CA1083631A - Multiple hook-up, movable axle trailer with removable track extensions, slidable kingpin, and pivotal axle assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

MULTIPLE HOOK-UP, MOVABLE AXLE TRAILER
WITH REMOVABLE TRACK EXTENSIONS, SLIDABLE
KINPIN, AND PIVOTAL AXLE ASSEMBLIES
Abstract of the Disclosure A novel multiple hook-up movable axle trailer is disclosed comprising the features of removable track extensions to allow the positioning of slidable axle assemblies at extreme ends of the trailer to thereby attain a maximum bridging distance between axles. A novel slidable kingpin assembly is also disclosed which may be used to facilitate the alternate end hook-up of an appropriately fitted trailer regardless of the absence of a permanent kingpin in that location, Alternatively, the slidable kingpin assembly may be used in combination with a novel pivotal axle assembly which may either be fixed or have a fork attached thereto and be released for steering.

Description

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Ba~ ~ of ~le InventLon The present inven~ion generally relates ~o trallers ~ich are adapted to be hooked to and pull~d by tractors. More particularly, the preseilt ~nventi.on relates to trailers ~ich are suited for containerized shipments, such as those commonly handl~ed by air cargo and/or sea transportérs Con~ercially available trailers llave chan~ed ~;
only sl~ghtly over the last thirty y~ars Ihese trailPrs i.O comprise a load bed, a kin~pin assembly adapted to be engaged by 8 tractor, one or mDre sets of wheels, and v~rious peripheral equipment such us light~, b~npers, etc., particularly as req~red by the Interstatc C~lmerce C~mn~sslon. Generally, the load bed of a trailer i9 desi~ned I:o facilltate the part~cular load type to he handled"
RS for ex~mple, a load be~ or undercarriage adapted to carry a tank for hauling liquids, a f~at bPd configuration for haul~ng items secured thereto, or fl van configuration for confining loose loads.
O Any co~mercially acceptable trailer or traller~ng system mu~t be compatible with standard tractors whi.ch have clevices kno~7n to the lnc~ustr~ as "fifth ~eels", m~unted there~l ~ich are adapted to grip and pivot with respect to ~he kingpins of ~he trailers to which they are attached. The coupling ~peratlon of a fifth ~eel :~ to a klngr~n rnerely involves ~no~ing the tractor so that the kingpin is guided throu~ a tapered slot in the flfth wheel tv an appropriate position, after which a handle on ~he side of ~he fifth wheel i.s pulled ~o close j~s o ~round the kingpin to c.o~ple~e th~ tractor~trailer En~gem~l~O

