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US 5,690,465 AGranted
Carcass pick up and delivery motor vehicle
AssigneeLedwell & Son Enterprises, Inc.
InventorSteven H. Ledwell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims15
A specialized vehicle having a combination of operative elements for receiving and transporting animal carcasses, comprising:
- a truck vehicle including an operating cab and engine mounted on the front end of an elongated wheeled frame having front and rear ends;
- a forklift assembly which includes:
- first and second U-shaped arms each having front and rear ends with the U-shaped arms' rear end pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the wheeled frame behind an adjacent said operating cab, and with said U-shaped arms' front end extending to a point in front of the operating cab;
- a fork frame pivotally mounted between said U-shaped arms' front end and pivotal about a transverse axis;
- and
- at least two forks pivotally supported on said fork frame;
- first means for controlling the position of said first and second U-shaped arms which include:
- first hydraulic means connected between said wheeled frame and each of said first and second U-shaped arms and actuatable to rotate said U-shaped arms in unison;
- second hydraulic means actuatable to rotate said fork frame about said transverse axis;
- and third hydraulic means actuatable to rotate said forks relative to said fork frame;
- a scissor beam support frame secured on said elongated wheeled frame rear end, said scissor beam support frame being controllable between a lower horizontal position and an upwardly extended, elevated position;
- a truck bed having front and side walls and a tailgate, said truck bed being affixed on said support frame and movable between said lower horizontal position and said elevated position;
- second means for controlling said truck bed elevation;
- fourth hydraulic means for releasing and raising the truck bed tailgate;
- and
- a moving floor disposed in said truck bed actuatable to incrementally off-load rearwardly through said tailgate.
13 more elements
A specialized vehicle having a combination of operative elements comprising:
- a truck vehicle including an operating cab and engine mounted on the front end of an elongated wheeled frame having front and rear ends;
- an articulated forklift assembly consisting of first and second angle beams each having front ends and rear ends with the rear ends pivotally mounted behind the cab on opposite sides of the frame and the front ends extending to a point forward of the operating cab, and first and second vertical beams having upper and lower ends with upper ends pivotally secured about a transverse axis to respective first and second angle beam front ends;
- a forklift affixed to said first and second vertical beam lower ends;
- a fork frame pivotally mounted on a transverse axis between said first and second vertical beam lower ends;
- at least two forks pivotally mounted about a transverse axis supported on said fork frame;
- first and second hydraulic cylinders connected between respective first and second angle beam front ends and the adjoining vertical beams to control the relative attitude of said vertical beams;
- means for controlling the position of said first and second angle beams as they traverse in unison with the angle beams moving the forklift between a normal position in front of the cab to a rearward position over the rear end of said elongated wheeled frame,
- said means for controlling consisting of first hydraulic means connected between said wheeled frame and each of said first and second angle beams and actuable to rotate said angle beams and vertical beams in unison,
- second hydraulic means actuatable to rotate said fork frame about a transverse axis, and third hydraulic means actuatable to rotate said fork members relative to said fork frame;
- and
- a truck bed having front and side walls and a tailgate, said truck bed being affixed on said elongated wheeled frame.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.