Patent ID: 7841823

Claim:
A method of operating a vehicle brace engagable adjacent a vehicle's rear edge as material handling equipment traverses the rear edge while accessing the vehicle, the method comprising: continuously exerting an upward biasing force on the vehicle brace by way of a first actuation system, wherein the upward biasing force is greater than the weight of the vehicle brace such that the vehicle brace is continuously biased to a raised position but that the upward biasing force does not substantially influence vertical movement of the vehicle brace when the vehicle brace is being engaged by a vehicle; selectively causing, by way of a second actuation system, the vehicle brace to apply a reactive upward force separate from the upward biasing force and adjacent the vehicle's rear edge, wherein the reactive upward force substantially reduces downward movement of the vehicle's rear edge that would result from the applied weight of the material handling equipment in the absence of the reactive upward force; limiting the reactive upward force to a predetermined upper limit; and wherein the reactive upward force reduces downward movement of the vehicle's rear edge by being substantially equal to a downward force resulting from the weight of the material handling equipment until the reactive upward force reaches the predetermined upper limit.