Dolly dropdown box drawer for a tow truck
A dolly dropdown box drawer is disposed below a bed or a frame of a tow truck along each side of the truck near a driver's cab for the storage and safeguarding of a pair of towing dollies with one on each side of the truck. Each drawer pulls out laterally and then tilts and arcs downward at the front end of the drawer to provide ready and convenient access to a towing dolly at a level below waist level of a tow truck driver who desires to use the towing dolly during a recovery operation conducted regarding a motor vehicle.
1. A dolly dropdown box drawer mounted on a tow truck for the storage and securing of a towing dolly within said drawer comprising
a dolly dropdown box drawer assembly supported within a dolly dropdown box drawer support frame;
said dolly dropdown box drawer assembly comprises a multiwalled drawer having spaced and opposed drawer side walls, a drawer back wall spaced from and partially opposed by a drawer front wall, a drawer bottom wall spaced from and partially opposed by a drawer top wall depending from said drawer back wall;
said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame comprising a pair of spaced and opposed support end side walls connected by an intermediate top wall portion and with said end side walls depending downward from said intermediate top wall portion;
a pair of spaced and opposed front track follower assemblies that project from said drawer side walls and are received within and cooperate with a pair of spaced and opposed closed-end slotted front tracks on said support end side walls, respectively;
a pair of spaced and opposed rear track follower assemblies that project from said drawer side walls and are received within and cooperate with a pair of spaced and opposed closed-end slotted rear tracks on said support end side walls, respectively;
said front track follower assemblies are loosely received within said front tracks, respectively, and rear track follower assemblies are loosely received within said rear tracks, respectively, permitting said dolly dropdown box drawer assembly to move relative to said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame;
said front tracks each has a front track detent depression located towards a front edge of a respective support end side wall and said front tracks each terminated at a distance from said front edge of said respective support end side wall;
said rear tracks each has a rear portion each rectangular in shape that each transitions into a front portion each arcuate in shape and said rear tracks each terminated at a distance from said front edge of said respective support end side wall;
each said rear portion is linearly and horizontally aligned with said front track on said support end side wall, respectively, wherein said drawer assembly is supported in a cantilevered horizontal orientation while in a closed position and during transition towards an open position until said front track follower assemblies drop into said front track detent depressions after which said drawer assembly pivots from said horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, wherein said front and rear track follower assemblies do not leave their respective tracks and remain within the confines of said drawer support frame and wherein the physical configurations of said front tracks and said rear tracks on said respective support end side wall cooperate to preclude the entry of said rear track follower assemblies into said front portions until said front track follower assemblies descend into said front track detent depressions;
a selectively operable conventional latching mechanism, having a latching handle mechanism with said latching mechanism fastened to and through said bottom wall;
said latching mechanism includes a pair of shaped sliding rods that are selectively actuated by said latching mechanism to move horizontally through a pair of rod apertures in said drawer side walls, respectively and into a pair of rod receiving apertures in said support end side walls; and said shaped sliding rods are shaped to allow horizontal movement of said rods by said latching mechanism without physical interference by a towing dolly resting in said drawer.
