VAN BODIES

Abstract: A curtainsided van body has an open side closable by a cur­ tain restrained at one end and movable accross the open side to close same, the closed curtain being tensionable in the verti­ cal plane by horizontally-spaced vertical straps having bottom tail portions which are threaded through tensioning devices or buckles and which terminate in hooks engageable with the van body rave or bottom rail. The van body is characterised in that the strap tail portions and hooks are restrained into contact with the curtain exterior such that, with the curtain in closed position, release of the tensioning devices allows the hooks to drop clear of the van body rave while engagement thereof el­ evates the hooks into securing abutment with the van body rave. The strap tail and hook may be disposed in a lower sleeve in the curtain save for the rave-engaging portion of the hook, or the hook and consequently the tail portion of the strap may be restrained against the curtain by a short cross strap or bracket.

Description: VAN BODIES This invention relates to van bodies and especially to curtainsided van bodies. An example of a curtainsided van body to which the present invention may be applied is disclosed in our United Kingdom Patent Specifications Nos. B 1 262 879 and B 1 262 880. This invention is especially but not exclusively applicable to low-loader road vehicle van bodies or railway freight wagons. Briefly, with curtainsided van bodies as disclosed in our aforesaid Patent Specifications, the curtain, when drawn across the open side of the van body to close same, is tensioned in the vertical plane by straps freely located in vertical sleeves in the curtain and secured at their tops to runners movable along an overhead track. Each strap at its bottom has a free tail portion out of the pocket threaded through eyelets and through a tensioning device or buckle the tail portion terminating in a rave-engagable hook. With other curtainsided van bodies the straps do not pass through sleeves and in some instances are, for the majority of their length, integrated with the curtain by welding or stitching. With low-loading van bodies (road or rail) it is awkward and sometimes difficult to engage the hooks on the rave and it is an object of the present invention to overcome this drawback. According to the present invention there is provided a curtainsided van body comprising an open side closable by a curtain restrained at one end and movable across the open side to close same, the closed curtain being tensionable in the vertical plane by horizontally-spaced vertical straps having bottom tail portions which are threaded through tensioning devices or buckles and which terminate in hooks engagable with the van body rave or bottom rail, the van body being characterised in that the strap tail portions and hooks are restrained into contact with the curtain exterior such that, with the curtain in closed position, release of the tensioning devices allows the hooks to drop clear of the van body rave while engagement thereof elevates the hooks into securing abutment with the van body rave. The strap tail and hook may, after passing through the tensioning device, be disposed in a lower sleeve in the curtain save for the rave-engaging portion of the hook. Alternatively, the hook and consequently the tail portion of the strap is restrained against the curtain by a short cross strap or bracket. In both cases, the bottom edge of the curtain lies within the recess defined by the hook limbs. With such arrangements, it is not necessary for the driver or cargo loader of a low-loading van body to bend down to ensure that the hook is aligned for engagement with the van body rave. This is especially important with railway freight wagons where the rave or bottom rail will often be below platform or loading bay level. If any slight misalignment does occur, the hook can be kicked back into proper alignment with the rave. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of low loader curtainsided road vehicle embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one corner of the road vehicle, and Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively front and side views of the invention applied to a railway freight wagon. In Figs. 1 and 2, the road vehicle has a low-loading van body 10 closed along two parallel lateral sides by curtains 11. Each curtain 11, when in the closed position, is constrained or tensioned in the vertical plane by horizontally-spaced strap 12 contained freely in sleeves in the curtain 11 and having a tail portion 13 passing out of the pocket through eyelets 14 for threading through a tensioning buckle 15, the tail portion terminating in a hook 16 for engaging the van body rave. The bottom edge 17 of the curtain 11 lies within the recess of each hook 16 and the latter is held against the curtain exterior by a short cross strap or bracket 18 which does not prevent limited vertical movement of the hook 16 relative to the curtain 11. When the curtain 11 is in closed position the hook 16 engages the bottom edge 17 of the curtain and the rave. When the tensioning buckle 15 is released the tail portion 13 is relaxed and the buckle 16 drops downwards to space iteself clear of the bottom edge of the rave without complete disengagement therefrom. Tensioning of the buckle 15 tensions tail portion 13 and pulls the buckle 15 up against the bottom edge of the rave. Thus with a low-loader van body the driver does not need to bend down to engage the hooks on the rave. In Figs. 3 and 4, the curtainsided railway freight wagon has a top track 19 along which can move rollers 20 each secured to the top of a strap 21 which freely passes down a sleeve 22 in the curtain 23, the strap 21 passing out of the sleeve 22 and being threaded through a tensioing buckle 24. In this instance, the tail portion 25 is threaded back into a lower sleeve 26 through an eyelet 27 and is secured to a long hook 28 also contained within the lower sleeve 26 save for its bottom hooked portion 29 which engages the bottom edge 30 of the curtain 23 and the bottom edge of the wagon rave 31. This arrangement operates in the same manner as that of Figs. 1 and 2. Apertures 32 are provided on the tensioning buckle 24 to allow threading therethrough of a customs seal cord, wire or similar.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A curtainsided van body comprising an open side closable by a curtain restrained at one end and movable across the open side to close same, the closed curtain being tensionable in the vertical plane by horizontally-spaced vertical straps having bottom tail portions which are threaded through tensioning devices or buckles and which terminate in hooks engagable with the van body rave or bottom rail, the van body being characterised in that the strap tail portions and hooks are restrained into contact with the curtain exterior such that, with the curtain in closed position, release of the tensioning devices allows the hooks to drop clear of the van body rave while engagement thereof elevates the hooks into securing abutment with the van body rave. 2. A curtainsided van body as claimed in claim 1, in which the strap tail and hook, after passing through the tensioning device, be disposed in a lower sleeve in the curtain save for the rave-engaging portion of the hook. 3. A curtainsided van body as claimed in claim 1, in which the hook and consequently the tail portion of the strap is restrained against the curtain by a short cross strap or bracket.

Inventors: BROADBENT, EDWARD GERALD
Applicants: BOALLOY LIMITED
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B60J5
IPC codes: B60J5, B60J7