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Over the last thirty years, the trend in trailer construction has been to lighten the weight of the tra11er while maintaining suitable strength characterlstics so that heavler payloads could be accommodated while meeting the various welght re~uirements imposed by each state, particularly concerning the weight cflrri.ed by each axle and the bridging distance permitted between axles. Accordingly, most trailers ~hich have be~n constructed in recent years have be~n built with abbreviated understructures disposed in ~he vlcinity of the rear axles, there~y subst~ntially reducing the weight of the understructure wh~le providing .
sufflcient support ln the a~le region ~o handle most loads. Similarly, the use of "sl~ders" in connectLon with these abbreviated understructures has gained ~de-spread acceptance in the ln~ustry. These sliders generally allow ~ double axle assembly supportlng the rear of the trailer to be n~ved relstive to the underside of the traller for a distance of approxlmately nine feet (for a forty foot trailer), so that, depending upon the partieular load and state weight requirements, a load may be appropriately balanced between the tractor and trailer. In order to reduce tread ~ar and increase the efflciency of a given trailer when that trailer ls be~ng pulled in an ~mpty or par~ially loaded condition, the industry ha~ also, when appropr~ate, utilized uxles l~ich may be selectively retracted vertically away from the road surface to reduce 3 the number of tires in contact with that surface when that axle ls no~ needed.
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In splte of ~e ~pproach~s discussed above, mos~ trailers presently in use are subjee~ to certain drawbacks w~ich result in less efficient load trallspor-tation and higher maintenance and service costs. In s particular, virtually all trail~rs now in use are equipped with landing gears ~ich, durlng ~le hauling thereof, are folded under the trailer body. These may be lowered to support ~he front end of the trailer when that end of the trailer is not supported by a trflcto-r. Since the trailers themselves are quite heavy, landing gears ar~
normally powered by varlable speed winches which move the landing gears into positio~ lthough vital w~len needed, landing gears are basically superfluous to the , operation of each trailer during hauling. It has not '~
! 1S been economic, therefore, to cons~ruct lancling gearx which are so rugged and durabl~ as to adequately support certain trailers in the fully loaded condltion. Fur~her, i `^~
these landing gears are particularly prone to failure or dama~e during the hook-up operatlon when a tractor backing into the trailer to grab the kingpin may exert substantial torques on the Landing gear.
Very recen~ly, the abo~e described probleMs of cargo shlpment have beell complicated by the increasing use of containerized shipments, and particularly shipments of containers having dimensions approximaeely ten or twenty feet long ænd the ~ull width of a trailer body.
- Whlle these relatlvely large containers have galned widespre~d acceptance in the air and se~ transport indus~ries, they have crea.ed considerable difficultles for tr~kers ~ho 1~33633~
normally cleliver the cont~nt:s oi s-lch cont~lners locally, as ~pr example, to st~ldard loading docks where final unloading of the transported materials is to take place.
Conventionaily9 twenty foot containers are provided with a single set of cargo doors disposed at 0112 end thereof.
Accordingly, as a stanclard procedure, n~ny haulers have ~dapted twenty foot cargo beds to receive such containers, to buckle those containers tQ those beds and to transport each container individually co its destination.
While it m~y app~ar that a conventional flat bed, forty foot long trailer could be adapted to handle two twenty foot trailers, in reality ~his con-figuration is not feasible if it is desired ~hat the contents of each of the containers ~re to be unloaded while the containers are on thc bed, as is normally t~e case. This is because cargo access at the end of at least one of the two containers ls restricted by door placemcnt. To attempt to unload a twenty foot container from the side is not economlcal since almDst all loading docks are adapted for end loaclin trailers.
Very recently, one approach which has been taken b~ Seaboard World Airlines is the provision of two coupleable chassis, each of which is intended to receive a singl~ twenty foot cargo container. Essentlally, each chassis is a ~enty foot trailer comprlsing a load bed, landing gear, and axle ~ssembly ~ich is mounted on a slidin~ sub-chassis. Each of these trailers may ~e coupled together to be pulled by a single tr~ctor ~ according to the follow*ng procedure:~ first of the ~railers having ~le container positioned ~lereon is apprDpriately ... .... . .. .. . . . ........ ~ .. . .
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located wl~h t-he lar.d~ng gears ~nd struts ~l the down posi`tion ~ile the second trailer is coupled to a trailer and the landlng gear put in the up posit~on. The wheels on the second trailer are tllen locked and the cab moved - 5 forward so that the sub~chassis and wheels of the second traller extend baclcward bey~nd the end of the second contalner. The chassis may be operated in this position or alternatively n~ay be backed into the flrst trailer ,~
so that the kin~p~ of the first trailer will engage ` 10 with the locklng gu~des in the ext~nded sub-chassis of the second trallerr The land~ng gear of the first trailer may ~hen be moved to the up positlon after which the slider on the second trailer is agaln released and the entire unit moved forward until the ~eels of the second trailer have extended even further l~lto a correct position for 8 one hundred and twenty ~nch t~ndem setting, whereupon the slider of the second trailer ls again locked and the slider of the first trailer released and brake set.
The entire unit may then move backwards relative to the wheels of the first traller until the two suspensions automatically unlte into a load equalizing tandem ~herein the axles of the first and second chclssis are ad~acent to each other. ;:
As seen from the ~tbove description ~ ~lle the ~5 coupleable trailer approach will facilitate ~he transport :~ of t~o twenty foot containers by a single tractor, this bene fit ls achieved ~t the ~xpense of a relati.vely elaborate coupling procedure which requlres ~e tractor operator to leave the cab fLve tLmes o cou~le or ~l-couple o~

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trailer from the other, Additio~ally~ in order to effect delivery of the contents of the containers, it is necessary to go through the coupling and uncoupling procedure many times in order to facilitate access to each of the containers. Accordingly, although this system has achieved some success, the complexity of this system and its susceptibility to damage, particularly landing gear damage, during the coupling and uncoupling operation, has limited its widespread application in the industry.
When it is desired to haul greater loads than may be easily accommodated on a single trailer, the industry has occasionally resorted to the use of "dogs", which are additional trailers, usually with pivotal front axles, attached in tandem to the preceeding trailer, usually through a hook-and-eye or ball hitch arrangement. While this type of transport has achieved some success, its use has been severly limited by safety problems as well as by difficulties in distributing loads between the front and rear trailers and in handling the rear trailer, as for example, during unoading and tight-quarter maneuvering.

