Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DUMP BODY FOR A TRUCK
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
[0001] The present technology relates to dump bodies for trucks.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many trucks are provided with dump bodies for the transport of
rocks, soil, sand, snow
and the like. These dump bodies are typically pivotable to allow for their
content to be dumped.
[0003] As would be understood, due to the nature of their function, these
dump bodies need to
be sturdy. As such, they are typically built from relatively thick steel so as
to be as rigid as
possible. Additionally, to reinforce the floor of the dump bodies, long sills
spanning the entire
length of the floor are provided under the floor.
[0004] However, the type of material used and the long sills result in
the dump body being
very heavy. As a result, the fuel consumption of a truck having a heavy dump
body is negatively
affected by this extra weight.
[0005] Therefore, there is a desire for a lighter dump body as this would
reduce the fuel
consumption of the truck having such a dump body and/or would allow the truck
to carry heavier
cargo.
[0006] One solution could be to use a lighter material such as aluminum,
however aluminum
is too soft and would therefore be too easily damaged.
[0007] There is therefore a desire for a dump body for a truck that is
relatively lighter while
being sufficiently sturdy for the type of use associated with dump truck
bodies.
SUMMARY
[0008] It is an object of the present technology to ameliorate at least
some of the
inconveniences present in the prior art.
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[0009] According to one aspect of the present technology, there is
provided a dump body for
a truck having a rear left pillar; a rear right pillar; a tailgate pivotally
connected to the rear left
and rear right pillars; a left upper rail having a rear end connected to an
upper portion of the rear
left pillar, the left upper rail extending forwardly from the upper portion of
the rear left pillar; a
right upper rail having a rear end connected to an upper portion of the rear
right pillar, the right
upper rail extending forwardly from the upper portion of the rear right
pillar; a front wall
connected to a front end of the left upper rail and to a front end of the
right upper rail; a left side
wall connected to the front wall, the left upper rail and the rear left
pillar, the left side wall
extending below the left upper rail; a right side wall connected to the front
wall, the right upper
rail and the rear right pillar, the right side wall extending below the right
upper rail; a floor
connected to the front wall, the rear left pillar, the rear right pillar, a
lower end of the left side
wall and a lower end of the right side wall; a front support assembly
connected to an underside of
a front portion of the floor; and a rear support assembly connected to an
underside of a rear
portion of the floor. A majority of an underside portion of the floor located
longitudinally
between the front support assembly and the rear support assembly is free of
structural support
members.
[0010] According to some implementations of the present technology, an
entirety of the
underside portion of the floor located longitudinally between the front
support assembly and the
rear support assembly is free of structural support members.
[0011] According to some implementations of the present technology, a
central support
assembly is connected to an underside of a central portion of the floor. An
entirety of an
underside portion of the floor located longitudinally between the front
support assembly and the
central support assembly is free of structural support members. An entirety of
an underside
portion of the floor located longitudinally between the rear support assembly
and the central
support assembly is free of structural support members.
[0012] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
left and right upper
rails are hollow.
[0013] According to some implementations of the present technology, a
bottom and a least a
portion of a left side of the left upper rail are integrally formed with the
left side wall. A top and
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a right side of the left upper rail are formed by a left beam having an
inverted J-shaped cross-
section. The left beam is connected to the bottom and at least the portion of
the left side of the
left upper rail. A bottom and a least a portion of a right side of the right
upper rail are integrally
formed with the right side wall. A top and a left side of the right upper rail
are formed by a right
beam having an inverted J-shaped cross-section. The right beam is connected to
the bottom and
at least the portion of the right side of the right upper rail.
[0014] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
floor is thicker than
the left and right side walls.
[0015] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
floor has a laterally
central flat portion, a left arcuate portion and a right arcuate potion.
[0016] According to some implementations of the present technology, a
width of the central
flat portion is greater than a sum of the radius of curvature of the left
arcuate portion and of the
radius of curvature of the right arcuate portion. The radii of curvature of
the left and right
arcuate portions are equal.
[0017] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
left and right
arcuate portions each define an arc between 45 and 55 degrees.
[0018] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
rear left pillar has
an arcuate portion cradling a rear of the left arcuate portion of the floor,
and the rear right pillar
has an arcuate portion cradling a rear of the right arcuate portion of the
floor.
