Patent ID: 7635248

Claim:
A sliding deck assembly configured to supplement a fixed truck bed having a fixed deck with a loading surface, the sliding deck assembly comprising: a pair of opposed inclined tower assemblies attached to the fixed deck, each having an outer tubular tower member attached to a rear portion of the fixed deck and configured to pivot about a pivot axis that is located along the rear portion of the fixed deck and substantially coplanar with the fixed deck, an inner telescoping channel member, and a hydraulic cylinder for extending or retracting the inner telescoping channel member relative to the outer tubular tower member, the outer tubular tower member defining a slot and being inclined at an angle offset from a direction perpendicular to the loading surface of the fixed deck; a sliding deck configured for being raised and lowered along a path defined by said slot and said angle offset, said sliding deck having at least a pair of sliding deck side members, each of said pair respectively secured to said inner telescoping channel members, said sliding deck moving between a raised position and a lowered position along said path as a result of said extending or retracting of the inner telescoping channel members, and said sliding deck defining a sliding deck area that adds to the effective transporting area of said fixed deck when the sliding deck is in the raised position and wherein said sliding deck is connected to said tower members such that no relative rotation occurs between said towers and said sliding deck and supporting cylinders each supporting the outer tubular tower members each said supporting cylinder causing an extending or retracting for pivoting both the tubular tower members and the sliding deck about the pivot axis to cause a change in an angle of said sliding deck relative to a ground surface slope during loading or unloading of the sliding deck to accommodate the ground surface slope.