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~083631 Summary of the Invention The present invention represents improvements over the invention described in my prior U.S. Patent No.
4,132,326 issued January 2, 1979 entitled, "Multiple Hook-Up, Movable Axle, Container Cargo Trailerll. The present invention relates to the provision of a movable axle trailer comprising track extension means for selectively extending the trailer's cargo bed tracks to allow one or more axle assemblies to be slid to positions ; 10 with respect to the cargo bed which would otherwise be ;~
part of the coupling portion of the cargo bed, i.e., that portion of the cargo bed adjacent the kingpin where no track is normally affixed for tractor clearance purposes.
More specifically, the invention consists of a cargo trailer comprising: (a) a substantially elongate cargo bed; (b) a plurality of coupling means disposed at generally opposite ends of said cargo bed for alternatively coupling to the fifth wheel of a vehicle;
(c) at least one axle means for supporting said bed; (d) fixed track means associated with said bed spanning continuously between said coupling means on said bed; said axle means slidably engaging said track means for L.... ~ ' 3t;3~1 selective positioning therealong; and (e) track extension means for removable attachment to said bed to extend said fixed track means across at least a portion of said coupling means and for slidably receiving said axle means, therefrom to thereby increase the maximum bridging distance between said axle means and said vehicle.
Low profile track extension brackets can be permanently attached to the underside of the cargo bed across the coupling portions on either side of the kingpins at each end of the cargo trailer. These brackets can be adapted to receive a pair of track extension "I"

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beams which are slid into position from the end of the trailer to abut the fixed track portions, to thereby extend those tracks across at least a portion of the coupling portion of the trailer. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of pneumatic cylinders with spring biased cylinder rods are incorporated within the cargo bed to extend to mate with complemental bores in the track extension "I" beams, to thereby lock those "I" beams in place in the running position, while facilitating the sliding withdraw of those "I" beams with respect to the , .

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cargo bed in response to remote activation.
These and other features of an embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings will become apparent from the following more detailed description.
_rief Descriptlon of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment .-?
trailer of the present invention showing one entire axle assembly and a portion of a second axle assembly supporting the rear portion of that trailer through track extensions which have been fitted entirely across that coupling portion of the trailer;
Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged side view of a portion of the rear portion of the trailer illustrated in Fig. 1, taken as illustrated by the lines and arrow 2 in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged rear view of a trailer showing track extensions fitted thereto and additionally showing a slidable kingpin assembly ; positioned therealong to which the preferred steerable axle assembly has been coupled;
Fig. 4 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 4-4 on Fig. 3 showing the interrelationship between the removable fork and the frame of the steerable axle assembly.

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In certain jurisdictions, and for certain load handl~ng requirements, it i3 desirable to provide supporting axles at the rearmost position of a car~o trailer so thac maxirr,um bridging distances, i . e ., clistances between axles "nay be established. As described in lly aforemerl~ivned patent entitled, "Multiple Hook-Up, ~lovable Axle3 Container Cargo Trailer", subst~ntial advanta~es may be attAined by providing a trailer having a plurality of flxed tracks spanning between two coupling positions located at generally opposi te ends of an elongate trailer.
Tnese advantages include the facil itation of tractor coupling t:o either end oi the trailer which, in comblnation with a movable axle feature~ facilitates the backing of the trailer into loading docks from either end. In the embodiment illustrated in the aforementioned patent a~i~ ~he tracks are disclosed as spanning between the coupl~ng portions of the cargo bed, with those are~s around the kingpin required for tractor clearance bein~ ~
maintained clear, i.e. ~ wlthout tracks. ~-Ihe present in~ent:lon provides a plurality of rêmovable, extension track sections which may be slid into ch~rnnels defined by a plurality oE low proEile brackets attached to tlle ~derslde o the cargo bed across its coupling portions. Ihese ~ct:ension track sections are then locked to t~e bed and nlay receive slidable ~xle or kingpin assemblies. Ihese assemblies may be slid onto the extension tr~ck sectians from the ~Ixcd trRcks or may be newly lntroduced thereon from the e~d of the trailer.
Ihe track extensions may, t~erefore, be fitted to exterld across whichever co~ling portion ~ich is not then to be coupled to a tractor.

