The present invention relates to a releasable towing attachment for a vehicle; to a vehicle comprising a releasable towing attachment; and to a method of towing a load. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a releasable towing attachment for a vehicle having a movable manipulating arm; to a vehicle having a movable manipulating arm and such a towing attachment; and to a method of towing a load using such a vehicle.

Vehicles such as fork-lift trucks are commonly found on a wide range of industrial installations, such as chemical plants, storage warehouses, power stations, factories, building sites and the like. The conventional use for such trucks is to transport loads on pallets or in containers, where the truck forks engage in specially designed channels in the pallet/container. Frequently however the load to be transported is not provided on a suitable pallet or container. For example, a load may have been transported on site on a trailer using a dedicated vehicle, which vehicle is then moved off-site. This presents a problem when it becomes necessary to subsequently move the trailer, for example, to gain access to an area of the site blocked by the trailer, as the vehicle required to move the load is no longer present on the site.

Typically, the solution to this problem has been to use a fork-lift truck in an inappropriate fashion by lifting or shunting the trailer around the site. This presents a risk of damage to the trailer and the load, as well as a chance of injury to the operator of the truck or other personnel present on the site. Clearly this is undesired and, in particular, breaches the Health and Safety laws of the United Kingdom.

Alternatively, some fork-lift trucks include a drop bolt, pintle bar or the like which can be used for towing certain objects, and indeed for towing the truck itself. The drop bolt engages in mountings which are usually located in a recess in the back of the truck. These drop bolts are, however, ill-suited for use in towing objects, as it is necessary to couple the bolt to the object using a strap, chain, rope or the like tied to the object and to the bolt. This is both time-consuming and presents similar risks of damage/injury to those discussed above, and is therefore equally undesired.

It is amongst the objectives of embodiments of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the foregoing disadvantages.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a releasable towing attachment for a vehicle having a movable manipulating arm, for connecting a load to the vehicle, the releasable towing attachment comprising a substantially rigid body adapted to be releasably secured to the vehicle and a towing member coupled to the substantially rigid body, the towing member adapted to be coupled to a load to thereby connect the load to the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising: a movable manipulating arm; and a releasable towing attachment for connecting a load to the vehicle, the releasable towing attachment comprising a substantially rigid body adapted to be releasably secured to the vehicle and a towing member coupled to the substantially rigid body, the towing member adapted to be coupled to the load to thereby connect a load to the vehicle.

The invention therefore provides a towing attachment which may be releasably secured to a vehicle when it is required to tow a load. Accordingly, the invention facilitates towing of a load without requiring a dedicated vehicle; the attachment can simply be coupled to a vehicle commonly found on building sites and the like when it becomes necessary to tow a load.

The substantially rigid body of the towing attachment may be adapted to be releasably secured to the vehicle in a quick-release engagement. This may facilitate quick coupling of the towing attachment to the vehicle, and thus quick connection of a load to the vehicle, in use. In embodiments of the invention, the towing attachment may be adapted to be releasably secured to the manipulating arm of the vehicle. The vehicle is preferably a fork-lift truck where the manipulating arm is a fork forming part of a lifting assembly of the fork- lift truck. Accordingly a load may be coupled to a fork of the fork-lift truck to facilitate towing of the load using the truck. Once the load has been towed to a desired location, the load may be disconnected from the fork, and the towing member then released from the fork, such that the fork-lift truck may resume normal operations.

Alternatively, the vehicle may be any other type of vehicle having a manipulating arm, such as a mobile excavator, dump truck, crane or the like. In such examples, the manipulating arm is articulated and includes a tool such as a releasable bucket, hook, pneumatic hammer or the like on the end of the arm. The towing member may therefore be adapted to be releasably secured to the arm in place of any such tool, or to be coupled to the tool itself.

It will be understood that references herein to 'towing', 'towed' and vtow' encompasses both pulling and pushing forces applied to a load.

The substantially rigid body may be adapted to be located around the manipulating arm. Thus, for example, where the manipulating arm is a fork of a fork-lift truck, and where the towing attachment is adapted to be releasably secured to the manipulating arm, the body may be located around the fork. The body may therefore be hollow, defining a channel or passage through which the manipulating arm may extend.

