FOLDING GOOSENECK TRAILERS

Abstract: A gooseneck connection of a trailer for heavy transport has two longitudinally spaced links (3, 4) suspending the forward end of the platform (1) from the rear end (8) of the neck, the rear link being pivoted to the neck and platform and the front link comprising a rod (3) and crank (11) pivoted to each other. A hydraulic ram (15) or the like moves the crank so that the neck inclination may be varied and the neck may be raised and lowered.

Description: Foldinr gooseneck trailers This invention relates to trailers having gooseneck connections for attachment to tractor vehicles. Such gooseneck connections are used for connecting trailers for transporting heavy goods to heavy tractor units. The trailer normally comprises a platform supporting the goods. There are known trailers having goosenecks which are collapsible so that the neck can form an extension * i of the trailer platform -which can be used as a ramp for loading the trailer. In these folding goose¬ neck trailers the gooseneck is attached to the platform by two links, forward and pearward, and the rear link is movable to alter the inclination of the neck relative to the platform and to move the neck from its raised position, in which it may be attached to a tractor, to its lowered position in which it is in alignment with the platform to serve as a ramp. In these known trailers the rear link is moved by a hydraulic ram which is mounted behind the rear link, generally below the trailer platform, and it is the lower end of the rear link which is moved relative SUBSTITUTE SHtET -2- to the platform. This arrangement allows lowering of the front .end of the trailer to the ground, with tilting of the gooseneck to allow the tractor to be driven away, but if it is desired to raise the platform while the trailer is attached to the tractor, for example to increase its ground clearance, it is necessary for the gooseneck itself to be tilted. According to the present invention there is- provided a trailer having a gooseneck connection for attachment to a tractor, the connection comprising a neck having its forward end adapted for attachment to the tractor, two longitudinally spaced links suspending the forward end of the trailer platform from the rear end of the nec , the rear link being pivoted to the neck and the platform and the front link comprising a rod and a crank pivoted to each other, means being provided to move the crank such that the inclination of the neck relative to the platform may be varied anβ the neck may be moved from a position in which " it is attachable to the platform to a position in which it is aligned with the platform. In one arrangement according to the invention, the lower end of the front link is pivoted to the plat¬ form, the crank is pivoted to the neck and the crank is releasably lockable to the neck. The means for moving the crank may comprise a hydraulic ratn conn¬ ected between the front end of the platform and the crank. The pivot connecting the rear link to the platform may itself be lockable. Using this arrangement the neck may be tilted SUBSTITUTE SHEET -pi: - ■ _ _.. upwardly, to lower the platform to the ground and raise the neck to allow the tractor to be moved, by unlocking the crank from the neck, locking the rear link to the plat or and operating the ram to rotate the^crank. The neck can be lowered to provide an extension of "the platform by operating the ram with the crank locked to the neck and the rear link and platform unlocked. Also with the crank loclced and the rear link unlocked, the ram may be operated to raise the platform- to increase its clearance while the neck is attached to the tractorr. This latter operation can be carried out without altering the inclination of the neck relative to the tractor. A folding gooseneck unit according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 to 4 are diagrammatic elevations showing essential parts of a gooseneck unit in dif erent operative positions. In the drawings there is shown the front 1 of " the load- bearing platform of a trailer: the platform is mounted on a chassis provided with road wheels, not shown in the drawings, in conventional manner. The front 1 is connected to the rear of a gooseneck 2 by a rear link 3 and a front link 4. Gooseneck 2 is provided in known manner with a pivot pin for attachment to the rear of a tractor b means of a fifth-wheel coupling 6. Rear link comprises a rigid rod connected to the platform 1 by pivot 7 and to the gooseneck by pivot 8 : front link 4 comprises a rod connected to the SUBSTITUTE SHEET platform by pivot and to bell crank 11 by pivot 10» One end of bell crank is connected to the gooseneck by pivot 13 and the other end of the bell crank is connected by pivot l4 to the stem of t double—acting hydraulic ram 15 which is^-connected. to the platform by pivot l6. Ram 15 is supplied with operating hydraulic fluid under pressure by conventional means, not shown in the drawings. Means are provided for locking link 3 to platform 1 (i.e. to prevent relative rotation of link 3 and platform 1 about pivot 7) and for locking bell crank 11 to the gooseneck 2 (i.e. to prevent relative rotation of the gooseneck and bell crank about pivot 13) • The locking means may comprise pins which are movable manually or hydraulically to lock and unlock the respective pivots as required. — Figure 1 shows the gooseneck and trailer in the normal running position when the trailer is being towed. In this position pivots 7 and 13 are both locked so that the connection between the gooseneck and the trailer is essentially rigid and' the plat- form and gooseneck are both substantially horizontal. In this position ram 15 is fully extended. Figure 2 shows the positions of the various com¬ ponents when the gooseneck is still mounted on the tractor but the front of the platform is raised from the position of Figure 1, for example to increase the ground clearance of the platform to negotiate hump-back bridges and the like. Starting from the position of Figure 1, pivot 7 is unlocked SUBSTITUTE SHEET to allow rotation of link 3 relative to platform 1 and the stem of ram 15 is retracted under hydraulic pressure- The effect of this retraction is to raise the end of platform 1 with simultaneous rotation of links 3^an 4 to the. position shown in Figure 2. • The platform may be lowered again by extending the stem of ram 15 to return the platform to the position of Figure 1, pivot 7 then being locked for normal running. Figures 3 and 4 show a method of disconnecting the gooseneck from the tractor and lowering the goose¬ neck to the ground. Starting from the position shown in Figure 1, the bell crank is unlocked to allow rotation about pivot 13 but pivot 7 remains locked. The stem of ram 1 is then retracted to cause rotation of the bell crank about pivot 10 so that pivot 13 is raised and the gooseneck rotates about pivot 8 to a raised position, relative to the plat.- for shown in Figure 3- Before this rotation commences the gooseneck is disconnected from the fifth-wheel of the tractor. The gooseneck remains supported by the tractor and the front end of the platform is lowered to the ground. Further rotation of the gooseneck raises it clear of the tractor which may then be driven away. After removal of the tractor ram 15 may be extended again until the gooseneck and platform are in the relative positions shown in Figure 1, but with the end of the platform resting on the ground. The bell crank may then be locked to prevent rotation about pivot 13 and the supply of hydraulic pressure to the SUBSTITUTE SHEET _. v_ιwυuoi υυ_:3(i -6- ram may be discontinued. In order to allow loading of the platform the goose¬ neck may be lowered to the position shown in Figure 4. When the platform has been lowered to the ground . a's described above pivot 7 may be unlocked and the stem of ram 15 fully retracted while the bell crank remains locked to the gooseneck. The effect of this operation is to lower the gooseneck to the position shown in Figure 4, in which its upper surface is substantially parallel with the platform deck. A load for the platform may then be rolled along the gooseneck and on to the deck. To recoύplc the trailer to a tractor the above- described sequence of operations may be reversed. In a preferred arrangement the trailer is provided with two sets of links, one on each side of the trailer. The two sets of links may each have a respective ram connected ro the bell cranks of the front links. The gooseneck may be provided with a folding king pin for attachment to the tractor: the king pin can then be folded when the gooseneck is in the position shown in Figure 4 to avoid damage. Alternatively the means for attaching the gooseneck.to a tractor may be mounted on a removable sub- rame, as described in co- pending British Patent Application No.81.13548. SUB S TITUTE SHEET ~^^ *

