Cargo Hauling Road Vehicle

This invention relates to road vehicles for hauling cargo, such as trucks or trailers. In each case there is a rectangular flatbed frame subjected to deflection and longitudinal twisting in service under load, as the vehicle travels over uneven roadbeds. For example, when the vehicle makes a turn toward the side of a crowned road into an upward inclined ramp there may be considerable twisting and deflection of the flatbed frame. This invention is particularly directed to improvements which permit flexure of the various other parts of a cargo hauling road vehicle such as the vertical supports, roof, and end walls to minimize fracture or failure of such parts upon twisting and deflection of the flatbed frame. The structure embodying this invention also absorbs forward acting bulkhead loads due to cargo shift, and side and rear loads associated with cargo restraint.

This invention finds usefulness in a wide range of cargo body styles having open sides, open roofs, solid roofs, single upper member bodies, front wall frames open and closed, and rear wall frames, closed or with openings. This type of cargo hauling vehicle is particularly useful when the side walls are comprised of collapsible curtains, rather than rigid walls, which curtains have the effect of converting the truck or trailer into a van, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,552 "Van Bodies".

Many present day cargo hauling vehicles have a flatbed frame and superposed side and end members which are relatively rigid, and will tend to limit twisting about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in response to variations in side slope of the roadbed. However, if the vehicle is essentially an open sided, rectangular parallelpiped, i.e. a flatbed frame with a roof supported from the end walls but without side walls, then one lateral edge of the front and rear wall frames tend to deflect forward and the other lateral edge deflects rearward under such conditions of longitudinal twisting to form the side openings into non-rectangular parallelograms. In addition, all six sides (including the flatbed frame being the sixth side) warp out of plane (i.e. are no longer flat) and the included angles between the flatbed or roof and the end frames become greater or less than right angles, while the corners in the plane of the roof and the flatbed remain essentially at right angles.

On the other hand, if the upper longitudinal structure, i.e. the roof, consists of one or multiple parallel members, the end wall frames are not induced to warp out of plane, and the upper members are not subjected to bending forces if they are free to pivot about vertical axes at both ends even though the flatbed frame warps as a result of the twisting force imposed by an uneven road bed.

Further, normally the roof structure of this type of open-sided trailer vehicle is of such length that one or more support posts are required to avoid the necessity of a roof structure of inordinate size and weight to accomplish the free span between the front and rear walls where there are no side walls to provide such support. However, such posts create two problems in an open-sided vehicle, namely, they obstruct the free access to the flatbed for cargo loading and unloading, and if they are rigidly attached to the flatbed and roof structure they experience the same problem of tending to bend or angularly displace from the roof and flatbed as the vehicle twists and bends over an uneven road bed.

A principle object of this invention is to provide a vehicle structure of the type having open sides in which the flatbed frame, end walls, support posts, and roof structure are connected to each other with an appropriate combination of rigid joints, semi-rigid joints, and fully flexible or pivotable joints to allow twisting and bending of the flatbed frame on uneven road beds with limited but relatively free movement between the other components.

Another object of this invention is to provide a unique combination of types of connections between the flatbed frame, roof structure, and end walls of an open sided cargo vehicle to permit twisting and bending of the flatbed frame without undue forces applied to any of the joints between those components. and yet provide sufficient strength and rigidity against angular movement in the front and rear walls to contain the cargo against forward and rearward movement. A still further object is to provide such a vehicle in which side posts for supporting the roof structure are of a unique construction to permit movement thereof to various positions to allow unobstructed side access to the vehicle for loading and unloading.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a truck and semi-trailer moving on a roadbed which is curved in more than one direction. The flexure of the six walls of the cargo trailer is exaggerated for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a similar vehicle showing an exaggerated degree of vertical deflection under load on a road bed curving upward.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation, FIG. 4 is a side elevation, and FIG. 5 is, a bottom plan view showing details of attaching the front wall of a vehicle to the flatbed frame, the views being partly broken away.

FIG. 4a is a side elevation similar to FIG. 4 showing one form of connection at the front, upper corner of the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation partly broken away, showing the pivotal attachment of the rear wall of the vehicle to the rear portion of the flatbed frame.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a detail, partly broken away, showing a resilient pivotal connection at the joint between the upper longitudinal member and the rear wall.

