U.S. patent number RE35,580 [Application Number 08/306,492] was granted by the patent office on 1997-08-12 for trailer construction.
Invention is credited to Craig J. Heider, Dale J. Heider, Leon J. Heider, Merle J. Heider.
United States Patent |
RE35,580 |
Heider , et al. |
August 12, 1997 |
Trailer construction
Abstract
An improved tractor-trailer assembly utilizes a trailer bottom
wall having a drop center portion which is located rearwardly of
the longitudinal midpoint of the trailer. The bottom wall of the
cargo container is attached to and suspended from the upper edges
of the side wall of the trailer. In one form of the invention, the
bottom wall has a rectangular cross-sectional configuration, and in
another form of the invention, the bottom wall has an arcuate
U-shaped cross-sectional configuration.
Inventors: |
Heider; Merle J. (Humboldt,
IA), Heider; Dale J. (Humboldt, IA), Heider; Leon J.
(Humboldt, IA), Heider; Craig J. (Humboldt, IA) |
Family
ID: |
25413637 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/306,492 |
Filed: |
November 16, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
901125 |
Jun 19, 1992 |
05326156 |
Jul 5, 1994 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
298/24; 280/789;
296/183.2; 298/27; 298/7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60P
1/56 (20130101); B60P 3/221 (20130101); B60P
3/24 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60P
1/00 (20060101); B60P 1/56 (20060101); B60P
3/22 (20060101); B60P 001/56 () |
Field of
Search: |
;105/247 ;296/184
;298/7,27,28,24,29,31,32,33,34,35R ;280/789 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Copy supplied during prosecution of parent application S.N.
07/901,125..
|
Primary Examiner: Merritt; Karen B.
Assistant Examiner: Krizek; Janice L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Zarley, McKee, Thomte, Voorhees,
& Sease
Claims
We claim:
1. An improvement in a tractor-trailer assembly comprising a
trailer frame having front and rear ends, a tandem wheel and axle
assembly connected to and supporting said trailer frame adjacent
said rear end thereof, a tractor frame having a front wheel and
axle assembly and a rear wheel and single axle assembly spaced
apart from one another, and a fifth wheel positioned between said
front wheel and axle assembly and said rear wheel and single axle
assembly, coupling means detachably coupling said front end of said
trailer frame to said fifth wheel whereby first, second, and third
portions of the load carried by said trailer frame are transferred
to a supporting surface through said tandem axle and wheel
assembly, said rear wheel and single axle assembly, and said front
wheel and axle assembly, respectively; said improvement
comprising:
a pair of elongated sidewalls attached to said frame in spaced
parallel relation to one another;
an elongated bottom wall between said pair of sidewalls and
combining therewith to form a carrying compartment;
said bottom wall having a longitudinal axis, a forward end, a rear
end, a front sloping portion, a rear sloping portion, and an
intermediate portion, said front and rear sloping portions
extending from said front and rear bottom wall ends respectively in
a downwardly inclined direction toward said intermediate portion,
said intermediate portion being between said front and rear
inclined portions and being offset rearwardly from the longitudinal
midpoint of said trailer frame, whereby the weight of a cargo
within said carrying compartment will be distribute dina grater
magnitude to said tandem wheel and axle assembly of said trailer
frame than to said rear wheel and single axle assembly of said
tractor frame;
said intermediate portion of said bottom wall being positioned so
that said weight of said cargo is distributed between said tandem
wheel and axle assembly of said trailer frame and said rear wheel
and single axle assembly of said tractor frame at a ratio of
approximately 17:10.
2. .[.An.]. .Iadd.The .Iaddend.improvement according to claim 1
wherein said trailer frame is approximately thirty feet long and
the longitudinal midpoint of said intermediate portion of said
bottom wall is offset rearwardly a distance of approximately two
feet from said midpoint of said trailer frame.
