GB2395695A

GB2395695A - Trailer/container with variable height loading deck

Info

Publication number: GB2395695A
Application number: GB0305985A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Richardson
Original assignee: DON BUR SERVICE Ltd
Current assignee: DON BUR SERVICE Ltd
Priority date: 2002-11-30
Filing date: 2003-03-17
Publication date: 2004-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2023-03-17
Also published as: GB0305985D0; GB2395695B

Abstract

A trailer or container has a plurality of pillars P (see also 101 figure 1) suitable for supporting loading decks (102) that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, the arrangement being such that a loading deck at a particular height on the pillars can be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height above a floor on the trailer. Each pillar may include a plurality of step assemblies 400 wich are movable relative to the associated pillar. Rods 406 contained within the pillars may be pneumatically actuated in unison so as to move a group of steps 401 to an out of the way position (figure 5). The steps supporting the loading deck are held in their support positions until the deck is raised slightly, after wich the deck may be moved to a lower position.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TRAILERS OR CONTAINERS

This invention relates to improvements in or relating to trailers or containers and is more particularly concerned with vehicle trailers or containers.

Vehicle trailers are known having supporting pillars spaced along the length thereof which are co-operable with loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the support pillars, usually by means of a fork lift truck. The fork lift truck has a lifting fork with prongs that are able to engage in purpose-made slots in the lifting decks so that the 10 forklift truck can be used to raise or lower a particular deck to a pre- determined height location on the pillars, in which location the deck can be locked or secured in place by pivotable triangular latch pieces or members engaging on selected, fixed, V-shaped steps at the same height location in the pillars. Although it is believed that such a trailer/container, preferably equipped with a number of loading decks along the length t 5 that can be raised or lowered to cater for different heights of load or cargo, has a very versatile and efficient load carrying arrangement, it is believed that such an arrangement might be improved in at least some respects. It is believed that the ease of operation or versatility in movement of a loading deck to desired height locations on the associated pillars and securing the deck at those height locations has not been 20 optimised. It tends to be disadvantageous in certain instances ( because of the arrangement of pivotable latch pieces and manner of retraction thereof within the associated loading deck by cooperation with retraction means on the pillars) that a particular deck may have to be moved from a higher pre-determined support location on one group of V-shaped steps to be supported at a lower predetermined height 25 location on another group of V-shaped steps indirectly: firstly by moving the deck

upwardly so that the latch pieces are retracted by the retraction means; then by moving said deck downwardly past the lowest height location level whereby the latch pieces are returned to an extended position; then by moving the deck upwardly once again to a particular desired height location where the pivotable latch pieces S automatically engage the desired set of V-shaped steps for support.

It is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate the aforementioned problem, or other problem, associated with loading decks in trailers or containers.

10 According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that may be raised or lowered on the pillars, the arrangement being such that a loading deck at a particular upper height location on the pillars can be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that may be raised or lowered on the pillars, at least one of the loading decks having latch means co-operable with support means or steps on the pillars, said steps or support 20 means being movable relative to the associated pillar to allow a loading deck at a particular upper height location on the pillars to be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container.

It is to be appreciated that in some embodiments, in order to move a particular loading 25 deck to a lower height location for securement thereat, said at least one loading deck

may need to be raised a relatively small distance from the group of steps or support means supporting the loading deck at the higher location (in order to disengage said latch means from said steps/support means), before the deck can be moved downwardly to the desired lower location. However, it envisaged that the loading 5 deck will not have to be moved well below the desired lower height location ( e.g. to floor level of the trailer/container) and then above said lower height location level and downwardly again to engage said latch means with the newly selected group of steps or support means at the lower height level in order to secure the loading deck at that level, as is the case with prior art arrangements.

Preferably the steps or support means are moveable by any convenient activation means e.g. pneumatic means and are preferably actuated in unison on the pillar.

Additionally, the activation means may be arranged to actuate the steps / support means on one pillar in unison with the steps/support means on one or more pillars.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the group of steps or support means on the pillars supporting a loading deck at a particular height location remain in their supporting position supporting the deck as other steps or support means are moved to a retracted or released or nonsupport position, until the deck is disengaged from that 20 group steps or support means ( usually by a relatively small upward movement of the deck). The steps or support means may comprise step assemblies having pivotable step members, such members may be pivoted between a support and a retracted / released 25 or non-support portion. Each step assembly may include spaced ledges on (opposed)

internal faces of the associated pillar. The pillar is, preferably, of square U-shaped cross section. Each step member is, preferably, pivotally mounted on the associated spaced ledges, preferably, by pivot pin means received in the step member and ledges.