[0019] According to some implementations of the present technology, a front
left cradle
cradles a front portion of the left arcuate portion of the floor, and a front
right cradle cradles a
front portion of the right arcuate portion of the floor.
[0020] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
front and rear
support assembly are connected to the laterally central flat portion of the
floor.
[0021] According to some implementations of the present technology, a top
portion of the left
arcuate portion of the floor is welded to a bottom of the left side wall, and
a top portion of the
right arcuate portion of the floor is welded to a bottom of the right side
wall.
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[0022] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
front support
assembly has a pair of laterally spaced front support members.
[0023] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
front support
assembly has a pair of bumpers connected to the pair of front support members.
[0024] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
rear support
assembly has a pair of laterally spaced rear support members.
[0025] According to some implementations of the present technology,
wherein the front wall
defines a recess for receiving a hydraulic actuator therein.
[0026] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
left and right side
walls and the floor are made of high strength steel having a yield strength of
at least 100 ksi
(689,5 MPa).
[0027] According to another aspect of the present technology, there is
provided a truck
having a frame, a cab connected to the frame, a plurality of wheels connected
to the frame, and
the above-mentioned dump body connected to the frame. The front and rear
support assemblies
of the dump body abut the frame.
[0028] According to some implementations of the present technology, the
dump body is
pivotally connected to the frame at a rear thereof. The truck also has a
hydraulic actuator
connected between the frame and the front wall of the dump body. The hydraulic
actuator pivots
the dump body between a lowered position and a raised position. The front and
rear support
assemblies of the dump body abut the frame when the dump body is in the
lowered position.
[0029] For purposes of the present application, terms related to spatial
orientation such as
front, rear, left and right should be understood as they would normally be
understood by a driver
of a truck having a dump body sitting in the truck in a normal driving
position with the dump
body in a lowered position.
[0030] Implementations of the present technology each have at least one of
the above-
mentioned object and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It
should be understood
that some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting
to attain the
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above-mentioned object may not satisfy this object and/or may satisfy other
objects not
specifically recited herein.
[0031] Additional and/or alternative features, aspects and advantages of
implementations of
the present technology will become apparent from the following description,
the accompanying
5 drawings and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] For a better understanding of the present technology, as well as
other aspects and
further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which
is to be used in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
[0033] Figure 1 is a left side elevation view of a truck having a dump
body;
[0034] Figure 2 is a perspective view taken from a top, front, left side
of a hydraulic actuator
and the dump body of Fig. 1;
[0035] Figure 3 is a left side elevation view of the dump body of Fig. 2;
[0036] Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the dump body of Fig. 2;
[0037] Figure 5 is a rear elevation view of the dump body of Fig. 2;
[0038] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the dump body of Fig. 2
taken through line 6-6 of
Fig. 4;
[0039] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the dump body of Fig. 2
taken through line 7-7 of
Fig. 3;
[0040] Figure 8 is a close-up view of section 8-8 of Fig. 7 showing a cross-
section of a rail of
the dump body of Fig. 2;
[0041] Figure 9 is a right side elevation view of a rear right pillar of
the dump body of Fig. 2;
[0042] Figure 10 is a front elevation view of the rear right pillar of
Fig. 9;
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[0043] Figure 11 is a perspective view taken from a bottom, front, left
side of a rear bottom
portion of the dump body of Fig. 2 showing a rear support assembly;
[0044] Figure 12 is a bottom plan view of a plate of the support assembly
of Fig. 11;
[0045] Figure 13 is a right side elevation view of a left support member
of the support
assembly of Fig. 11;
[0046] Figure 14 is a front elevation view of the left support member of
Fig. 13;
[0047] Figure 15 is a perspective view taken from a bottom, front, left
side of a front bottom
portion of the dump body of Fig. 2 showing a front support assembly;
[0048] Figure 16 is a bottom plan view of the front support assembly of
Fig. 15;
[0049] Figure 17 is a right side elevation view of the front support
assembly of Fig. 15; and
[0050] Figure 18 is a front elevation view of a floor of the dump body of
Fig. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0051] Fig. 1 illustrates an implementation of a truck 10. The truck 10
has a frame 12. A cab
14 is connected to a front of the frame 12. Two steerable front wheels 16
(only one of which is
shown) are connected to the frame 12 at a front thereof. Four rear wheels 18
(two on the right,
two on the left, only one of which is shown) are connected to the frame 12 at
a rear thereof. .
