| 20090026737 | Heavy duty lock hinge gate - A utility trailer is provided with repositionable fore and aft end gates. The fore and aft end gates each having a leg and a support member and are affixed to a lock hinge mechanism. The lock hinge mechanism includes a receiver coupled to the trailer bed, the receiver having a partially enclosed cavity that receives at least a portion of the respective gate leg, the cavity having an exposed, open front face adjacent at least one end of the cavity. An elongated slot is provided on one of the receiver and the respective gate leg. A receiver pin is received through the elongated slot and coupled to the respective gate leg and the receiver to allow constrained linear movement of the respective end gate while within the receiver cavity, and pivotal rotation of the respective end gate when extended to the exposed, open front face of the receiver insert cavity. The gate is positionable in a first substantially upright load-bearing position oriented along a first direction in which the gate leg is substantially received within the receiver cavity, and repositionable to an extended, substantially horizontal load-bearing second position oriented along an intersecting second direction in which the leg support member abuts a portion of the trailer bed frame. The receiver may include a removable receiver insert so that the end gates can be fully removed from the trailer, if necessary. | 01-29-2009 |
