Braking apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
A braking apparatus for vehicles having one or more sets of wheels mounted for rotation, a wheel of each set being located on each side of the vehicle, said apparatus being movable between an inoperative and an operative position and comprising: a braking mat assembly; mounting means for securing the assembly relative to a structural member of the vehicle, said assembly including drum means having a shaft, braking mat means having a first wound portion with a free end of said first wound portion secured to the shaft, an apron portion of said mat means forming an extension to said first portion, said apron portion having a free end; retaining means for securing the free end of the apron portion away from a surface upon which the wheels travel to releasably maintain the mat means in the inoperative position; release means operative to enable the retaining means to release the mat means from its inoperative position to enable said mat means to be unwound from the shaft and move to said operative position between the wheels and the surface; and shock absorbing means comprising a stop member extending substantially parallel to and spaced from said shaft, said mat means having a second portion intermediate said apron portion and said first portion, said second portion being wound around the stop member and the shaft when the apparatus is in the inoperative position, whereby said stop member inhibits unwinding of the first portion when the apparatus moves into the operative position, said shock absorbing means being operative to absorb at least some tension to which the mat means is subjected when said mat means moves to its operative position at which said stop means inhibits unwinding of said first portion, whereby when the mat means moves to its operative position between the wheels and the surface the second portion is unwound from the stop member and shaft to enable the mat means to frictionally engage between the surface and the wheels to prevent the wheels from rotating to thereby brake the vehicle