3. An improvement in a tractor trailer assembly comprising a
trailer frame having front and rear ends, a tandem wheel and axle
assembly connected to and supporting said trailer frame adjacent
said rear end thereof, a tractor frame having a front wheel and
axle assembly and a rear wheel and single axle assembly spaced
apart from one another, and a fifth wheel positioned between said
front wheel and axle assembly and said rear wheel and single axle
assembly, coupling means detachably coupling said front end of said
trailer frame to said fifth wheel whereby first, second and third
portions of the load carried by said trailer frame are transferred
to a supporting surface through said tandem axle and wheel
assembly, said rear wheel and single axle assembly, and said front
wheel and axle assembly, respectively; said improvement
comprising:
a pair of elongated sidewalls attached to said frame in spaced
parallel relation to one another;
an elongated bottom wall between said pair of sidewalls and
combining therewith to form a carrying compartment;
said bottom wall having a longitudinal axis, a forward end, a rear
end, a front sloping portion, a rear sloping portion, and an
intermediate portion, said front and rear sloping portions
extending from said front and rear bottom wall ends respectively in
a downwardly inclined direction toward said intermediate portion,
said intermediate portion being between said front and rear
inclined portions and being offset rearwardly from the longitudinal
midpoint of said trailer frame, whereby the weight of a cargo
within said carrying compartment will be distributed in a grater
magnitude to said tandem wheel and axle assembly of said trailer
frame than to said rear wheel and single axle assembly of said
tractor frame;
said sidewalls each including an upper longitudinal edge,
attachment means attaching said bottom wall to said upper edges of
said sidewalls whereby the weight of said cargo on said bottom wall
is born by said longitudinal upper edges of said sidewalls.
4. .[.An.]. .Iadd.The .Iaddend.improvement according to claim 3 and
further comprising said attachment means being welded to said upper
edges of said sidewalls.
5. .[.An.]. .Iadd.The .Iaddend.improvement according to claim 4
wherein said bottom wall includes two opposite side edges, said
attachment means being operatively attached to said opposites side
edges of said bottom wall.
6. .[.An.]. .Iadd.The .Iaddend.improvement according to claim 5
wherein said attachment means comprise first and second attachment
plates each having a top edge and a bottom edge, said top edges of
said first and second attachment plates each being attached to a
respective one of said upper edges of one of said sidewalls and
said bottom edges of said .[.fist.]. .Iadd.first .Iaddend.and
second attachment plates each being attached to one a respective of
said opposite side edges of said bottom wall.
7. An improvement in a tractor trailer assembly comprising a
trailer frame having front and rear ends, a tandem wheel and axle
assembly connected to and supporting said trailer frame adjacent
said rear end thereof, a tractor frame having a front wheel and
axle assembly .[.an.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.a rear wheel and single
axle assembly spaced apart from one another, and a fifth wheel
positioned between said front wheel and axle assembly and said rear
wheel and single axle assembly, coupling means detachably coupling
said front end of said trailer frame to said fifth wheel whereby
first, second, and third portions of the load carried by said
trailer frame are transferred to a supporting surface through sad
tandem axle and wheel assembly, said rear wheel and single axle
assembly, and said front wheel and axle assembly, respectively;
said improvement comprising:
a pair of elongated sidewalls attached to said frame in spaced
parallel relation to one another;
an elongated bottom wall between said pair of sidewalls and
combining therewith to form a carrying compartment;
said bottom wall having a longitudinal axis, a forward end, a rear
end, a front sloping portion, a rear sloping portion, and an
intermediate portion, said front and rear sloping portions
extending from said front and rear bottom wall ends respectively in
a downwardly inclined direction toward said intermediate portion,
said intermediate portion being between said front and rear
inclined portions and being offset rearwardly from the longitudinal
midpoint of said trailer frame, whereby the weight of a cargo
within said carrying compartment will be distributed in a greater
magnitude to said tandem wheel and axle assembly of said trailer
frame than to said rear wheel and single axle assembly of said
tractor frame;
said opposite sidewalls each having an elongated upper edge and
said bottom wall comprising first and second opposite side edges,
each of said first and second side edges of said bottom wall being
attached to a respective one of said upper edges of said
sidewalls.
8. .[.An.]. .Iadd.The .Iaddend.improvement according to claim 7
wherein said bottom wall in cross section taken transversely to the
longitudinal axis thereof comprises an arcuate U-shape between said
first and second opposite side edges of said bottom wall.
