IE20060554A1 - A truck body - Google Patents

Abstract

A truck body (2) comprising a platform (4), a body pillar (6) which upstands from the platform (4), a ladder (8), and mounting means (10) for releaseably mounting the ladder (8) to the body pillar (6), the mounting means (10) comprising a first part (12) on the body pillar (6), and a second part on the ladder (8), and the mounting means (10) being such that the first and second parts (12,14) connect to each other for enabling the ladder (8) to provide access to the platform (4), and the first and second parts (12,14) disconnect from each other for enabling storage of the ladder (8) when the ladder (8) is not in use.

Description

This invention relates to a truck body.

Vehicles in the form of trucks are well known. The trucks comprise a truck body which is mounted on what is known as a chassis cab and which comprises a chassis, a driver’s cab, axles, wheels, tyres, suspension, an engine and transmission. The truck body may be fitted to the chassis cab by a body builder who manufactures and installs, assembles and installs, or purely installs if the truck body has been manufactured elsewhere. The chassis cab provides the motive power for the truck. The truck body is for receiving loads to be carried.

Truck bodies may be such that they are tipping truck bodies or they are fixed non-tipping truck bodies. Tipping truck bodies are such that they tip with respect to the chassis cab for the purpose of discharging loads on the truck body. Such loads may be foodstuffs, construction materials and waste products. Typically the foodstuffs may be grain or fruit. The fixed nontipping truck bodies are employed where the load being carried is not suitable for being discharged by tipping. Loads transported by fixed nontipping bodies include palletised loads, large bulk loads such for example as machinery, and products not susceptible to weather such for example as metals. The fixed non-tipping truck bodies sometimes have a self-loading and unloading mechanism which is known as a lorry loader.

JE 060 554 Trucks are produced in various sizes and the truck sizes are usually defined as gross vehicle weights. A gross vehicle weight is the potential weight of the chassis cab and the truck body, as well as the maximum potential payload of the truck. Thus, for example, a truck with a gross vehicle weight of seven and a half tonnes may weigh three and a half tonnes as a chassis cab and truck body, so that it will then have a potential payload allowance of just under four tonnes when the weight of a driver for the truck and fuel for the truck are taken into consideration.

Trucks are often referred to by the amount of axles which they have, and the number of those axles which apply power to the road. Each axle is referred to as a unit of two, based upon it having two wheels, although an axle may frequently have more than two wheels. Thus, for example, an eight by four truck has four axles with two of the axles being driven, a six by four truck has three axles with two of the axles being driven, and a four by two truck has two axles with only one axle being driven.

The trucks are such that the truck body comprises a platform for receiving loads to be carried. Access to the platform is of prime importance. Some trucks have fixed sides, and some trucks have drop sides. The drop sides lower to give access to loads on the platform. Generally drop sides are released and lowered manually, although some automated systems exist for automatically releasing and lowering the drop sides. The sides of a truck body may be made of steel, aluminium, or composite materials such for example as plywood and glass reinforced plastics materials. Drop sides may be fitted to tipping truck bodies and fixed non-tipping truck bodies. A truck body may have one or more of the drop sides. Generally, small truck bodies have only one drop side, whereas larger truck bodies have two or more of the drop sides.

Truck bodies with drop sides often have access means for providing access to the platform. The access means may be treads, ladders, or bars fitted underneath the floor line of the platform. These access means are useful climbing aids whilst the drop sides are in their up position. However, once the drop sides have been lowered to their dropped position, then the access means is obscured and becomes completely useless, in order to deal with this problem, some truck body builders provide folding steps fitted to the inside of the drop sides. The folding steps are able to fold out as and when required. The folding steps are far from ideal because they are susceptible to damage from loads being carried on the platform, they do not provide comprehensive foot plates, and they do not offer hand holds for providing safe climbing onto the platform. It is also known to fit the truck bodies with a ladder secured to a headboard part of the truck body, the headboard part being positioned in front of the drop sides. Such a ladder requires a step sideways once floor height has been reached and this has the potential for causing accidents. In addition, there is a tendency to load vehicles from the front, and this often encumbers access to the ladder or to a part of the platform onto which a person can dismount from the ladder.

It is an aim of the present invention to obviate or reduce the above mentioned problems by providing improved access to the platform of a truck body.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided a truck body comprising a platform, a body pillar which upstands from the platform, a ladder, and mounting means for releaseably mounting the ladder to the body pillar, the mounting means comprising a first part on the body pillar, and a second part on the ladder, and the mounting means being such that the first and second parts connect to each other for enabling the ladder to provide access to the platform, and the first and second parts disconnect from each other for enabling storage of the ladder when the ladder is not in use.

