Mooring device for maintaining a dump body in a raised position

• US 6,471,299 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: White, Jon P., Brooks, Thomas N. Jr., Rapp, Joseph A., Pence, O. Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Stephen T.
• Application Number:
  US09/784,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20020109393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 298/17.B, 298/17.R, 298/22.R, 248/499, 248/351
• US Class Current: 298/17.00B
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/283 Elements of tipping devices

Abstract

A dump truck is provided with a mooring device for maintaining a dump body of the truck in a raised position when the truck is being serviced. The mooring device utilizes two tension members or cables and includes a load distribution mechanism so as to prevent one of the tension members from carrying a substantially greater tensile load than the other member.

Claims

1. A mooring device for maintaining a dump body of a truck in a raised position, said truck having a chassis with said dump body being pivotally mounted on said chassis about a transverse pivot axis for movement between a lowered position and a raised position, said mooring device comprising:

a pair of laterally spaced apart and generally parallel tension members, each tension member being attached between one of a first set of mooring points on said chassis and one of a second set of mooring points on said dump body and each tension member being capable of carrying a high tensile load sufficient to maintain said dump body in its raised position; and

a load distribution mechanism containing one of said first and second sets of mooring points, said load distribution mechanism being constructed with a capacity to accommodate a sufficient amount of dimensional variation to ensure that the tension members are equally loaded when said mooring device is being employed so as to prevent one of said tension members from carrying a substantially greater tensile load than the other tension member.

2. The mooring device of claim 1 wherein said amount of dimensional variation capacity is greater than 25.4 mm (1″

) and wherein said load distribution mechanism is affixed to said dump body and one of tension members has a first free end anchored to said chassis at a left-hand location and the other of said tension members has a first free end anchored to said chassis at a right-hand location.

3. The mooring device of claim 2 wherein said load distribution mechanism includes:

a first bell crank and a second bell crank, each bell crank having an apex, a generally laterally outwardly extending arm and a generally upwardly extending arm; and

a pair of brackets pivotally mounting a respective one of said bellcranks at their apexes to the underside of said dump body at transversely spaced apart right- and left-hand locations and at a preselected longitudinal distance to the rear of said pivot axis of said truck body.

4. The mooring device of claim 3 wherein said left-hand tension member has a second free end coupled to said outwardly extending arm of said first bell crank and said right-hand tension member has a second free end coupled to said outwardly extending arm of said second bell crank, and wherein said load distribution mechanism includes a third tension member having opposite ends, one of said opposite ends being connected to the upwardly extending arm of said first bell crank and the other end being connected to the upwardly extending arm of said second bell crank.

5. The mooring device of claim 4 wherein said right-hand and left-hand tension members are of a first designed tensile carrying capacity and said third tension member is of a second designed tensile carrying capacity which is a predetermined amount below said first designed tensile carrying capacity of said right- and left-hand tension members.

6. The mooring device of claim 5 wherein each of said tension members is constructed from steel wire cable.

7. The mooring device of claim 5 wherein each of said tension members is constructed from steel chain.

8. The mooring device of claim 5 wherein each of said tension members is constructed from a steel rod.

9. The mooring device of claim 2 wherein said load distribution mechanism includes:

an elongated equalizer bar having a pair of opposite ends and a central pivot point;

a pivot bracket carried on said dump body for pivotally mounting said equalizer bar at said central pivot point to said dump body; and

said tension members each include a free end, each of said free ends being coupled to a respective one of the opposite ends of said equalizer bar.

10. The mooring device of claim 2 wherein said load distribution mechanism includes:

a first pulley wheel and a second pulley wheel, both of said pulley wheels being rotatably carried on said dump body behind said pivot axis of said body in a laterally spaced relationship to each other;

said right-hand tension member includes a first steel wire cable segment entrained about said first pulley wheel; and

said left-hand tension member includes a second steel wire cable segment entrained about said second pulley wheel.

11. The mooring device of claim 10 including a third steel wire cable segment joining said first and second steel wire cable segments together between said first and second pulley wheels and wherein said load distribution mechanism includes a fuse device between said pulley wheels and at least one stop device, said fuse device being adapted to break at a lower tensile load than either of said first and second cable segments and said stop device being adapted to prevent the release of at least one of said first and second cable segments through a respective one of said pulleys.

12. A mooring device for maintaining a dump body of a truck in a raised position, said truck having a chassis with said dump body being pivotally mounted on said chassis about a transverse pivot axis for movement between a lowered position and a raised position, said mooring device comprising:

a first tension member capable of carrying a high tensile load and having a first free end anchored to said chassis at a left-hand location;

a second tension member capable of carrying a high tensile load and having a first free end anchored to said chassis at a right hand location spaced laterally apart from said left-hand location; and

a load distribution mechanism affixed to said dump body, said load distribution mechanism being adapted to ensure that equal tensile loads are carried by each of said first and second tension members when said mooring device is being employed to maintain said dump body in its raised position so as to prevent one of said tension members from carrying a substantially greater tensile load than the other member.

13. A mooring device for maintaining a dump body of a truck in a raised position, said truck having a chassis with a rear axle housing, said dump body being pivotally mounted on said chassis about a transverse pivot axis for movement between a lowered position and a raised position, said mooring device comprising:

a first bell crank and a second bell crank, each bell crank having an apex;

a pair of brackets attached to the underside of said dump body at transversely spaced apart locations to the rear of said dump body pivot axis, each of said brackets being adapted to pivotally mount a respective one of said bellcranks at their apexes about a pivot axis that is parallel to the pivot axis of the other bellcrank;

a first cable having one end connected to said axle housing and a second end connected to a first lever arm of said first bell crank, said lever arm being oriented in a lateral, outwardly extending direction;

a second cable having one end connected to said axle housing and a second end connected to a first lever arm of said second bell crank, said first lever arm of said second bell crank being oriented in a lateral, outwardly extending direction; and

a third cable interconnected between an upwardly extending lever arm of each of said first and second bell cranks whereby a tensile load on said mooring device is shared equally by said first and second cables.

14. The mooring device of claim 13 wherein said first and second cables have a first designed tensile carrying capacity and said third cable has a second designed tensile carrying capacity which is a predetermined amount below said first designed tensile carrying capacity of said first and second cables.