Patent ID: 6015191
Filing Date: 2000-01-18
Classification: B60P

Abstract:
A tailgate apparatus pivotally connected to a dump truck for automatically opening and closing a tailgate mounted at the rear of a tiltable truck bed of the dump truck, the truck bed having a vertical front wall and vertical side walls, said tailgate disposed adjacent ends of the side walls and a bottom of the truck bed when the truck bed is in a horizontal position, the truck bed tiltable about a first transverse axis attached to a chassis of the dump truck, said first axis positioned forwardly of the end of the bottom and in proximity to, the bottom, the apparatus comprising:a pair of elongated, spaced apart substantially parallel gate arms each pivotally connected at a forward end thereof to a corresponding said side wall about a second substantially transverse axis positioned forwardly of the ends of the side walls and generally above said first axis;said tailgate rigidly connected at each side margin thereof generally orthogonally to a corresponding rearward end of each said gate arm;an elongated substantially upright, rigid pivot rod pivotally connected at a lower end thereof to the chassis about a third substantially transverse axis positioned between the end of the bottom and said first axis, an upper end of said pivot rod pivotally connected to one said gate arm about a fourth substantially transverse axis positioned below said second axis;said axes being so arranged such that said tailgate arcuately opens in substantially direct proportion to the angular tilting movement of the truck bed about said first axis.