Alcan Research and Development Limited

Albert W Peck

A lifting mechanism for a vehicle tail-board or other platform comprises at least one set of two main levers 12, 13 each of which essentially provides three non-colinear pivots defining a triangle, and the two triangles are substantially identical. Corresponding pairs of pivots 12a and 13a, and 12b and 13b, are respectively interconnected by a tilting lever 14 and a link 16, and corresponding pivots 12c and 13c are interconnected by being connected to spaced fixed locations on the tail-board 10. A hydraulic jack 23 is connected between a pin 26 on lever 12 and a fixed bracket 18, which also carries pivot 12a, and operates to move the tail-board in a horizontal attitude between the ground and the vehicle floor level, and a second jack 22 is connected between bracket 18 and a crank arm 21 of lever 14 and operates, when the platform is at vehicle floor level, to move lever 13 bodily in an arcuate path about pivots 12a, and 12b and 12c to swing the tail-board into a vertical attitude. A ramp 35 pivotally attached to the tail-board is movable into positions aligned with and at right angles to the tail-board to facilitate loading, to prevent a load from slipping or rolling off, and to form an upright extension of the tail-board.

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Goldington, United Kingdom

Albert W Peck