.Iadd.
9. An improvement in a trailer assembly comprising a trailer frame
having front and rear ends and a wheel and axle assembly connected
to and supporting said trailer frame adjacent said rear end
thereof, said improvement comprising:
a pair of elongated side walls attached to said frame in spaced
apart relation to one another, each of said side walls having an
upper longitudinal edge;
an elongated bottom wall between said pair of side walls and
combining therewith to form a carrying compartment, said bottom
wall having a longitudinal axis, a forward end, a rear end, a front
sloping portion, an intermediate portion, a rear sloping portion
and a pair of opposite lateral edges, said front and rear sloping
portions extending from said forward and rear ends respectively of
said bottom wall in a downwardly inclined direction toward said
intermediate portion;
first and second attachment plates each having upper and lower
plate edges, each of said upper plate edges of said first and
second attachment plates being immovably fixedly attached to one of
said upper longitudinal edges of said side walls respectively and
each of said lower plate edges being immovably fixedly attached to
one of said opposite lateral edges of said bottom wall so as to
cause the weight of said bottom wall to be suspended from said
upper longitudinal edges of said side walls. .Iaddend..Iadd.10. An
improvement according to claim 9 wherein said lateral edges of said
bottom wall are directly affixed to said lower plate edges of said
attachment plates by fastening means selected from the group
consisting essentially of welding, bolts or rivets.
.Iaddend..Iadd.11. An improvement in a trailer assembly comprising
a trailer frame having front and rear ends and a wheel and axle
assembly connected to and supporting said trailer frame adjacent
said rear end thereof, said improvement comprising:
a pair of elongated side walls attached to said frame in spaced
apart relation to one another, each of said side walls having an
upper longitudinal edge;
an elongated bottom wall between said pair of side walls and
combining therewith to form a carrying compartment;
said bottom wall having an upper perimetric edge, said bottom wall
also having a forward sloping portion, a rear sloping portion, and
a pair of opposite side portions extending downwardly from said
upper perimetric edge;
said upper perimetric edge of said bottom wall being connected to
said upper longitudinal edges of said pair of elongated side walls
whereby said entire bottom wall extends below and is suspended from
said upper longitudinal edges of said pair of elongated side
walls;
said entire bottom wall being positioned between said pair of
elongated side walls and having an arcuate shape when viewed in
cross section taken transversely to a longitudinal axis of said
trailer frame.
.Iaddend..Iadd. 2. The improvement of claim 11 wherein said upper
perimetric edge of said bottom wall is fixedly attached to said
upper longitudinal edges of said pair of elongated side walls.
.Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tractor-trailer construction and
specifically to a construction for over-the-road trailers used to
carry bulk materials such as grain.
One problem .[.encoutnered.]..Iadd.encountered .Iaddend.with
present trailers of the type described above is the difficulty in
distributing the weight of the cargo to the various axles of the
vehicle in proportions which meet state and federal regulations
while at the same time maximizing the cargo load being carried.
This is particularly important in a tractor-trailer combination
which utilizes a pair of tandem axles at the rear of the trailer,
and a single axle at the rear of the tractor whicc pulls the
trailer. Current regulations require that the weight on the tandem
axle not exceed 34,000 pounds and that the weight on the single
axle at the rear of the tractor not exceed 20,000 pounds.
Present trailers for carrying grain use a drop center configuration
which centers the lowermost portion of the cargo bin equally
between the rear tandem axles or the trailer and the rear single
axle of the tractor. This causes the weight to be distributed
nearly equally between the tandem axle at the rear of the trailer
and the rear axle of the tractor. In the prior trailers, because
the rear axle of the tractor has a maximum load limit of 20,000
pounds this maximum is met before the rear tandem axle achieves its
maximum permissible limit of 34,000 pounds. Thus, in many present
devices, the cargo carried by the trailer is substantially reduced
due to the fact that the maximum 20,000 pound load limit of the
rear tractor axle is achieved before the maximum 34,000 pound load
limit for the rear tandem axle of the trailer.
Also, because of the various load limits permitted for each axle of
the vehicle, it is desirable to minimize the weight of the trailer
itself so that more weight can be utilized for the cargo which is
being carried.