Additionally or alternatively, the substantially rigid body may be adapted to be coupled to an existing towing member of the vehicle. For example, where the vehicle is a fork-lift truck, the truck may comprise a drop bolt, pintle bar or the like, and the body may be adapted to be coupled to the drop bolt for releasably securing the body to the vehicle.

In an alternative embodiment, the body may take the form of a plate or the like, and may be adapted to be located in abutment with the manipulating arm, or coupled to the towing member of the vehicle.

The body may be releasably secured to the manipulating arm by a bolt, pin or the like which may be adapted to be located in a corresponding hole or aperture in the manipulating arm and secured with a nut or the like. Alternatively, the body may include a hole, aperture or the like adapted to receive the existing towing member of the vehicle, for releasably securing the body to the vehicle.

The towing member may be provided as a separate component adapted to be secured to the body, or may be provided as an integral part of the body, for example, welded to, moulded or cast as part of the body.

The towing member may comprise a ball, hook, pin or the like. The towing member of the attachment may be adapted to engage a tow socket or the like on the load, for example, the load may comprise a trailer or the like having a tow socket which the towing member may engage.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of towing a load using a vehicle having a movable manipulating arm, the method comprising the steps of: releasably securing a substantially rigid body of a towing attachment to the vehicle; connecting a load to a towing member coupled to the substantially rigid body; and using the vehicle to tow the load.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a releasable towing attachment for a vehicle having a movable manipulating arm, the releasable towing attachment comprising a towing member adapted to be releasably secured to the manipulating arm for connecting a load thereto.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising: a movable manipulating arm; and a releasable towing attachment comprising a towing member adapted to be releasably secured to the manipulating arm for connecting a load thereto.

The invention therefore provides a towing attachment which may be secured to a manipulating arm of a vehicle when it is required to tow a load. Accordingly, the invention facilitates towing of a load without requiring a dedicated vehicle; the attachment can simply be coupled to the manipulating arm of a vehicle commonly found on building sites and the like when it becomes necessary to tow a load.

The vehicle is preferably a fork-lift truck where the manipulating arm is a fork forming part of a lifting assembly of the fork-lift truck. Accordingly a load may be coupled to a fork of the fork-lift truck to facilitate towing of the load using the truck. Once the load has been towed to a desired location, the load may be disconnected from the fork, and the towing member then released from the fork, such that the fork-lift truck may resume normal operations.

Alternatively, the vehicle may be any other type of vehicle having a manipulating arm, such as a mobile excavator, dump truck crane or the like. In such examples, the manipulating arm is articulated and includes a tool such as a releasable bucket, hook, pneumatic hammer or the like on the end of the arm. The towing member may therefore be adapted to be releasably secured to the arm in place of any such tool, or to be coupled to the tool itself.

The towing member may be adapted to be directly releasably secured to the manipulating arm. For example, the towing member may comprise a bolt, pin or the like and may be adapted to be located in a corresponding hole or aperture in the manipulating arm and secured with a nut or the like. Preferably though the towing member is adapted to be indirectly releasably secured to the manipulating member. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the towing attachment may comprise a body adapted to be releasably secured to the manipulating arm, and the towing member may be coupled to the body. The body may be adapted to be located around the manipulating arm. Thus, for example, where the manufacturing arm is a fork of a fork-lift truck, the body may be located around the fork. The body may therefore be hollow, defining a channel or passage through which the manipulating arm may extend. Alternatively, the body may take the form of a plate or the like adapted to be located in abutment with the manipulating arm. The body may be releasably secured to the manipulating arm by a bolt, pin or the like which may be adapted to be located in a corresponding hole or aperture in the manipulating arm and secured with a nut or the like. The towing member may be provided as a separate component adapted to be secured to the body, or may be provided as an integral part of the body, for example, welded to, moulded or cast as part of the body.

The towing member may comprise a ball, hook, pin or the like.