Four intermediate wheels 20 (two on the right, two on the left, only one of
which is shown) are
connected to the frame 12 at a position forward of the rear wheels 18. It is
contemplated that the
truck 10 could have more or less wheels than described above.
[0052] A dump body 22 is pivotally connected to the frame 12 at a rear
thereof so that the
dump body 22 can pivot between a lowered position (shown) and a raised
position as indicated
by line 24. In the raised position, the dump body 22 can empty its content
through a rear thereof.
A hydraulic actuator 26 is pivotally connected to the frame 12 and to the
front of the dump body
22. The hydraulic actuator 26 can extend to pivot the dump body 22 to the
raised position and
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can contract to return the dump body 22 to the lowered position. The manner in
which the
hydraulic actuator 26 is connected to the dump body 22 will be described in
more detail below.
[0053] The above description of a truck 10 is only one possible
implementation of a truck.
Other implementations of a truck having the dump body 22 are also
contemplated.
[0054] Turning now to Figs. 2 to 18, the dump body 22 will be described in
more detail. In
the present implementation, unless specifically stated otherwise, the various
components of the
dump body are welded to each other. It is contemplated that at least some of
the connections
between the components could be fastened to each other in addition to or
instead of the welds.
[0055] As can be seen in Figs. 2 to 7, the dump body 22 has a rear left
pillar 50 and rear right
pillar 50. A pair of brackets 52 is connected to the top of the rear pillars
50. A tailgate 54 has a
pair of hooks 56 that are pivotally connected to brackets 52. When the dump
body 22 is in the
lowered position, the tailgate 54 abuts the rear side of the rear pillars 50.
As the dump body 22 is
pivoted to the raised position, the tailgate 54 pivots away from the rear
pillars 50 by gravity. A
tailgate locking mechanism (not shown) is provided to lock the tailgate 54 in
position against the
rear pillars 50. It is contemplated that actuators could be provided to move
the tailgate 54
relative to the rear pillars 50. A bent rear plate 60 (Fig. 5) extend
laterally between the lower
ends of the rear pillars 50.
[0056] Left and right upper rails 62 are connected at their rear ends to
the upper portions of
the rear left and right pillars 50 respectively. A front wall 64 is connected
to the front ends of the
left and right upper rails 62. A left side wall 66 extends below the left
upper rail 62. The left
side wall 66 is connected at its front to the front wall 64 and at its rear to
the rear left pillar 50.
Similarly, a right side wall 66 extends below the right upper rail 62. The
right side wall 66 is
connected at its front to the front wall 64 and at its rear to the rear left
pillar 50. As can be seen
in Figs. 2 and 6, the rear portion of the right side wall 66 extends along the
left side of the rear
right pillar 50. The rear portion of the left side wall 66 extends similarly
along the right side of
the rear left pillar 50.
[0057] For each of the upper rails 62, a front bracket 68 is connected
between the front wall
64 and the top of the upper rail 62, a rear bracket 70 is connected between
the rear pillar 50 and
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the top of the upper rail 62 and two central brackets 72 are connected to the
top of the upper rails
62 longitudinally between the brackets 68, 70. The brackets 68, 70 and 72 are
adapted to receive
side wall extensions 74 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3) that can be
optionally be provided on the
dump body 22 to increase the height of the sides of the dump body 22. It is
contemplated that
the brackets 68, 70 and 72 could be omitted. A cab cover 76 is connected to
the top of the front
wall 64 and extends forwardly thereof. As can be seen in Fig. 1, when the dump
body 22 is in
the lowered position, the cab cover 74 extends over the top of the rear
portion of the cab 14. It is
contemplated that the cab cover 76 could be omitted.
[0058] The dump body 22 has a floor 78 connected at its front to the
front wall 64, at its rear
to the rear pillars 50 and at its left and right sides to the lower ends of
the left and right side walls
66 respectively. Non-structural side caps 80 are provided on each side of the
floor 78 for
aesthetic purposes. It is contemplated that the caps 80 could be omitted.