5 Each step member is, preferably, arranged to pivot generally through about 90 + 10 .

Each step member may have side flanges that can be supported on associated ledges in the support position.

10 In one embodiment, the step assemblies on a pillar are connected by a common actuating member or rod and / or the step assemblies may be springloaded e.g. by a helical coiled compression spring means. Where each step assembly is spring-loaded as aforesaid by a compression spring this may be located on the actuating member / rod in between an actuating piece (slidable or reciprocable on the actuating member / 15 rod under the action of said spring loading to pivot step members of the assemblies) and a collar on said actuating member / rod. A stop may be provided on the pillar limiting the downward movement of the collar.

Preferably, a slot is provided in each step member to accommodate the actuating 20 member / rod to allow pivoting of said step member between support and non-support positions. Further according to the present invention there is provided a trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that may be raised or

lowered on the pillars, said pillars being provided with movable steps or support means for support the deck at a particular height location on the pillar.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a trailer or container 5 having one or more of the following features: a) movable support means or steps for supporting a loading deck at a particular height location b) pillars with step assemblies having spring -loaded, movable or pivotable step members, preferably, operable by a common actuating member or rod and/ or 10 by pneumatic means such as an air cylinder/s.

c) means to allow an upper deck to be moved substantially directly to a lower height location or at least without being moved substantially below that lower height location prior to being moved above it for securement thereat.

Many advantageous features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings.

An embodiment of a vehicle trailer or container will now be described, by way of 20 example only, with reference to the accompanying FIGURES of the drawings in which: FIGURE I shows a side view of a known trailer;

FIGURE 2 shows a partial front and side perspective view of a trailer shown in FIGURE l; FIGURE 3 shows in diagrammatic form part of one of the loading decks 5 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 showing a triangular pivotable latch piece or member of known form, FIGURE 4 shows diagrammatically part of a loading deck of a trailer or container in accordance with present invention; FIGURE 5 shows part of the interior of a pillar for a trailer / container in accordance with present invention looking for example in the direction of arrow A in FIGURE 2, where the known pillar has been replaced with a pillar in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 6 shows a more detailed view of one of the steps or support means shown in FIGURE 5 in the supporting position; FIGURE 7 shows the step or support means shown in FIGURE 6 in a released 20 position; FIGURE 8 shows a sectional view of one of the pillars with each step or support means being shown in a support position (a release position of the steps or support means been shown in chain-dotted lines);

FIGURE 9 shows an enlarged view of part of the pillar shown in FIGURE 8; FIGURES to - 12 show views of various component parts (in orthographic projection) of the step / support means assembly, and FIGURE t3 shows a modified latch piece/member.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, a known vehicle trailer log is provided 10 with support pillars 101 spaced in pairs along the length of the trailer and arranged to support loading decks 102 (only three loading decks 102 shown in FIGURE l) that can be set to a chosen pre-set height location in known manner by means of a fork lift truck (not shown). The fork lift truck has a fork with prongs that are able to engage in associated pairs of rectangular receiving holes 103 in decks 102, in order to raise or 15 lower the deck accordingly as required, once a locking mechanism has been disabled.

Each pillar 101 consists substantially of two lengths of square U-shaped angle iron arranged back to back with internal, V-shaped steps lOla being spaced from one another in the height direction, in use, acting to support the loading deck 102.

Loading deck 102 at the far right on the trailer is shown in the lowermost position on 20 the support pillars 101, at floor level, whilst the other two decks 102 shown are at staggered height positions.

Whilst the afore-described arrangement of loading decks 102 being moveable to varying height positions in the trailer to cater for stacking of variable height cargo 25 works well in practice, it is believed that such an arrangement can be improved more

particularly but not exclusively where more than one deck is supported by the same group of four pillars 101.

As shown in FIGURE l, side curtain 104 has been pulled to the rear end of the 5 vehicle trailer lOO thereby opening the side giving access to the space within the trailer. Although only three decks are shown in FIGURE 1, it is to be appreciated that more decks 102 could be included or located above or below the decks already shown.

