Power-operated tailgate with maximum rearward displacement between fully elevated and fully lowered positions

Claim 1

In a power-operated tailgate mechanism for a cargo body having a tailgate, the combination of a first lever arm pivotally secured at its inner end to the surface of the bed of said cargo body interiorly thereof and pivotally secured at its outer end to a support arm on said tailgate, said first lever arm being pivotally movable relatively to said body through an arc in excess of 90* from an initially substantially upright position through a horizontal position of maximum rearward projection, a second lever arm pivotally secured at its inner end to the surface of the bed of said body interiorly thereof and pivotally secured at its outer end to said support arm, said tailgate being disposed rearwardly of and below said lever arms, an actuating arm interconnecting said lever arms for simultaneous pivotal movement, said pivotal connections of said second lever arm being uniformly spaced rearwardly from said like pivotal connections of said first lever arm to provide a parallelogram linkage for maintaIning said tailgate in a uniform load-carrying attitude during movement of said lever arms, selectively operable power means connected to said actuating arm for effecting said movement, and said support arm being of a length to maintain said tailgate sufficiently below the level of said outer ends of said lever arms to define a corresponding path of orbital movement of said tailgate having maximum rearward displacement beyond any rearwardly projecting portions of said cargo body which are below the level of said inner ends of said lever arms.