Abstract: A hand truck has a pair of horizontally spaced, vertically extending side rails connected laterally to form a hand truck frame which has a handle incorporated with the upper portion thereof. Unique axle supporting brackets fixed to the inner sides of the lower end of each side rail extend rearwardly to an axle and wheel mechanism for supporting the frame which has a nose plate. A brake disc rim is secured to each wheel and a brake actuator is mounted on the frame near the hand truck handle to operate normally slacked flexible cables which are trained around the discs and guided by a bracket secured mechanism.

Abstract: A retractable ramp is telescopable to a stowed position within a rearwardly open, longitudinally extending storage chamber within a cargo vehicle frame below a cargo carrying floor therein. It can be pulled from the vehicle, tilted downwardly so that its rear end engages the ground, and then its front end can be raised and connected to the vehicle adjacent the floor of the cargo compartment to serve as an unloading or loading platform for the vehicle floor. The ramp includes carriage arms pivotally connected to the ramp assembly near its front end and extending forwardly into the storage chamber to connect to glides which are slideable along the chamber. A force asserting, weight counterbalancing mechanism is pivotally connected between the carriage arm assembly and the ramp, and positioned to exert power to assist manual movement of the front end of the ramp from an initial position in which it is pulled from the storage chamber to a raised, operatively deployed position attached adjacent the ramp floor.

Abstract: A hand truck with an upright main frame and a handle part at its upper end has a forwardly extending nose at its lower end for supporting a load thereon which rests back against the main frame when the main frame is in vertically rearwardly tilted position, and a wheel and axle assembly at its lower end to support it for travel. An auxiliary support frame, having a ground engaging wheel at its lower end is pivotally connected near its upper end to the main frame for movement from the main frame to a spread position. A rearwardly extendible first link structure, pivotally connected to the main frame, is hingedly connected to a second link structure, pivotally connected to the auxiliary frame.

Abstract: A retractable ramp is telescopable to a stowed position within a rearwardly open, longitudinally extending storage chamber within a cargo vehicle frame below a cargo carrying floor therein. It can be pulled from the vehicle, tilted downwardly so that its rear end engages the ground, and then its front end can be raised and connected to the vehicle adjacent the floor of the cargo compartment to serve as an unloading or loading platform for the vehicle floor. The ramp includes carriage arms pivotally connected to the ramp assembly near its front end and extending forwardly into the storage chamber to connect to glides which are slideable along the chamber. A force asserting, weight counterbalancing mechanism is pivotally connected between the carriage arm assembly and the ramp, and positioned to exert power to assist manual movement of the front end of the ramp from an initial position in which it is pulled from the storage chamber to a raised, operatively deployed position attached adjacent the ramp floor.

Abstract: A rapidly erectable four cornered shelter frame for use with a canvas top has a pair of foldable end frame members with corner posts and an end joint at the upper end of each having a pair of upwardly inclined end rafters connected by an end ridge joint which has a ridge member projecting perpendicularly to the rafters. A foldable intermediate frame member has ground support posts with side joints at the upper ends having a pair of upwardly inclined intermediate rafters connected by an intermediate ridge joint to which each of the end frame members also connects. Eave members extend from each side joint to releasably connect to each end joint, which also incorporates mechanism to lock the end rafters in extended position, while permitting them to fold down to a position in parallelism with the corner posts when unlocked.

Abstract: A two-wheeled hand truck has a vertically inclined upright frame with a load supporting nose at its lower end. The frame is supported on a pair of wheels mounted on an axle by brackets which are pivotally connected to the frame for movement from a first load supporting position adjacent the frame to a rearward second position for supporting higher center of gravity loads. A stair climber structure is pivotal on the axle, and a link structure automatically shifts the position of the rear inclined linear surfaces of the stair climber structure to maintain them in a plane extending tangentially to the peripheries of the wheels when the brackets and wheels are moved.

Abstract: An improved two-wheeled hand truck, with a pair of horizontally spaced, vertically extending side rails, connected to form a primary frame, has axle-supporting brackets fixed to the lower end of each side rail and extending rearwardly therefrom to support an axle and a pair of wheels. An angle-shaped nose plate, having a forwardly extending load support platform, and an upturned rear wall, releasably mounts a generally T-shaped pedestal part with a post which is receivable within the side rail for releasably securing each of the side rails to the forwardly extending portion of the nose plate. A second rigid connection to resist pivoting of the nose plate is provided on each wheel supporting bracket, at a spaced distance rearwardly from each side rail for fixing the upturned portion of the nose plate to each bracket.

