Truck assembly

Claim 1

A TRUCK ASSEMBLY FOR TRANSPORTING A LOAD OF MATERIAL COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATE TRUCK CHASSIS HAVING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FRONT AND REAR AXLES FOR RECEIVING GROUND-ENGAGING WHEELS; A LOAD-CARRYING TRUCK BODY JOINED TO THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID CHASSIS ABOVE SAID REAR AXLE, AND BODY INCLUDING A REINFORCED FLOOR STRUCTURE OF SUBSTANTIAL LONGITUDINAL EXTENT HAVING LONGITUDINAL OUTER SIDE EDGES AND FURTHER HAVING FORWARD AND BACKTRANSVERSE EDGES POSITIONED FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY RESPECTIVELY OF SAID REAR AXLE; A FIRST WALL MEMBER RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE ADJACENT SAID FORWARD EDGE AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE TO THEREBY DEFINE THE FRONT WALL OF SAID TRUCK BODY; A PAIR OF SECOND WALL MEMBERS RIGIDLY CONNECTED ALONG SAID OUTER SIDES OF SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME LONGITUDINAL EXTEND AS SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE, SAID SECOND WALL MEMBERS BEING JOINED TO SAID FRONT WALL ADJACENT SAID OUTER SIDES OF SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE TO DEFINE THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF SAID LOAD-CARRYING BODY ADJACENT SAID FORWARD EDGE, SAID SECOND MEMBERS FURTHER BEING TRANSVERSELY TAPERED SO AS TO GRADIENTLY CONVERGE WITH RESOECT TO EACH OTHER TOWARD SAID REAR EDGE OF SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE TO THEREBY DEFINE THE MINIMUM WIDTH OF SAID BODY ADJACENT SAID REAR EDGE, WHERE SAID SECOND WALL MEMBERS DEFINE TRANSVERSELY TAPERING SIDE WALLS FOR SAID TRUCK BODY; A TAILGATE MEMBER SECURED TO SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE ADJACENT SAID REAR EDGE AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID TAILGATE BEING LONGITUDINALLY INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE AND JOINABLE TO SAID SIDE WALLS SO AS TO TAPER FORWARDLY FROM SAID REAR EDGE OF SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE AND FLLOR TAPERING MEANS JOINED TO SAID CHASSIS AND SUPPORTING SAID FLOOR STRUCTURE IN A FORWARDLY TAPERED POSITION WITH SAID FORWARD EDGE SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SAID REAR EDGE, WHEREBY SAID TRANSVERSELY TAPERING SIDE WALLS AND SAID FORWARDLY TAPERING FLOOR STRUCTURE AND TAILGATE MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE THE LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE FORWARD PORTION OF SAID TRUCK BODY WITH RESPECT TO THE CAPACITY OF THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID BODY AND THEREBY DISTRIBUTE A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE GROSS WEIGHT OF A LOAD IN SAID BODY ONTO SAID FRONT AXLE BY SHIFTING THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID LOAD FORWARDLY OF SAID REAR TRUCK AXLE.