Abstract: A gantryless brush-type rollover car washer has an overhead support system for a longitudinally movable carriage. Four side brushes are pivotally mounted to the carriage and arranged in front and rear pairs, each of which can converge and diverge to cover all surfaces of a vehicle in a car washing location. A counterweighted pivotal top brush is also provided and mounted on the carriage. Opposite depending wheel washers are also provided. The pivot points for all five of the brushes are above the eye level of persons in a passenger vehicle being washed.

Abstract: A car wash system comprising at least one rotatable spray arm depending from an overhead carriage. The arm is equipped with a detent-type compound breakaway knuckle which permits the arm to be displaced upwardly from a lowest potential energy orientation by disengaging the detent but thereafter permitting a smooth essentially unresisted movement whereby when the force tending to cause angular displacement and the arm is removed, the arm returns to the normal operating, low potential energy position. A shaker function or a high pressure spray burst may be used to complement the gravitational resetting function as needed.

Abstract: A combination automotive floor mat cleaning and fragrance applying system comprising an elongate conveyor, an infeed station made up of opposed rollers, a wet scrubber station, a hot air drying station downstream of the wet scrubber station and a fragrance applying station for applying one of several selectable fragrances to the floor mats after they are cleaned and dried.

Abstract: A vehicle wash apparatus including a carriage assembly is supported above a vehicle. A pair of opposed shuttle assemblies are operatively supported by the carriage assembly and moveable generally transverse to the carriage assembly. A pair of spray manifold assemblies are operatively supported by one of the opposed shuttle assemblies, and each of the spray manifold assemblies includes a vertical manifold. Each of the pair of spray manifold assemblies are moveable rectilinearly with the carriage assembly, transversely with the shuttle assemblies, and pivotally about the vertical manifold to allow the pair of spray manifold assemblies to move toward and away from one another and to circumscribe the vehicle.

Abstract: A car wash brush comprises an axial core structure and a plurality of foam plastic media sheets attached to the core structure in angularly spaced relationship to one another. The media sheets are preferably made of closed cell, low absorbtivity foam plastic material between about ? and ½ inch thick and thermoformed into a pleated configuration with a surface pattern of raised and recessed geometric figures. The media sheets are split at least partially into individual pliant fingers.

Abstract: A vehicle washer of the rollover type especially suitable for washing large vehicles such as buses and trucks. The washer includes an overhead carriage moving along an overhead guide rail structure and including opposed L-shaped spray arms adapted to wash top and side surfaces of the vehicle as the carriage moves along the guide rail and move in butterfly fashion as the carriage reaches a respective end of the vehicle whereby to wash that end of the vehicle.

Abstract: A gantryless brush-type rollover car washer has an overhead support system for a longitudinally movable carriage. Four side brushes are pivotally mounted to the carriage and arranged in front and rear pairs, each of which can converge and diverge to cover all surfaces of a vehicle in a car washing location. A counterweighted pivotal top brush is also provided and mounted on the carriage. Opposite depending wheel washers are also provided. The pivot points for all five of the brushes are above the eye level of persons in a passenger vehicle being washed.

Abstract: An auto-laundry conveyor of three-tier design using upper, lower and intermediate track rails with a narrow slot between them. Dollies are provided in an endless loop conveyor chain and each dolly comprises a combination of a center link, a pair of reversely similar tire engaging rollers, a pair of reversely similar track engaging rollers outboard of the tire engaging rollers and a pair of reversely similar stabilizing rollers outboard of the track engaging rollers. The stabilizing rollers are effectively larger in diameter; i.e., higher than the track engaging rollers so as to prevent rolling contact between the stabilizing rollers and the track surface and to receive the tread surface of an off-center tire and keep the tread surface from interfering with rolling movement of the track engaging rollers. The conveyor is manufactured in 10-foot lengths except for the entry and exit sections which are of lengths X and Y wherein X plus Y equals 10 feet.

Abstract: A horizontal car wash implement for a vehicle laundering or finishing plant wherein a horizontal implement rotated by a hydraulic motor is mounted between the free ends of pivot arms carried by spaced vertical support columns on opposing sides of a vehicle wash lane. The car wash implement is mounted between the ends of a pair of spaced apart, parallel support arms and a counterweight is mounted to the ends of a second pair of spaced support arms. The counterweight support arms and the car wash implement support arms are adapted to pivotally mount to the vertical support columns. The counterweight support arms and the implement support arms are mechanically interconnected such that the support arms of the car wash implement and the counterweight pivotally move synchronously in opposing directions relative to one another on one side of the vertical support columns.

Abstract: A vehicle tire entry guide for transitioning vehicles into a car wash lane comprises a pair of smoothly-curved, reversely similar tire guide rails covered with plastic. Each curved guide rail comprises a curved angle iron with stanchions which can be bolted to the car wash floor and an extruded polyethylene cover which eliminates the need for moving parts and smoothly transitions into a conveyor tire guide lane. A roller grid or the like may be floor-mounted between the curved guide rails.

Abstract: A vehicle wash apparatus including a carriage assembly is supported above a vehicle. A pair of opposed shuttle assemblies are operatively supported by the carriage assembly and moveable generally transverse to the carriage assembly. A pair of spray manifold assemblies are operatively supported by one of the opposed shuttle assemblies, and each of the spray manifold assemblies includes a vertical manifold. Each of the pair of spray manifold assemblies are moveable rectilinearly with the carriage assembly, transversely with the shuttle assemblies, and pivotally about the vertical manifold to allow the pair of spray manifold assemblies to move toward and away from one another and to circumscribe the vehicle.

Abstract: A rolling grille having a set of horizontal bars, the bar set divided into a lower bar sub-set with a top bar and an upper bar sub-set with a bottom bar. The grille has a row of end plates on each side, the end plates joining the ends of the bars in both bar sub-sets together. Each end plate joins two adjacent bars together, each bar connected to two adjacent plates, the plates aligned when the grille closes an opening.

Abstract: A truck ramp mountable to the upper surface of the cargo portion of a pickup truck that has a bottom hinged tailgate and at least one wheel well having a contour and which includes a fixed portion, a movable portion, an axle, a pair of rollers, a pair of tracks, and a stop. The fixed portion has an upper surface, a lower surface, a longitudinal axis center line, and a back end. The fixed portion is removably mountable to the upper surface of the cargo portion and forms a chamber therebetween. The movable portion is slidably mounted within the chamber and has a retracted position, an extended position, a distal end, an upper surface, and a proximal end that contains a tunnel. The axle has a pair of free ends and is rotatably mounted in the tunnel of the movable portion. Each of the pair of rollers are located at each of the pair of free ends of the axle.

Abstract: A circumferential chock including opposing jaw members each having a chocking wall for engaging a wheel integrally joined by a hinge for providing movement of the jaw members in relation to each other between an open position for receiving a wheel and a substantially closed position circumferentially engaging the chocking walls with the wheel for braking a wheel against rolling, swivelling, and sliding.