FIG. 7a is a plan view similar to FIG. 7 but illustrating a form of connection between an upper longitudinal member and a side post.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of a vehicle with side curtains and straps with portions broken away and showing a first alternate embodiment of side posts showing alternate positions thereof in phantom lines.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the side posts of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the latching mechanism for the side post of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the side post of FIG. 8 showing an exaggerated position thereof upon longitudinal relative displacement of the vehicle frame and roof.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of a second alternate embodiment of a side post.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged side elevation of the side post of FIG. 12 shown in the locked position.

FIG. 14 is an end elevation of the the side post of FIG. 12 and illustrating alternate positions of the side post with a removable bracket for positioning the post on the outside of the vehicle frame for accommodating cargo that is the full width of the vehicle.

FIG. 15 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a post for mounting intermediate the sides of the vehicle.

FIG. 16 is an end elevation of the post of FIG. 15.

Referring to the drawings, the cargo hauling vehicle generally designated 10 has a rectangular flatbed frame 11 supported on road wheel assemblies 12 and 13 at the front and rear, respectively, of the vehicle in conventional manner. The vehicle has a front wall 14, a rear wall 15, and side walls 16 and 17. The term "wall" as used herein includes a wall frame, whether open, partially closed or having doors or other closures such as canvas or plastic curtains, or netting or the like. A roof or a roof frame 18 extends between the side walls 16 and 17 and the front and rear walls 14, 15. When the vehicle 10 travels over a roadbed 19 such as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 all six walls, including the flatbed frame 11 and the roof or roof frame 18, tend to change shape, and these distortions are exaggerated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The degree and form of the shape change of a wall depends on the twisting and deflection forces imposed on the flatbed frame and the rigidity of each wall and joint. In FIG. 1 each of the walls is depicted, in an exaggerated manner, as being warped to accommodate the twisting and deflection of the flatbed 11. In FIG. 2 one aspect of this invention is depicted in that by providing relatively flexible joints at some or all of the connections between the flatbed frame, front and rear walls, support posts, and the roof structure there can be angular displacement therebetween whereby the side openings may form somewhat non-rectangular parallelograms thereby allowing the roof and end walls to warp (with the flatbed frame) and reducing the destructive forces imposed upon the roof and end walls, as well as the joints therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a semi-rigid joint 21 preferably connects the front end of the flatbed frame 11 to the front wall 14 and provides sufficient flexibility so that the front wall 14 or its frame may deflect forwardly and rearwardly, and in a forward direction on one side and in a rearward direction on the other side. Tension connectors 22 may take the form of bolts or other fasteners which extend through openings in adjacent flanges of the flatbed frame and front wall 14, and which also extend through elastic, resilient or energy-storing blocks 23 which are clamped in place by nuts 24. The semi-rigid joint thus formed permits some limited pivotal movement of the front wall or its frame with respect to the flatbed frame 11. This movement is in the direction of the double ended arrow as shown in FIG. 4, but is exaggerated. These semi-rigid joints perform the functions of supporting the wall, storing energy in the joint that tends to restore the wall to its upright position when the distorting forces are relieved, and limiting the magnitude of deflection to a reasonable degree. Additional means may be provided for causing a positive limitation on deflection but normally the bolts 22 are adequate. Various forms of semi-rigid joints may be acceptable, such as; a pivotal connection with torsion bars or springs mounted to restore the wall to its upright position; leaf springs actually forming the joint and support; posts or pins positioned in elastomeric sockets; a pivoted joint with limit stops to allow a predetermined amount of free pivoting; a post in an oversized socket allowing limited free movement; etc.

The semi-rigid joint or joints 21 shown in the drawings act to resist fore-and-aft loads by alternately compressing the energy storing components thereof, such as devices 23, and they serve to restore the front wall to a vertical plane after removal of the load. Downward vertical forces including the weight of the front wall 14 may be transmitted to the flatbed frame 11 independently of the semi-rigid joint 21 by means of a stop lug 25 on the flatbed frame 11 and the protruding lip 26 on the front wall 14 as shown in FIG. 3. The same effect can be achieved by the alternate means of an abutment 27 on the front wall 14 which may engage the front upper surface of the flatbed frame 11 as shown in FIG. 4.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the vertical posts on each lateral side of front wall 14 are preferably of an open cross-section to accommodate twisting about a vertical axis as the front wall warps and flexes. This open cross-section faces outwardly of the vehicle and may provide a recess or housing for the side curtain tensioning pole (not shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 but shown in FIG. 8 and identified by the numeral 59) to be described below. The forward leg of this open sectin is shorter than the rear, as best shown in FIG. 5, to improve the air flow characteristics around the front corners thereby reducing the billowing of the side curtains when the vehicle is under way while at the same time providing greater clearance with the truck-tractor for sharp turns and maneuvering when the vehicle is a trailor.

