GB2190347A

GB2190347A - Dumper truck

Info

Publication number: GB2190347A
Application number: GB08609496A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leonard William Mason; Michael Mynard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-04-18
Filing date: 1986-04-18
Publication date: 1987-11-18
Also published as: GB8609496D0

Abstract

A dumper truck has a chassis 1,2 and a support 5 for a pivotable hopper mounted on the chassis part 1, the support being mounted on the chassis part 1 so that it may be raised and lowered to enable the hopper to be emptied from a height above the ground directly into a skip or lorry. The raising and lowering means comprises an hydraulically operated scissor lift mechanism 6. In order to preserve stability when tipping from a height, it may be deemed necessary to provide additional counterweighting at the rear of the chassis 1,2 to lower the centre of gravity of the dumper truck. For operator safety, a flexible curtain is provided to impede access to the space beneath the support means and the chassis 1,2 when the support means is raised. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dumper truck This invention relates to dumper trucks.

A dumper truck normally consists of a selfpropelled steerable vehicle with a forwardhopper, e.g. of 1 or 2 tonnes capacity, which is pivoted about a horizontal transverse axis to enable the contents of the hopper to be tipped. The hopper may be mechanically or hydraulically pivoted. Such dumper trucks are in wide use for building, road repairing and other uses.

In use, when tipping, the front edge of the hopper is frequently only about about 4 inches (10cm) clear of the ground, so that the dumper truck is of little use in loading a rubbish skip or a tipping lorry, where the material may have to be lifted to about 5 feet (150cm) from the ground to tip it over the side wall of the skip or lorry.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dumper truck having a chassis or the like and a support means for a pivotable hopper mounted on the chassis or the like and means is provided to raise and lower the support means relative to the chassis or the like so that the hopper may be emptied from a height above the ground.

In accordance with a second aspect of the inveniton, there is provided support means for a pivotable hopper to be mounted on a chassis or the like of a dumper truck, and comprising means to raise and lower the support means relative to the chassis or the like so that the hopper may be emptied from a height above the ground.

The improved dumper truck may be used to discharge material directly into a skip or onto a lorry.

The raising and lowering means may comprise a scissor lift mechanism, preferably hydraulically operated.

The support means and associated parts may be fitted to the dumper truck as original equipment or existing dumper trucks may be modified using a conversion kit.

In order to preserve stability when tipping from a height, it may be deemed necessary to provide additional counterweighting or kentledge on the chassis or the like, preferably at the rear thereof, to lower the centre of gravity of the dumper truck.

For operator safety, a guard or fence, for example in the form of a flexible curtain, may be provided to impede access to the space beneath the support means and the chassis or the like when the support means is raised. For instance, such a flexible curtain could be of a lightweight metal mesh and could be suspended from the edge of a platform constituting the support means. The lower edge could be detachably connected to the chassis or the like, and brackets or the like could be provided to gather the curtain and prevent it from dragging on the ground when the platform is in the lowered position.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which show a currently preferred form of dumper truck in accordance with the invention, and in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dumper truck, omitting the hopper, with a support structure in the raised position; Figure 2 is a front view of the dumper truck of figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view, similar to part of figure 1 and to a larger scale, showing the support structure in the lowered position.

Figure 1 shows a dumper truck comprising forward and rear chassis parts 1 and 2 respectively, these parts 1 and 2 being pivoted together about a vertical axis for steering by hydraulic rams 4 in conventional manner. In a conventional dumper truck, the front pivoted hopper would be mounted directly on the front chassis portion 1.

In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention, the front hopper (not shown) is pivotally mounted on a support frame 5 mounted on the front chassis portion 1 by a hydrauiically operated scissor lift 6.

The scissor lift mechanism comprises a first pair of arms 7 each pivoted about a fixed common axis to a forward part of the front chassis portion 1 and having their upper ends guided by pegs 8 in slots 9 formed in side elements of the frame 5. A second pair of arms 12, respectively connected by pivots 13 to the arms 7, are each pivoted about a common axis at fixed forward positions on the frame 5, and have their lower ends joined by a transverse bar 14 extending laterally beyond the arms 12 and guided for fore and aft movement by side members 15 of the chassis portion 1, which may be channel section or I beams. The transverse bar is pivotally connected to a pair of double-acting hydraulic rams 16.

For loading, for transport or for normal lowlevel tipping, the dumper truck is used in the mode illustrated in figure 3, in which the support frame is substantially level with the side members 15 of the front chassis portion, so that the hopper is at a height not significantly above the height of the hopper on a conventional dumper truck.

For high level tipping over the side of a skip or onto a lorry, the rams 16 are actuated to move the lower ends of the arms 12 forwards to raise the support frame 5. On completion of tipping, the rams 16 are actuated in the reverse direction to move the lower ends of the arms 12 to the rear to return the support frame 5 to its lower position.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A dumper truck comprising a chassis or the like, support means for a pivotable hopper mounted on the chassis or the like, and means to raise and lower the hopper support means relative to the chassis or the like so that the hopper may be emptied from a height above the ground.

2. Support means for a pivotable hopper to be mounted on a chassis or the like of a dumper truck, comprising means to raise and lower the hopper support means relative to the chassis or the like so that the hopper may be emptied from a height above the ground.

3. A dumper truck or support means as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the raising and lowering means comprises a scissor lift mechanism.

4. A dumper truck or support mechanism as claimed in claim 3, in which the scissor lift is hydraulically operated.

5. A dumper truck as claimed in any of claims 1, 3 or 4, comprising additional counterweighting or kentledge on the chassis or the like to lower the centre of gravity of the dumper truck.

6. A dumper truck or support mechanism as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a guard or fence to impede access to the space beneath the support means and the chassis or the like when the support means is raised.

7. A dumper truck or support mechanism as claimed in claim 6, in which the guard or fence is in the form of a flexible curtain of a lightweight metal mesh suspended from the edge of a platform constituting the support means.

8. A dumper truck or support means as claimed in claim 7, in which a lower edge of the durtain is detachably connected to the chassis or the like, and brackets or the like are provided to gather the curtain and prevent it from dragging on the ground when the platform is in the lowered position.

9. A dumper truck or support means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.