[0059] A ladder 82 is mounted to the front left side of the dump body 22.
It is contemplated
that the ladder 82 could be mounted elsewhere on the dump body 22. It is also
contemplated that
the ladder 82 could be omitted.
[0060] As can be seen in Figs. 2, 4 and 6, the front wall 64 defines a
recess 84 at a center
thereof of. A pair of brackets 86 is connected to the front of the front wall
64 near a bottom
thereof in alignment with the recess 84. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the
hydraulic cylinder 26 is
received in the recess 84 between the brackets 86. The hydraulic cylinder 26
is pivotally
fastened to the brackets 84. As mentioned above, the hydraulic cylinder 26 is
connected at its
lower end to the frame 12. It is contemplated that the front wall 64 could not
be provided with
the recess 84, in which case the hydraulic cylinder 26 would be provided
completely in front of
the front wall 62. It is contemplated that the hydraulic cylinder 26 could be
mounted between
the frame 12 and the dump body 22 in other ways.
[0061] As can be seen in Fig. 7, the upper rails 62 are hollow. The right
upper rail 62 will be
described in more detail with reference to Fig. 8. The left upper rail 62 is a
mirror image of the
right upper rail 62 and will therefore not be described in detail herein. In
the present
implementation, the right upper rail 62 is made in two parts 88 and 90. The
part 88 defines the
bottom and part of the right side of the right upper rail 62. As can be seen,
in the present
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implementation, the right side wall 66 and the part 88 of the right upper rail
62 are integrally
formed. The piece of metal used to form the right side wall 66 is bent in two
places near its
upper end to form the bottom and the portion of the right side of the right
upper rail 62 (i.e. to
form the part 88 of the right upper rail 62). It is contemplated that the
right side wall 66 and the
part 88 of the right upper rail 62 could be separate parts that are welded or
otherwise connected
together. The part 90 defines the left side, the top and part of the right
side of the right upper rail
62. The part 90 is a beam having a generally inverted J-shaped cross-section.
The bottom end of
the left leg of the part 90 is welded to the upper end of the right side wall
66 just below the bend
between the right side wall 66 an the bottom of the right upper rail 62. The
bottom portion of the
right leg of the part 90 is disposed laterally inward of the vertical portion
of the part 88 and
overlaps the vertical portion of the part 88. The parts 88 and 90 are welded
to each other where
they overlap. As can be seen, the part 90 is thicker than the part 88, and is
therefore also thicker
than the right side wall 66. In the present implementation, the part 88 and
the right side wall 66
are made of high strength steel having a Brinell hardness of 450, a yield
strength of at least 100
ksi (kilopound per square inch, i.e. 689,5 MPa) and a thickness of 1/8 of an
inch (i.e. 3,175 mm).
One example of such steel is DomexTM steel. This high hardness allows the side
wall 66 to resist
the impacts which occur when the dump body 22 is being loaded with hard
materials such a
rocks for example. In the present implementation, the part 90 is made of ASTM
A36 grade
carbon steel having a thickness of 3/16 of an inch (i.e. 4,7625 mm). It is
contemplated that the
parts 88 and 90 could be made of other materials having other thicknesses. As
can also be seen,
a height H of the right upper rail 62 is greater than its width W. In the
present implementation,
the height H is more than 2,5 times the width W. More specifically, in the
present
implementation the height H is 12 1/16 inches (i.e. 30,64 cm) high by 4 5/8
inches (i.e. 11,43
cm) wide. Other dimensions are contemplated. As will be described in more
detail below, the
dump body 22 is not provided with the longitudinally extending long sills
typically provided
under the floor of other dump bodies. As such, the left and right upper rails
62 are designed to
act as beams fixed at both ends to support a majority of the load applied to
the side walls 66 and
the floor 78 when the dump body 22 is filled since the side walls 66 and the
floor 78 are
essentially suspended from the upper rails 62 due to the lack of long sills.
