Wilson Trailer Company

Brett Plazek

David Peterson

Aaron Larson

A roller gate system for a livestock transportation vehicle includes a rack and pinion gate movement system, with a roller gate assembly having toothed rollers connected by a rotatable roller shaft positioned in line with the center of gravity of the roller gate assembly when hanging substantially vertically. The pinion is a roller having a plurality of teeth, and the rack is a track having a plurality of openings for receiving the roller teeth. At each end of the rotatable roller shaft, the toothed roller is fixedly mounted thereto for travel along the track. The toothed rollers operate in unison to move the roller gate assembly in a uniform and smooth manner. By having the toothed rollers and the rotatable roller shaft positioned in line with the center of gravity of the roller gate assembly when hanging substantially vertically, the roller gate assembly remains in a substantially vertical orientation during travel.

Rack and pinion roller gate system for a livestock transportation vehicle, and method of operation thereof

A system and method for enabling a commodity trailer having conventional gravity discharge slide gates to operate with a pneumatic discharge configuration on an as-needed basis is provided. A pneumatic discharge gate, which supports a pneumatic discharge assembly, is configured to directly replace the gravity fed hopper gate and to be retained on the same hopper structure that supported the slide gate so that the slide gate and the pneumatic discharge gate, and the uses thereof, are fully interchangeable.

System and method for converting a commodity trailer with gravity discharge slide gates to be compatible with a pneumatic outlet gate and an interchangeable pneumatic gate therefor

A side rail apparatus facilitates the securement of a load being carried on the bed or deck of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a side rail and a tie plate. The side rail has an upper horizontal member configured to be substantially continuous with the deck support surface when mounted to the vehicle, and a vertical member that is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal member. The vertical member has a horizontally directed recess formed in a top outer edge thereof to create a generally horizontal slot with a side opening through which the tie plate is received. The shape of the tie plate and of the slot is such that the tie plate, once inserted in the slot, is self-retained therein and will not disengage while the securement device is attached and tightened. In addition, the placement of the slot in the vertical member of the side rail effectively prevents material of various types from accumulating in the slot such that the side rail apparatus is ready for use with minimal preparation and effort.

Growing community of inventors

Sioux City, IA, United States of America

Brett Plazek