Titan Trailers Inc.

Other

Keith Manufacturing Co.

Tital Trailers, Inc.

Michael Kloepfer

Andrew Joseph Maertens

Rick Lees

James Bult

Bryan Morris Bracewell

Christopher Howard Kloepfer

Kenneth Stout

James Prentice Drago

Dan Cohoe

Trever Lorne Howden

Robert Moore

A cargo container has a tubular shell, an annular mounting ring mounted thereto, and a nose cone clamped to the annular mounting ring by an annular clamping collar. The mounting ring has a coupling slot and an annular flange. The nose cone has an annular flange. The clamping collar has an inwardly facing annular groove, and a constriction device. The mounting ring is mounted to the tubular shell wherein an annular edge of the tubular shell is rigidly held in the coupling slot. The nose cone and mounting ring annular flanges together form a mounting wedge. The clamping collar clamps the nose cone to the annular mounting ring wherein the mounting wedge is rigidly held in the annular groove by constriction of the clamping collar by the constriction device.

Cargo container nose cone assembly

A method of manufacturing a cylindrical cargo container includes: providing a plurality of rigid panels together formable into a cylindrical shell; forming a first semi-cylindrical shell from a first set of the panels; forming a second semi-cylindrical shell from a second set of the panels; forming the cylindrical shell from the first semi-cylindrical shell and the second semi-cylindrical shell; forming a collar conformably encircling the cylindrical shell; constricting the collar to compress joints formed at abutting edges of pairs of adjacent panels; rolling the cylindrical shell and collar to bring respective joints of pairs of panels to a lower position, and welding an inside seam of the joint when at the lower position; removing the collar from the cylindrical shell; and rolling the cylindrical shell to bring respective joints of pairs of panels to an upper position, and welding an outside of the joint when at the upper position.

Cylindrical cargo container construction

A quasi-cylindrical cargo container is formed of a plurality of rigid, curved panels together forming first and second semi-cylindrical shells, and a plurality of rigid, flat extension panels bridging the first and second semi-cylindrical shells. A method of manufacturing the container includes forming the first and second semi-cylindrical shell from the curved panels, forming the quasi-cylindrical shell from the first and second semi-cylindrical shells and the flat extension panels, forming collars conformably encompassing the quasi-cylindrical shell, constricting the collars to compress joints formed at abutting edges of pairs of adjacent panels, rolling the shell and collars sequentially to bring the joints to a lower position, welding inside seams of the joints when at the lower position, removing the collars, rolling the shell sequentially to bring the joints to an upper position, and welding outside seams of the joints when at the upper position.

Quasi-cylindrical cargo container and construction

A cylindrical cargo container is formed of longitudinal, extruded arcuate panels joined pairwise at abutting edges to form a cylindrical tube. The container is mountable on a separate wheeled chassis to form a semi-trailer or railcar, or a chassis integral with a truck. The container may be substantially smooth on inner and outer surfaces, to provide optimal aerodynamics and freedom of motion of cargo within the container. The panels may have inner and outer skins bridged by multiple webs. Such structure may provide protection from punctures to the outer or inner skins. The container is useful to transport waste including municipal or industrial waste, and may be part of a tipper trailer. The container, trailer, truck, or railcar may be used with a compactor for compacting the waste within the container.

Cylindrical semi-trailer

A livestock container has a plurality of levels and compartments formed by a plurality of convertible platforms and compartment gates. In some embodiments, the convertible platforms are bi-fold platforms hingedly mounted to sidewalls of the container and moveable between deployed and stored positions. When in the stored positions, the convertible platforms extend minimally from the sidewall, eliminating or reducing obstacles to movement of livestock or humans. The convertible platforms are configured to rest on upper edges of corresponding compartment gates below, and the container may be free of any central post, thereby eliminating obstacles caused thereby to movement of livestock or humans. The sidewalls and floor may be formed of hollow-core extruded aluminum panels, and longitudinal channels formed therein may house pipes or electrical wires for conducting water or electricity to ventilation fans, lights, or misters, or for storing water.