FIGURE 3 shows a loading deck 102 having a triangular, pivotable latch piece 200 10 which may be pivoted into a retracted position on raising of the deck 102 past the fixed triangular retraction means or block 205 (see FIGURE 2). As the deck 102 is moved past the retraction means 205 control lever 204 engages the bottom horizontal face of the retraction means 205 which automatically pivots the latch piece 200 in a manner as more particularly described in our co-pending patent specification of even

15 date (in direction of arrow B).

In the afore described known arrangement, the pivotable latch piece 200 has to be pivoted to a retracted position by the retraction means 205, by said upward movement, before the loading deck 102 can be moved downwardly beyond its height location 20 shown in FIGURE 2 to a desired lower height location level because otherwise the extended latch piece 200 would interfere with the supporting V-shaped step lOla below it, thus preventing any downward movement. Of course, the loading deck 102 is not prevented from moving upwardly past various V-shaped steps lOla since it can engage the inclined surface of the step lOla and be temporarily pivoted out of the way 25 of the step as the loading deck passes upwardly beyond it. However, there is no such

facility for pivoting the latch piece 200 out of the way of a particular V-shaped step lOla when the loading deck 102 is moved downwardly and so it is necessary that the latch piece 200 is fully retracted by the retraction means 205 before being able to be moved downwardly past said V- shaped steps lOla. In this prior art arrangement, the

5 loading deck 102 has to be moved downwardly past the lowermost V-shaped steps lOla and beyond towards floor level where the latch piece 200 and, indeed, the other three latch pieces (not shown) located at associated corners of the loading deck 102 are returned to the extended position as shown in FIGURE 3 by a pivoting motion, automatically and in known manner. Thus, the loading deck 102 can then be raised 10 once again to the desired height location position with the latch piece 200 moving past V- shaped steps lower than that desired height location in a manner which should now be evident.

Thus, it should be evident from the aforegoing description that where it is desired to

15 move an upper deck 102 to a lower height location on the pillars 101 this cannot be done directly, rather the loading deck 102 has to be raised past the latch piece retraction means 205 in order to retract the latch pieces 200 and then the loading deck 102 has to be moved downwardly on the pillars 101 all the way to floor level where the latch pieces 200 are automatically extended once again, and then the loading deck 20 102 has to be moved upwardly to the desired height location level for securement there-at. Securement takes place by moving the deck 102 (and hence the latch pieces) a short distance above the V-shaped steps and then a short downward movement to engage latch pieces on the steps lOla with the hooked end 200a overlapping the horizontal part of the V-shaped step 101 a, in known manner.

FIGllRE 4 shows part of a loading deck 102' in accordance with the present invention. FIGURE 4 is only diagrammatic and shows the latch piece 200' as being fixed relative to the loading deck 102' rather than being pivotally mounted there-on.

Thus, latch piece 200' is not able to move or be retracted as the loading deck 102' is 5 moved upwardly or downwardly on support pillars P. one of which is shown in FIGURES 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.

Instead of providing retractable latch pieces 200 on the loading deck 102 and fixed support means or steps lOla on the associated pillars 101 in accordance with the 10 known arrangement, embodiments of the present invention as now described are concerned with providing movable or pivotable steps or support means on the pillars that can co-operate with substantially fixed latch pieces 200' of the loading deck 102'.

Referring to FIGURES 4 to 12 of the accompanying drawings, pillar P for a trailer / 15 container in accordance with the present invention consists of two lengths of square U-shaped angle iron arranged in back to back relationship (only one length of angle iron being shown for ease of illustration in FIGURES 5 to 8 of the drawings). Each length of angle iron section includes a plurality of internal step assemblies 400, each shown in the released or retracted position in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 6 shows a view of a step assembly 400 in a supporting position ready to receive and support the fixed latch piece 200' of a loading deck 102' in accordance with the present invention whilst FIGURE 7 shows a similar view of the step assembly 400 with a step member 401 of the step assembly 400 having been pivoted 25 to a released out of the way, nonsupport position.

