Handrail for aircraft belt loader

A handrail for an aircraft belt loader having a conveyor mounted on a frame, comprising:

• a rigid rail member;
• first and second support arms, each of which is pivotally attached at one end to said rail member and at the other end to said frame, said arms being substantially parallel to each other and the same fixed length as each other;
• said arms, said rail member and said frame defining a four-bar linkage to permit said rail member to be moved between a stowed position adjacent said frame and an operative position elevated from and essentially parallel to said frame;
• a variable-length link pivotally connected to said rail member and having a non-parallel relationship with said arms in said operative position whereby the distance along said rail member between said link and one of said arms is greater than the comparable distance along said frame;
• said link being forced to change its length as said rail member is moved between stowed and operative positions, the maximum change in length being when said rail member is in its stowed position;
• and
• bias means in said link for exerting a force on said link to urge said rail member toward its operative position, said force increasing with the change in length of said link whereby the force urging said rail member toward its operative position is maximum when said rail member is in its stowed position.