Abstract:
Bodies for hook lift shuttles and other roll-off loaders are fitted with trailer towing hitches, such as fifth wheels and hitch balls, so that when one of these bodies is loaded onto a shuttle or loader, the shuttle or loader can be used temporarily as a tractor for a trailer. Means are provided for connecting truck utilities such as brake air and electricity to the invention and thence to a trailer.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to towing of vehicles, in particular towing of trailers, and more specifically to towing of semitrailers. It also relates to truck bodies, more specifically to removable and interchangeable truck bodies, and still more specifically to “hook lift”, cable hoist, and chain hoist “roll-off” loaders, and other specific types of trucks constructed to handle such bodies. 
     Relevant background in the field of trailer towing is as follows: A tractor for pulling semitrailers is commonly equipped rearwardly with a support bearing called a “fifth wheel”, which engages a pin called a “kingpin” on the forward end of the trailer. When so engaged, the tractor-trailer combination comprises an articulating vehicle in which the trailer can rotate about a vertical axis relative to the tractor. Trailers can be towed in similar fashion using other mating bearing combinations such as ball hitches. Ease of hitching and unhitching trailers is an important factor for logistical reasons in the design of tractors, trailers, and hitching mechanisms. 
     Background in the other related field is as follows: In the handing of bulk materials such as solid waste, it is common to use so-called “roll-off” containers to collect and transport the materials. These containers, called “bodies”, come in various shape and capacities and are adapted to be loaded onto and transported by shuttle trucks specially configured to load and unload them. Some roll-off bodies are more specialized, such as a fat bed for carrying earth-moving machinery. There are various types of shuttle trucks for roll-off containers. A hoist roll-off shuttle of the cable or chain variety comprises a chassis with a hydraulic lift bed, a hoist and a cable or chain. The bed comprises rollers to enable roll-off bodies to be hoisted onto and off of the bed. The hook lift truck also comprises a chassis with a hydraulic lift bed, but instead of hoist, it uses a hydraulically-articulated arm ad hook to grasp a hook lift body and pull it onto or lower it from the bed. 
     The present invention relates these two fields in a novel way as summarized below. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention is a removable, e.g., hook lift, body for a shuttle truck, which has been specially constructed to comprise a trailer-towing bearing such as a fifth wheel or a hitch ball. Such construction further comprises means for securely fastening the body to the shuttle so as to maintain the body in rigidly fixed relation to the chassis of the shuttle at all times. The virtue of such a body is that it enables roll-off shuttles to be used temporarily as tractors for semitrailers. This has the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for owning and maintaining dedicated tractors for semitrailers. Conversely, it can expand the capabilities of a fleet of roll-off shuttle vehicles to include trailer towing. 
     The towing of trailers typically requires the capability of providing certain utilities to the trailer from the tractor. Most commonly this is a source of compressed air for the trailer brakes and electricity for the trailer lights. Other utilities such as hydraulic pressure may also be desirable. 
     It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide new means for towing trailers. It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of manufacturing or modifying roll-off shuttle beds for the secure installation and placement of such means. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a method of installing such means on such shuttle beds. Other objects of this invention are to expand the uses for roll-off shuttle trucks and to reduce the overall capital and maintenance costs for truck fleets. Yet another object of this invention is to provide trailers towed with the invention with connections to necessary and optional utilities available on the tractor, such as compressed air, electricity, and hydraulic fluid under pressure. Specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide, along with the new trailer towing means, means for moving sources of brake air and electricity from the rear of a shuttle truck to a location on the shuttle truck accessible to brake air and electricity connections on the trailer being towed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hook lift roll-off shuttle known in the art, without a body in place. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the shuttle of FIG. 1 with a prior art dump body in place. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention configured to comprise a fifth wheel. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the first embodiment. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the first embodiment. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the locking pin mechanism of the present invention in the retracted (unlocked) position. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the locking pin mechanism of the present invention in the advanced (locked) position. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the chassis of the shuttle of FIG. 1 modified to accommodate the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the shuttle of FIG. 1 with hydraulic sections raised and hook attached for installation of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the shuttle of FIG. 1 with the first embodiment of the present invention secured in place. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a cable hoist roll-off shuttle known in the art, without a body in place. 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13 about to be installed on the cable hoist roll-off shuttle of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a hook lift roll-off shuttle known in the art, without an embodiment of the present invention in place, showing utility hook-up locations. 
     FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention showing common utilities and connections. 
     FIG. 17 is a side view of the fifth embodiment. 
     FIG. 18 is a front view of the fifth embodiment. 
     FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention also showing desirable utilities and connections. 
     FIG.  20 ( a-d ) show additional embodiments of the invention having alternative mating parts for trailer towing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements in all of the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hook lift shuttle known in the art. The shuttle shown is typical of the hook lift type but there are other shuttles with dissimilar shapes also used to handle interchangeable bodies. The present invention is a body not to be construed to operate only with the shuttle depicted in FIG.  1 . This will become apparent in further discussion. 
     The shuttle of FIG. 1 is shown without any body in place on the bed. It comprises a multi-axle truck with a specialized hydraulically-actuated bed  101  affixed to its chassis. The bed  101  further comprises in relevant part four interconnected sections: a base section  102  fixed to the truck chassis  114 ; a primary or dump section  103  rotatably attached to the base section  102  along axis A; a secondary section  104  also rotatably attached to the base section  102  along axis B; and a tilt section  105  rotatably attached to the secondary section  104  along axis C. 
     The dump section  103 , secondary section  104 , and tilt section  105  may be locked into rigid relationship by remote-controlled dump latches  107 . An operator can then move all three bed sections into dumping position (about axis A) by actuating hydraulic lift cylinder  108 . If dump latches  107  are unlocked, lift cylinder  108  can rotate secondary section  104  and tilt section  105  independently of dump section  103  about axis B. The tilt cylinder  109 , by expanding hydraulically along its own axis, can rotate tilt section  105  about axis C as desired. The operation and function of the various parts are further illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     Other relevant parts of the prior art shuttle are body latches  110 , which hold the rear of a shuttle body in fixed relation to the rest of the truck while the truck is in motion, rear rollers  111 , which guide a body into position on the bed when it is being loaded, and saddles  112 , which provide further resistance to side-to-side shifting of the load in transit. Also note hook assembly  113 , which is used to grasp, move, and hold lift bodies designed to be handled by such shuttles. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the shuttle of FIG. 1 with a prior art dump body  201  in place. Note curved pin  202 , rigidly attached to the upper front of the body  201 , passing through hook assembly  113 . 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention, a fifth wheel support. It comprises a rigid rectangular frame  301  having one open end  302  at its front. Four legs  303  are attached to the frame near its corners and depend from it. The open end  302  of the frame  301  has attached to either side of it the lower ends of two pin supports  304  which extend upward from the plane of the frame  301  and diagonally towards each other. The upper ends of the pin supports are joined together by a curved pin  202 . Spanning the middle of frame  301  is platform  306 , which supports a fifth wheel trailer hitch  307 . Also spanning the underside of the platform  306  is an optional cross member  308  for further body attachment security. 
     When this fifth wheel support is installed on a shuttle truck, as described further in subsequent figures, pin  202  is encircled by a hook assembly  113  (not shown) and the bottom edges  309  of frame  301  rest upon saddles  112  (not shown) and upon other horizontal members of the truck (not shown). Each leg  303  provides a further means of securement to the truck chassis  114  (not shown) by a tubular locking pin mechanism  310  consisting of a pin  311 , a pin tab  312 , and a tongue  313  at each of the four legs. This means of attachment is more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the first embodiment. Note that curved pin  202  lies in a plane that is not vertical; i.e., the apex of the pin is forward (to the left of) the pin supports  304  so that it can be held on a truck bed without interfering with the tilt section  105  (not shown) of the truck bed. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the first embodiment. Note that in this prototypical example, the pin support  304  consists of two pieces of rigid material welded together for ease of assembly. Also it can be seen in this view that the platform  306  is even with the top of frame  301 , and the cross member  308  is even with the bottom. These locations are a fit with the shuttle depicted in FIG. 1, but many other configurations are possible within the scope of this invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the locking pin mechanism  310  of the present invention in the retracted (unlocked) position. The mechanism  310  is installed at the lower end of each leg  303  of the fifth wheel support. In this illustration, the leg consists of two plates  601  and  602  depending from frame  301 , although the leg could be made from other elongate materials such as, for one example, a single solid piece of rigid material, or for another example, a piece of rigid material having a hollow rectangular cross section. In this illustration, a circular hole  603  is cut horizontally through both plates so that tubular pin  311  can slide smoothly though it. The pin is of a length that when one end of the pin is flush with one side of the leg, the pin projects outward from the other side of the leg by several inches. An elongate tongue  313  is fixedly attached to the bottom of the leg so that it extends outwardly from the frame  301  and at least as far beyond one side of the leg as the pin  311  does. A pin tab  312  is fixedly attached to one end of the pin so that the tab  312  is on the same side of the leg  303  as the tongue  313 . The tongue  313  further comprises a proximal notch  604  and a distal notch  605 , both cut downward from the top edge of the tongue  313 . By use of these notches, the tubular pin  311  can be locked into either of two horizontal positions. If pin tab  312  is lowered into distal notch  605  (as shown), it is held there by gravity and pin  311  will be held in its farthest displacement away from the truck body until the tab is lifted. If the tab  312  is lowered into the proximal notch  604 , the pin  311  will project inwardly from the frame. 
