Dump body tailgate with double action pivot and lock mechanism

Claim 1

A dump body movable vertically between a lower position and an upper dumping position and having a tailgate positioned at the dumping end thereof, a pivot and locking arrangement between the upper edge of the tailgate and the body and a pivot and locking arrangement between the lower edge of the tailgate and the body, both of said locking and pivot arrangements being normally engaged to prevent swinging of the gate, means for selecting either of said arrangements to pivot the gate at its upper or lower edges, said means comprising a single selection lever movable from a central position where both of said arrangements are engaged to a selecting position in either direction where one is engaged and the other is released, the locking and pivot arrangements comprising a pair of opposed pins mounted at the upper edge of the gate and movable outwardly in opposite directions into sockets in the body and a pair of opposed pins mounted at the lower edge of the gate and movable outwardly in opposite directions into sockets in the body, linkage for connecting said pins to the single selection lever whereby when the lever is in a central position all the pins are projected into the respective sockets and when it is moved in either direction away from central position the pins of one pair are withdrawn from their respective sockets and the pins of the other pair are projected further into their respective sockets, said linkage comprising a connecting link at each end of the tailgate pivoted intermediate its height and having its upper end pivoted to the adjacent upper pin and its lower end pivoted to the adjacent lower pin, and an actuating link pivoted at its outer end to the lower end of each of said connecting links, said selection lever being pivoted to the gate intermediate its upper and lower ends, said actuating links being connected at their inner ends to the selection lever by pivots respectively above and below the pivot for said lever.