SECTIONAL VAN TRAILER HAVING DETACHABLE, INTERCHANGEABLE COMPARTMENTS CAPABLE OF FORMING A CONTINUOUS VAN BODY WITH ACCOMPANYING SYSTEM FOR FORMING SHELF DECKS AND PARTITION WALLSWITHIN CARGO HOLDING SECTIONS

摘要

2045518 9008088 PCTABS00001 A sectional van trailer having detachable, interchangeable compartments (16, 18, 20) capable of forming a continuous van body is disclosed. One or more van sections or cargo compartments (16, 18, 20) are secured to a trailer frame (28). The van sections may be individually removed and left at a location for loading or unloading. When removed, the van sections form secure, weather-tight individual containers for the goods disposed therein. The van sections are interconnected and each van section may remain an individual compartment or may be joined with one or more adjacent van sections to form a continuous van body. A tractor mounted hoist apparatus (14) is provided to allow a lone truck operator to move the van sections between the ground, and the trailer frame (28), a storage stand, or a truck frame. The described embodiments are particularly efficient for moving both household belongings and general commodities on a long-haul trip.