Patent ID: 6837668

Claim:
A load carrying body for a vehicle, comprising: (a) a load-bearing base having front and rear ends; (b) a transverse member which is movable along the upper surface of the base between a front position and a rear position; (c) a reversible winch mounted to the base, the winch lying below the level of the upper surface of the base; (d) a floor constituted by a flexible belt which rests on the upper surface of the base, a first end of the belt being connected to the transverse member and a second, opposite end of the belt being connected to the winch so that rotation of the winch in a first direction winds the belt on to the winch, thereby drawing the floor and with it the transverse member towards the rear end of the base, and rotation of the winch in a second, opposite direction pays out the wound belt from the winch; (e) a cable having one end connected to the transverse member and the other end connected to the winch so that rotation of the winch in the said second direction winds the cable on to the winch; and (f) a guide system which guides the cable along a path such that rotation of the winch in the said second direction causes the cable to draw the transverse member and with it the floor towards the front end of the base, the guide system including a compensating mechanism which varies the path of the cable during rotation of the winch, so as to compensate for a difference between the belt diameter on the winch and the cable diameter on the winch, the difference varying as the belt it wound and unwound.