Most prior art trailers for carrying bulk materials utilize an
inclined bottom wall having a drop center portion intermediate the
opposite ends of the bottom wall. The bottom wall is welded at its
sides to the sidewalls of the trailer. However, during the welding
process, distortion occurs at the sidewalls of the trailer
resulting in a less attractive appearance of the completed trailer.
Another problem encountered with present trailers results from the
twisting or distortion of the trailer as it passes over irregular
terrains. The welding of the bottom wall of the trailer to the
sidewalls of the trailer can cause distortion or damage to the
sidewalls of the trailer as the trailer flexes while passing over
irregular terrain.
Therefore a primary object of the present invention is the
provision of an improved trailer construction.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an
improved trailer construction which permits distribution of the
weight of the cargo in the trailer in such a manner as to maximize
the amount of cargo which can be carried under various state and
federal axle load requirements.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an
improved trailer construction which suspends the bottom wall of the
cargo container from the upper edges of the sidewalls of the
trailer so as to eliminate the need for welding the sides of the
bottom wall to the sidewalls of the trailer.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an
improved trailer construction having a bottom wall which is curved
in cross section so as to reduce the weight of the trailer.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an
improved trailer construction which utilizes a bottom wall of
minimum weight and which does not require reinforcing members as in
present trailer constructions.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an
improved trailer construction having a side discharge chute which
will permit the contents of the trailer to be discharged into an
auger conveyor. Prior hopper trailers require a drive over pit or
an unloading auger having a swing auger or portable auger that can
be moved underneath the trailer as the grain is discharged from the
bottom of the trailer. With the side discharge chute of the present
invention one can unload just by driving alongside of an auger
conveyor. This makes the trailer more practical to use on a
farm.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an
improved trailer construction which is economical to manufacture,
durable in use, and efficient in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention utilizes a trailer frame supported by a
tandem axle and wheel assembly at its rear end. The forward end is
adapted to be mounted to the fifth wheel of an over-the-road
tractor having a single rear axle which bears the load of the front
end of the trailer.
Within the trailer is a drop center cargo container having a bottom
wall which commences at the forward and rear ends of the trailer
and progresses downwardly and centrally to a middle drop center
portion. The drop center portion is positioned rearwardly from the
longitudinal midpoint of the trailer so that the cargo's weight is
distributed in a greater proportion to the tandem axle at the rear
of the trailer than it is to the single axle at the rear of the
tractor.
In the preferred embodiment, the overall length of the trailer is
approximately thirty feet, and the drop center construction is
positioned approximately two feet to the rear of the longitudinal
center point of the trailer. By utilizing this rearwardly offset
construction, it is possible to fill the trailer cargo container to
a point where the rear tandem axle of the trailer and the rear
single axle of the tractor achieve their maximum load limits at
approximately the same time. This will permit the maximizing of the
load which can be carried in the cargo. Current regulations permit
34,000 pounds to be borne by the rear tandem axle, and permit
20,000 pounds to be borne by the rear single axle of the tractor.
By offsetting the drop center of a thirty-foot trailer
approximately two feet, it is possible to distribute the weight of
the cargo so that the 34,000 pound limit of the tandem axles and
the 20,000 pound limit of the single axle are reached at
approximately the same time. In prior devices, the 20,000 pound
limit would be reached before the 34,000 pound limit would be
reached, thereby resulting in a lower cargo weight which could by
carried.
Another feature of the present invention is the suspension of the
bottom wall of the cargo container from the upper edges of the
sidewalls, rather than welding the bottom wall to the sidewalls as
in prior devices. This suspension can be accomplished in two ways.
One way of suspending the bottom wall is to utilize a pair of
attachment plates which have their lower edges attached to the
bottom wall, and which have their upper edges welded to the upper
edges of the sidewalls of the trailer. As a result of this
construction, the attachment plates suspend the bottom wall of the
container from the upper edges of the sidewalls of the
container.
