Abstract: A unified hinge may comprise a hinge tube that is rigidly attached to a truck frame and a bed section of a truck bed and a tail section of the truck bed, each of the bed section and the tail section having opposing hinge barrels affixed thereto that concentrically align on the hinge tube. Similarly, a unified hinge may comprise one or more mounting barrels that are rigidly attached to a truck frame and a bed section of a truck bed and a tail section of the truck bed, each of the bed section and the tail section having opposing hinge barrels affixed thereto that concentrically align on the one or more mounting barrels; a hinge tube runs through the one or more mounting barrels and the opposing hinge barrels. The unified hinge allows the bed section and the tail section to independently pivot along the hinge tube.

Abstract: An enclosure for protecting a load comprises a truck bed to hold items, a front wall affixed to a proximal end of a width of the truck bed, and a rear wall affixed to a distal end of the width. A main header member runs along the length of the truck bed connecting the rear and front walls to form a central mounting point along a length of the truck bed that is disposed at a maximum height of the rear wall and the front wall. A passenger side gull wing door and a driver side gull wing door are mounted to the main header member by a plurality of hinges affixed to the main header member and which provide a movable joint for the gull wing doors. One or more hydraulic lift cylinders are operative to raise and lower a respective gull wing door.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention features a hydraulic fluid cooling and filtering assembly including an inlet tank with an assembly inlet, an outlet with an assembly outlet, and a heat exchanger with multiple fluid channels where channel outlets are spaced apart along a length of the outlet tank over a flow outlet span and cross-flow air channels are formed between the fluid channels. A filter element disposed within the outlet tank includes an internal cavity in communication with the assembly outlet and porous filtering material separating the internal cavity from the heat exchanger channel outlets. The filter element is elongated and has an outer filtering surface extending along at least most of the flow outlet span of the heat exchanger; such that straight lines are defined by the respective inlets and outlets of each fluid channel that intersect the outer filtering surface which is exposed to the fluid channel outlets.

Abstract: A specialized vehicle for pickup, transport and delivery of animal carcasses for selected processing. The vehicle includes a combination of implementary devices such as an arcuate, articulated front end fork lift assembly pivotable from behind the operating cab, a rear truck bed mounted on a scissors elevator assembly, a truck bed moving floor for rearward off-loading, specialized truck bed tailgate control, and washing and sanitizing fixtures adjacent the forklift for final clean out of carcass collection boxes.

Abstract: A chicken harvesting machine which includes a wheel mounted main chassis, a chicken pickup conveyor at one end of the chassis, an elevating framework movably supporting the chicken pickup conveyor on the chassis, a discharge conveyor movably mounted on the opposite end of the chassis from the chicken pickup conveyor, and a coop positioning structure carried on the chassis in a position at which a coop supported thereon can receive chickens discharged from the discharge conveyor. The coop supporting structure is mounted on the chassis for pivotation about a horizontal axis, and includes a laterally shiftable subframe. The laterally shiftable subframe carries a reciprocable platform for moving a chicken coop into a loading attitude adjacent the discharge conveyor.

Abstract: A chicken harvesting machine which includes a wheel mounted main chassis, a chicken pickup conveyor at one end of the chassis, an elevating framework movably supporting the chicken pickup conveyor on the chassis, a discharge conveyor movably mounted on the opposite end of the chassis from the chicken pickup conveyor, and a coop positioning structure carried on the chassis in a position at which a coop supported thereon can receive chickens discharged from the discharge conveyor. The coop supporting structure is mounted on the chassis for pivotation about a horizontal axis, and includes a laterally shiftable subframe. The laterally shiftable subframe carries a reciprocable platform for moving a chicken coop into a loading attitude adjacent the discharge conveyor.