Each step assembly 400 includes spaced ledges 402 welded to the internal faces 403 and 404 of the square U-shaped angle iron section of each pillar P (see FIGURE 10 in particular for the shape of each ledge piece 402). Each ledge piece 402 in provided 5 with a pivot hole 402a (see FIGURE 10) that in use receives one end of a pin 401a mounted on step member 401 in a manner that should be self-evident from FIGURE 12 of the drawings. Thus, step member 401 can be pivotally mounted to ledge pieces 402 by means of the pins 401a. Step member 401 is arranged to be pivoted generally through 90 degrees from the support position shown in FIGURE 6 to the released 10 position as shown in FIGURE 7. In the support position, side flanges 401b of the step member 401 seat on the horizontally extending upper surfaces 402b of the ledge pieces 402 with the sides of the step member 401 recessed at 401c to accommodate upward extensions 402c of the ledge pieces 402 during the movement between the support and the release positions. Step member 401 is provided with front plate 15 portions 401d that overlaps the ledge portions 402 in the support position, more particularly as shown in FIGURES 6 and 8, in order to help centralise the step 401 between the ledge pieces 402 in the supporting position. Each step 401 can be pivoted from the support position in which it extends generally horizontally to a released near vertical position (as shown in FIGURES 8 and 9) by means of actuating piece 405 20 (see FIGURE] 1) which is slidably mounted on vertical rod 406 and supported from below by means of helical coiled compression spring 407 mounted between the underside 405a of the actuating piece and a collar 408 (see FIGURES 8 and 9) fixed onto said rod 406 in such a manner that the upper surface 408a of the collar forms an annular abutment against which the lower end of the spring 407 can act. Additionally 25 the lower annular surface 408b of the collar 408 provides a stop surface limiting the

travel of the rod between the fully released and support positions as the lower surface 408b of the collar contacts the upper surface of stop plate 409 in the supporting position of the step 401 the underside of the step contacts the cylindrical top portion of the actuating piece 405 and the lower annular surface of the collar 408 contacts the 5 stop plate 409, as will be evident more particularly from FIGilRES 8 and 9 of the drawings. Thus, when it is desired to raise steps 401 from a support position to the released position, rod 406 is moved upwardly relative to the pillar P and this can be done by 10 any convenient activation means. Additionally, or alternatively, means such as a pneumatic air cylinder could be used to raise the steps 401. Thus, the rod 406 could be replaced by an air line operated for example by a switch or control conveniently located on the trailer or e.g. in the cab of a vehicle connected to the trailer. Once the rod 406 is raised, the collars 408 will be lifted off the stop plates 409 compressing the 15 springs 407 against the respective undersides 405a of the actuating pieces 405 thereby urging the upper cylindrical part 405 of the actuating pieces 405 upwardly against the underside of the steps 401 pivoting said steps 401 in the direction of arrow X as far as the release position, in the manner which should now be self evident. It is to be noted that the step 401 is provided with a U-shaped slot S to accommodate the mounting of 20 the rod 406 in the assembly. In the release position, it is to be appreciated that the fixed latch piece 200' can be moved freely upwardly and downwardly whilst extending within the pillar P since the step 401 is retracted within the pillar a distance greater than the distance that the latch piece 200' extends within the pillar. it should be appreciated, that where a loading deck 102 is supported at a particular height 25 location on a particular group of four steps 401 located in associated pillars P

supporting the loading deck, and the four associated rods 406 are actuated upwardly to move the steps 40] to the release position, the steps 401 that support the loading deck will not move and will be held in place by the latch member 200' until the loading deck 102 is moved upwardly, thereby allowing those supporting steps 401 to 5 also be moved to the release position. In such a scenario, it is to be appreciated that the compression springs 407 acting on the actuating pieces 405 of the group of steps 401 that support the loading deck 102 will be compressed to about approximately half their length.

10 It is to be appreciated that the rods 406 can be actuated by any suitable means (such as pneumatic means as aforesaid) and, preferably, at least the four pillars P that support a particular loading deck 102 are synchronised so that the rods 406 can be actuated in unison. 15 Furthermore, it is possible that switch means (not shown) is provided to allow more than the rods 406 of a particular group of pillars P to be actuated in unison.

In a further embodiment (not shown) it is possible that the latch piece / member 200' may be moveable relative to the loading deck. It may be slidably mounted rather than 20 pivotable and may be slidably retractable inside the loading deck against spring loading. Additionally, it is possible one or more pillars (e.g. P) may be movable or pivotable on the trailer/container (not shown in the FIGURES of the drawings of this 25 specie cation) as in our previously mentioned co-pending application of even date.

