US 3,972,542 AGranted

Trailer anti-jackknifing apparatus

OwnerArthur A. Dirks, William G. Meyersinventors

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Abstract

Anti-jackknifing apparatus for combination with conventional tractor-drawn trailers wherein the tractor includes a forwardly disposed operator's cab and a rearwardly disposed fifth wheel assembly having a skid-plate. The skid-plate conventionally includes a pair of longitudinally rearwardly extending guide-lugs having therebetween a V-slot horizontally converging toward an upright kingpin or other pivotal association with the trailer. The anti-jackknifing apparatus comprises a generally horizontal longitudinally extending restraining-tongue terminating as a forward head-part, which head-part has an inactive normal-station and also an anti-jackknifing extended-station respectively located remote from and abuttably within the skid-plate V-slot during a potentially jackknifing panic situation. The restraining-tongue head-part is actuatably reciprocated between normal-station and extended-station and remotely controlled from the tractor operator's cab during a potentially jackknifing panic situation, and especially at extended-station the restraining-tongue is stationarily rigidly associated with the trailer underside.

Claims11

Dependent claims

Trailer anti-jackknifing apparatus in combination with conventional tractor-drawn trailer wherein the tractor includes a forwardly disposed operator's cab and a rearwardly disposed fifth wheel assembly unit having a substantially horizontal skid-plate, the skid-plate comprising a generally circular forward major portion and a pair of longitudinally horizontally extending guide-lugs having rearwardly divergent inward-sides and terminating at transversely opposed rear-tips to provide an elongate angular V-slot including said lineal inward-sides forwardly converging for a longitudinal finite-length from the rear-tips to a secureable kingpin extending along the tractor-to-trailer vertical pivot-axis, the trailer longitudinally extending horizontal underside including a frontal base-plate carrying a said depending upright kingpin and the trailer underside also extending longitudinally lengthily rearwardly from and in pivotably associated relationship with the tractor through said kingpin vertical-axis, said anti-jackknifing apparatus comprising:

A. a generally horizontal longitudinally extending elongate restraining-tongue terminating as a monolithic forward head-part having a permanently fixed angular taper equal in angular value to that of the skid-plate V-slot, said restraining-tongue being located beneath the trailer underside and attached to the trailer rearwardly of the kingpin, said restraining-tongue head-part having an inactive normal-station and also having an anti-jackknifing extended-station respectively located remote from and within the skid-plate V-slot;
B. a horizontally longitudinally extending stationary slideway surrounding the said restraining-tongue, said slideway being located wholly rearwardly of the skid-plate V-slot and being rigidly and non-pivotably attached to the trailer underside;
and
C. actuation means for causing the restraining-tongue forward monolithic head-part to reciprocate between said normal-station and said extended-station, said restraining-tongue actuation means including a control means located within the tractor operator's cab and hence forwardly remote from the fifth wheel unit skid-plate.

1 more element

Trailer anti-jackknifing apparatus in combination with a tractor-drawn trailer which tractor includes a forwardly disposed operator's cab and a rearwardly disposed fifth wheel assembly having a substantially horizontal skid-plate, the skid-plate comprising an elongate angular V-slot including lineal inward-sides converging toward the tractor-to-trailer vertical pivot-axis connection, the trailer longitudinally extending horizontal underside extending lengthily longitudinally rearwardly from and in pivotably associated relationship with the tractor through said vertical pivot-axis connection, said anti-jackknifing apparatus comprising:

A. a generally horizontal longitudinally extending elongate monolithic restraining-tongue terminating as a forward head-part having an angular taper, the restraining-tongue being located beneath the trailer underside and securely attached to the trailer, said restraining-tongue head-part having an inactive normal-station and also having an anti-jackknifing extended-station respectively located wholly rearwardly remote from and abuttably within the skid-plate elongate V-slot and rearwardly of a kingpin type pivot-axis, said restraining-tongue at extended-station being rigidly and nonpivotably associated with the trailer;
and
B. actuation means for causing the restraining-tongue including the monolithic forward head-part thereof to reciprocate between said normal-station and said extended-station, said restraining-tongue actuation means including a control means located within the tractor operator's cab and hence forwardly remote of the slotted skid-plate of the tractor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.