As is known, the framework of said bodies consists of a plurality of bends placed on the whole longitudinal length of the body. Said bends are fastened to the body base and are connected one to the other by means of longitudinal reinforcing uprights. The covering tarpaulin, which covers the whole surface of the body support base, is then fastened onto the framework by means of suitable belts and elastic ropes. It is fur- ther known about arched bodies having movable frame- works, in which the bends slide on the support base so as to close as an accordion on a body end near the ve- hicle control cab. In further detail, every bend com- prises vertical uprights fitted into suitable sliding guides, which are arranged on the longitudinal length of the body base. Said bends can further be associated one to the other by means of suitable connecting ele- ments such as for instance pantographs engaging the vertical uprights of every bend with those of the ad- jacent bends. The movable framework covering the whole base surface can thus be moved and slid towards the vehicle control cab with a minimum overall size. In this situation the body base is uncovered by the cov- ering frame and, advantageously, heavy loads that can be moved only through suitable cranes or lift trucks can be arranged on the support base. As a matter of fact, in this situation lift trucks can enter the body base from above or from the sides. The arched bodies described above, however, have an important drawback.

First of all, it should be pointed out that when the movable frame is closed as an accordion, it is housed within a portion of the support base surface near the control cab. Such portion is not used since it is dif- ficult to reach from outside by means of lift trucks due to the presence of the framework closed as an ac- cordion. Consequently, the body area is not fully ex- ploited for loading goods, since the base portion filled by the framework with a minimum size is not used.

In this situation the technical task underlying the present invention is to carry out an arched body ena- bling to substantially obviate the drawbacks mentioned above. In particular, a technical aim of the present invention is to supply an arched body in which the whole base surface is accessible from outside, so as to exploit the whole body volume. In further detail, the present invention aims at supplying an arched body in which the covering frame can be lifted from the base so as to enable access to the latter from out- side. Furthermore, the present invention aims at sup- plying a lifting device for covering frames of bodies that is cheap and can be easily applied to any type of body so as to disconnect the frame from the base. The technical task and the aims specified above are sub- stantially achieved by means of an arched body for carrier vehicles and by means of a lifting device for covering frames, whose characteristics are disclosed in the enclosed claims. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more evi- dent from the detailed description of a preferred though not exclusive embodiment of an arched body for carrier vehicles and of a lifting device for covering frames shown in the enclosed drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an arched body according to the invention associated to a trailer and its tractor; - Figure 2 shows the arched body in Figure 1 in a sec- ond operating condition, closed as an accordion; - Figure 3 is a schematic view of the body in Figure 2 in another lifted operating condition; - Figure 4 shows a perspective view of lifting means fitted into the arched body; - Figure 5 shows one of the uprights of the lifting means in Figure 4 sectioned along line V-V ; - Figure 6 shows the upright in Figure 5 sectioned along line VI-VI; - Figure 7 shows the upright in Figure 6 in a second operating condition; - Figure 8 shows a schematic view of a control circuit of the lifting means.

With reference to Figure 1 an arched body for carrier vehicles is globally referred to with the numeral 1.

The body 1 comprises a support base 2 having a sub- stantially rectangular peripheral length with longer sides 2a parallel to the longitudinal length of said base 2, and shorter sides 2b on the ends of said body 1. On the whole length of the longer sides 2a respec- tive sliding guides 3 are arranged, which consist of a section bar comprising a draft channel extending on the whole guide 3. Advantageously, each sliding guide 3 consists of some portions 3a turnably engaged with the base 2 so as to be tipped downwards (see Figure 3 vs. Figure 2) in order to simplify loading and unload- ing operations, and of a portion 3b that can be dis- connected from said base 2. Said portion 3b is placed on a shorter side 2b of said base 2 preferably near the vehicle driving cab. The arched body 1 further comprises a bottom wall 4 developing perpendicularly from the base 2 and placed on one of the shorter sides 2b; advantageously said wall 4 is placed on the shorter side 2b near the driving cab. Above the base 2 a support frame 5 for a covering tarpaulin develops, which is not shown in the enclosed figures since it is of a known type. Said frame 5 is slidingly engaged within said guides 3 between a position of maximum ex- tension (Figure 1) in which said frame 5 covers the whole base 2, and a position of minimum size (Figure 2) in which said frame 5 is closed on the bottom wall 4. In particular, the frame 5 comprises a plurality of bends 6, each consisting of an arch with two vertical uprights 7 and a horizontal cross-piece. Every verti- cal upright 7 comprises a first end 8 fitted into a respective sliding guide 3 and a second upper end 9.

