Side access truck cap

A truck box cap comprising:

• an enclosure hingedly attached along one side thereof to a hinge rail section mountable upon one side wall of a truck box;
• a pair of lifting arms, said arms each being mounted an opposite side of the truck box cap by a universal joint and mounted to a lifting rail by another universal joint, the lifting rail attachable to an opposite side wall of the truck box;
• said arms each pivoting about said respective universal joints generally transverse to both said opposite truck box sidewall and to said opposite side of said cap, said arms folding into an orientation generally longitudinally aligned with said lifting rail so as minimize protrusion into the inside of the enclosure in its closed position with the lifting rail and cap juxtaposed;
• said arms each being comprised of two sections, one substantially straight at one end section, the other having a curved end section, said two sections being pivotally connected at said end sections and spring biased away from each other by means of a gas spring pivotally connected to both sections, the pivot connections of said gas spring and the pivot connection of the two sections of each arm forming a triangular array;
• the arms, gas spring, and the pivot connections of the gas spring providing a lifting force slightly less than the force required to lift the cap from said closed position.