Abstract: There are disclosed two forms of load lifting and lowering unit for attachment to a vehicle. The units are of the kind in which a load platform is carried between two parallel spaced-apart articulated parallelogram linkages, movable in unison up and down guide members spaced across an access opening of the vehicle to raise and lower a load to and from the access opening. An inextensible tie member, pivotally connected between the platform and a swinging arm of the parallelogram linkage, causes the platform automatically to close off the access opening when the linkages are folded towards the vehicle. In one embodiment, the swinging arm cooperates with a fixed stop during upward movement of the linkages to effect such closure: in the other embodiment, a fluid operated ram swings the platform upwardly about its pivot to fold the linkages towards the vehicle and cause the platform to close off the access opening.

Abstract: There is disclosed a vehicle transporting apparatus comprising a mounting for attachment to the rear of a transporting vehicle, a rearwardly extending boom one end of which is pivotally connected to the mounting for up and down swinging movement of the boom on the mounting, the free end of the boom having mounted thereon two supports for the wheels of a vehicle to be transported, which supports are spaced horizontally apart in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle, power means connected to the boom to effect swinging movement thereof between a loading position where the supports rest on the ground, a transporting position where the supports are raised a short distance above the ground, and a stowed position where the boom extends upwardly from the mounting, and releasable detent means between the boom and the mounting to retain the boom in one or more of said positions.

Abstract: A vehicle load lifting and lowering apparatus, which can be used as a vehicle tail lift to lift and lower loads of up to 8 tons between the level of the ground on which the vehicle stands and the level of the vehicle's load carrying deck, comprises a pair of parallel spaced apart guide columns which can be swung via a deformable articulated linkage towards and away from the vehicle. Runners slidably mounted in equal numbers on each column support between them a load carrying platform, and hydraulic rams power the runners (and hence the platform) up and down the columns during load lifting operations.