Patent ID: 7189046

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: a tractor vehicle having an associated trailer, an actuation device for actuating a loadable swap body having a support frame and support legs that are attached to the frame and that can be raised from the ground into a resting position, and can be moved into a support position wherein the swap body can be set on the ground and supported by the legs without the tractor vehicle or the trailer, with said support legs being provided with associated actuating elements for automatically moving the support legs from the resting position into the support position and vice versa; a respective control device disposed on the tractor vehicle and on the trailer, with each control device transmitting a control signal to an actuating element secured to the associated tractor vehicle or the trailer, so that the actuating element cooperates with the associated support leg on the swap body to move the leg into the support position or the resting position, with the actuating elements being an electrically actuatable actuator that is one of an electrically actuatable valve of a thrust or traction cylinder, and an electric motor; at least one of the control devices is connected to at least one further locking actuator for securing the swap body to the associated transport or trailer during travel; said control device disposed on the trailer being electrically connected, via a data bus and a bus connection between a portion of the bus on the tractor vehicle and a portion of the bus on the trailer, to the control device on the tractor vehicle for actuating one of the actuating elements; each control device is disposed on the associated tractor vehicle or the trailer such that electrical lines lead from the respective control devices for supplying the associated actuators with electrical current or data, and the control signal can be transmitted from the control device of the tractor vehicle to the trailer via the data bus for further processing by the connected control device disposed on the trailer for activating the associated activating elements on the trailer for respective support legs of an associated swap body; sensor means electrically connected to one of the control devices for detecting both whether an associated locking actuator has secured the swap body to the associated tractor vehicle or the trailer and whether the support legs are secured in the resting position, and for providing an indication of the position of the support legs and the secure locking of the locking actuator during the travel of the tractor vehicle and, at least one further control device is connected to a display in the driver's cab of the transport for displaying the conditions detected by the sensor means.