Patent ID: 8579359

Claim:
A side skirt system for reducing drag on a trailer, comprising: a side skirt wall configured to be coupled to one side of the trailer to extend below a side wall of the trailer at least partially along a length of the trailer; and a mounting bracket assembly coupled to the side skirt wall and configured to be coupled to a floor assembly of the trailer, wherein the mounting bracket assembly and the side skirt wall are configured to tilt laterally inwardly with respect to a generally vertical axis parallel to the side skirt wall, and wherein the mounting bracket assembly includes a vertically-extending extension spring having a first end configured to be coupled to the floor assembly of the trailer and a second end coupled to the side skirt wall for movement with the side skirt wall, wherein the mounting bracket assembly further includes a vertically-extending channel mount coupled to the side skirt wall and configured to move with the side skirt wall, and wherein the channel mount includes a vertically-extending channel and the extension spring is received within the channel, and wherein the channel mount includes a front wall generally parallel with the side skirt wall, first and second side walls coupled to the front wall, and first and second flanges coupled to the respective first and second side walls, wherein the first and second flanges are coupled to the side skirt wall.