| 摘要 |
A safety device for tractor trailer rigs having a fifth wheel coupling arrangement comprising a trailer bed plate having a pair of oppositely situated slots and a king pin therebetween which extends downwardly into a precisely configured slot in the fifth wheel. The slots in the bed plate are curved along an arc of approximately 160 DEG on opposite sides of the trailer's bed plate about an axis extending through the king pin. The slots are of varying depth which increases towards the middle with resilient shock absorbers mounted at both ends of each slot. A pair of diametrically opposite fluid cylinders are mounted on the fifth wheel to engage the bed plate slots with a plunger element. When the brakes are actuated the pressure of the plunger elements increases against the base of the slots which in an alternate embodiment may be located together with the plunger elements at an angle to the horizontal to achieve a firm coupling. The turning movement of the trailer about the king pin is restricted by the plunger elements to an angle of approximately 80 DEG from an aligned tractor and trailer. The safety device thus limits the movement of the trailer about the king pin to prevent jackknifing.
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