Abstract: A roll up door which may be used in the back of a van body has a plurality of panels arranged edge-to-edge with a thin flexible sheet glued to the outside face of the panels and a flexible belt attached to each pair of adjacent panels at the rear face of these panels. A roller extends from each end of each panel and is received by a generally inverted L-shaped guide track. With this arrangement, the panels may cant while moving from the vertical to the horizontal leg of the guide channels by virtue of the belts which hinge and collapse allowing the outer sheet to bend as well.

Abstract: A dump body for a vehicle has a floor slab with a front panel located proximate the front end of the floor slab. A pair of side panels extending upwardly from opposed sides of the floor slab are structurally connected thereto and to the front panel. A plurality of spaced trusses are welded to the under surface of the floor slab. A hinge at the rear of the dump body permits tipping of the dump body relative to the frame members of the vehicle by a hoist. The floor slab and trusses are made of steel and the side and front panels are made from aluminium.

Abstract: Electrically operated hydraulic pump systems are commonly used on tailgate loaders and small dump truck hoists. The systems include a switch which, when closed, couples the vehicle battery to the pump driving motor and a hydraulic lowering valve which, when opened, drains the output port of the pump to a reservoir. The control system for this electric pump system comprises an air cylinder operatively connected to the switch and a second cylinder operatively connected to the hydraulic lowering valve. A switching valve is connected between each air cylinder and a source of air pressure. The switching valves may be operated by an operator to pump or drain hydraulic fluid.

Abstract: A pneumatic control valve system has a modulating valve and a piston. When the operator depresses the piston, pressure is communicated to a switching piston moving that piston to a switched position so that pressure is communicated to a switching outlet. The switching piston retains this switched position when the first piston is released. When the modulating valve is opened to communicate pressure to a work port, pressure is also communicated to the switching piston in order to move the switching piston back to its unswitched position whereat the switching outlet is vented. The switching piston allows the control of another function.

Abstract: A hydraulic telescoping ram of the type suitable to tip dump trucks and the like, which permits the use of outer aggressive seals and a bore sealing device by providing a conduit which hydraulically connects the upper end of each cylinder of the telescopic ram with an oil reservoir. This makes it possible to use seals which are not aggressive and which can run on surfaces of somewhat less than top quality, on the internal bottom faces of the rams so as to allow the passage of a small quantity of oil into a gap formed within the ram and cylinder and between the aggressive and non-aggressive seals. The oil which passes the non-aggressive seal is returned to the oil reservoir when the ram is extended.

Abstract: A tailgate closure mechanism for a tailgate hoist serves to move the tailgate from the horizontal position in which it functions as a platform to the upright position in which it functions as a gate. The closure mechanism includes a closing slide which is slidably mounted on at least one of the tailgate support slides and a connecting link that connects the slide to the tailgate. A drive mechanism is provided to drive the closing side toward its raised position. The drive mechanism may be in the form of an hydraulic ram, a compression spring or a combination ram and spring.

Abstract: An exhaust extraction system for use in a welding work station is provided which operates to exhaust the noxious fumes from the welding site when the welding operation is being carried out and for a limited period thereafter. A supply of an inert shielding gas is delivered under pressure to both the welding side and the damper control mechanism. In response to changes in pressure in the supply line of the inert shielding gas, the damper control mechanism is operable to close the damper when the welding machine is deactivated and to open the damper when the welding machine is activated.

Abstract: A roll-up door for a container body of a van or the like is provided with a winch which is located in a compartment formed in the header of the door. The winch is connected by flexible winding straps to the upper door panel and the lower door panel so that it is operable to drive the door between the open and closed position. The door panels are hingedly connected by hinges in which the hinge pin is located at the inner face of the door. Flexible sealing members are connected to each jamb and bear against a marginal edge portion of the outer face of the door when the door is in the closed position. A control system for controlling the direction of rotation of the reversible D.C. motor is provided which includes a master control circuit and a slave control circuit which is selectively operable.

Abstract: A roll-up door for a contained body of a van or the like is provided with a winch which is located in a compartment formed in the header of the door. The winch is connected by flexible winding straps to the upper door panel and the lower door panel so that it is operable to drive the door between the open and closed position. The door panels are hingedly connected by hinges in which the hinge pin is located at the inner face of the door. Flexible sealing members are connected to each jamb and bear against a marginal edge portion of the outer face of the door when the door is in the closed position. A control system for controlling the direction of rotation of the reversible D.C. motor is provided which includes a master control circuit and a slave control circuit which is selectively operable.

Abstract: A light-weight elevator platform for a load elevator of a truck or the like has a plurality of light-weight floor boards mounted in a rectangular frame which has support rails which extend across the frame and are located between adjacent floor boards. Side edges of the floor boards are mounted in channels which are formed in the side edges of the frame and support rail members. The support rail members are releaseably secured to the frame member.

Abstract: A high pressure hydraulic flow control valve is formed with a spool which is capable of operating as a conventional spool to control the flow of fluid from an input port to an output port or to a return port. The spool also provides overload protection which will permit fluid to pass from the input port directly to the return port when an overload pressure condition exists in the fluid supply line. In alternative structure, the overload pressure release system may be incorporated into the valve which is used to control the return of fluid from the output port to the return passage. The high pressure hydraulic flow control valve is formed from a die-cast housing and has hardened seats mounted in access passages so as to bear against a seating shoulder. Preferably, a retaining sleeve is mounted in the access passage to bear against the hardened seat to retain it against the seating shoulder.

