Abstract: In summary, the present invention contemplates an improved tarpaulin deployment and retraction apparatus which includes a plurality of removable or permanent tracks installed at intervals over the load carrying compartment of a vehicle. A leading edge slider travels to and fro on the tracks under the influence of deployment/retraction mechanism. A ridgepole slider is towed to a mid-deployment position due to a latch on the ridgepole slider engaging a towing pin on the leading edge slider. Upon reaching the mid-deployment position, a de-coupling pin upon each of the tracks cooperates with a camming surface on the latch to disengage the ridgepole slider from the leading edge slider. The leading edge slider then is further urged to a fully deployed position. A leading edge pole, to which is attached the leading edge of a tarpaulin, is connected to the leading edge sliders on the tracks. As the sliders are urged into their deployed positions the tarpaulin is unfurled from its stowed position.

Abstract: In an elongate truck trailer tongue assembly having hollow, inner and outer telescoping tongue members movable between shortened and extended tongue positions, a remotely controlled, pneumatically actuated friction shoe is mounted within the tongue to selectively lock the tongue members in either the shortened or extended position. The tongue members are tubular and have square-shaped cross sections, and the friction shoe is shaped and mounted so as to be supported by the inner tubular member and, when actuated, to bear against interior wall surfaces of the outer tubular member, frictionally locking the members against relative movement and rigidifying the tongue assembly so that it acts as a unitary structure between the trailer and towing tractor.

Abstract: A truck or trailer body is equipped with a self-loading/unloading apparatus including a power-driven, flexible belt and a movable bulkhead. The belt covers the floor of the body from front to rear and is drivable fore and aft so as to provide a movable cargo supporting bed while the bulkhead is also movable fore and aft by means of a lost motion coupling between the belt and bulkhead that includes a belt-carried drive bar which depending on the direction of belt travel alternately moves into contact with spaced apart catch surfaces provided on a support frame for the bulkhead. A parallel motion mechanism is carried on the bulkhead support frame for maintaining the bulkhead parallel to the drive bar and thus in alignment with the belt and bed so that the bulkhead does not tend to cock and thereby bind along the sidewalls.