Wide body for an off the highway truck

• US 6,345,858 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2000
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Moutrey, Theodore A., Franklin, Howard R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H.
• Application Number:
  US09/660,710
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 296/183, 296/184, 296/190.08
• US Class Current: 296/183.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0605 specially adapted for mounting on trucks, e.g. by C-shaped support means

Abstract

A wide body for an off the highway truck having cab, a canopy extending from the wide body and over the cab, a side rear view mirror disposed on each side of the truck viewable from the cab and movable between a position within the width of the wide body and a position outside the width of the wide body and a mirror guard disposed on each side of the truck having a stationary portion disposed within the width of the wide body and a movable portion pivoting between a position within the width of the wide body and a position beyond the width of the wide body to prevent material spilling over the side of the wide body during filling operation breaking the mirror and to allow the wide body to pass through a repair shop door when the side rearview mirror and mirror guard are positioned within the width of the wide body.

Claims

1. A wide body for an off the highway truck having a cab and a side rearview mirror viewable from the cab and movable between a position within the width of wide body and a position beyond the width of the wide body;

the wide body comprising a maximized width, a canopy extending over the cab, the canopy having a width generally equal to the width of the wide body and a movable mirror guard having a stationary portion rigidly fastened to the canopy within the width of the wide body and a movable portion movably attached to the stationary portion, the movable portion being movable between a position within the width of the wide body and a position beyond the width of the wide body and over the side rearview mirror when the side rearview mirror is positioned beyond the width of the wide dump body;

the movable mirror guard and the side rearview mirror cooperating to allow the wide dump body to fit within a space slightly wider than the wide dump body when being positioned within the width of the wide body and cooperating to prevent a material spilling over the side of the wide body during filling operation from breaking the mirror and putting the truck out of service when being positioned beyond the width of the wide body.

2. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stationary portion includes a plurality of first generally triangular shaped plates, each first triangular shaped plate having a base portion cut to fit the canopy, an apex portion, a pair of flat bars rigidly attached to the first triangular shaped plates to position the first triangular shaped plates generally parallel to each other at fixed distances apart, and an aligned hole with a common axis generally parallel to the base portion.

3. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 2, wherein the movable portion includes a plurality of second generally triangular shaped plates, each second triangular shaped plate having a base, an apex, a first side, a second side, and an aligned hole disposed on a common axis adjacent the base;

a bottom plate being attached to the second side;

a top plate conforming with and being attached to the first side; and

a round shaft fitting into the holes in the second triangular shaped plates and the holes in the first triangular shaped plates of the stationary portion allowing the movable portion to rotate between the position within the width of the wide body and the position beyond the width of the wide body and over the mirrors when the mirrors are positioned beyond the wide body.

4. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 2, wherein the stationary portion includes four parallel first triangular shaped plates.

5. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 3, wherein the movable portion includes four parallel second triangular shaped plates.

6. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 5, wherein the stationary portion includes four parallel first triangular shaped plates, two of which are disposed outside of the two outside second triangular shaped plates of the movable portion.

7. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 6, wherein the movable portion includes a pair of short slots extending from an edge of the top plate and registering with the two inside first triangular shaped plates of the stationary portion and a pair of deeper slots extending from an edge of the bottom plate and registering with the two inside first triangular shaped plates of the stationary portion allowing the top plate to move between positions within and beyond the width of the wide body.

8. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 7, wherein the two inside first triangular plates of the stationary portion are disposed inside of two inside second triangular plates of the movable portion.

9. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 8, wherein the movable mirror guard includes a pin and each of the first triangular plates of the stationary portion includes a second hole disposed on a single axis and the movable portion includes a plurality of tabs extending below the bottom plate, each tab having an aligned hole disposed on a single axis and the pin fitting into the second holes in the first triangular plates and into the holes in the tabs holding the movable portion in the position beyond the width of the wide body and removing the pin allowing the movable portion to return to the position within the width of the wide body.

10. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 9, wherein each first triangular shaped plate of the stationary portion include a circular notch disposed on one side thereof and on a single axis allowing the pin to fitting into the holes in the tabs and into the circular notches holding the movable portion in the position within the width of the wide body and preventing the pin from becoming lost.

11. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 10, wherein the stationary portion includes a bolt threaded through one of the end first triangular plates engaging an adjacent end second triangular plate of the movable portion and preventing the movable portion from rattling by tightening the bolt against the adjacent end second triangular plate.

12. The wide body for an off the highway truck as set forth in claim 1, wherein the movable mirror guard includes a fluid actuated cylinder pivotally connected to the stationary portion and pivotally connected to the movable portion for moving the movable portion between the position within the width of the wide body and the position beyond the wide body.

13. The wide body for the off the highway truck as set forth in claim 8, wherein the movable mirror guard includes a fluid actuated cylinder pivotally connected to the stationary portion and pivotally connected to the movable portion for moving the movable portion between the position within the width of the wide body and the position beyond the wide body.

14. An off the highway truck comprising a cab, a wide body having a maximized width and a canopy extending over the cab, a side rearview mirror viewable from the cab and movable between a position within the width of the wide body and a position beyond the width of the wide body, and a movable mirror guard having a stationary portion rigidly fastened to the canopy within the width of the wide body and a movable portion movably attached to the stationary portion within the width of the wide body, the movable portion being movable between a position within the width of the wide body and a position beyond the width of the wide body and over the side rearview mirror when the side rearview mirror is positioned beyond the width of the wide dump body;

the movable mirror guard and the side rearview mirror cooperating to allow the wide dump body to fit within a space slightly wider than the wide dump body when positioned within the width of the wide body and cooperating to prevent a material spilling over the side of the wide body during filling operation from breaking the mirror and putting the truck out of service when positioned beyond the width of the wide body.

15. A method of making a wide body for an off the highway truck having a cab and a side rear view mirror comprising the steps of:

maximizing the width of the wide body;

providing a side rearview mirror movable between a position within the width of the wide body and a position beyond the width of the wide dump body;

extending a forward portion of the wide body over the cab forming a canopy that is generally as wide as the wide body;

designing a movable mirror guard movable between a position within the wide body and a position beyond the wide body; and

attaching the movable mirror guard to the canopy within the width of the wide body; and

positioning the mirror guard on the canopy over the side rearview mirror when both are positioned beyond the wide body.