Tail-gate operating and locking mechanism

• US 4,307,541 A
• Filed: 11/30/1979
• Issued: 12/29/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toccoa Metal Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dempster Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Farmer, Charles F., Copeland, Michael N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Downey, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US06/099,065
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 49/280, 49/340, 49/334, 298/23 MD, 298/23 M, 298/23 S, 296/56
• US Class Current: 49/280
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/037 Latching means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/00 Vehicles particularly adapted for collecting refuse vehicles in general B60; driving vehicle equipment or auxiliaries B60K; discharging contents by tilting entire vehicles B65G; wheeled apparatus for emptying sewers or cesspools E03F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/50 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/516 for trucks or trailers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/544 Tailboards or sideboards

Abstract

Tail-gate operating and locking apparatus for tail-gates utilized in refuse handling vehicles. The apparatus includes hydraulically operated means with a piston rod pivotally connected to the tail-gate and a cylinder pivotally connected to a latch mechanism for locking the tail-gate on the vehicle body. The latch mechanism comprises a bell-crank pivotally connected to the hydraulic cylinder and a locking element pivotally connected to the bell-crank and having a latching pin adapted to engage a hook secured to the tail-gate in a closed position thereof. A ramp element is rigidly attached to the vehicle body. The ramp element is provided with a cam surface to guide the latching pin during its reciprocating movement from and into engagement with the hook.

Claims

1. A tail-gate operating and locking apparatus for use on refuse vehicles of the type having a rear tail-gate pivoted at the top for movement between a closed position and an open position, including,

a bell-crank mounted on the vehicle body for rotation about a fixed point,

a hydraulic cylinder pivotally attached at one end to the vehicle tail-gate and the other end to the bell-crank,

a guide secured to the vehicle body having a cam surface and a downwardly extending slot,

a latch pivotally secured at one end to the bell-crank and having a latching pin at the opposite end, the latching pin being positioned to move into and out of the slot and along the cam surface of the guide,

a hook secured to the tail-gate in a position to be engaged by the latching pin when the tail-gate is in the closed position,

said bell-crank being rotatable by extension of the hydraulic cylinder to move the latching pin down the cam surface into the slot out of interference relation with the hook whereby continual movement of the hydraulic cylinder moves the tail-gate to the open position, and by retraction of the hydraulic cylinder to move the latching pin out of the slot and along the cam surface into engagement with the hook to draw the tail-gate toward the vehicle body.

2. The tail-gate operating and locking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bell-crank is movable to an over-center position to hold the latching pin in engagement with the hook to lock the hook and tail-gate in a closed position.

3. A tail-gate operating and locking apparatus for use on a refuse vehicle body of the type having a rear tail-gate pivoted at the top for movement between a closed and an open position comprising:

means to support the tail-gate on the vehicle body for pivotal movement from an open to a closed position,

hydraulic actuating means to provide pivotal movement of the tail-gate,

said actuating means having a piston pivotally mounted on the upper portion of the tail-gate and a cylinder extending downwardly from said piston,

a hook element secured to the tail-gate,

latch means for locking the lower edge of the tail-gate,

said latch means including

a bell-crank pivotally supported upon the vehicle body and pivotally connected to said cylinder,

a locking element pivotally connected to said bell-crank at its one end and having a latching pin at its opposite end adapted to engage said hook element in the latched position,

a ramp element secured to the vehicle body and having a cam surface, said cam surface being terminated with a slot, said bell-crank being rotatable by extension of the hydraulic cylinder to move the latching pin down along said cam surface into said slot out of interference relation with the hook whereby continual movement of the hydraulic cylinder moves the tail-gate to the open position, and by retraction of the hydraulic cylinder to move the latching pin out of the slot and along the cam surface into engagement with the hook to draw the tail-gate toward the vehicle body,

said locking element having a guide pin disposed in spaced relationship with said latching pin and said ramp element being provided with a second cam surface on its lower side to engage said drive pin during the movement of said latching pin into and out of said slot.

