GB2106456A - Road or rail van bodies with movable pillars - Google Patents

Abstract

A van body has a cargo- supporting bed and a roof at least partially supported above the bed by pillars. For greater versatility, at least one pillar 12 is telescopic and is carried by a support 23 below the roof so that the pillar can be moved transversely or longitudinally from one location to another in the van body. The pillar normally has its lower end engaged in a socket 24 in the bed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Van bodies This invention relates to van bodies.

The term "van body" is used herein and in the claims to means any body which has a bed for supporting cargo to be transported and which has a roof disposed and supported above the bed by pillars, the body being, or being intended to be, mounted on wheels to provide the trailer portion of an articulated road vehicle, the body portion of a non-articulated road vehicle or even a railway freight train.

The supporting pillars are usually fixed in position either at the van body sides or along the centre of the van body.

Depending on the cargo to be carried by the van body and/or the kind of internal cargo restraint to be used, if any, it is sometimes a disadvantage that the pillars are either side mounted or centre mounted. Having a fixed longitudinal spacing between pillars is also a disadvantage depending on the size of cargo to be loaded onto and unloaded from the van body.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages and render the van body thus more versatile.

According to the present invention there is provided a van body comprising a cargosupporting bed and a ramp disposed above the bed and supported by at least one pillar carried by a support extending transversely and/or longitudinally of the bed and the roof and whereof the pillar length can be reduced to permit movement along the support between a side location and a centre location and/or difficult longitudinal locations of the bed and roof whereat the pillar length can be increased to secure it firmly between the bed and roof.

Preferably, the or each pillar is telescopic, the lower end of the pillar being engageable in a side or centre socket in the bed and the upper end being elongatedly slotted to accommodate the support.

Preferably, the support is a tube or bar extending across and/or along the van body below the roof.

Preferably, the or each pillar comprises two relatively movable hollow parts interconnected by an internal screw jack operable by a removable crank which can drivingly engage the screw jack through an opening in the pillar wall.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. lisa fragmentary perspective view of a van body according to the invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic transverse cross section of the van body showing pillars in alternative side and central positions.

The van body is preferably but no exclusively a side access, curtainsided van body as is disclosed, for example, in out British Patent Specifications Nos. B1,262,879 and B1,262,880.

The van body comprises a bed 10 and a roof 11 supported above the bed 10 by a front solid bulkhead (not shown), two intermediate pillars 1 2 and two rear pillars (not shown).

Each pillar 12 is of hollow construction consisting of a main upper part 13 and minor lower part 14 slidable within the upper part 13.

These two pillar parts 13 and 14 are interconnected by a screw jack 1 5 driven by a bevel gearing 1 6 carried by a bracket 1 7 in the upper pillar part 13. The bevel gearing 16 includes a drive shaft 1 8 to which can be detachably connected a crank handle 19 insertable through a hole 20 in the upper pillar part 13.

The upper pillar part 13 is cranked as indicated at 21 and is elongatedly slotted at 22 to accommodate a fixed transverse tube 23 extending across the van body below the roof 11.

Each pillar 12 at its lower parts 14 is accommodated in a socket 24 at the side or-centre of the bed 10.

A socket-like member 25 is secured to the roof beamwork 26 at the various pillar positions to receive and locate the upper cranked ends 21 of the pillars 12.

There is shown in the drawings transverselymovable pillars 12. However it will be manifest that the pillars 12 can be moved longitudinally by providing longitudinal supports and, in this instance, the socket-like members would be omitted if the pillar had to be movable along the entire side of the van body, or they would be made one-sided if the pillar was to be longitudinally between one end position and a central side position.

Moreover, a pillar may be movable both longitudinally and transversely along a support tube extending along at least part of the side and across at least part of the van body. Such a support tube could be of a discontinuous nature.

It is also envisaged that the support tube could be diagonally disposed.

It is within the scope of the accompanying claims that the support tube or tubes is or are of any convenient configuration depending on pillarmovement requirements.

Assume that the pillar 12 has its bottom end engaged in a side socket 24 with its upper end abutting the roof 11 (i.e. the support tube 23 lies in the bottom of elongate slots 22) and it is desired to shift the pillar 12 inboard to the centre position.

The operator engages the crank handle 19 on the drive shaft 18 and rotates the bevel gearing 1 6 and screw jack 1 5 to lift the lower pillar part 1 4 out of its side socket 24 (see Fig. 1). This causes the pillar 12 to move down from and clear of the roof 11 due to the elongate slotting 22. The operator then slides the pillar 12 along the cross tube 23 as shown in Fig. 1 until it is aligned with the centre socket 24 and engaged in socket-like member 25. He then rotates the screw jack 1 5 until the lower pillar part 14 is engaged in the socket 24. Continued rotation of the screw jack 1 5 causes upward movement of the upper pillar part 13 into abutment with the roof 11. The operator then removes the crank handle 19.

It will be manifest that movement of the pillar 12 from its centre to its side position or longitudinally or diagonally is similarly effected.

The pillars of a pair may be offset in terms of van body length to permit both pillars to be centrally disposed, or they may be in alignment so that only one pillar can be centrally located at a time.

The support tube may be replaced by a track and the upper end of the pillar 12 suitably configured or provided with rolling or sliding means.

Claims (7)

1. A van body comprising a cargo-supporting bed and roof disposed above the bed and supported by at least one pillar carried by a support extending transversely and/or longitudinally of the bed and the roof and whereof the pillar length can be reduced to permit movement along the support between a side location and a centre location and/or different longitudinal locations of the bed and roof whereat the pillar length can be increased to secure it firmly between the bed and roof.

2. A van body as claimed in claim 1 , in which the or each pillar is telescopic, the lower end of the pillar being engageable in a side or centre socket in the bed and the upper end being elongatedly slotted to accommodate the support.

3. A van body as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the support is a tube or bar extending across and/or along the van body below the roof.

4. A van body as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the or each pillar comprises two relatively movable hollow parts interconnected by an internal screw jack operable by a removable crank which can drivingly engage the screw jack through an opening in the pillar wall.

5. A van body as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the upper end of the or each pillar is cranked.

6. A van body as claimed in claim 5, in which a socket-like member is provided adjacent the roof at each pillar location to receive the upper end of the pillar.

7. A van body, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.