REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLE TAILGATE LOCK SYSTEM

A locking assembly can achieve positive locking of a tailgate, by including a guideblock having a guide slot defined therein, a lockplate configured to be slidably received within the guide slot, and a clevis that is configured to operatively cooperate with the lockplate. A locking hook formed in the lockplate will capture a pin in the clevis to achieve the desired locking capabilities. A capture pin is removably coupled to the guideblock and positioned within a containment in the lockplate to control travel. An actuator is coupled at one end to a portion of the vehicle and at the other end to the lockplate in a manner to cause movement of the lockplate and subsequent movement of the tailgate in an opening direction. The actuator is further configured to cause the tailgate to move in a closing direction until reaching a closed position and then moving the lockplate from an unlocked position to a locked position, thus causing the locking hook to capture the pin in the clevis and further causing the tailgate to be positively locked.