The truck body of the present invention is thus advantageous in that the ladder is able to provide safe access to the platform as and when required. When the ladder is not in use, then it can be stored on the truck body. When required for use, the ladder is easily placed in the required position simply by connecting together the first and the second parts of the mounting means.

The first part may be formed as an integral part of the body pillar, for example at the time when a truck body is being manufactured.

Alternatively, the first part may be formed in a member which is secured to the body part. Such an arrangement may be employed at the time of manufacture of a truck body, and it may also be employed as a retrofit arrangement that is able to be provided on existing truck bodies. Preferably the member is a bar member but other types of member may be employed. 060554 The truck body may be one in which the first part is formed as at least one aperture. Preferably, the first part is formed as a plurality of apertures, the apertures being arranged vertically with respect to each other for enabling the ladder to be mounted at different angles of inclination with respect to the truck body.

The truck body may be one in which the second part is formed as an integral part of the ladder, for example at the time of manufacture of the ladder.

Alternatively, the second part may be formed as a member which is secured to the ladder. The member may be secured to the ladder by nuts and bolts, or any other suitable and desired fixing means.

Preferably, the member is a bracket member. Other types of member may be employed.

When the member is a bracket member, then the bracket member may comprise an upper bracket portion for being secured to a first part of the ladder, a lower bracket portion for being secured to a second part of the ladder which is below the first part of the ladder, and a central bracket portion which extends between the upper bracket portion and the lower bracket portion. The central bracket portion may have at least one stud member for locating in the at least one aperture in the first part. Preferably, the central bracket portion has two of the stud members for locating in two adjacent ones of the first part apertures.

The truck body will normally include sides which upstand from the platform. The sides may be drop sides and/or fixed sides. Thus, for 60 554 example, the truck body may have one or more drop sides, all fixed sides, or a combination of drop and fixed sides. Where the truck body has drop sides, then the drop sides are preferably pivotally mounted drop sides. The drop sides will usually be released and lowered manually, but automated systems for releasing and lowering the drop sides may be employed.

The truck body may be a fixed truck body for being mounted to a chassis cab such that truck body cannot move with respect to the chassis cab. Alternatively, the truck body may be a tipping truck body for being mounted to a chassis cab such that the truck body is able to tip with respect to the chassis cab.

The present invention also extends to a truck when provided with a truck body of the invention.

The trucks fitted with a truck body of the present invention may be of wide use, for example to general hauliers, metal stockholders, civil engineering companies, local authorities, utility providers, truck rental companies, builder’s merchants, garden centres, and to manufacturers who manufacture a complete package of a chassis cab and a truck body.

The truck of the present invention may be made of any suitable and appropriate sizes. Preferably the truck is made in sizes of from three - thirty two tonnes. The truck is often a four by two truck but examples of other types of trucks may be a four by four truck, a six by two truck, a six by four truck, an eight by two truck, or an eight by four truck.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; It 3 S ο 5 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a truck body of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a first part of mounting means used in the truck shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second part of mounting means used in the truck shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a truck body 2 comprising a platform 4 and a body pillar 6 which upstands from the platform 4. The truck body 4 also comprises a ladder 8 and mounting means 10 for releaseably mounting the ladder 8 to the body pillar 6.

The mounting means 10 comprises a first part 12 on the body pillar 6, see Figure 2. The mounting means 10 also comprises a second part 14 on the ladder 8, see Figure 3. The mounting means 10 is such that the first and second parts 12, 14 connect to each other for enabling the ladder 8 to provide access to the platform 4. The mounting means 10 is also such that the first and second parts 12, 14 disconnect from each other for enabling storage of the ladder 8 when the ladder 8 is not in use.

As can be seen from Figure 1, the ladder 8 provides easy and safe access to the platform 4 of the truck body 2 when the sides 16 of the truck body 2 are in the raised position. The sides 16 are drop sides which are pivotally mounted on pivot hinges 18. If the sides 16 are lowered to their dropped position, the body pillar 6 remains in position and thus the ladder 8 is still able to provide easy and safe access to the platform 4 with the sides 16 being in their dropped position. Climbing of the ladder 8 is simple and 6 0 5 54 easy. A person climbing the ladder can maintain three points of contact on the ladder at any one time, thereby providing optimum safety. Loads on the platform 4 do not obstruct access to the ladder. A person is able to climb the ladder 8 without access being made unduly difficult by loads being carried on the platform 4. After use of the ladder 4, the first and second parts 12, 14 are easily able to be disconnected, and then the ladder 8 can be stored where desired.

The first part 12 is formed as an integral part of the body pillar 6 as can best be appreciated from the Figure 2. More specifically, the first part 12 is formed as a plurality of apertures. The apertures are arranged vertically with respect to each other as shown in Figure 2, and this enables the ladder 8 to be mounted at different angles of inclination with respect to the truck body 2.