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, Referring now to Fig~ 1, thc prcferred cnl~odiment trailer designated generally 200 is sh(wn coupled to a tractor designated generally 100 at a coupling portion designated generally 202 which, for purposes of the present discussion, will be referred to as the "front" coupling portion of the trailer, even though it is to be understood that this same portion may, in fact, be the "rear" coupling portion if the elements of the tractor are repositioned so that the tractor 100 is coupled to the other end. Located generally on the undersurface of the trailer cargo bed 204 are fixed tracks, as disclosed in my aforementioned patent, only one of which ., tracks, track 205, is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A plurality of ; axle means designated generally 300, 310 and 320 have been slid to an endmost position on trailer 200 so that axle means 300 and 310 support the trailer, at least in part, through -track extensions 405 and 407. The axle assemblies are locked in the positions shown ln Fig. 1 through locking means as disclosed in my aforementioned patent. Axle assembly or ; means 300, and axle means 310 are locked to track extensions 405 and 407 respectively, and are additionally prevented from sliding off the track extensions by service brackets bolted to the end of each track extension, service bracket 409 being shown in Fig. 1.
Referring now to Fig. 2, which is an enlarged side view of a portion of the "rear" of the trailer 200, low pro-file brackets 420, 422, 424 and 426 aré shown welded to the undersurface of transverse "I" beams 421, 423, 425 and 427 respectively. Accordingly, these transverse ' .. . . .. , . . , , . . ~ . .... . ..

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"I" beams define a suitable lon~,ituclinal surface ide~l for ~support through t rack extensions 405 and 407 t~ich, in the preferred e~bodiments are also "I" beams as ill~stratecl in the draw~ngs. As sho~ in Fig. 2, the tr~ck extensions extend across substantially th~ entire length of the coupling portion, that is the distance between the end of the trailer and the end of track 205 (at transverse "I" beam 427). The "rear" kingpin 520 is shown in d~tted outline in Fig. 2 m~u~ted on ~he undersurface of transverse "I" beEm 423.
~eferring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the low prof~le brackets define in combination with the lower surface of the transverse "I" be~m~ ~wo generally "rl shaped track e~tension channels adapted to receive the upper ends of the "I" beams which comprise track extensions 405 and 407. When k~ngp~n 520 is not to be coupled to a fifth ~eel, the ch~nnels are cleared by activating a plurality of pneumatlc cylinders 450, 451, and 452 . mounted on transverse "I" beams 423 and ~52 generally above the ch~nnels, which activation acts to withdraw the cylinders' piston rods 454, 455 and 456 upwardly into the cylinder to prepare the channel for recelpt of the track extensions. The track ~xtensions 405 and . 407 nay t~en be slid lon~,itudinally in~o the channels to their appropriate operating positlons, ~hereupon the air cylinders may be deactiva~ed so that the cylinder rods 454, 455, and 456, which are spring biased towards their extended positions, w~ll extend ~hrough complementaLly fonmed bores ln each of the track e~tensiolls to loclc .

