Safety device for a fork-lift equipped refuse vehicle

Claim 1

A safety device for a vehicle having a fork lift movable on a rotatable shaft to an elevated operative position; and a braking system including a pressure fluid chamber, a parking brake applying member within said chamber, a spring urging said member in a brake applying direction, and means for maintaining a pressure within said chamber for maintaining said member in a brake released condition, said safety device comprising a fork lift position-indicating projection mounted on said rotatable shaft of said fork lift so as to be operatively arranged to have a path of pivotal transversing movement incident to movement of said fork lift into said elevated operative position thereof, an elongated conduit in communication at one end with the aforesaid pressure fluid chamber and operatively arranged to have its opposite end located adjacent said path of pivotal traversing movement of said position-indicating projection, and a normally closed valve disposed in sealing relation in said opposite conduit end and located in said path of said pivotal traverse movement so as to be urged from its normally closed condition into an open condition upon being contacted by said position-indicating projection, whereby said vehicle parking brakes are automatically applied whenever said vehicle fork lift assumes said elevated operative position to thereby prevent vehicle movement with said fork lift in said operative position.