While it is preferred that front wall 14 be connected to the flatbed frame 11 by a semi-rigid joint as described above, it has also been found that a rigid connection may be used there as shown in FIG. 2, or at the rear wall with the other joints between the end walls and both the flatbed frame and roof being flexible or pivotable, as hereinafter described, with satisfactory results.

The rear wall 15 may be connected to the flatbed frame 11 in a similar, semi-rigid manner, but it is preferred that one of the walls 14 or 15 be pivotally mounted for free swinging movement about the flatbed frame. If both walls 14 and 15 are pivotally mounted then means must be provided to limit angular movement of at least one wall which may be essentially the same as providing one wall with a rigid or semi-rigid joint at the flatbed frame or at the roof. FIG. 6 illustrates a pivotal connection by hinge pin 28 between flatbed frame 11 and rear wall 15 with the movement shown in the direction of the double ended arrow but is exaggerated.

The connection between the upper end of rear wall 15 and the longitudinal members 31 of the roof structure 18 is preferably a more flexible pivotal connection as shown in FIG. 7 and a similar connection may be provided between members 31 and front wall 14. A fastener or bolt 32 extends through openings in the longitudinal member 31 and the top of the rear wall 15 with a resilient block 33 which may extend across the top of rear wall 15 as a seal compressed between the facing surfaces 34 and 35 of the rear wall 15 and member 31, respectively. A nut 36 connected to the bolt 32 secures the joint. In this manner the joint between the longitudinal member 31 and the rear wall 15 may pivot and flex to accommodate angular movement therebetween. As an alternative, the pivotal axis of the joint between the wall and roof may be horizontal as shown in FIG. 7a described below. Any form of double hinged joint, universal joint, ball and socket, or the like may be used that will provide freedom of movement at the joint. A similar pivotable joint may be provided at the connection of the upper end of the front wall 14 and longitudinal member 31 for maximum flexibility or a semi-rigid joint, as shown in FIG. 4a, may be provided at that connection. The joint shown in FIG. 4a is similar to the semi-rigid joints shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 and may include a fastener or bolt 22 extending through openings in the front wall 14 and a flange on longitudinal member 31 with a resilient block 23 clamped in place by nut 24 on the bolt 22. Thus it should be understood that the corner joints may be of any form, semi-rigid, pivotable or completely flexible, all referred to herein and in the claims sometimes as a "non-rigid" joint as distinguished from a welded or tightly bolted joint intended to be rigid although, of course, every corner joint has some degree of bending or flexure. Any combination of non-rigid joints may be employed for all the joints.

As best shown in FIG. 2, a series of posts 29 may extend between the flatbed frame 11 and the longitudinal members 31 which define the side edges of the roof or roof frame 18 or the posts may be located intermediate the sides of the vehicle. Flexibility may be provided at the connections between the longitudinal members 31 and the posts 29 by the structure shown in FIG. 7a (a plan view) which is similar to that shown in FIG. 7 (an elevation view). The fasteners 32 each extend through openings in the member 31 and the post 29 to act as a hinge pin therebetween, the member 31 and post 29 may be in metal-to-metal contact or a resilient block 33 compressed therebetween by means of the nut 36, or any other form of connection which will allow pivoting. The lower ends of the posts 29 may be freely pivoted to the flatbed frame 11 or similarly fastened. The posts 29 may be positioned at intervals along the outer edges of the flatbed frame 11, or if desired they can be positioned at intervals along the length of the flatbed frame and centrally thereof. In such case, only one central, longitudinal member 31 may extend between the front and rear walls 14 and 15.