Another form of the invention utilizes a bottom wall construction
which is arcuate in cross section and which includes side edges
extending upwardly in U-shaped configuration to be attached by
welding or other attachment means to the upper edges of the
sidewalls of the container. The use of an arcuate or U-shaped
cross-sectional configuration eliminates the need for reinforcing
members underneath the bottom surface of the bottom wall, thereby
reducing the weight of the trailer and permitting a cargo of
slightly greater weight to be achieved.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a
trailer having one or more side discharge chutes which permit the
contents of the trailer to be discharged into an auger conveyor
while the trailer is positioned alongside of the auger
conveyor.
The suspended bottom wall, the curved bottom wall, and the side
discharge chute discribed above can be utilized with trailers of
any length. The rear offset feature described above is intended
primarily for use in a thirty-foot trailer having a rear tandem
axle assembly used in combination with a tractor having a single
rear axle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a tractor-trailer combination of
the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the internal configuration of
the trailer.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a modified form of the present
invention.
FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are sectional views taken along lines 5--5, 6--6,
and 7--7 respectively of FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the bottom wall construction
of the trailer of FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 is a detail perspective view showing the discharge chute of
the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a
tractor-trailer assembly comprising a tractor 12 and a trailer 14.
Tractor 12 includes a tractor frame 16 having front wheels 18 and a
front axle 20. Tractor frame 16 is supported at its rear end by a
rear wheel 22 and a rear axle 24. Mounted to tractor frame 16 is a
conventional fifth wheel 26.
Trailer 14 includes a trailer frame 28 having a tandem wheel and
axle assembly 30 at its rear end. Tandem wheel and axle assembly 30
includes two axles 32, 34 and two wheels 36, 38.
The tractor-trailer assembly 10 shown in FIG. 1 is of the type
which typically uses a thirty-foot trailer. In this type of
tractor-trailer combination, the assembly 10 includes two tandem
axles 32, 34 at the rear of the trailer, and the tractor 12
includes a single rear axle 24.
Under current regulations for the load limits on various axles, a
trailer of this type can carry a load of 34,000 pounds at the rear
tandem axle assembly, and can carry a load of 20,000 pounds on the
single wheel and axle assembly 22, 24.
Trailer 14 includes a front exterior wall 40, a back exterior wall
42, and a pair of exterior sidewalls 44, 46. Each sidewall 44, 46
includes an upper edge member 48. Mounted between sidewalls 44, 46
is a bottom wall 50 having a front inclined portion 52, a rear
inclined portion 54, and a middle portion 56. The middle portion 56
provides a drop center configuration for a cargo container 57.
Extending transversely across bottom wall 50 on the undersurface
thereof are a plurality of C-shaped cross supports 58 which provide
reinforcement and strength to the wall 50.
A pair of front attachment plates 60 each have their upper edges
welded by means of a weld seam 64 to the upper edge member 48 of
one of the sidewalls 44, 46 (See FIG. 3). The lower edges of front
attachment plate 60 are welded to the side edges of bottom wall 50
along a lower weld seam 66.
A pair of rear attachment plates 62 are similarly connected at
their lower edges to bottom wall 50 by means of a lower weld seam
70 and are connected at their upper edges to the upper edge member
48 of sidewalls 44, 46 by means of an upper weld seam 68. This
configuration results in the bottom wall 50 being suspended from
the upper edge members 48 of sidewalls 44, 46.
Adjacent the middle portion 56 of bottom wall 50 are a pair of
angled side plates 72 which funnel the contents of the cargo
container 57 to a pair of side discharge chutes 74, 76 (FIGS. 1 and
9). The detail structure of side discharge chute 74 is shown in
FIG. 9 and includes a pair of spaced apart parallel support
brackets 120, 122 which are welded or otherwise secured to the
angled side plate 72. Slidably mounted between support brackets
120, 122 and side plate 72 is a sliding door 124 which can slide
vertically from its closed position shown in FIG. 9 to an open
position wherein it exposes a discharge opening (not shown).
Sliding door 124 is moved by a toggle system comprising an upper
rotatable shaft 126, a lower rotatable shaft 128, a pair of upper
toggle links 130, and a pair of lower toggle links 132. Toggle
links 130, 132 are pivotally joined by pivotal link connection 134.