     This is shown in FIG. 7, which is a perspective view of the locking pin mechanism  310  of the present invention in the advanced (locked) position. Note that the tubular pin  311  projects inwardly some distance from the leg  303 . If the truck chassis (not shown) has a collinear round cavity of the same diameter of leg hole  603  (not visible), pin  311  can fit into this cavity and resist motion of the frame  301  in any direction relative to the truck chassis other than coaxial to the tubular pin. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a the left side of the truck bed  101  of the shuttle of FIG. 1 modified to accommodate the first embodiment of the present invention depicted in FIGS. 3,  4 , and  5 . The modifications shown, which are duplicated in mirror image on the right side of the bed, comprise a forward ear  801 , a forward pin socket  802 , a rearward ear  803 , and a rearward pin socket  804 . The ears are fixedly attached to the truck chassis  114  at an angle towards the truck centerline. As will become clear in the next figure, the invention is installed on top of the truck bed  101  shown here. The two left legs of the invention (not shown) fit alongside (Oust to the left of) the visible side of the chassis  114 . In like manner, the two right legs of the invention (not shown) fit alongside the right side (not shown) of the chassis. The final positioning of the first embodiment of the invention is shown more clearly in FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the shuttle of FIG. 1 with the secondary bed section  104  and tilt section  105  raised and the hook assembly  113  attached to the first embodiment of the present invention. The invention is prepared for installation by making sure the locking pins  311  are in their retracted (fully out) positions, and that the curved pin  202  is grasped by the hook assembly  113 . The invention is installed by using hydraulic cylinders  108  and  109  to lift the forward end  901  of the invention over the rear of the truck chassis so that forward legs  303  are above and forward of rollers  111 . As the invention is pulled hydraulically farther forward, the rearward ears  803  serve to align the lower edges  309  of frame  301  onto the rollers  111 . As the invention is pulled still farther forward, the forward end  901  of the invention must be held above the truck bed until the forward end  901  is near to contacting the rearward vertical face  902  of the tilt section  105  of the shuttle. The forward end  901  of the invention is then lowered into final position. Forward ears  801  serve to prevent forward legs  303  from hanging up on top of the chassis  114 . At this point, tubular pins  311  will line up with pin sockets  802  and  804 . The pins  311  can then be advanced into the sockets and locked. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the shuttle of FIG. 1 with the first embodiment of the present invention secured in place. Note that rectangular frame  301  rests in saddle  301  and rollers  111 . Note further that cross member  308  is secured under body latches  110 . Thus the invention is fixedly secured to the truck chassis by four pins  311 , cross member  308 , and curved pin  202 . Fifth wheel  307  is now ready for engagement to the kingpin of a trailer (not shown). 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention, configured to comprise a hitch ball. In this embodiment, a hitch ball assembly  1101  is substituted for fifth wheel assembly  307  in FIG.  3 . Other embodiments of the invention substitute alternative hitch parts for the ball as shown in FIGS. 20 ( a-d ). 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a cable hoist roll-off shuttle known in the arm without a body in place. It comprises in pertinent part a dump section  1201  capable of being raised as shown by pallel hydraulic cylinders  1202 . A hoist drum (not visible) pulls a cable  1203  over a sheave  1204 . (Some versions of this shuttle utilize a sprocket and chain mechanism in place of a cable and sheave, but the applicability of the present invention to it is identical.) When clevis  1205  is attached to a hook (not shown) on a body made for use on such a shuttle (not shown), the body cam be pulled onto the dump section by sliding over rails  1206  and rollers  1207  and way be secured to the shuttle by clamps  1208  and/or other securing devices such as straps (not shown). 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention, which has the frame of the second embodiment reconfigured to permit installation on the cable roll-off shuttle of FIG.  12 . For clarity it is shown facing the opposite direction as the embodiment shown in FIG.  11 . Note that unlike the first two embodiments, the frame  301  encloses all four sides including forward end  901 . An upward facing hook  1301  replaces the curved pin  202  of FIGS. 3 and 11. Note that the bottom edges of the forward and rearward ends  1302  of the frame  301  are recessed upward from the sides of the frame. This helps this embodiment straddle the rails  1206  of the dump section  1201  as it is being installed (shown in more detail in FIG.  14 ). Any method of alignment and fastening of bodies consistent with safety and the proper operation of the trailer hitch is acceptable. 
     FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13 being installed on the cable hoist roll-off shuttle of FIG. 12, Note that clevis  1205  of the shuttle has been attached to hook  1301 , and cable  1203  has been hoisted upward to slide the third embodiment onto the dump section  1201  of the shuttle. Note that the right-hand rail  1206  of the dump section has been placed under the forward end  1302  of the frame, and the same is true of the left-hand rail and forward bar although not visible in this view. This centers the invention on the dump section as it is don upward by the hoist. At a certain point in its upward travel, the frame  301  comes in contact with rollers  1207  on either side of the dump section, reducing the frictional load on the hoist. If the dump section has been configured with body latches  110  (only one is visible), cross member  308  will engage them as the body nears the top of its travel, creating security against all motion of the body relative to the Suck except rearward. Rearward motion of the body is prevented by the tension of cable  1203 . 
     A fourth embodiment of the present invention combining the fifth wheel hitch assembly of the first embodiment (element  307  of FIG. 3) and the cable roll-off frame adaptations of the third embodiment (FIG. 13) is evident from these illustrations without an illustration of its own and is included within the scope of the present invention. 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a hook lift roll-off shuttle  1501  known in the art, without an embodiment of the present invention in place, showing utility hook-up locations. (This illustration is meant to show the characteristics of a generic hook lift shuttle, even though a real shuttle may not have the same shape.) Utility hook-ups are sometimes needed on various hook lift bodies, including embodiments of the present invention. Typically, for example, a semi tractor must provide brake air to the trailer so that the trailer brakes will function. This compressed air is generated on the tractor and provided to the trailer through mating tubing connections completed by the driver between the rear of the tractor and the front of the trailer. Trailers must have running lights, and it is also typical for them to be powered by the tractor&#39;s electrical system. The shuttle shown in FIG. 15 is also equipped with a hydraulic power take-off control box  1502 , capable of supplying hydraulic power for a variety of purposes. 
     This shuttle comprises all of the features shown in FIG. 1 plus the power takeoff control box  1502 . In this Figure, the control box  1502  is located between the bed  101  and the truck cab  106 . The control box  1502  comprises a hydraulic fluid supply connection  1503 , which is available on the truck to supply hydraulic fluid under pressure to other equipment having hydraulic drive motors and cylinders, including disabled trucks. Typically, the hydraulic fluid pump on the vehicle is driven by the truck engine and also supplies fluid to the cylinders  108  and  109  of the bed  101 , although the source of the hydraulic fluid on the shuttle could just as well be a hydraulic pump driven by another engine. A hydraulic fluid return connection  1504  is also provided on the control box  1502 . Another utility feature of the depicted shuttle is compressed air. Compressed air supply and return are provided at the rear of the shuttle by pigtails  1505  and  1506 , respectively, and glad hands  1507  and  1508 , respectively. Also provided at the rear of the shuttle is an electric power point  1509 . 
     FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention having special utilities features for attachment to a shuttle represented by FIG.  15 . In addition to all of the trailer hitch features shown in FIG. 3, this hook lift body further comprises a winch  1601 , pneumatic tubes  1602  and  1603 , and electrical conduit  1604 . In this embodiment, winch  1601  is a hydraulically driven winch, shown with supply hose  1605  and return hose  1606  attached. A crane (not shown ) could likewise be attached to the invention. (Neither winch or crane is necessary for trailer hauling per se, but some heavy duty semitrailer tractors are equipped with such for added versatility.) The pneumatic tubes are equipped with pigtails  1607 , 1608 , 1609 , and  1610  and corresponding glad hands  1611 ,  1612 , 1613 , and  1614 , respectively. Electric power plugs  1615  and  1616  are provided at either end of conduit  1604 . 
