is shiftable between a carry orientation intermediate the set of front wheels and the set of rear wheels when the cart is in a carry disposition and a dump orientation wherein the rear set of wheels is intermediate the articulation axis and the set of front wheels when the cart is in a dump disposition.
2. The cart of claim 1 , the chassis including at least a pair of spaced apart side rails.
3. The cart of claim 2 , a selected one of the side rails being accommodable in a respective ridge defined in the article retaining bed.
4. The cart of claim 1 , the article retaining bed including a plurality of inboard, longitudinal ridges.
5. The cart of claim 1 , the article retaining bed being molded as a single body.
6. The cart of claim 5 , the article retaining bed having a front wall and a rear wall and two opposed side walls formed integral to a bed floor.
7. The cart of claim 6 , in which the front wall and rear wall and the two side walls are each stepped outwardly from the bed floor to a top margin.
8. The cart of claim 1 , having a shiftable locking mechanism for securing the article retaining bed to the chassis when the cart is in a carry disposition.
9. The cart of claim 1 , comprising a front axis for carrying the set of front wheels and a rear axis for carrying the set of rear wheels, characterized by a first wheel base dimension distance between the front axis and rear axis when the cart is in a carry disposition and a lesser second wheelbase dimension distance between the front axis and rear axis when the cart is in a dump disposition.
10. The cart of claim 6 , having a plurality of ridges formed in a bed floor.
11. The cart of claim 10 , in which the plurality of ridges extend generally longitudinally.
12. The cart of claim 10 , in which a portion of the chassis is seated within one of said ridges when the cart is in a carry disposition.
13. The cart of claim 10 , the chassis having a pair of spaced apart side rails, each of the side rails being seated within a respective one of said ridges when the cart is in a carry disposition.
14. The cart of claim 1 , the front set of wheels bearing against the rear set of wheels in a contacting disposition when the cart is in a dump disposition.
15. The cart of claim 14 , the contacting disposition acting to brake the cart.
16. The cart of claim 8 , the locking mechanism being biased in a locked disposition securing the article retaining bed to the chassis when the cart is in a carry disposition.
17. An articulated cart, comprising:
a chassis including at least a pair of spaced apart side rails;
an article retaining bed pivotably coupled to the chassis;
a set of front wheels operably coupled to the chassis;
a set of rear wheels operably coupled to the bed; and
wherein at least one of the side rails being accommodatable in a respective ridge defined in the article retaining bed.
18. The cart of claim 17 , having a plurality of ridges, including said respective ridge, formed in a bed floor in which a portion of the chassis is seated within one of said ridges when the cart is in a carry disposition.
19. The cart of claim 18 , in which the plurality of ridges extends generally longitudinally.