The horizontal cross-piece has two opposite ends fas- tened to the second ends 9 of the vertical uprights 7 of every bend 6. Preferably, the first end 8 of every vertical upright 7 can be equipped with sliding means of known type and therefore not described and shown in further detail. The bends 6 thus slide on the guides 3. Moreover, said bends 6 can be connected one to the other by means of movable connecting elements of a known type and therefore not described in further de- tail, such as for instance pantographs or any other mechanical means connecting two movable portions and enabling their movement one with respect to the other.

In this case the movable connecting elements connect the vertical uprights 7 and the horizontal cross- pieces of every bend 6 with the uprights and the cross-pieces of the adjacent bends 6, respectively.

When the frame 5 slides on the guides 3 and is placed in the corresponding position of minimum size, the bends 6 are arranged in the portion 3b of the guides 3. The arched body 1 further comprises lifting means 10 arranged on the bottom wall 4 and engaged with the frame 5 so as to lift it from the support base 2. In further detail, said lifting means 10 consist of two lifting elements 11 associated to the bottom wall 4 and extending on the vertical length of said bottom wall 4.

As is better shown in Figures 4 to 8, the lifting ele- ment 11 comprises for instance a hydraulic or pneu- matic piston 14, a lower portion lla stiffly fastened to the bottom wall 4 and an upper portion lib running over its longitudinal length and over the base 2. The upper portion lib is fastened to the stem 14a of the piston 14, which lifts or lowers the upper portion llb with respect to the lower portion lla. The maximum stroke of the stem 14a of the piston 14 can be ad- justed to contingent needs, and can be for instance of 1.5 to 3 meters. In further detail, as is better shown in Figure 4, the lifting elements 11 are arranged on the sides of the bottom wall 4 and are parallel to the vertical uprights 7 of the bends 6. A connecting beam 12 is fastened to the upper portions lib of every lifting element, so as to be parallel to the horizon- tal cross-pieces.

Preferably, as can be seen in Figure 5, the lower por- tion lla of every lifting element 11 has a"C"-shaped cross section with one side slightly shorter than the other one, and the upper portion lib is suitably"C"- shaped similarly to the first one but smaller and slightly hollow on one side. The upper portion lib is slidingly fitted into the lower portion lla with the two"C"shapes arranged one opposite the other. A stiffening bar 13 is associated on an outer part of every upper portion llb. Such stiffening bar has a first end 13a associated to the upper portion llb and a second end 13b associated to a respective discon- nectable portion 3b of the sliding guide 3.

Thus, when the frame 5 is moved to its position of minimum size, i. e. when all bends are placed on the disconnectable portion 3b of every sliding guide 3, the lifting elements 11 are activated through suitable control means of known type. Figure 8 schematically shows an example of an electro-hydraulic system for controlling said lifting means 10, with the pistons 14, a control unit 15 (either mechanical or remote, for instance equipped with a suitable remote control), a two-stage flow distributing frame 16 and a pair of check valves 17 arranged within the pipes 18. As de- scribed above the lifting elements 11, which can con- sist for instance of pneumatic or hydraulic pistons or of suitable mechanical handling means, lift the upper portion llb together with the whole portion 3b of the guides 3. Consequently, the frame 4 now placed on the portion 3b is lifted (see Figure 3) from the base 2, thus leaving the access to the base 2 free on the sur- face filled by said frame 5. In an execution variant, every upper portion lib of every lifting element 11 can be engaged with a respective vertical upright 7 of the nearer bend 6a with respect to the bottom wall 4 by means of a movable connecting element, Similarly, also the connecting beam 12 can be engaged with the cross-piece of the nearer bend 6a with respect to the bottom wall 4 by means of a movable connecting ele- ment.

The present invention also relates to a lifting device for covering frames of arched bodies, which comprises lifting means 10 as described above. Advantageously, said lifting means can be mounted on different types of covering frames and lift the latter so as to enable the access to the support base from outside in any place of its peripheral length.

Obviously, the lifting means can be carried out with other embodiments corresponding to the one disclosed above without leaving the inventive idea underlying the present invention.

The invention allows to obtain important advantages.

First of all, the invention enables the access from outside to the whole base so as to exploit the volume of the whole body. As a matter of fact, by lifting the frame from the base the access to said base is free from the whole length of its longer sides. Subse- quently, lift trucks can place loads also on this base portion. Moreover, a further advantages is due to the structure of the lifting means, which are easy to carry out and have a small overall size. This advan- tage is due to the fact that the lifting elements are placed on the bottom wall without taking up any room within the body.

The invention thus conceived can undergo several changes and variants, all within the inventive idea characterizing it. All details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements and practically all material used and all sizes can be chosen accord- ing to contingent needs.