The towing attachment may comprise a stabiliser, support, brace or the like for providing an emergency bracing force. For example, in the event that the weight of the load, and the location of the towing member in a vertical plane relative to the vehicle centre of a gravity, are such as to cause a reactionary moment about the vehicle drive wheels sufficiently large as to cause the vehicle to tilt, the stabiliser may provide a bracing force preventing the vehicle from further tilting. The stabiliser may be coupled to the towing member and may provide a bracing force against the ground. Also, the stabiliser may provide an indication of a suitable operating location for the towing member in the vertical plane.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of towing a load using a movable manipulating arm of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: releasably securing a towing attachment to the manipulating arm; connecting a load to a towing member of the towing attachment; and using the manipulating arm to tow the load.

Further features of the present invention are defined in the accompanying claims. It will be understood that the features of one or more of the above aspects of the invention may be provided singularly or in combination.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle, and a releasable towing attachment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are side, plan and end views of the towing attachment of Fig. 1, respectively; Fig. 5 is a view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with the towing attachment releasably secured to a manipulating arm of the vehicle;

Fig. 6 is a view of the vehicle of Fig. 1, with the towing attachment releasably secured to the manipulating arm as shown in Fig. 5, the vehicle shown in use during towing of a load;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of part of a vehicle, and a releasable towing attachment, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 8 to 10 are enlarged side, end and plan views, respectively, of the releasable towing attachment of Fig.7; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a releasable towing attachment in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Turning firstly to Fig. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a vehicle indicated generally by reference numeral 10, and a releasable towing attachment 12 for the vehicle 10, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The vehicle 10 includes a moveable manipulating arm 14, and the towing attachment 12 includes a towing member 16 adapted to be releasably secured to the manipulating arm 14 for connecting a load thereto. This facilitates towing of the load using the vehicle 10. In more detail, the vehicle 10 takes the form of a fork- lift truck of a conventional type, having a lifting assembly 18 including two moveable manipulating arms in the form of forks 14. In a conventional fashion, the forks 14 are mounted on a frame 20 which is moveable in a vertical plane along tracks 22, to raise and lower the frame 20 and thus the forks 14. The forks 14 are shown in Fig. 1 in a lowered position.

The towing attachment 12 is shown in more detail in the side, plan and end views of Figs. 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The towing attachment 12 includes a substantially rigid body 24, and the towing member 16 takes the form of a ball of the type used in known tow- bar assemblies or the like. The body 24 defines a passage or channel 26 in which the fork 14 is received and the ball 16 is coupled to an upper plate 28 of the body 24. To facilitate coupling the ball 16 to the plate 28, the ball carries a threaded bolt 30, and is clamped to the plate 28 using a nut 32.

The towing attachment 12 also includes a locking pin 34 by which the attachment 12 is releasably secured to the fork 14. The pin 34 includes a shaft 36 which extends through apertures 38 and 40 in the body 24 and which mate with a corresponding aperture 42 provided in the fork 14. It will be understood that the aperture 42 may be formed during manufacture of the fork-lift truck 10, or may be formed subsequently in a retro-fit.

The towing attachment 12 is fitted to the fork 14 by first removing the pin 34 and fitting the body 24 around the fork 14, such that the fork 14 extends through the passage 26. The apertures 38, 40 in the body 24 are then aligned with the aperture 42 in the fork 14, and the locking pin 34 is then located extending through the apertures 38, 42 and 40, to lock the body 24 to the fork 14. A pin may be located in a hole 44 in the pin shaft 36 (Fig. 2) to prevent the locking pin 34 from being removed until it is desired to release the towing attachment 12 from the fork 14. The towing attachment 12 is thus now fitted to the fork 14, as shown in the perspective view of Fig. 5.

If desired, the fork 14 may be moved inwards to locate the attachment 12 on the vehicle centre-line.

The frame 20 is then raised to lift the forks 14 up to a height suitable for connecting a load 46, in this case a trailer 48 carrying a material 50, as shown in Fig. 6. A coupling 52 on an arm 54 of the trailer is then connected to the ball 16 of the towing attachment 12, and the load 46 can then be towed using the fork-lift truck 10, to move the load 46 to a desired location.