A lever handle 135 is fixedly attached to upper rotatable shaft 126
for rotating the shaft 126 to cause the toggle links to pull the
sliding door 124 from its closed position shown in FIG. 9 to an
elevated open position.
Attached to support brackets 120, 122 is a fixed chute section 136.
A pivoting chute section 138 is pivotally attached to fixed chute
section 136 by means of a pivot pin 140. A cable 142 having a hook
144 on the end thereof may be hooked over the upper shaft 126 to
cause the folding chute section 138 to be held in an elevated
position during nonuse.
Side chutes 74, 76 permit the trailer 14 to be used to fill a
typical auger conveyor used on farms. The trailer is pulled
alongside of the auger conveyor, and the side chutes can be used to
empty the contents of the trailer into the auger conveyor.
The center 80 of the middle portion 56 of bottom wall 50 is offset
approximately two feet from the longitudinal midpoint 78 of the
trailer 14. This causes the weight of the cargo to be distributed
more heavily toward the tandem axles 32, 34 than toward the single
rear axle 24 of the tractor 12. It has been found with a
thirty-foot trailer, that such offsetting permits the weight to be
distributed between the rear tandem axles 32, 34 and the rear
single axle 24 in a ratio of approximately 17:10. Thus, as the
cargo container is being filled, the rear tandem axle 32, 34 will
achieve their maximum permissible limit of 34,000 pounds at
approximately the same time that the rear single axle 24 achieves
its maximum load limit of 20,000 pounds.
In prior art centered configurations, the weight of the rear single
axle 24 of tractor 12 achieves its 20,000 pound load limit before
the rear tandem axles 32, 34 achieve their maximum load limit of
34,000. The result is that the total amount of cargo which is
permitted to be carried in prior devices is substantially less than
the total amount of cargo which can be carried by the present
invention.
Referring to FIGS. 4-8, a modified form 82 of the present invention
is shown. Parts of trailer 82 which are identical to corresponding
parts in trailer 14 have been identified with the same numerals.
The bottom wall configuration, however, is different in the
modified form shown in FIGS. 4-8. This bottom wall 84 includes a
forward inclined portion 86, a rear inclined portion 88, a low
middle portion 90, and a pair of curved side portions 92, 94. The
entire bottom wall included a horizontal upper perimetric edge
formed by edges 96, 98, 100, 102.
At the bottom of the bottom wall 84 is a discharge opening 104
having a discharge chute 106 mounted thereover.
The bottom wall 84 is secured to the upper edge members 48 of
sidewalls 44, 46 by means of an elongated side weld gain 108 which
joins the upper side edges 100, 102 of bottom wall 84 to the upper
edge members 48 of sidewalls 44, 46. Similarly, the front edge 96
is welded to the front wall 40 by means of a front weld seam 110,
and the rear edge 98 is attached to the rear wall 42 by means of a
rear weld seam 112.
While welding is shown as the preferred method for attaching the
bottom walls 50, 84 to sidewalls 44, 46, other fastening means can
be used such as bolts, rivets, or the like.
As can be seen in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the bottom wall 84 is arcuate
or U-shaped in configuration. This causes the load of the cargo to
be evenly distributed along the bottom wall 84 and prevents bucking
or bowing of the bottom wall 84. Accordingly, the C-shaped members
58 shown in the device of FIG. 2 are not required in the curved
bottom wall 84 shown in FIGS. 4-8. This reduces the overall weight
of the trailer, thereby making possible a larger cargo weight.
Every pound of weight saved in the trailer means another pound of
cargo that can be carried, thereby making the haul more profitable
for the owner.
Another advantage of the rounded configuration shown in FIGS. 4-8
is that the grain or other cargo will flow freely towards the lower
most portion of the cargo container where the discharge opening 104
is located. In square cross-sectional configured trailers, many
types of bulk materials will tend to hang up or accumulate in the
corners of the trailer thereby making emptying of the trailer more
difficult.
The preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in the
drawings and specification, and although specific terms are
employed, these are used in a generic or descriptive sense only and
are not used for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and
proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents
are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as
further defined in the following claims.
* * * * *