LOW PROFILE MECHANISM FOR STOWING AND DEPLOYING A CARRIAGE WITH RESPECT TO A TRUCK BOX
A carriage with a front end and a rear end can be stowed in a truck box or truck platform, and deployed to a position on the ground behind the truck by providing a lift apparatus having a transfer arm with one end pivoted with respect to the truck and the other end pivoted to the front end of the carriage. Guides are mounted on the lift apparatus to guide the carriage during movement. The carriage has wheels adjacent the rear end, and a powered mechanism, typically hydraulic, is adapted to move the transfer arm between its two extreme positions. As the transfer arm begins to move away from the position in which the carriage is stowed in the truck, the front end of the carriage lifts upwardly while the carriage moves rearwardly, supported and guided by roller guides, until the wheels at the rear end of the carriage contact the surface on which the truck is standing. This causes the carriage to disengage from the roller guides and eventually the carriage com es to a stop resting on the surface. The current invention is designed for use in boxes of limited length. To establish as small a footprint as possible, the lift apparatus is configured with a folding transfer arm and a retractable guide means.</SDOAB >