Acf Industries, Incorporated

Other

Ronald D Van Dyke

James C Hammonds

Patricia S Stoller

Richard H Dugge

In a tractor operated piggyback railway trailer hitch including a vertical strut and a diagonal strut supporting a hitch head or fifth wheel, an improved bumper block assembly is provided, including at least one bumper block support plate pivotably mounted about a first pin in the hitch head, and a kingpin block laterally spaced from the bumper block support plate. The bumper block includes a generally vertical surface adapted to be contacted by a tractor, and a body portion including a first opening to receive a second pin. The bumper block is pivotably mounted about the second pin extending through the bumper block support plate and the bumper block. A third pin extends through the bumper block and said bumper block support plate. The third pin is designed to shear at a predetermined applied load. Thus, if the tractor applies a load to the third pin above the predetermined load, the third pin will shear off and the bumper block will pivot about the second pin, and the remainder of the hitch operating mechanism which might normally be damaged by such a hard impact is protected.

Collapsible trailer hitch bumper block excessive impact protection

In the piggyback trailer hitch of the present invention, the hitch is held in upright position by a pair of hook-shaped movable locking lugs which engage a pair of fixed locking lugs on opposite sides of the hitch. Links extending from the nose of the movable locking lugs are attached to a shaft extending transversely of the hitch. On at least one side of the hitch an indicating arm is pivotably mounted upon an upper diagonal strut cover plate. The indicating arm includes a lower surface which engages the shaft. The lower surface includes a slot which the shaft engages when the movable locking lug is locked in the upright position. When the shaft engages this slot, the distal end of the indicating arm extends through a slot in a lower diagonal strut cover plate to indicate to the operator that the hitch is fully locked in the upright position. The lower surface of the indicating arm includes a surface portion laterally spaced from the slot which the shaft engages when the movable locking lug is not in the fully engaged position with the fixed locking lug. When the shaft engages this camming surface, the indicating arm is pivoted to a position located within the diagonal strut, above the lower cover plate. This indicates to the operator that the hitch is not in the fully locked, upright position.

Collapsible fifth wheel trailer hitch locked position indicator

A railway trailer hitch includes a diagonal strut linkage rigidly attached to a bumper block assembly which is pivotably mounted about a pin supported for rotation by a vertical strut. The linkage extends within a hitch diagonal strut. A transversely extending shaft is attached to the lower portion of the linkage. At least one movable locking link is attached to the outer end of the shaft. The movable locking link is adapted to engage at least one fixed locking lug on at least one side of the hitch when the diagonal strut linkage is in the extended position within the diagonal strut. A spring is attached to the diagonal strut and to the diagonal strut linkage biasing the linkage into a downward position within the strut. Guide means are located within the diagonal strut allowing vertical movement of the linkage within the strut as the bumper block rotates about the pin and the linkage is moved longitudinally within the strut against the bias of the spring.

Tractor operated fifth wheel hitch stand diagonal strut linkage

A trailer hitch head or fifth wheel is disclosed including a pair of jaws which engage the kingpin of a trailer to hold the kingpin in place. The jaws are held in closed position by a locking member which is biased to the engaged position by at least one stiff spring. A linkage engages the locking member to move the locking member to open position against the bias of the stiff spring. The linkage may be manually or automatically activated. A one-way kingpin gate is located in the front portion of the fifth wheel. The linkage engages an actuator which automatically engages the one-way gate and pivots the same to open position allowing exit of the kingpin. Preferably the linkage is automatically activated by a bumper bar linkage in a tractor operated hitch, and also may be manually activated by the operator. Optionally, a manually operable handle is provided including a keeper or projection which engages a slot in the locking member in open position to hold the locking member in open position.

Fifth wheel for railway trailer hitch including a one-way gate

In accordance with the present invention a hatch cover opening and closing assembly is provided including a locking handle having a yoke pivotably mounted about a vertically extending shaft located in the center portion of the cover. The shaft extends downwardly through a guide which depends from the cover. The guide includes at least one generally vertical indexing slot. Below the cover a laterally extending pin and a plurality of radially extending locking arms are attached to the shaft. A plurality of locking lugs are mounted on the internal surface of the coaming. The shaft is rotatable by the handle to move the locking arms into and out of engagement with the locking lugs. However the pin must be located within the indexing slot to move the locking arms vertically into engagement with the locking lugs. When the shaft is rotated so that the pin is located out of the slot, but in engagement with the guide, the handle may be used to pivot the cover about a hinge into open position. Preferably the locking arms comprise leaf springs when in engaged position with the locking lugs. The yoke on the handle is preferably formed in the shape of an arcuate cam surface whereby in closed position the yoke assumes an overcenter position on the cover, urging a seal on the cover into engagement with a lip on the coaming, against the bias of the leaf spring locking arms.

Hatch cover opening and closing assembly

A pneumatic outlet for a hopper is disclosed having a tubular conduit extending from at least one end of the outlet to which suction or air under pressure may be applied for unloading the outlet. The tubular conduit is rotatably mounted and is connected to an internal valve member whereby rotation of the tubular conduit actuates the valve member to control the flow of lading from the outlet. The tubular conduit has a cylindrical outer surface, and a hub having at least one handle extending therefrom is rotatably and axially slidable on the cylindrical surface. Clutch teeth are provided on the tubular conduit and on the hub member which interengage in one axial position of the hub and are disengaged in another axial position of the hub whereby when the teeth are engaged, the tubular conduit is connected to said hub and is rotated when said hub member is rotated by the handle, and when said teeth are disengaged, the hub is free to rotate without rotating the tubular conduit whereby the handle and hub may be re-positioned. A removable end cap in closed position covers one or more annular discharge connections provided on the tubular conduit, and locking members on the cap engage keepers on the outlet end wall to maintain the cap in the closed and locked position. An indexing arrangement is disclosed in which the cap can only assume the closed and locked position when the hub and handle are in proper position to rotate the valve. If the hub and handle are in proper position to rotate the valve, a protrusion on the cap engages a slot in the hub when the cap is applied over the discharge connections of the tubular conduit.

Pneumatic outlet operating mechanism

A pneumatic bottom discharge outlet for hoppers is provided having a tubular conduit extending from at least one side of the outlet to which vacuum suction or air under pressure may be applied for unloading lading from the discharge outlet. The tubular conduit has a first annular portion having an outer surface for receiving a female hose coupling of one diameter and a second annular portion projecting axially from the first annular portion and having an outer surface of a smaller diameter than the first annular portion for receiving a female hose coupling of a smaller diameter. The first and second annular portions are eccentric with the inner surface of the second annular portion being substantially tangent to the inner surface to the first annular portion to provide a smooth flow passage for lading flow during clean-out of the discharge outlet.

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Florissant, MO, United States of America

Ronald D Van Dyke