The second part 14 is formed, as a bracket member 14 which is secured to the ladder 8 by bolts 22 and nuts 24.

As can best be appreciated from Figure 3, the second part 14 in the form of the bracket member comprises an upper bracket portion 26 for being secured to a first part 28 of the ladder 8, a lower bracket portion 30 for being secured to a second part 32 of the ladder 8 which is below the first part 28 of the ladder 8, and a central bracket portion 34 which extends between the upper bracket portion 26 and the lower bracket portion 30. The central bracket portion 34 has two stud members 36 for locating in two adjacent first part apertures 12.

IE 0 5 0 554 The sides 16 upstand from the platform 4 as shown. The sides 16 are fixed in position in a known manner by securing members 38 passing through slots in anchor pins 40.

The truck body 2 may be such that it has sides 42 which are the same as the drop sides 16, or which are alternatively fixed sides. The sides 42 are positioned on either side of a body pillar 44. The body pillar 44 may be provided with first part 12 of the mounting means 10 in the same manner as the body pillar 6.

The truck body 2 is provided with a drop tailgate 46. As shown, the truck body 2 is fitted to a chassis cab 48 comprising a chassis 50, wheels 52 and other parts which have not been shown for simplicity of illustration. Also shown in Figure 1 is a fuel tank 54 and a tool box 56. The truck body 2 may be fitted as a fixed non-tipping truck body 2 on the chassis cab 48, or it may alternatively be fitted as a tipping truck body 2 on the chassis cab 48. The truck formed by the combination of the truck body 2 and the chassis cab 48 may be of any suitable and appropriate size and design providing it is fitted with the mounting means 10.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the truck body 2 may be made of any suitable and appropriate materials including those currently used for making known truck bodies. The ladder of the present invention is preferably mounted such that it does not extend completely to the ground and, preferably, the ladder locates at approximately 300 - 400mm from the ground. If desired however the ladder may extend to the ground or it may terminate higher above the ground. The ladder of the present invention also extends preferably at least 1000mm above the top of the sides of the truck body but the ladder may terminate in any suitable and desired position. Preferably the ladder of the present invention is stowed on brackets 58 on the forward face of the headboard 20, but the ladder may be stowed in other positions if desired, for example in the truck body 2.

Claims (20)

1. A truck body comprising a platform, a body pillar which upstands from the platform, a ladder, and mounting means for releaseably mounting the ladder to the body pillar, the mounting means comprising a first part on the body pillar, and a second part on the ladder, and the mounting means being such that the first and second parts connect to each other for enabling the ladder to provide access to the platform, and the first and second parts disconnect from each other for enabling storage of the ladder when the ladder is not in use.

2. A truck body according to claim 1 in which the first part is formed as an integral part of the body pillar.

3. A truck body according to claim 1 in which the first part is formed in a member which is secured to the body part.

4. A truck body according to claim 3 in which the member is a bar member.

5. A truck body according to any one of the preceding claims in which the first part is formed as at least one aperture.

6. A truck body according to claim 5 in which the first part is formed as a plurality of the apertures, the apertures being arranged vertically with respect to each other for enabling the ladder to be mounted at different angles of inclination with respect to the truck body.

7. A truck body according to any one of the preceding claims in which the second part is formed as an integral part of the ladder.

8. A truck body according to any one of claims 1 - 6 in which the second part is formed as a member which is secured to the ladder.

9. A truck body according to claim 8 in which the member is secured to the ladder by nuts and bolts.

10. A truck body according to claim 8 or claim 9 in which the member is a bracket member.

11. A truck body according to claim 10 in which the bracket member comprises an upper bracket portion for being secured to a first part of the ladder, a lower bracket portion for being secured to a second part of the ladder which is below the first part of the ladder, and a central bracket portion which extends between the upper bracket portion and the lower bracket portion.

12. A truck body according to claim 5 and claim 11 in which the central bracket portion has at least one stud member for locating in the at least one aperture in the first part.

13. A truck body according to claim 6 and claim 12 in which the central bracket portion has two of the stud members for locating in two adjacent ones of the first part apertures.

14. A truck body according to any one of the preceding claims and including sides which upstand from the platform.

15. A truck body according to claim 14 in which the sides are drop sides and/or fixed sides.

16. A truck body according to claim 15 in which the drop sides are pivotally mounted drop sides.

17. A truck body according to any one of the preceding claims in which the truck body is a fixed truck body for being mounted to a chassis cab such that the truck body cannot move with respect to the chassis cab.

18. A truck body according to any one of claims 1 - 16 in which the truck body is a tipping truck body for being mounted to a chassis cab such that the truck body is able to tip with respect to the chassis cab.

19. A truck body substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A truck when including a truck body according to any one of the preceding claims.