Patent ID: 6027180
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: B60T

Abstract:
A manual shifting apparatus for manually shifting an automatic empty/load brake device, such automatic empty/load brake device being used in conjunction with a pneumatic braking system provided on a transport vehicle, such transport vehicle including a truck and a car body mounted on such truck through a resilient suspension system, such transport vehicle having a substantially loaded condition and a substantially unloaded condition, such automatic empty/load brake device having a sensor arm, such sensor arm being operable to move through a range of positions upon an application of a braking force to such transport vehicle by such pneumatic braking system, such range of positions of such sensor arm including a first range of positions indicating such transport vehicle as being in such substantially loaded condition and a second range of positions indicating such transport vehicle as being in such substantially unloaded condition, such automatic empty/load brake device being effective to apply a substantially reduced pneumatic braking force to such transport vehicle when such sensor arm is in such second range of positions and to apply a substantially unreduced pneumatic braking force to such transport vehicle when such sensor arm is in such first range of positions, said manual shifting apparatus being adapted for mounting on such transport vehicle adjacent such automatic empty/load brake device, said manual shifting apparatus comprising:a manual shifting member movable between a first disposition and a second disposition, in said first disposition said manual shifting member being operable to confine such sensor arm of such automatic empty/load brake device to such first range of positions and to exclude such sensor arm of such automatic empty/load brake device from travel into such second range of positions and in said second disposition said manual shifting member being operable to permit such sensor arm of such automatic empty/load brake device to travel into such second range of positions.