Where at least one pivotable pillar is provided on the trailer/container as aforesaid and the latch pieces/members 200' are fixed relative to the associated loading deck 102,'a problem exists in moving said at least one pillar from the support position on the trailer or container to an out of the way position (allowing changed access to space 5 within the trailer or container) whilst a deck that is normally supported by the pillar is in a lowered position and without the latch pieces/members on the deck impeding or being an obstacle to said movement of the pillar.

In our copending application dated 29 January 2003, the problem of the latch 10 pieces/members impeding the movement of the pillar is solved by the provision of upstanding guide plates urging the latch pieces to retract, whilst the deck is in a lowered position, to allow the pillar to be pivoted between support and out of the way positions. ] 5 However, where the latch pieces/members 200' are fixed, obviously such guide plates cannot be used to solve the problem. Rather, the Applicant proposes to modify the swing pillar P by changing the shape thereof to accommodate the projecting latch piece/member e.g. by cutting away the front, lower wall portion of the U-shaped channel section of the pillar as shown in chain dotted lines in FIGURE 8 at M. Thus, 20 the swing pillar now has an appropriate, front, lower, rectangular (other shapes are possible) recess M to enable the swing pillar to be moved past a fixed latch piece when the associated deck is in a lowered position. Such a solution to said problem may result in the pillar itself being reduced in strength than would otherwise be the case and it is possible that the shape of swing pillar may be altered to suit.

Alternatively, where latch pieces/members 200' are slidably retractable as aforesaid, guide means (not shown, but possibly similar to the guide means shown in our copending application of 29 January 2003) may be provided to retain the latch pieces/members in a retracted state whilst a swing pillar is moved between the support 5 and out of the way positions.

Still further, FIGURE 13 shows a modified shape of latch piece/member 200'' mounted on a deck 102'' and it is believed that the particular shape of latch piece/member is more advantageous in co-operating with the pivotable steps 401 10 and/or co-operating with the recess M of a movable swing pillar.

It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not to be unduly limited by the particular choice of terminology and that a specific term may be replaced or supplemented by an equivalent or generic term. For example, the term 15 'rod' could be replaced 'member'. Further it is to be understood that individual features, method or functions relating to the trailer or container, upper and/or lower latching mechanism, or pillar might be individually patentably inventive. The singular may include the plural and vice versa.

Claims

1. A trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting 5 loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, the arrangement being such that a loading deck at a particular upper height location on the pillars can be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container.

10

2. A trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, at least one of the loading decks having latch means co-operable with support means or steps on the pillars, said steps or support means being movable relative to the associated pillar to allow a loading deck at a particular upper height location 15 on the pillars to be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container.

3. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 2 in which the steps or support

20 means on an associated pillar are moveable by activation means.

4.A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 3 in which the activation means is pneumatic means.

5. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 3 or 4 in which the activation means can be actuated to move the steps or support means in unison on an associated pillar.

5

6. A trailer or container in any one of Claims 3 to 5 in which the activation means is arranged to actuate the steps/support means on one pillar in unison with the steps/support means on one or more other pillars.

7. A trailer or container as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 6 in which, in 10 use, a group of steps or support means on the pillars supporting a loading deck at a particular height location remain in their supporting position supporting the deck as other steps or support means are moved to a retracted or released or non-support position, until the deck is disengaged from that group steps or support means.

8. A trailer or container in any one of Claims 2 to 7 in which the steps or support means comprise step assemblies having pivotable step members, pivotable between a support and a retracted / released or non-support portion.

20

9. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 8 in which each step assembly includes spaced ledges on (opposed) internal faces of the associated pillar.

10. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 8 or 9 in which the pillar is of square U-shaped cross section.

11. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10 when dependent therefrom in which each step member is pivotally mounted on the associated spaced ledges.

5

12. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 11 in which said pivot mounting is by pivot pin means received in the step member and ledges.

13. A trailer or container as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 12 in which each step member is arranged to pivot generally through about 90 + 10 .

14. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 9 or any claim dependent therefrom in which each step member has side flanges that can be supported on associated ledges in the support position.

15 15. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 8 or any claim dependent therefrom in which the step assemblies on a pillar are connected by a common actuating member or rod.