Claims: -7- Claims : — 1. A trailer having a gooseneck connection for attachment to a tractor vehicle, the connection 5 comprising a neck having its forward end adapted for attachment to the tractor vehicle, two longitudinally spaced links suspending the forward end of the trailer platform from the rear end of the neck, the rear link being pivoted to the neck 10 and the platform and the front link comprising a rod and a crank pivoted to each other, means being provided to move the crank such that the inclination of the neck relative to the platform may be varied and the neck may be moved from a position in which it' is 15 attachable to the platform to a position in which it is aligned with the platform. 2. "A trailer according to claim 1, in which the lower end of the front link is pivoted to the plat- 20 form, the crank is pivoted to the neck and the crank is releasable lockable to the neck. 3. A trailer according to claim 1 or 2, in which the means for moving the crank comprises a hydraulic ram 2 connected between the front end of the platform and the crank. 4. A trailer according to any preceding claim, in which the pivot connecting the rear link to the plat- 0 form is releasably lockable. . A trailer according to any preceding claim, provided with a pair of front links and a pair of (j rear links, the links of a pair being positioned on ■ - E_ respective opposite sides of the trailer. 6. A trailer according to claim 5, having respective hydraulic rams connected between the front end of the platform and"the cranks of the front links. 7» A trailer having a gooseneck connection, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Inventors: ANDERSON GEOFFREY BRIAN, HARRIS BRYAN SIDNEY, ANDERSON, GEOFFREY, BRIAN, HARRIS, BRYAN, SIDNEY
Applicants: CRAVEN TASKER ANDOVER LTD, CRAVEN TASKER (ANDOVER) LTD.
Application year: 1982
Main classification: B62D53
IPC codes: B62D53