Self loading refuse vehicle with a discharge gate in the loading means

Claim 1

A self-loading vehicle having a chassis, the improvement comprising: a large load-carrying body having a pivot connection between its lower rear portion and said chassis, the axis of the pivot being substantially horizontal and extending crosswise of said chassis at a rear portion thereof, whereby said body may be swung from a normal horizontal position in a vertical direction about said pivot to an upright position, said body having an opening at its rear end, a hopper-type body having side walls and forward and rear walls, a top opening and an opening in its lower rear portion, the upper end of said forward wall being pivotally connected to said pivot whereby said hopper-type body may be swung from a normal upright position in a vertical direction about said pivot to move through said rear end opening of said load-carrying body in inverted relation to deposit its contents into said loading-carrying body, means limiting swinging movement of said hopper-type body in a direction toward its normal upright position to maintain the bottom of such body well above the ground surface along which said chassis moves so that the latter may be freely moved forward and backward without any interference which otherwise might be caused by engagement of the bottom of said hopper-type body with undulations in the ground surface, and a gate for closing said opening in the lower rear portion of said hopper-type body, said gate having a lower wall which provides the bottom of said hopper-type body and such wall having a horizontally disposed pivot connection with the lower end of the forward wall of said hopper-type body, said gate having side walls which form part of the side walls of said hopper-type body and said gate having a rear wall which forms part of the rear wall of said hopper-type body, said gate being swingable about its pivot connection from a normal position substantially closing the rear opening of said hopper-type body to a second position wherein said gate rear wall is disposed close to and substantially parallel to the ground surface so that said gate will act as a scoop when said chassis is moved rearwardly.