16. A trailer or container as claimed m Claim 8 or any Claim dependent 20 theefrom in which the step assemblies are spring-loaded.

17. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 16 in which the spring loading is by helical coiled compression spring means.

18. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 17 in which the spring means is located on the actuating member / rod in between an actuating piece and a collar on said actuating member / rod.

5

19. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 18 in which said actuating ptece is slidable or reciprocable on the actuating member / rod under the action of said spring loading to pivot step members of the assemblies.

20. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 18 or 19 in which a stop may be 10 provided on the associated pillar limiting the downward movement of the collar.

21. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 15 or any claim dependent therefrom in which a slot is provided in each step member to accommodate the 15 actuating member / rod to allow pivoting of said step member between support and non-support positions.

22. A trailer or container substantially as herein described with reference to FIGURES 4 to 12 of the accompanying drawings or when modified in 20 accordance with FIGURE 13 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, said pillars being provided with movable steps or support means for support the deck at a 25 particular height location on the pillar.

24. A trailer or container having one or more of the following features: a) movable support means or steps for supporting a loading deck at a particular height location 5 b) pillars with step assemblies having spring-loaded, moveable or pivotable step members, preferably, operable by a common actuating member or rod and/ or by pneumatic means such as an air cylinder/s.

c) means to allow an upper deck to be moved substantially directly to a lower height location or at least without being moved substantially below that lower 10 height location prior to being moved above it for securement thereat.

2\ Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting 5 loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, the arrangement being such that a loading deck at a particular upper height location on the pillars can be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container.

10 2. A trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, at least one of the loading decks having latch means co-operable with support means or steps on the pillars, said steps or support means being movable relative to the associated pillar to allow a loading deck at a particular upper height location 15 on the pillars to be moved substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container.

3. A trailer or container as claimed m Claim 2 in which the steps or support 20 means on an associated pillar are moveable by activation means.

5 6. A trailer or container in any one of Claims 3 to 5 in which the activation means is arranged to actuate the steps/support means on one pillar in unison with the steps/support means on one or more other pillars.

8. A trailer or container in any one of Claims 2 to 7 in which the steps or support means comprise step assemblies having pvotable step members, pivotable between a support and a retracted / released or non-support portion.

20 9. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 8 m which each step assembly includes spaced ledges on (opposed) internal faces of the associated pillar.

5 12. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 11 in which said pivot mounting is by pivot pin means received m the step member and ledges.

16. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 8 or any Claim dependent 20 theefrom in which the step assemblies are spring-loaded.

5 19. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 18 in which said actuating ptece is slidable or reciprocable on the actuating member / rod under the action of said spring loading to pivot step members of the assemblies.

20. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 18 or 19 in which a stop may be 10 provided on the associated pillar limiting the downward movement of the collar. 21. A trailer or container as claimed in Claim 15 or any claim dependent therefrom in which a slot is provided in each step member to accommodate the 15 actuating member / rod to allow pivoting of said step member between support and non-support positions.

22. A trailer or container substantially as herein described with reference to FIGURES 4 to 12 of the accompanying drawings or when modified in 20 accordance with FIGI]RE 13 of the accompanying drawings.

23 A trailer or container having a plurality of pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that can be raised or lowered on the pillars, said pillars being provided with movable steps or support means for support the deck at a 25 particular height location on the pillar.

Is 24. A trailer or container having one or more of the following features: a) movable support means or steps for supporting a loading deck at a particular height location S b) pillars with step assemblies having spring-loaded, moveable or pivotable step members, preferably, operable by a common actuating member or rod and/ or by pneumatic means such as an air cylinder/s.

c) means to allow an upper deck to be moved substantially directly to a lower height location or at least without being moved substantially below that lower 10 height location prior to being moved above it for securement thereat

25. A trailer or container having a plurality Pillars suitable for supporting loading decks that can be raised or lowered on He pillars, at least one of the loading decks having 5 latch means co-operable with support means or steps on the pillars, said steps or support means being moveab]e relative to the associated pillar to allow a loading deck at a particular upper height location on the pillars to be substantially directly to and secured at a lower height location above a floor of the trailer/container, and in which the steps or support means on an associated pill are moveable by activation means, the activation 10 means being arranged to actuate the steps/support means on one pillar In unison with the steps/support means on one or more other pillars.