Trailer anti-jackknifing apparatus

Trailer anti-jackknifing apparatus in combination with a conventional tractor-drawn trailer wherein the tractor includes a forward operator's cab and a rearward skid-plate comprising a generally circular forward portion and a pair of longitudinally horizontally rearwardly extending guide-lugs having rearwardly divergent upright inward-sides terminating at transversely opposed rear-tips to provide an elongate V-slot forwardly converging for a longitudinal finite-length from the rear-tips to a secureable kingpin at the tractor-to-trailer vertical pivot-axis, the outside contour of the skid-plate being geometrically symmetrical and having an upright outward-side, the trailer longitudinally extending underside carrying a depending kingpin, said anti-jackknifing apparatus comprising:

• A. a generally horizontal longitudinally extending elongate ram terminating as a forward head-end, said ram being located beneath the trailer underside and attached to the trailer rearwardly of the kingpin, said ram head-end having an inactive normal-station and an anti-jackknifing extended-station respectively located rearwardly most remote from and nearer to the skid-plate, said ram at extended-station being rigidly and non-pivotably associated with the trailer;
• B. a sturdy header rigidly attached to and co-reciprocatable with the ram head-end, said header including a pair of co-elevational forwardly extending horizontal arms which diverge outwardly away from the ram head-end and also a forwardly extending horizontal tongue having a pair of upright faces disposed between said arms, the inside contour of the header being geometrically symmetrical with respect to the trailer longitudinal-axis whereby at ram extended-station at least one of the header arms and also a tongue upright face during trailer swerving about the kingpin are adapted to simultaneously engage an outward side and an inward side of the skid-plate guide-lug, and
• C. actuation means for causing the ram and its rigidly attached forward header to reciprocate between normal-station and extended-station, the ram actuation means including control means located within the tractor operator's cab and hence forwardly remote from the skid-plate.