Vehicle body support and leveler device

Claim 1

In an auxiliary vehicle body support and leveler device of the type including a main body fixed to vehicle running gear and a cover fixed to the body, the cover being made of a non-magnetic material, being vertically movable with respect to the main body and defining with the main body a variable volume chamber having means adapted for communication with a source of high pressure fluid through means to control said communication and a fluid outlet adapted for communication with a low pressure fluid sump through means to control said communication, whereby the pressure of fluid within the chamber and thus the load supporting capacity of the device can be varied, the improvement comprising a pair of vertically oriented, vertically separated strips of magnetic material fixed to the cover; a pair of magnetically responsive reed switches fixed to the cover, each of the reed switches being associated with a different one of the strips, having a pair of contact reed adapted to close in response to magnetic flux thereacross and being oriented horizontally with one of the reeds adjacent the associated vertical strip, the reed switch adjacent the upper strip being adapted for connection to the high pressure fluid source communication control means for actuation thereof when closed, the reed switch adjacent the lower strip being adapted for connection to the low pressure fluid sump communication control means for actuation thereof when closed; and a permanent magnet fixed to the main body within the chamber and adjacent the vertical strips, the magnet having poles and being oriented with the poles horizontally juxtaposed, one adjacent the strips and one separated therefrom, the magnet being effective, as the cover reciprocates vertically, to close only the upper reed switch when adjacent the upper strip, only the lower reed switch when adjacent the lower strip and neither reed switch when between strips.