Portable decking for vehicles

Abstract

A deck for dodgems (bumper cars) to form part of a travelling fair has a central portion intended to be fixed to a road trailer. Hinged to each major side of the central portion is a pair of hinged leaves each intended to form part of the deck when in their unfolded, coplanar, positions. To permit the major axis of the deck to be longer than usual, but without raising the height of the hinged leaves to an impermissible value for travel along roads, the length of at least the outer leaf of each pair is made adjustable. Each outer leaf includes a series of parallel stringers that are effectively of adjustable length, the stringers bearing three deck plates, of which two are fixed to the stringers, while the central one is movable relative to the other two between a coplanar position and a stacked position. This arrangement of the plates permits the distance between the inner and outer plates to be altered to shorten or extend the effective width of the respective leaf. When all the leaves are in their shortest-width condition, and moved so that the hinged leaves extend transversely to the central portion, the height of the leaves is less than the legal limit for road travel.

1  A portable deck for vehicles, comprising a rectangular central strip extending across the full width of the deck, the central strip having a pair of hinged leaves pivotally attached to each of its side edges, in which at least one of the hinged leaves is of adjustable width in the direction transverse to the hinge axis; in which each adjustable-width leaf carries metal deck plates in electrical contact with each other, the plates being divided into an outer plate movable with the outer part of the leaf; an inner plate fixed relatively to its inner part, and an intermediate plate movable relatively to its adjacent plates between a work position in which the three plates are coplanar, and a travel position in which two of the plates are parallel to, and in contact with, each other.  
     
     
         2  A deck as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the deck has a framework including stringers extending in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the deck, the stringers being adapted to contact the under-surfaces of deck plates either directly or through conductive strips which connect adjacent plates together electrically, the stringers of the or each adjustable leaf being in two parts which are slidable relatively to each other to accommodate the movement of the outer part of the leaf between its work and travel positions.  
     
     
         3  A deck as claimed in  claim 1  or  2 , in which the deck has edge barriers secured to its framework, the barriers of each adjustable leaf extending parallel to the stringers having hollow outer portions in which smaller inner portions are movable telescopically, to permit the lengths of the barriers to be altered while maintaining their mechanical integrity.  
     
     
         4  A deck as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the intermediate or outer plates are movable laterally of their stringers to permit one plate to slide over the other when the plates are moved between their work and travel positions.  
     
     
         5  A deck as claimed in any of claims  1 - 3 , in which the intermediate and outer plates are hinged together to permit one to be folded about the hinge axis to move between their work and travel positions.  
     
     
         6  A deck as claimed in  claim 3  or any claim dependent therefrom, in which the smaller barrier portions of each adjustable leaf are also hollow, and in which the two parallel side barriers house hydraulic rams by means of which the outer part of each adjustable leaf is able to be moved between its work and travel positions.  
     
     
         7  A portable deck for vehicles substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in FIGS.  1 - 5 , or FIGS. 1, 2, and  6 - 8 , of the accompanying drawings.