Portable Canoe Loader Hitch Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional canoe loading devices require an assistant and are cumbersome, making it difficult for a single individual to safely and efficiently load and unload a canoe onto a vehicle's roof, especially since they often rely on non-portable garage ceilings.
Innovation Solution
A portable canoe loading device consisting of a hitch mount, base, tube, cradle, and canoe mount with angular stops and locking mechanisms, allowing a single person to securely attach and detach a canoe from a vehicle's roof using a trailer hitch tongue, enabling easy handling and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional canoe loading devices use pulleys and cables attached to overhead supports, then loading capability is achieved, but portability is lost and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the loading mechanism from fixed overhead supports and relocates it to a portable base unit that attaches to vehicle hitches. The base unit with tube and cradle assembly is removed from stationary installations and made mobile, enabling portability while maintaining loading functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The base unit serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, houses the tube mechanism, contains the cradle assembly, and attaches to various vehicle hitches. This multi-functional design consolidates what would otherwise require separate components, reducing overall device complexity while improving portability.
2Ease of operation
If conventional canoe loading devices require an assistant, then safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables single-person operation through self-service mechanisms. The tube automatically rotates to horizontal position when released, the cradle self-adjusts to support the canoe, and the locking mechanisms engage automatically. This eliminates the need for an assistant while maintaining safety through engineered self-stabilizing features.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube is designed to dynamically rotate from vertical to horizontal position automatically through gravity and mechanical advantage. This dynamic movement allows the single operator to trigger the rotation and then step back, with the system completing the loading motion autonomously, improving both ease of operation and safety.
3Ease of operation
If conventional loading devices are cumbersome, then structural strength is maintained, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into modular components: base unit, tube assembly, cradle, and canoe mount. Each segment is optimized for its specific function with appropriate strength characteristics. The tube provides structural strength where needed, while the cradle and mount are designed for ease of attachment and operation, resolving the conflict between strength and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube transitions from a static, cumbersome structure to a dynamic component that rotates automatically. This dynamic capability reduces the physical effort required to operate the device while the tube's structural design maintains sufficient strength to support the canoe throughout the motion, achieving both ease of operation and structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A removable apparatus being configured for mounting to a hitch behind a vehicle which enables an individual to load and unload a canoe atop a vehicle. The apparatus includes a base which is adapted to rotate 360-degrees perpendicular of horizontal of the vehicle and includes a tube which is adapted to lock upright or pivot downwardly 30-degrees away from vertical of the vehicle. The apparatus includes a mechanism to position a receiving device configured to mate to a device mounted to the canoe.