Abstract: In a motor vehicle such as a truck or the like having a battery-operated low voltage electrical system, an hydraulically powered system for operating one or more high power hydraulic rams or the like and a pneumatic system for regulating the operation of the hydraulic system, the improvement wherein the pneumatic system is powered by a low capacity compressor which is powered by a low voltage electric motor which is electrically connected to the low voltage circuit of the motor vehicle to drive the compressor to pressurize the pneumatic system as required in use.

Abstract: A roll-up door for a container body of a van or the like is provided with a winch which is located in a compartment formed in the header of the door. The winch is connected by flexible winding straps to the upper door panel and the lower door panel so that it is operable to drive the door between the open and closed position. The door panels are hingedly connected by hinges in which the hinge pin is located at the inner face of the door. Flexible sealing members are connected to each jamb and bear against a marginal edge portion of the outer face of the door when the door is in the closed position. A control system for controlling the direction of rotation of the reversible D.C. motor is provided which includes a master control circuit and a slave control circuit which is selectively operable.

Abstract: A high pressure hydraulic flow control valve is formed with a spool which is capable of operating as a conventional spool to control the flow of fluid from an input port to an output port or to a return port. The spool also provides overload protection which will permit fluid to pass from the input port directly to the return port when an overload pressure condition exists in the fluid supply line. In alternative structure, the overload pressure release system may be incorporated into the valve which is used to control the return of fluid from the output port to the return passage. The high pressure hydraulic flow control valve is formed from a die-cast housing and has hardened seats mounted in access passages so as to bear against a seating shoulder. Preferably, a retaining sleeve is mounted in the access passage to bear against the hardened seat to retain it against the seating shoulder.

Abstract: A motor vehicle such as a truck or a van which has a powered liftgate and which includes a liftgate electrical circuit for activating the liftgate to raise and lower the liftgate and a hazard warning circuit for operating the pulsating hazard warning light system of the vehicle, is fitted with a power interrupting device in the liftgate circuit which is responsive to the operation of the hazard warning circuit to render the liftgate circuit operable when the hazard warning circuit is operating.

Abstract: A machine for manufacturing a unitary glass fibre reinforced body shell includes a carriage which is movable along the mold and a turntable which is mounted on a carriage for rotation about a first axis extending in the direction of longitudinal movement of the carriage. An arm is slidably mounted on the turntable for radial movement and a dispenser is located on the arm for dispensing glass fibre reinforced resin onto the surface of the mold. A guidance system is provided which interconnects the turret and the slidable arm and is operable to cause the arm to reciprocate with respect to the turret in a radial direction to maintain a substantially constant length of trajectory extending between the dispenser and the wall of the mold. A drive system is provided for rotatably driving the turret about the axis. The carriage is normally stored on a mobile end cap which may be moved from one mold to another and serves to close one end of the mold.

Abstract: A powered closure mechanism for moving a tailgate from an open position to a closed position comprises a reciprocating drive mechanism mounted on the tailgate and a power transmission which connects the reciprocating drive to the tailgate so that it will rotate the tailgate between an open and closed position in response to operation of the reciprocating drive mechanism.

Abstract: A modulator valve has a modulator member which is slidably mounted in a cylinder and through which an air flow passage extends. A valve member is slidably mounted in the air flow passage and is operable to open and close the through passage. By providing a resilient actuator for displacing the modulator member in a first direction and a stop for arresting the movement of the flow control valve while permitting movement of the modulator valve it is possible to provide for modulated opening and closing of the control valve by balancing the pressure applied by the resilient actuator against the air pressure applied to the modulator member downstream of the through passage.

Abstract: An elevator mechanism device having first and second platforms mounted in a frame for movement relative to one another wherein a nip is formed between a lower edge of the first platform and an upper edge of the second platform as they move toward one another and wherein an electrically operated control circuit is provided for controlling the movement of the platforms relative to one another, the improvement of a flexible skirt extending below the lower edge of said first platform across the width of the nip whereby during movement of the platform to close the nip, a trip will be engaged by and deflected by any object which may project into the nip, a circuit breaker operable to de-activate the control circuit, the trip communicating between each end of the flexible skirt and the circuit breaker to activate the circuit breaker to de-activate control circuit when the trip is deflected to an extent less than that required to permit the object to be clamped between the first and second platforms.

Abstract: A safety locking mechanism for locking a hoist, such as a power operated tailgate, with repect to its supporting structure comprises: a pair of latch arms which are connected to one another by a flexible cable. A pair of power transmission chains connect the hoist to a power source. A pair of tension sensing lever arms are pivotally mounted and arranged to detect the presence or absence of a normal loading tension in the power transmission chains. The flexible cable also engages each of the tension sensing levers and is held by them in a position in which it retains the latch arms in a released position when a normal loading tension is detected in the power transmission chains. The latch arms will both move to a latching position locking the hoist when the absence of a normal loading tension is detected in the power transmission chains.