An important application of the device of this invention lies in connection with side curtains which enclose the cargo space, that in effect converts the vehicle into a van. Also side nets may be used for restraining the cargo with or without the side curtains. The curtains and/or nets may be retractable or removable so that the open sides or rear end of the vehicle can permit random access to the cargo, as well as easy loading of elongated cargo such as pipe. Quick loading may be accomplished on both sides of the vehicle, or side loading from a stationary dock. However, while the posts 29 as described above satisfactorily support the roof against normal wind and snow loads, as well as the downward tension of the side curtains, thereby avoiding an excessively strong and heavy roof structure to span that distance, and further those posts 29 allow complete flexing of the other four sides of the vehicle (namely, the flatbed frame, roof and two end walls), those posts provide an obstruction to loading and unloading cargo from the side of the vehicle and therefore as a part of our invention we have provided alternate embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 through 14 of the permanently attached posts 29 previously described.

In the embodiment of a post construction shown in FIGS. 8 through 11, any desired number of posts, generally designated 40, may be provided along the length of the vehicle. Each post 40 is "C"-shaped having a vertical member 41 from which extends an upper horizontal arm 42 and a lower horizontal arm 43. The extending ends of the arms 42 and 43 are pivotally connected to the side of the vehicle to permit swinging back lines in FIGS. 8 and 9 to provide an increased length of unobstructed side access to the vehicle by such selective movement of the post 40. The arms 42 and 43 are of sufficient length that the swinging movement between the two positions creates a sufficient distance (i.e. twice the arm length) to clear one side or the other of most objects being loaded on the vehicle, particularly large unitized or palletized loads. An elongated pivot pin 44 pivotally connects upper arm 42 to a bracket 45 on the longitudinal member 31. Similarly, an elongated pivot pin 46 connects the lower arm 43 to a bracket 47 on the side of flatbed frame 11. The vehicle is considered with the two pivot pins 44 and 46 vertically aligned and with sufficient length to allow some vertical travel of the ends of the arms 42 and 43. Such travel is particularly useful when the roof structure 18 shifts longitudinally relative to the flatbed frame 11 as shown in exaggerated form in FIG. 11, whereby pins 44 and 46 become displaced from vertical alignment and the upper contact end 48 of the post 40 may separate from a bearing plate 49 on longitudinal member 31 while the lower end 50 of post 40 bears against bearing plate 51 and yet the lower pivot pin 46 allows the free end of lower arm 43 to separate from bracket 47 to reduce the strain on the lower arm 43, thereby forming non-rigid connections between the post and both the roof and the flatbed frame. By using the bearing plates 49 and 51 to contact the extended ends of the vertical member 41 of the post 40 rather than carry the load solely by the free ends of the arms 42 and 43 attached to the brackets 45 and 47 the bending strains on post 40 are minimized. As an alternative, the post 40 can be of sufficient strength and rigidity to accomplish the support from the brackets 45 and 47 through the arms 42 and 43 without bearing plates 49 and 51.

The post 40 is provided with means for locking it in a position for normal highway travel which means may include a latch pin 52 slidably mounted on a bracket 53 connected to the lower swinging end of the post. A keeper 54 is pivotally mounted above pin 52 to prevent the pin from being inadvertently lifted and dislodged but the keeper may be pivoted out of the way to extract pin 52. In FIG. 10 the post 40 is illustrated as elevated directly above the bearing plate 51 as an exploded view. A recess 55 is created in the side of the flatbed frame 11 to accommodate the vertical member 41 of the post 40 whereby the outer surface of the post in its normal highway-operating position does not extend beyond the side of the flatbed frame 11. One or more holes 56 are provided in the bearing plate 51 for selective engagement by the latch pin 52 to properly position the post 40. More than one hole 56 may be required to accommodate oversized or obstructing loads positioned on the flatbed frame 11.

FIG. 8 also illustrates the flexible side curtains that may be used on any of the embodiments of this invention. Specifically, the curtain 57 is supported along its upper edge by rollers to allow it to be pulled longitudinally to open or close the sides of the vehicle. Vertically extending straps 58 are employed to securely fasten the canvas to the flatbed frame. A roll mechanism 59 at one end is used to horizontally tension the curtain 57 before attaching and tensioning the straps 57. It is to be noted that straps 58 tend to pull the roof edge members 31 downwardly upon tensioning and the shifting of cargo against the curtain can cause further downward deflection, even causing loosening of adjacent straps. The posts minimize these problems.

