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US 4,359,121 AGranted
Lift truck hood mechanism and method for operation thereof
AssigneeClark Equipment Company
InventorsJohn S. Messner, Louis A. Haddock
Life of this patent
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AssigneeClark Equipment Company
InventorsJohn S. Messner, Louis A. Haddock
Estimating the term…
A lift truck hood mechanism and method for operation thereof in which a cover is provided for the truck power source compartment and is movable from a substantially horizontal closed position to a substantially vertical opened position at the rear of the compartment. The rearward end of the cover is raised and guided in a linear path by hand or by rollers operating in tracks in the rear support members of the overhead guard assembly. The cover is pivoted about a transverse axis midway between the forward and rearward ends of the cover, and is moved toward the support members as the one end is raised. Torsion bars may be used to assist in moving the cover and to secure the cover in the open position. The operator's seat has a hinged mounting bracket and is movable between positions over the top of the front of the cover to hold the cover closed and against the steering wheel permitting the cover to be opened. A locking device prevents accidental movement of the rear of the hood.
A hood mechanism for the power source compartment of an industrial truck, comprising a cover for enclosing the top of the compartment, a hinge mechanism between said cover and the truck for moving said cover between a horizontal closed position and a vertical opened position, a first pivotal means for connecting said hinge mechanism to said cover near the center line between the forward and rearward ends of said cover, a second pivotal means for connecting said hinge mechanism to said truck at one end of the compartment, and guide means for controlling the movement of one end of said cover in a substantially vertical path between the closed and opened positions of the cover while the opposite end of said cover moves in a substantially horizontal direction.
A method for raising a compartment cover on an industrial vehicle from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position permitting access to the compartment, said method comprising the steps of lifting one end of the cover, guiding said lifting of one end in a substantially vertical path between closed and opened positions of the cover, pivoting the cover at the center thereof about an axis transverse to the vehicle, moving the axis toward the end of the compartment below the end of the cover being lifted and raising the axis while pivoting the cover and moving the axis toward the end of the compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.