4. A tail-gate operating and locking apparatus for use on a refuse vehicle body of the type having a rear tail-gate pivoted at the top portion thereof for movement between a closed position and an open position, including,

a bell-crank mounted on the vehicle body for pivotal movement about a fixed axis,

a linearly operable hydraulic motor having a portion pivotally attached to the bell-crank for pivotal movement thereof, and means attaching a portion of the hydraulic motor to the tail-gate for pivotal movement thereof,

a guide member secured to the vehicle body, the guide member being provided with an angularly extending cam surface having a first portion at one end thereof and a second portion at the opposite end thereof,

a latch member having spaced-apart portions, one portion of the latch member being pivotally attached to the bell-crank, a latching pin attached to the opposite portion of the latch member, the latching pin being movable along the cam surface of the guide member between the first portion thereof and the second portion thereof with pivotal movement of the bell-crank,

a hook member secured to the tail-gate, the hook member being positioned adjacent the cam surface of the guide member when the tail-gate is pivotally positioned adjacent its closed position, the latching pin being free from engagement with the hook member when the latching pin is positioned adjacent the second portion of the cam surface of the guide member,

the linearly movable hydraulic motor being operable in a first direction to pivotally move the bell-crank to move the latch member and the latching pin thereof from the second portion of the cam surface to the first portion of the cam surface, the latching pin engaging the hook member and drawing the tail-gate toward closed position as the latching pin moves from the second portion of the cam surface of the guide member toward the first portion of the cam surface of the guide member,

the bell-crank being pivotally movable by operation of the linearly operable hydraulic motor in a second direction to move the latch member and the latching pin thereof from the first portion of the cam surface toward the second portion of the cam surface to move the latching pin out of engagement with the hook member, continued operation of the hydraulic motor in said second direction moving the tail-gate to the open position.

5. The tail-gate operating and locking apparatus of claim 4 in which the second portion of the cam surface has an abutment portion for engagement by the latching pin for positioning thereof at the second portion of the cam surface.

6. A tail-gate operating and locking apparatus for use on a refuse vehicle body of the type having a tail-gate pivotally movable between a closed position and an open position, comprising:

a crank mounted on the vehicle body for pivotal movement about a fixed axis,

a guide member secured to the vehicle body, the guide member being provided with a cam surface which has a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the cam surface being angular with respect to the first portion,

a movable latch member having a pivot portion pivotally joined to the crank and having a latching portion spaced from the pivot portion, the latch member being movable with pivotal movement of the crank, the latching portion being movable along the cam surface with pivotal movement of the crank and with movement of the latch member,

a hook member secured to the tail-gate for movement therewith, the tail-gate being pivotally movable toward closed position to position the hook member adjacent the cam surface, the latching portion of the latch member being positioned at the second portion of the cam surface and in spaced relationship from the hook member as the tail-gate moves toward its closed position, the latching portion of the latch member being movable along the cam surface from the second portion thereof toward the first portion thereof to engage the hook member and to draw the tail-gate to closed position with pivotal movement of the crank and with movement of the latch member,

motor means joined to the crank and to the tail-gate for pivotal movement thereof.

7. A tail-gate operating and locking apparatus for use on a refuse vehicle body of the type having a tail-gate pivotally movable between a closed position and an open position comprising:

a crank mounted on the vehicle body for pivotal movement about a fixed axis,

a guide member secured to the vehicle body, the guide member being provided with a cam surface which has a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the cam surface being angular with respect to the first portion of the cam surface, the guide member also having a guide surface,

a pivotally movable latch member having a pivot portion pivotally joined to the crank and having a latching portion and a guide portion, the latching portion being movable along the cam surface and the guide portion being movable along the guide surface with pivotal movement of the latch member and with pivotal movement of the crank,

a hook member secured to the tail-gate for movement therewith, the tail-gate being pivotally movable toward closed position to position the hook member adjacent the cam surface, the latching portion of the latch member being positioned at the second portion of the cam surface and in spaced relationship from the hook member as the tail-gate moves toward closed position, the latching portion of the latch member being movable along the cam surface from the second portion thereof toward the first portion thereof to engage the hook member and to draw the tail-gate to closed position with pivotal movement of the crank and with pivotal movement of the latch member,

motor means joined to the crank and to the tail-gate for pivotal movement thereof.