A second embodiment of a displacable form of side post is shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 and is generally indicated as 60. Post 60 comprises two members 61 and 62 with the upper end of the lower member 62 pivotally connected at 63 to an intermediate point along the length of member 61. The upper end of member 61 has an angled rod 64 adapted to be inserted through an elongated opening 65 in the longitudinal member 31 of the roof structure 18. The lower end of the other member 62 is provided with a fitting 66 adapted to engage a socket 67 on the flatbed frame 11 and the lower end thereof has an angled rod 68 adapted to pass through a lateral hole 69 in the socket 67. A second socket 67a, as shown in FIG. 14, may be provided on the outside of flatbed frame 11 for use with cargo that is the full width of the flatbed frame and a second hole 65a is provided in member 31 for that position of the post. The second socket 67a may be permanently attached to the vehicle or preferrably it is provided in a bracket 76 (shown in FIG. 14 only) which has a fitting 66a, similar to the end 66 of post 60, which fits in permanent socket 67 to support the bracket. In the closed or highway-operating position of post 60 as shown in FIG. 13, the angled rods 64 and 68 on the top and bottom, respectively, of the post 60 lock the post in position and firmly connect the roof to the flatbed frame to prevent the roof from lifting due to wind or vibration. The positive connection of the ends of the post 60 also prevent it from becoming inadvertently dislodged from the roof or flatbed frame. A latch rod 70 is slidably connected to a shaft 71 on the lower end of post member 61 and may be selectively inserted and released from an opening 72 in the flatbed frame or bracket 76 to lock the members 61 and 62 in the vertical position. A safety chain 73 may be provided to releasably hold the latch 70 engaged with the hole 72. A chain 74 is connected to the upper end of the post 60 and at a spaced location 75 to the longitudinal member 31 to prevent accidental or intentional removal of the post from the vehicle. It is to be noted that when installing the post 60 the pivoting action between members 61 and 62 creates a mechanical advantage while pulling down on the lower end of member 62 to lift the roof structure to the desired height against any loads such as snow or the normal deflection of the roof due to gravity. This mechanical advantage increases as the members 61 and 62 approach the parallel condition which is when the greatest force is required.

When the post 60 of FIGS. 12-14 constitutes an obstruction to side loading or unloading of the vehicle, the latch rod 70 is released from the flatbed frame 11 and the member 61 is pivoted relative to member 62 as shown in FIG. 12 to first release the lower end of member 62 from the socket 67 and then allow disengagement of the upper end of member 61 from longitudinal member 31 by an inward twisting motion. The chain 74 will support the post 60 at the spaced location 75 at which the chain 74 is connected to the longitudinal member 31 or the post 60 can be moved to alternate locations to accommodate the loading and unloading. The connections at the top and bottom of the post 60 to the longitudinal member 31 and flatbed frame 11, respectively, are not rigid but rather allow some relative movement therebetween to accommodate the angular, lateral or longitudinal displacement of the roof structure 18 relative to the flatbed 11.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a post construction, generally designated 80, that may be used interiorly of the side edges of the vehicle either in addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the side posts previously described. The post 80 may be in the center or offset laterally. A socket 81 is provided in the flatbed frame 11 by any convenient means such as a channel 82 welded between two lateral structural members 83 and 84. A bolt 85 pivotally supports the lower end of the interior post 80 to allow pivoting in the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear) of the vehicle. The upper end of post 80 is mounted in a tubular socket 86 by a bolt 87. The socket 86 is welded to a laterally extending roof support 88, the ends of which support the longitudinal structural member 31 having a downwardly facing channel 89 for receiving the rollers that support the side curtains illustrated in FIG. 8. As an alternative, the upper end of post 80 may be pivotally or otherwise flexibly connected to the roof structure 18 and in turn the lower end maybe simi-rigidly or flexibly attached to the flatbed frame. The post 80 is preferably of rectangular cross section, such as a 2" by 4" steel tube, to provide maximum longitudinal strength with minimum lateral obstruction to cargo. As the roof structure 18 shifts longitudinally relative to the flatbed frame 11 on irregular roads, as described above, the post 80 pivots about bolt 85 and the upper support 88 is slightly twisted relative to the side members 31 providing an energy-storing connection between the post and roof.

Having fully described our invention, it is to be understood that we are not to be limited to the details herein set forth but that our invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.