Patent ID: 8313150
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: B60P

Abstract:
1. A hoist for raising or lowering a truck bed to and from a truck frame, said hoist comprising: a pedestal located on and extending upwardly from a top surface of a frame rail of a truck frame for mounting said hoist to a truck frame; a first lever arm having a first end connected to said pedestal via a first pivot and having a second end connected to a first end of a second lever arm via a second pivot, said second lever arm having a second, distal end pivotally connected to a dump bed frame via a third pivot; an extendible and retractable cylinder connected at a first end to said first end of said first lever arm via a fourth pivot, said fourth pivot being located at a location spaced apart from said first pivot, and said extendible and retractable cylinder connected at a second end to said second lever arm via a fifth pivot, said fifth pivot located on said second lever arm between said second pivot and said third pivot; wherein in an initial, non-lift position, said first lever arm and said second lever arm are in a generally folded orientation such that said first and said second lever arms are in or near a generally parallel orientation with respect to one another, and said fourth pivot is located generally below said first pivot a selected offset distance sufficient to improve said extendible and retractable cylinder's lift angle relative to a lift direction of said dump bed frame; wherein in a lifting phase, said extendible and retractable cylinder extends and exerts a lifting force on said second lever arm via said fifth pivot causing said second lever arm to exert a lifting force on said dump bed frame via said third pivot; and wherein said first lever arm and said second lever arm pivot out of the in or near generally parallel orientations towards a dump bed lifted position; and wherein the location of said pedestal on said top surface of said frame rail locates said hoist at a elevated position relative to said frame rail thereby reducing space usage between frame rails when said hoist is installed on a vehicle.