Any ideas out there on self latching dump gates?
- Thread starter ljellio
- Start date
Bison
Platinum Member
Have a look see how its done on a gravel truck
Don87
Elite Member
Your better off with a manual system. If you could rig an automatic system, it could fail on the highway.
Don87
Elite Member
Oh, ok.........that's a different story.
I don't know of any automatic systems, but what they use on dump trucks is a lever that comes to the front of the bed, when pulled it releases the locking mechanism at the tailgate.
Don87
Elite Member
There's a rough sketch at the bottom of this page: Product
You can get a few ideas of parts needed from here: http://www.eztruckaccessories.com/tailgate-latches-levers.html
You can get a few ideas of parts needed from here: http://www.eztruckaccessories.com/tailgate-latches-levers.html
smiley
Gold Member
As Bison suggested, just check out dump truck air latching mechanisms. I assume you don't have air, so just use a hydraulic cylinder & controls, in place of the air setup.
dcyrilc
Super Member
How about just making it spring loaded? Pull the handle to dump and let the spring return it to the latched position. Putting the right angle on the ouside of the latch will let it overcome the spring and latch when closing.
smiley
Gold Member
If you're just using it around your property, another thought occured to me. We had some Large articulated, off road, rear dump trucks that had self opening and closing gates. They had arms on top of the gates that had chains that ran to the frames. As the bed raised, the chains tightened and pulled the gate open. When let down, gravity closed them again.
Here's a photo and link to the site that shows exactly how they work.
Articulated Tailgates - Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc.
Here's a photo and link to the site that shows exactly how they work.
Articulated Tailgates - Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc.
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