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those track extensions in their operating positions.
The track extensions will now function as continuous extensions of the fixed tracks mounted on the undersurface of the cargo bed ~nd may, ~5 such, slidingly receive axle or kingpin assemblies from ~ith~r end thereof, as illustrated in the figures.
Referr~ng now in particular to Figs. 3 and 4, the novel slidable kingpin means designated generally : 600 and steerable axle means designated ~enerally 700 are lllustrated, The slid~ble kingpin n~ans comp~ises a plurallty of longitudinal "I" beams 602 and 604 which are cross-braced by suitable transverse "I" beams (not s~own in the drawings) to comprise the kingpin carrlage.
Kingpin mountTng plate 606 extends across the underT~urface of this carriage and serves as a mounting for kingpin base 608, from which kingpin 610 downwardly protrudes.
C~rriage tracking brackets 612 and 614 are welded to the underside of each top parallel member of "I" beT~ms 602 and 604 to insure that the unit may not be displaceb transversely wlth respect to "I" beams 405 and 407, ~long which they track. The mechanism for locking the slidable kingpln carriagc with respect to "I" bea~s 405 and 407 is, in the preferred ~mbodiment, identical to the locking means disclosed for the sxle means in my afore~entioned ~5 patent ~pp~se~ . Accordingly, locking pins 620 and 622 are shoT~n biased towards their extended positlons ~hrough apertures formed ~n the tracks 405 and 407 and through reinforcing plates 621 and 623. Pin housings 625 and 6Z7, connectlng rods 629 and 630 and reinforclng ~ 14-. ~
partition 632, all of which are illustrated in Fig. 3, accordingly, runction in the same manner as described for those corresponding components of the axle means described in my aforementioned patent. The slidable kingpin means for coupling the trailer with a suitable vehicle fifth wheel easily slides to any of a variety of appropriate coupling positions with respect to the tracks disposed on the undersurface of the cargo bed of the trailer. Once in position the means is locked with respect to those tracks. Since, as shown in the drawings, the slidable kingpin 610 protrudes below the slidable kingpin carriage, pivotal clearance for engagement with a "fifth wheel" is established.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention additionally comprises a pivotal-slidable axle means for supporting and steering at least a portion of its associated trailer. The wheels 702, 704, 706, and 708, axle 710 and associated suspensions 712 and 714 of this assembly are similar to the corresponding mechanisms described in my aforementioned patent. Thc rails 716 and 718 which are supported thereby are, in this embodiment, interconnected by a plurality of cross members 720, 722, and 724 extending ~ -therebetween, to comprise a frame. Cross members 722 and 724 additionally act as supports for a fifth wheel 726 mounted on the upper surface of the frame which receives and engages kingpin 610 in a conventional manner. When it is desired to use the axle assembly 700 in its non-pivotal mode, one or more bolts or pins 730 and 732 are fitted into ~L(;1183t~i31 axially aligned bores through the kingpin base plate 608 and fifth wheel 726 to prevent relative rotational movement of the fifth wheel around kingpin 610. When the axle assembly 700 is to be used in its steerable mode, a fork designated generally 750 is fitted to the terminal portions of rails 716 and 718 using loosely fitted bolts 752 and 754 or other suit-able interconnection means so that the fork 750 may easily pivot therearound as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.
The fork 750 comprises arms 760 and 762 reinforced by brace 764 and welded to hitching member 766 which may be a hook, ballhitch, or any other suitable hitching member known to the art. Clearance for pivotal movement of the fork 750 with respect to rails 718 and 716 is provided by foreshorten-ing the parallel portions of those rails to allow the trans-verse or central portions thereof to extend outwardly to overlap adjacent corresponding portions of the fork. Easy access to the attachment site of the fork with the remainder of the unit is, therefore, provided and the axle assembly is easily interchanged between its fixed and steerable modes.
It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims. I

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Claims (5)

What is claimed is:

1. A cargo trailer comprising:
(a) a substantially elongate cargo bed;
(b) a plurality of coupling means disposed at generally opposite ends of said cargo bed for alternatively coupling to the fifth wheel of a vehicle;
(c) at least one axle means for supporting said bed;
(d) fixed track means associated with said bed spanning continuously between said coupling means on said bed; said axle means slidably imaging said track means for selective positioning therealong; and (e) track extension means for removable attachment to said bed to extend said fixed track means across at least a portion of said coupling means and for slidably receiving said axle means, therefrom to thereby increase the maximum bridging distance between said axle means and said vehicle.

2, The invention of Claim 1 wherein said track means and said track extension means each comprise axially aligned "I" beams extending along the undersurface of said cargo bed.

3. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said track extension means comprises a plurality of low profile brackets permanently affixed to the undersurface of said cargo bed to define, in combination with said undersurface, a "T" shaped track-extension receiving channel; and a plurality of track extension members, at least a portion of which members are matingly received by said channel.

4. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said track extension means further comprises pin means for locking said track extension members in at least one operating position within said channel.

5. The invention of Claim 4 wherein said pin means comprises a plurality of pins biased to extend through said channel.