Once the load 46 has been moved, the towing attachment 12 is released from the fork 14 by releasing the pin from the hole 44, removing locking pin 34 and sliding the body 24 off the fork 14. Normal operation of the fork-lift truck 10 may then resume and the towing attachment 12 may be stored on or in the truck 10 until it is required for further use.

Turning now to Fig. 7, there is shown a perspective view of part of a forklift truck 110, and a towing attachment 112, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Like components of the truck 100 and the towing attachment 112 with the truck 10 and the attachment 12 of Figs. 1 to 6, respectively, share the same reference numerals, incremented by 100.

In Fig. 7, only a rear or back 62 of the truck 110 is illustrated, and the truck 110 is otherwise similar to the truck 10 of Figs. 1 to 6. A recess 64 is provided in the rear 62 of the truck 110, and a towing member in the form of a drop-bolt, pintle bar 66 or the like is provided in the recess 64 and is engageable in retaining hoops 68, 70 mounted on an inner surface 72 of the recess 64. The towing attachment 112, which is also shown in the enlarged side, end and plan views of Figs. 8 to 10, is similar to the attachment 12 in that it includes a substantially rigid body 124 and a towing member in the form of a ball 116.

The body 124 includes an upper plate 128 and a spaced lower plate 74, which is coupled to the upper plate 128 by three coupling rods 76. The upper and lower plates 128, 74 include respective apertures 138, 140 which receive the drop-bolt 66, for securely coupling the attachment 112 to the truck 110. This is achieved by sliding the drop-bolt 66 upwardly, out of engagement with the retaining hoops 68, 70 and then locating the towing attachment 112 in the recess 64, such that the plates 128 and 74 optionally abut the inner surface 72 of the recess. The apertures 138, 140 in the body 124 are aligned with the hoops 68, 70 and then the drop-bolt 66 is located extending through the upper hoop 68, the aperture 138 in the upper plate 128, the aperture 140 in the lower plate 74, and the lower hoop 70. The towing attachment 112 is then securely coupled to the truck 110 and optionally braced against the surface 72. A load such as the trailer 46 shown in Fig. 6 may then be coupled to the tow ball 116 so that the truck 110 can tow the trailer. Once the load has been towed to a desired location, the towing attachment 112 may be released from the truck 110 by removing the drop-bolt from engagement with the body 124.

It will be understood that the structure of the towing attachment 12 of Figs. 1 to 6 is such that the attachment may similarly be coupled to an existing towing attachment provided on a truck. Accordingly, the towing attachment 12 may be coupled to the truck 110, by engaging the drop bolt 66 in the apertures 38, 40 in the body 24. The towing attachment 12 may therefore be coupled to one or both of a movable manipulating arm, such as the fork 14 of the truck 10, as well as to an existing towing attachment on a truck, such as the drop-bolt 66 of the truck 110.

Turning now to Fig. 11, there is shown a perspective view of a towing attachment 212, in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention. Like components of the towing attachment 212 with the attachments 12 and 112 of Figs. 1 to 6 and Figs. 7 to 10 share the same reference numerals incremented by 100 and 200, respectively.

The towing attachment essentially comprises two similarly shaped spaced plates 228, 274, each of which include respective apertures 238, 240 for receiving either a locating pin for coupling the attachment to the fork of a fork-lift truck, in a similar fashion to the truck 10; or an existing towing attachment such as the drop-bolt 266, in a similar fashion to the truck 110.

Various modifications may be made to the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, it will be understood that the towing attachment may be appropriately shaped for coupling to the fork of any fork-lift truck, or any existing towing member of a fork-lift truck, and indeed to fit into any recess in which a towing member such as a drop-bolt is located. Furthermore, the towing attachment may be shaped for coupling to the manipulating arm of alternative vehicles, such as a mobile excavator, dump truck, crane or the like. In such examples, the manipulating arm is articulated and includes a tool such as a releasable bucket, hook, pneumatic hammer or the like on the end of the arm. The towing member may therefore be adapted to be releasably secured to the arm in place of any such tool, or to be coupled to the tool itself.