Extendable and tiltable load-transfer platform

Claim 1

In combination with a truck having a load-receiving floor and a tailgate normally forming a barrier at the rear of said floor, a loading-unloading mechanism including spaced parallel rails normally secured to said floor, a platform assembly, and roller means operative to transfer the weight of said platform assembly and the load carried thereby to said rails, said rails having a retaining flange normally over-hanging a portion of said platform assembly along the path of movement thereof determined by said rails, wherein the improvement comprises: mounting means securing certain of said roller means to said platform assembly adjacent one end thereof in a position disposed to normally bear downwardly on a portion of said rails, said platform assembly portion being adjacent said certain roller means; said rails having at least one interruption in the retaining flanges thereof providing clearance for the upward escape of said certain roller means and platform assembly portion exclusively when said platform assembly is extended substantially beyond the ends of said rails; and latch means operative to block the movement of said platform in a direction to move said certain roller means and platform assembly portion toward said interruption, said latch means including bracket means secured to said one rail, and a plunger slidably traversing at least one portion of said bracket means and one of said rails on a substantially horizontal axis, said rod having a return bend at the outer extremity thereof adapted to over hang said bracket portion in certain angular positions of said rod about the axis thereof, and engage said bracket portion in other angular positions of said rod about said axis exclusively with said rod in a position axially withdrawn from blocking position, and further including biasing means normally urging said plunger to blocking position.