| 摘要 |
A conversion apparatus suitable for mounting a truck bed onto the chassis of a tractor equipped with a fifth wheel and primarily intended for hauling trailers. In one embodiment the conversion apparatus includes a pair of rails mounted on opposing sides of the trailer chassis in front of the fifth wheel and a frame, attached to the underside of the truck bed, which is configured to rest upon the rails, the fifth wheel and a portion of the tractor chassis behind the fifth wheel. The frame is also provided with a kingpin to engage the locking mechanism of the fifth wheel. Latching devices are provided at a forward end of the rails and a rearward end of the frame to secure the front of the frame to the rails and the rear of the frame to the rearward end of the tractor chassis, thus restricting relative motion between the truck bed and the trailer. In an alternative embodiment a dump-type truck bed may be mounted on a conventional tractor. This embodiment includes a pair of rails mounted to the tractor chassis in front of the fifth wheel, a main frame connected to the underside of the dump-type truck bed, and a sub-frame, pivotally coupled at its rearward end to the main frame, which is configured to engage rails, the fifth wheel of the tractor and a portion of the tractor chassis behind the fifth wheel.
|