[0062] Turning now to Fig. 18, the floor 78 will be described in more
detail. The floor 78 has
a laterally central flat portion 92 and left and right arcuate portions 94. As
can be seen in Fig. 7,
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the lower portion of each of the side walls 66 is also arcuate. The top
portion 96 of each of the
arcuate portions 94 sits on top of and overlaps the bottom of its respective
side wall 66. The
arcuate portions 94 are welded to their respective side walls 66 along these
overlaps 98. The
width F of the laterally flat central portion 92 is greater than the sum of
the radii of curvature R
5 of the arcuate portions 94. In the present implementation, the width F is
between 45 and 50
inches (i.e. 114,3 to 127 cm) and each radius of curvature R is 21 inches
(i.e. 53,34 cm). Each
arcuate portion 94 defines an arc A between 45 and 55 degrees. The floor 78 is
thicker than the
side walls 66. In the present implementation, the floor has a thickness of
5/32 of an inch (i.e.
3,96875 mm) and, as described above, the side walls 66 have a thickness of 1/8
of an inch (i.e.
10 3,175 mm). In the present implementation, the floor 78 is made of the
same material as the side
walls 66. As such, in the present implementation, the floor 78 is made of high
strength steel
having a Brinell hardness of 450 and a yield strength of at least 100 ksi
(kilopound per square
inch, i.e. 689,5 MPa). One example of such steel is DomexTM steel. This high
hardness allows
the floor 78 to resist the impacts which occur when the dump body 22 is being
loaded with hard
materials such a rocks for example. It is contemplated that the side walls 66
and the floor 78
could be made of different materials. It is also contemplated that the floor
78 could be made of a
material other than the one provided above. As the dump body 22 is not
provided with the
longitudinally extending long sills typically provided under the floor of
other dump bodies, the
high yield strength of the material of the floor 78 allows the material to
deform when the dump
body 22 is filled, but to then return to its original shape when the dump body
22 is emptied (i.e. it
does not permanently deform).
[0063] As can be seen in Figs. 4 and 7, the dump body 22 has front left
and right cradles 100
near a front thereof. The front left cradle 100 cradles the front portions of
the arcuate portion of
the left side wall 66 and the left arcuate portion 94 of the floor 78.
Similarly, the front right
cradle 100 cradles the front portions of the arcuate portion of the right side
wall 66 and the right
arcuate portion 94 of the floor 78. As can be seen in Fig. 10 for the rear
right pillar 50, each
pillar 50 has an arcuate portion 102. The arcuate portion 102 of the rear left
pillar 50 cradles the
rear portions of the arcuate portion of the left side wall 66 and the left
arcuate portion 94 of the
floor 78. Similarly, the arcuate portion 102 of the rear right pillar 50
cradles the rear portions of
the arcuate portion of the right side wall 66 and the right arcuate portion 94
of the floor 78.
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[0064] In alternative implementations (not shown), the floor 78 is flat
across it entire width.
In one such implementation, the side walls 66 extend vertically straight down
to the side edges of
the floor 78. In another such implementation, the floor 78 has right and left
upwardly extending
side walls that connect to the bottom portions of the side walls 66.
[0065] With reference to Figs. 9 and 10, the rear right pillar 50 has a
notch 104 to receive the
lower end of the tailgate 50. When the tailgate 54 is closed, the tailgate 54
abuts an angled rear
surface 106 of the rear right pillar 50. The right side of the rear right
pillar 50 extends below the
arcuate portion 102, thereby providing a plate 108 to which the ends of the
rear plate 60 is
connected. The front surface 110 of the rear right pillar 50 is vertical. The
rear left pillar 50 is a
mirror image of the rear right pillar 50 and as such will not be described in
detail herein. In the
present implementation, the rear pillars 50 are made of ASTM A36 grade carbon
steel, but other
materials are contemplated.
[0066] The dump body 22 is also provided with a front support assembly
112 and a rear
support assembly 114. As best seen in Fig. 15, the front support assembly 112
is connected to
the underside of the front portion of the laterally central portion 92 of the
floor 78. As best seen
in Fig. 11, the rear support assembly 114 is connected to the underside of the
rear portion of the
laterally central portion 92 of the floor 78. As can be seen in Fig. 1, and as
will be described in
more detail below, when the dump body 22 is in the lowered position, the front
and rear support
assemblies 112, 114 abut the top of the rear portion of the frame 12. The
entirety of the
underside portion of the floor 78 located longitudinally between the front and
rear support
assemblies 112, 114 is spaced from the frame 12. The entirety of the underside
portion of the
floor 78 located longitudinally between the front and rear support assemblies
112, 114 is free of
structural support members, such as the long sills typically provided under
the floor of other
dump bodies. As a result, the floor 78 will deform when the dump body 22 is
filled, but returns
to its initial shape when the dump body 22 is emptied.
