Low height semi-trailer

Claim 2

An undercarriage which supports the body of a vehicle such as a trailer and which has numerous wheels that share equally in the support of the body and any load thereon notwithstanding irregularities in the surface over which the vehicle may be moving, said undercarriage comprising a pair of undercarriage assemblies symmetrically disposed at opposite sides of a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle and each characterized by: A. a laterally extending first beam; B. first trunnion means medially pivotally connecting said first beam with the vehicle body and enabling the opposite ends of the first beam to be swingable up and down about a longitudinally extending tilting axis; C. a pair of second beams which extend longitudinally; D. second trunnion means medially pivotally connecting said second beams, respectively, with opposite end portions of the first beam so that the second beams are carried bodily up and down by tilting motion of the first beam but the opposite end portions of said second beams are swingable up and down about the first beam and around a common laterally extending second tilting axis; E. two pairs of laterally extending bogie beams for each of said second beams; F. third trunnion means medially pivotally connecting each bogie beam with its second beam and disposing one bogie beam of each pair near an end of its second beam and the other bogie beam of the pair between said one bogie beam and said second tilting axis, said third trunnion means confining all of the bogie beams for each second beam to tilting about a longitudinally extending third tilting axis; G. two pairs of wheels for each pair of bogie beams; H. an axle for each pair of wheels by which the wheels of the pair are constrained to rotate about a common axis and are maintained axially spaced apart by a fixed distance; and I. means providing a connection between each axle and a pair of adjacent end portions of its pair of bogie beams, whereby the axle is carried by said bogie beams between their said end portions, the pair of bogie beams is constrained to swing in unison about said third tilting axis, and the axle is confined to an orientation in which its axis extends laterally and is tiltable about an axis intermediate its ends, the last mentioned means comprising a rigid longitudinally extending member connected at its ends with said end portions of said pair of bogie beams and which has a medial connection with said medial portion of said axle.

Claim 3

The undercarriage of claim 1 wherein each of said rigid longitudinally extending members comprises a rock shaft that has its ends rotatably connected with its bogie beams and has a rigid connection with its axle.

Claim 4

The undercarriage of claim 1, further characterized by means connecting said undercarriage assemblies with one another and with the vehicle body in a manner that provides for raising and lowering the vehicle body relative to the wheels, the last mentioned means comprising:

Claim 5

a substantially rigid frame having substantial longitudinal extent and having substantial lateral extent symmetrically to the longitudinal centerline of the body, said first trunnion means providing a connection between each of said first beams and said frame; 2. a plurality of links, each having one end pivotally connected to the vehicle body and its other end pivotally connected to said rigid frame, a. certain of said links being disposed near the front of the vehicle body, b. others being disposed near the rear thereof, and c. said links being disposed substantially symmetrically to opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle, d. each of said links being swingable in a vertical fore-and-aft extending plane between a near-horizontal position in which the vehicle body is lowered relative to the wheels, through and slightly beyond a vertical position to a defined body-raised position; and

Claim 6

a substantially rigid frame having substantial longitudinal extent and having substantial lateral extent symmetrically to the longitudinal centerline of the body, said first trunnion means providing a connection between each of said first beams and said frame; 2. a plurality of links, each having one end pivotally connected to the vehicle body and its other end pivotally connected to said rigid frame, a. certain of said links being disposed near the front of the vehicle body, b. others being disposed near the rear thereof, and c. said links being disposed substantially symmetrically to opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle, d. each of said links being swingable in a vertical fore-and-aft extending plane between a near-horizontal position in which the vehicle body is lowered relative to the wheels, through and slightly beyond a vertical position to a defined body-raised position; and

Claim 7

extendable and retractable actuator means connected between the vehicle body and said rigid frame for so moving the body relative to the frame as to swing the links between their said near-horizontal positions and their said body-raised positions.

Claim 8

extendable and retractable actuator means connected between the vehicle body and said rigid frame for so moving the body relative to the frame as to swing the links between their said near-horizontal positions and their said body-raised positions.

Claim 9

The undercarriage of claim 1 wherein said second trunnion means are at the same vertical side of said first beam as said first trunnion means.

Claim 10

The undercarriage of claim 1 wherein 1. said first and second trunnion means are at the upper side of said first beam, and 2. said second and third trunnion means are at the lower side of said second beam.

