1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to towing devices for transporting disabled vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In towing a disabled vehicle it is important to raise the wheels coupled to the transmission to avoid damage to the transmission. Various dollys have been proposed which are adopted to receive and capture a set of wheels for this purpose.
Some prior art devices, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,863 (Cory), require a tow truck to hoist the vehicle onto the dolly. This is a slow procedure and requires considerable room to maneuver the tow truck. Other prior art devices, U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,812 (Winteer), being examplary, require hydraulic jacks to hoist the receptacles holding the wheels of the disabled vehicle. These devices are complex, expensive to manufacture, and present the danger of hydraulic jack failure and consequent dropping of the vehicle. Furthermore, such jacks require tedious, repetitious movements of the jack handle to achieve hoisting.