Livestock transport container

A trailer has a container with top doors having a frame and weatherproof thermoplastic inserts. Sealing flaps are provided at edges of the top doors to make sealing contact with sidewall top rails or top edges of end walls and tailgate. The top doors have angled extensions with grooves for ball gaskets to overlap in hand-in-hand fashion to form a reliable seal where the top doors come together. The system provides a weatherproof means to enclose the container to prevent or deter entry of water.

Waterproof top door for trailer

A trailer for transporting bulk material has a container mounted on a chassis and wheeled suspension. The container has opposing sidewalls, a floor, a front wall, and a rear opening. The trailer further has an unloading system comprising a plow and a plow motor system. The plow is disposed in the container and shaped and sized to span substantially a transverse cross-section of the container. The plow motor system is operable to move the plow longitudinally in the container to urge or push the bulk material in the container toward and out of the rear opening of the container. At least one of the sidewalls comprises a removable panel installed longitudinally along a bottom of the sidewall, wherein an inward-facing surface of the removable panel and an inward-facing surface of the sidewall are substantially co-planar.

Trailer sidewall construction

A protective rail for a trailer is formed of an extension or ridge projecting outwardly from a wall of the trailer and extending along at least a part of a length of the wall. The protective rail is provided with tie-down anchors for coupling with tie-downs having couplers such as rings, eyes, or loops. The anchors may tongues formed in the protective rail when the protective rail is cut-out at selected locations along the protective rail. The anchors may be sized and shaped such that the surrounding portion of the protective rail prevents or tends to prevent other trailers or objects contacting the protective rail from damaging or becoming caught on the anchors.

Trailer with protective rail and tie-down anchors

A top-loadable cargo trailer has one or more top doors mounted to a container using hinge assemblies which are located entirely within a perimeter of the container when the top door is closed. In this way, no part of the full width, length, or height of the container is taken up by overhanding hinges, and in jurisdictions limiting container width, length, and height no amount of container volume is sacrificed due to hinge overhang. The hinge assemblies have a compound, or dual hinge biased by a resistance mechanism such as a coil spring to provide an orderly opening and closing sequence of the top door. When fully open, the top door hangs vertically flush against the container wall, thus minimize hazard to works and equipment moving about the container.

Hinged top door for trailer

A trailer may include a tailgate stabilizing mechanism to reduce movement of the tailgate during transport in order to reduce wear and tear. A knob is mounted at or near an edge of the tailgate. A cup which may be mounted at or formed in a mating gusset, bracket, or flange, is sized and shaped fittingly to receive the knob. The mating gusset, bracket, or flange is mounted to the container and positioned to receive the knob in the cup when the tailgate is closed. A locking mechanism may be configured to press on the tailgate when closed so as to compress the knob in the cup to reduce further movement of the tailgate. The knob may be removable and replaceable, and thus may be replaced following wear and tear of the knob.

Trailer tailgate stabilizing mechanism

A hopper trailer has a chassis with longitudinal rails mounted to a wheeled suspension. Triangular load transfer plates are mounted vertically on and carried by the longitudinal rails. A container has opposing sidewalls, opposing end walls, and two sloping walls each spanning between and adjoining the opposing sidewalls. The sloping walls and the sidewalls form a hopper. One of the sloping walls is mounted on and carried by the load transfer plates. The sidewalls are mounted to and carried by the sloping wall. The weight of a bulk material carried in the hopper and the weight of the sidewalls is carried by the sloping wall. This weight is transferred vertically downwardly from the sidewall through the load transfer plate into the chassis without substantial deflection from a vertical path. Bending stresses caused in the hopper slopes and floor frame of conventional trailers by indirect weight transmission is avoided.

Growing community of inventors

Delhi, CA, United States of America

Michael Kloepfer