Claim 11

A wheeled undercarriage for a vehicle, such as a trailer, that has low overall height, the wheels of said undercarriage being of small diameter and being numerous to afford adequate support for the vehicle and its cargo without excessively loading any one wheel, said undercarriage comprising: A. a pair of main tilting beams that extend transversely of the vehicle body; B. means comprising first trunnion means medially pivotally connecting each of the main tilting beams with the vehicle body and confining each of said beams to up and down swinging motion of its opposite ends about a fore-and-aft extending axis which is above the beam, said first trunnion means for the respective main tilting beams being spaced symmetrically to opposite sides of the fore-and-aft extending centerline of the body, and the main tilting beams being substantially in lengthwise alignment with one another; C. a pair of fore-and-aft extending second beams for each of said main tilting beams; D. second trunnion means medially pivotally connecting the second beams of each pair thereof with the opposite ends of their respective main tilting beams and confining the second beams of each pair to swinging motion about coinciding axes that extend lengthwise parallel to their main tilting beam and lie above the latter and below the second beams; E. a pair of transversely extending bogie beams for each end of each of said second beams; F. third trunnion means medially pivotally connecting each bogie beam with its second beam and confining all of the bogie beams for each second beam to tilt about their second beam and around a common axis which extends lengthwise parallel to said second beam and lies below it and above said bogie beams, said third trunnion means disposing one bogie beam of each pair near an end of its second beam and the other bogie beam of the pair between said one bogie beam and the second trunnion means; G. a pair of fore-and-aft extending rock shafts for each pair of bogie beams, each rock shaft having its end portions rotatably secured in end portions of its bogie beams that are at one side of a second beam; and H. an axle member for each rock shaft, each axle member being medially secured to its rock shaft, intermediate the ends of the latter and extending transversely thereto, and each axle member having a wheel rotatably mounted on each end thereof so that the wheels on each axle member are at opposite sides of its rock shaft, rotation of each rock shaft in its bogie beams providing for tilting of its axle member relative to the bogie beams by which the rock shaft is carried.

Claim 12

A wheeled undercarriage for a vehicle, such as a trailer, that has low overall height, the wheels of said undercarriage being of small diameter and being numerous to afford adequate support for the vehicle and its cargo without excessively loading any one wheel, said undercarriage comprising: A. a pair of main tilting beams that extend transversely of the vehicle body; B. means comprising first trunnion means medially pivotally connecting each of the main tilting beams with the vehicle body and confining each of said beams to up and down swinging motion of its opposite ends about a fore-and-aft extending axis which is above the beam, said first trunnion means for the respective main tilting beams being spaced symmetrically to opposite sides of the fore-and-aft extending centerline of the body, and the main tilting beams being substantially in lengthwise alignment with one another; C. a pair of fore-and-aft extending second beams for each of said main tilting beams; D. second trunnion means medially pivotally connecting the second beams of each pair thereof with the opposite ends of their respective main tilting beams and confining the second beams of each pair to swinging motion about coinciding axes that extend lengthwise parallel to their main tilting beam and lie above the latter and below the second beams; E. a pair of transversely extending bogie beams for each end of each of said second beams; F. third trunnion means medially pivotally connecting each bogie beam with its second beam and confining all of the bogie beams for each second beam to tilt about their second beam and around a common axis which extends lengthwise parallel to said second beam and lies below it and above said bogie beams, said third trunnion means disposing one bogie beam of each pair near an end of its second beam and the other bogie beam of the pair between said one bogie beam and the second trunnion means; G. a pair of fore-and-aft extending rock shafts for each pair of bogie beams, each rock shaft having its end portions rotatably secured in end portions of its bogie beams that are at one side of a second beam; and H. an axle member for each rock shaft, each axle member being medially secured to its rock shaft, intermediate the ends of the latter and extending transversely thereto, and each axle member having a wheel rotatably mounted on each end thereof so that the wheels on each axle member are at opposite sides of its rock shaft, rotation of each rock shaft in its bogie beams providing for tilting of its axle member relative to the bogie beams by which the rock shaft is carried.

Claim 13

The wheeled undercarriage of claim 6 wherein said means connecting each of the main tilting beams with the body comprises: 1. a rigid frame to which said first trunnion means are connected; 2. a plurality of links, each having at its opposite ends pivotal connections to said frame and to the body, respectively, each of said links being swingable in a fore-and-aft extending vertical plane between a near-horizontal body-lowered position and a near-vertical body-raised position; and 3. said undercarriage being further characterized by reversible motor means connected to react between the body and said rigid frame for swinging the links between their said positions.