2. A dolly dropdown box drawer mounted on a tow truck for the storage and securing of a towing dolly within said drawer comprising
a dolly dropdown box drawer assembly supported within a dolly dropdown box drawer support frame;
said dolly dropdown box drawer assembly comprises a multiwalled drawer having spaced and opposed drawer side walls, a drawer back wall spaced from and partially opposed by a drawer front wall, a drawer bottom wall spaced from and partially opposed by a drawer top wall depending from said drawer back wall;
said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame comprising a pair of spaced and opposed support end side walls connected by an intermediate top wall portion and with said end side walls depending downward from said intermediate too wall portion;
a pair of spaced and opposed front track follower assemblies that project from said drawer side walls and are received within and cooperate with a pair of spaced and opposed front tracks on said support end side walls, respectively;
a pair of spaced and opposed rear track follower assemblies that project from said drawer side walls and are received within and cooperate with a pair of spaced and opposed rear tracks on said support end side walls, respectively;
said front track follower assemblies are loosely received within said front tracks, respectively, and rear track follower assemblies are loosely received within said rear tracks, respectively, permitting said dolly dropdown box drawer assembly to move relative to said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame;
said front tracks each has a front track detent depression located towards a front edge of a respective support end side wall;
said rear tracks each has a rear portion each rectangular in shape that each transitions into a front portion each arcuate in shape;
each said rear portion is linearly and horizontally aligned with said front track on said support end side wall, respectively, wherein said drawer assembly is supported in a cantilevered horizontal orientation while in a closed position and during transition towards an open position until said front track follower assemblies drop into said front track detent depressions after which said drawer assembly pivots from said horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation within the confines of said drawer support frame and wherein the physical configurations of said front tracks and said rear tracks on said respective support end side wall cooperate to preclude the entry of said rear track follower assemblies into said front portions until said front track follower assemblies descend into said front track detent depressions;
a selectively operable conventional latching mechanism, having a latching handle mechanism with said latching mechanism fastened to and through said bottom wall;
said latching mechanism includes a pair of shaped sliding rods that are selectively actuated by said latching mechanism to move horizontally through a pair of rod apertures in said drawer side walls, respectively and into a pair of rod receiving apertures in said support end side walls; and said shaped sliding rods are shaped to allow horizontal movement of said rods by said latching mechanism without physical interference by a towing doily resting in said drawer;
a pair of spaced and opposed dolly dropdown box drawer support frame end covers;
wherein said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame end covers are each removably fastened by at least one bolt through at least one corresponding end cover aperture to at least one bolt receiving aperture on said support end side walls, respectively.
3. A dolly dropdown box drawer mounted on a tow truck for the storage and securing of a towing dolly within said drawer comprising
a dolly dropdown box drawer assembly supported within a dolly dropdown box drawer support frame;
said dolly dropdown box drawer assembly comprises a multiwalled drawer having spaced and opposed drawer side walls, a drawer back wall spaced from and partially opposed by a drawer front wall, a drawer bottom wall spaced from and partially opposed by a drawer top wall depending from said drawer back wall;
said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame comprising a pair of spaced and opposed support end side walls connected by an intermediate top wall portion and with said end side walls depending downward from said intermediate top wall portion;
a pair of spaced and opposed front track follower assemblies that project from said drawer side walls and are received within and cooperate with a pair of spaced and opposed closed-end slotted front tracks on said support end side walls, respectively;
a pair of spaced and opposed rear track follower assemblies that project from said drawer side walls and are received within and cooperate with a pair of spaced and opposed closed-end slotted rear tracks on said support end side walls, respectively;
said front track follower assemblies are loosely received within said front tracks, respectively, and rear track follower assemblies are loosely received within said rear tracks, respectively, permitting said dolly dropdown box drawer assembly to move relative to said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame;
said front tracks each has a front track detent depression located towards a front edge of a respective support end side wall and said front tracks each terminated at a distance from said front edge of said respective support end side wall;
said rear tracks each has a rear portion each rectangular in shape that each transitions into a front portion each arcuate in shape and said rear tracks each terminated at a distance from said front edge of said respective support end side wall;
each said rear portion is linearly and horizontally aligned with said front track on said support end side wall, respectively, wherein said drawer assembly is supported in a cantilevered horizontal orientation while in a closed position and during transition towards an open position until said front track follower assemblies drop into said front track detent depressions after which said drawer assembly pivots from said horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, wherein said front and rear track follower assemblies do not leave their respective tracks and remain within the confines of said drawer support frame and wherein the physical configurations of said front tracks and said rear tracks on said respective support end side wall cooperate to preclude the entry of said rear track follower assemblies into said front portions until said front track follower assemblies descend into said front track detent depressions;
a pair of spaced and opposed dolly dropdown box drawer support frame end covers;
wherein said dolly dropdown box drawer support frame end covers are each removably fastened by at least one bolt through at least one corresponding end cover aperture to at least one bolt receiving aperture on said support end side walls, respectively.