Abstract: An improved two-wheeled hand truck, with a pair of horizontally spaced, vertically extending side rails, connected to form a primary frame, has axle-supporting brackets fixed to the lower end of each side rail and extending rearwardly therefrom to support an axle and a pair of wheels. An angle-shaped nose plate, having a forwardly extending load support platform, and an upturned rear wall, releasably mounts a generally T-shaped pedestal part with a post which is receivable within the side rail for releasably securing each of the side rails to the forwardly extending portion of the nose plate. A second rigid connection to resist pivoting of the nose plate is provided on each wheel supporting bracket, at a spaced distance rearwardly from each side rail for fixing the upturned portion of the nose plate to each bracket.

Abstract: A two-wheeled hand truck incorporates an elongate upright frame, mounted by a pair of wheel support brackets to supporting wheels. Handles or other graspable surfaces are provided at the upper end of the frame. The wheel-supporting brackets are pivotally connected to the frame in a manner to permit movement of the wheels from a first load-supporting position in which the wheels are adjacent the lower end of the frame for supporting loads with a relatively lower center of gravity, to a second load-supporting position in which the wheels and axle are moved materially rearward for supporting loads with a relatively higher center of gravity. Yieldable, pressure-exerting mechanism operating through moment arms on opposite sides of the brackets pivots releasably lock the wheel structure in each of its positions.

Abstract: A two-wheeled hand truck structure incorporates a primary frame, adapted in use to assume a vertically inclined position and having a forwardly projecting, load supporting, nose portion. The frame comprises an open framework with side rails connected by cross rails and at its upper end has a handle portion which can be grasped by the user to propel the truck. The cross rails comprise generally U-shaped plastic bars, each having a base wall portion, spaced apart opposing wall portions extending generally parallelly therefrom, and end wall portions integrally joining the base wall portion and opposing wall portions. Internal rib sections extend integrally from each base wall portion at angles one to another at spaced intervals over the length of the cross rails and integrally join with the opposing wall portions.

Abstract: A two-wheeled hand truck or dolly with an attached stair climber construction which comprises a body member having a retaining flange overhanging both sides of the body, such flange having two portions spaced from one another by a gap. One of the flange portions is tapered adjacent the gap both longitudinally and transversely. The other portion of the flange tapers inwardly from the one edge of the body. A flexible, resilient, C-shaped synthetic plastic wear member removably embraces the flange, and extends the length of the latter.

Abstract: A hand truck having a wheeled upright frame is provided at its lower end with a load-supporting nose member swingable between raised and lowered positions, the nose member being biased to its raised position and provided with detent means for releasably latching the nose member in its lowered position. The nose member is pivoted to the upright frame in such manner that when the nose member is in its lowered, load-supporting position the nose member abuts and is supported by the upright frame member, thereby reinforcing the nose member without the need for external bracing. The upright frame carries an extensible and retractable sub-frame to enable the truck to be used for transporting loads of greatly varying height.

Abstract: A hand truck construction comprising a wheeled, upright frame having at its lower end a load-supporting nose member swingable between raised and lowered positions. The nose member is spring biased to its raised position and the frame and the nose member are provided with a releasable latch mechanism for releasably latching the nose member in its lowered operative, load bearing position. Flexible, reinforcing cables extend between the frame and the nose member to maintain the latter substantially normal to the frame under heavy loads, the connection of the cables being such as to assure movement of the cables to positions inwardly of the sides of the frame in response to movement of the nose member to its raised position, thereby enabling the cables at all times to be maintained within the confines of the frame.

Abstract: A self-storing lift gate assembly for trucks or the like in which a lift platform may be selectively located in an operative load lifting relationship upon a power driven lift linkage or in a compact folded stored position upon the linkage. The platform is so arranged that, when stored, the lift linkage underlies and supports the platform and releasable latch means are engaged between the platform and the assembly frame to retain the platform and linkage in the stored position. The latch means includes one or more pins on the platform which, when the platform is in its operative load lifting relationship relative to the linkage, engage a bed extension plate to establish the upper limit of movement of the platform and to restrain the platform against transverse movement relative to the frame, such as might be encountered during transferring articles between the platform and the load carrying bed of the truck.

Abstract: A two-wheeled hand truck or dolly structure wherein a primary frame is mounted on a pair of wheels and a generally forwardly disposed nose part is connected to project forwardly from the primary frame. The primary frame is made up of side rails connected by cross rails and one of the improvements is concerned with the shape of the side and cross rails which are configured so that they may receive elongate semi-rigid strips bearing information of an advertising or identifying character.