     The aforementioned utility conduits and tubes are shown in the Figures attached to the side of the trailer hitch support body. They need not be attached outside the frame as shown; it is possible, even desirable, to route them inside the frame. They are shown outside in these figures mainly for clarity. Similar to routing the utilities inside the frame is building the conduits into the frame itself. By way of example of this and not limitation would be a) to utilize box beams in a frame&#39;s construction and route electric conductors through them, or b) to cast compressed air passageways into portions of a cast frame. 
     There are two other features shown in this illustration which can be options on all embodiments. One is sliding hitch capability, denoted by track  1617 , key  1618 , and keyways  1619  (which have corresponding parts on the opposite side of the body, not shown in this view). It is often desirable to be able to adjust the position of the fifth wheel backwards or forwards along the tractor axis to improve the stability of the truck and trailer combination. Platform  306  can be positioned at various points along track  1617  corresponding to the keyways. This illustration shows a manual positioning means, but powered positioning means (e.g., pneumatic) that currently exist in the art are considered within the scope of the invention without limitation. Not shown here but also available in the art are height adjustment means which can also readily be incorporated into the present invention. 
     After installing this embodiment on the hook lift shuttle shown in FIG.  15  and securing it in place, compressed air can be provided to the trailer hitch body by attaching pigtails  1611  and  1612  to pigtails  1508  and  1507  in FIG.  15 . Electric power can be provided by inserting plug  1615  into power point  1509  in FIG.  15 . This provides brake air and electricity for lights at the same locations on the shuttle that they would be in on an ordinary semitrailer tractor, and a semitrailer can then be connected in the normal way. 
     If needed, winch  1601  can be powered by connecting supply hose  1605  to supply connection  1503  (FIG. 15) and return hose  1606  to return connection  1504  (FIG. 15) on the shuttle. Other winches besides hydraulically-powered ones, such as manual, pneumatic, electric, and combustion engine-driven are within the scope of the present invention without limitation. 
     FIG. 17 is a side view of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Note that the forward pigtails  1609  and  1610  are supported by a bracket  1701  as would ordinarily be found on a semitrailer tractor. FIG. 18 is a front view of the fifth embodiment. All of the pneumatic and electric parts are shown here installed on the left side of the body (right side of this figure) but sufficient flexible tube and wire are intended to be provided on the invention to reach the central location for attachment normally found on the front of trailers. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention also showing common utilities and connections. This embodiment is basically the third embodiment as shown in FIG. 13 (for use on a cable hoist roll-off shuttle) with the added utility adaptations of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG.  16 . In this illustration, the body is turned  180  degrees from the orientation in FIG. 13 to more clearly show the parts corresponding to the same reference characters in FIG.  16 . 
     The present invention is not meant to be limited to structures that conform solely to the three prior art shuttles shown in FIGS. 1,  12 , and  15 , or these shuttles as modified for greater security in FIGS. 8 and 14. The present invention can be configured to fit securely virtually any truck chassis capable of loading assorted bodies. 
     There are also a number of other hitch systems that can be substituted for the (fifth wheel or ball) on the loadable bodies, and they are included within the claimed scope of this invention. Either mating part of any hitch system can be substituted for the ones shown and suitably affixed to the frame of the loadable body. Examples include, but are not limited to, the pintle hitch, in which a the fifth wheel plate or hitch ball of the present invention could be replaced by a vertical pin or mating eye bolt; and the clevis hitch, in which case it could be replaced by a clevis or a mating hook. 
     FIGS.  20 ( a ) and ( b ) are insets of FIG. 19 showing an eye  2001  or a pintle  2002 , respectively, substituted for the hitch ball. Either an eye can be fixed to the loadable bony to mate with a pintle on the trailer, or vice versa, 
     FIGS.  20 ( c ) and ( d ) a insets of FIG. 19 showing a hook  2003  or a clevis  2004  respectively, substituted for the hitch ball. Either a hook can be fund to the loadable body to mate with a clevis on the trailer, or vice versa.