Steerable truck with reversible castering wheel structure for trailers

Claim 2

A steerable truck for articulated vehicles comprising a pair of superposed plate members the upper one of which is adapted for fixed attachment to the bottom of a trailer body or the like, a pair of fore and aft spaced pins rigidly interconnecting said plate members in spaced relation, a wheeled truck frame underlying said plate members, an intermediate frame disposed between said plate members for movement relative thereto and having fore and aft recess means spaced sufficiently greater than the spacing of the king pins so as to be selectively engageable with one or the other of said fore and aft pins to form a casterlike pivotal connection therewith, and rigid members interconnecting said intermediate frame and said underlying wheeled truck frame, whereby relative movements of the wheeled truck frame and said trailer body cause shifting of said intermediate frame relative to said fore and aft pins.

Claim 3

The structure as defined by claim 1, and said rigid members comprising a pair of laterally spaced arms pivoted to said wheeled truck frame and pivoted to said intermediate frame.

Claim 4

The structure as defined by claim 2, and bearing pads intervened between said intermediate frame and the uppermost of said pair of plate members.

Claim 5

The structure as defined by claim 1, and said wheeled truck frame Being a four-wheeled generally rectangular normally horizontal truck frame, said rigid members comprising a pair of arms pivoted at corresponding ends to the truck frame near the longitudinal center thereof with the other corresponding ends of the arms pivoted to opposite sides of said intermediate frame, said intermediate frame lying in a horizontal plane between said superposed plate members.

Claim 6

The structure as defined by claim 1, and said recess means comprising a pair of opposing longitudinal slots which are respectively rearwardly and forwardly open to receive said pins, the spacing of the pins and slots being such that when one pin is engaged in one slot the other pin is disengaged from the other slot, whereby two separate caster pivots may be formed between said truck frame and said superposed plate members.

Claim 7

The structure of claim 1, and said upper plate member comprising a wide plate attachable directly to the bottom of a trailer body, and said lower plate member being a narrow longitudinal plate of sufficient width only to accommodate said pins.

Claim 8

A steerable truck for articulated vehicles comprising an upper plate member attachable to the bottom of an articulated vehicle body, a lower plate member spaced below the upper plate member in superposed parallel relation therewith, a pair of longitudinally spaced pins interconnecting said plate members as a unit, a shiftable frame interposed between said plate members and having a pair of longitudinally spaced and opposed slots for the reception of said pins selectively, the spacing of said pins and slots being such that when one pin is engaged in one slot to form a caster pivot the other pin is separated from the other slot, a wheeled truck having a frame disposed below said plate members and shiftable frame, and a pair of arms pivotally interconnecting the frame of the truck and said shiftable frame so that the latter will respond to fore and aft relative movements between the truck frame and said plate members and pins.

Claim 9

A steerable truck for articulated vehicles comprising an upper plate member attachable to the bottom of an articulated vehicle body, a lower plate member spaced below the upper plate member in superposed parallel relation therewith, a pair of longitudinally spaced pins interconnecting said plate members as a unit, a shiftable frame interposed between said plate members and having a pair of longitudinally spaced and opposed slots for the reception of said pins selectively, the spacing of said pins and slots being such that when one pin is engaged in one slot to form a caster pivot the other pin is separated from the other slot, a wheeled truck having a frame disposed below said plate members and shiftable frame, and a pair of arms pivotally interconnecting the frame of the truck and said shiftable frame so that the latter will respond to fore and aft relative movements between the truck frame and said plate members and pins.

Claim 10

The structure of claim 7, and said truck frame having a cross member near its longitudinal center, and said arms having their lower ends pivoted to the cross member and their upper ends pivoted to said shiftable frame near the forward end thereof, said arms being inclined upwardly and forwardly from said cross member.

Claim 11

The structure of claim 8, and said shiftable frame being a horizontal yoke-like frame and bearing pads interposed between the top of the shiftable frame and the bottom of the upper plate member at the opposite sides of the shiftable frame.