[0067] In an alternative implementation, in longer dump bodies 22, in
order to avoid too
much deformation at the center of the floor 78, a central support assembly 116
(shown in dotted
lines in Fig. 3) is connected to the underside of the longitudinally central
portion of the floor 78.
The central support assembly 116 abuts the top of the rear portion of the
frame 12 when the
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dump body 22 is in the lowered position. The entirety of the underside portion
of the floor 78
located longitudinally between the front and central support assemblies 112,
116 is free of
structural support members. The entirety of the underside portion of the floor
78 located
longitudinally between the rear and central support assemblies 114, 116 is
also free of structural
support members. Although a central support assembly 116 is provided, a
majority of the
underside portion of the floor 78 located longitudinally between the front and
rear support
assemblies 112, 114 is still free of structural support members. In another
alternative
implementation (not shown), a central support assembly is fixedly connected to
the frame 12 and
the dump body 22 only abuts this central support assembly when it is in the
lowered position.
[0068] Turning now to Figs. 11 to 14, the rear support assembly 114 will be
described in
more detail. The rear support assembly 114 is made of left and right sub-
assemblies 118. As the
left and right sub-assemblies 118 are mirror images of each other, only the
left sub-assembly 118
will be described. The left sub-assembly 118 has a left rear support member
120 and an L-
shaped plate 122 that are both welded to the laterally central portion 92 of
the floor 78. The front
of the left rear support member 120 is received in the notch defined by the L-
shaped plate 122.
The bottom surface 124 of the left rear support member 120 abuts the frame 12
when the dump
body 22 is in the lowered position. As can be seen in Fig. 14, the left rear
support member 120 is
hollow and has a generally trapezoidal cross-section that it wider at its top
than at its bottom. As
can be seen in Fig. 13, the left rear support member 120 has a notch 126
defined in a top thereof.
A rectangular duct 128 (Fig. 11) is disposed in the notch 126. The duct 128
receives linkages of
the tailgate locking mechanism (not shown) therethrough. In the present
implementation, the
frame 12 has two spaced apart longitudinally extending frame members 130 (Fig.
1). Each rear
support member 120 is laterally aligned with one of these frame members 130
and abuts the top
of this frame member 130 when the dump body 22 is in the lowered position. It
is contemplated
that the rear support assembly 114 could have a single wide rear support
member 120 spanning
both frame members 130. It is also contemplated that the frame 112 could have
more or less
than two frame members 130 or a different frame configuration, in which case
it is contemplated
that the rear support assembly 114 could have more of less rear support
members 120.
[0069] Turning now to Figs. 15 to 17, the front support assembly 112 will
be described in
more detail. The front support assembly 112 has left and right front support
members 132 and a
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plate 134. The plate 134 is welded to the laterally central portion 92 of the
floor 78. The left and
right front support members 132 are welded to the left and right portions of
the plate 134.
Bumpers 136 are connected in a notch defined in the front of each front
support members 132.
When the dump body 22 is not in the lowered position, the bumpers 136 extend
slightly below
the bottom surfaces 138 of the front support members 132. When the dump body
22 is in the
lowered position, the bumpers 136 deform slightly, and the bumpers 136 and the
bottom surfaces
138 of the front support members 132 abut the frame 12. Each front support
member 132 is
laterally aligned with one of the frame members 130 and abuts the top of this
frame member 130
when the dump body 22 is in the lowered position. It is contemplated that the
front support
assembly 112 could have a single wide front support member 132 spanning both
frame members
130. It is also contemplated that the frame 112 could have more or less than
two frame members
130 or a different frame configuration, in which case it is contemplated that
the front support
assembly 112 could have more of less front support members 132.
[0070] Modifications and improvements to the above-described
implementations of the
present technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The
foregoing description is
intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present
technology is therefore
intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
8129085.2
41172/2
