Patent Application
20070158379
This invention relates to more conveniently carrying step ladders on passenger vehicles, sports utility vehicles, or a pick-up trucks having a receiver hitch mounted thereon. More particularly this invention relates to a ladder rack which slides within and is carried by the receiver hitch on the vehicle. The ladder rack carries ladders thereon in an upright position.
It is frequently necessary to carry a ladder on a sports utility vehicle or a pick-up truck having a topper mounted thereon. Currently ladders must be carried inside the rear of the vehicle thereby substantially reducing available storage space. Frequently a carried ladder must extend into the space between the front seats; or alternatively, the rear door (or trunk lid) must be left open to allow the ladder to extend from the rear of the vehicle. Leaving the rear door of a sports utility vehicle open allows road dust and exhaust to enter the passenger compartment. A more convenient way to carry a ladder is needed. A ladder rack which does not substantially reduce available load capacity of the vehicle and which enables the rear door of the vehicle to be closed while carrying a ladder is disclosed herein.
Most frequently when a ladder is used it is necessary to haul additional tools and equipment for work in conjunction with the ladder. It also would be desirable to have a ladder rack which is easily mounted, or removed from a vehicle so that it is convenient to remove the ladder rack when it is not needed. And finally it is desirable to have a ladder rack which can be temporarily shifted to facilitate access through the rear door of the vehicle to objects carried within the rear of the vehicle.
It is an object of this invention to disclose a ladder rack which can be used on a passenger vehicle, sports utility vehicle, or a pick-up truck having a topper mounted thereon. It is an object of this invention to disclose a ladder. rack which does not reduce the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. It is yet a further object of this invention to disclose a ladder rack which allows a ladder to be conveniently lifted on and off the vehicle from ground level without having to access the interior of the vehicle. It is yet a further object of this invention to disclose a ladder rack which can temporarily shift out of the way, to access the interior of the vehicle through a rear door of the vehicle. It is a final object of this invention to disclose a ladder rack which can be quickly, initially and subsequently, mounted and removed from a vehicle, without tools, by a user.
One aspect of this invention provides for a ladder rack to carry a ladder on a vehicle having a receiver hitch comprising: i) a male hitch member having one end dimensioned for close reception within the receiver hitch and an other opposite end; ii) an upright leg having a lower end portion connected to the other opposite end portion of the male hitch member and an other upper end portion; iii) a ladder supporting member extending rearwardly and upwardly from the upper end portion of the leg; and, iv) an upper retention member to retain the ladder on the ladder rack when it is bounced, said upper retention member extending rigidly rearwardly from an upper end portion of the leg, so that if the ladder bounces while being carried its upward movement will be limited by the rigid upper retention member, and so that the ladder may be loaded and unloaded from the ladder rack without having to move the ladder retention member. When the male hitch member is received within the receiver hitch and the ladder is next slid over and on the ladder fork so that it can be carried.
In a preferred aspect of this invention the ladder support member comprises two lateral spaced forks and the ladder retention also member comprises two lateral spaced forks similar in length and appearance to the ladder supporting forks.
Various other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The following is a discussion and description of the preferred specific embodiments of this invention, such being made with reference to the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts and/or structure. It should be noted that such discussion and description is not meant to unduly limit the scope of the invention.
Turning now to the drawings and more particularly to
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the ladder support member 25 comprises two lateral spaced forks 26. Most preferably the ladder retention member 27 slopes up and rearwardly parallel to the ladder support member 25. In the most preferred embodiment of the invention the ladder support member 25 comprises two laterally spaced forks 26. The ladder retention member 27 also comprises two lateral spaced forks 28 similar in appearance to the two lateral spaced forks 26 which comprise the ladder support member 25. The ladder forks 26, 28 also have sufficient length to carry two ladders 14, back to back, on the ladder rack 20.
A rack lock means 30 is provided to prevent unintended removal of the ladder 14 from the ladder rack 20. Most preferably the rack lock means 30 comprises a wire rope 32 having one end attached to the ladder rack 20 and the other opposite end suitable for padlocking 34 to the rack 20 after the rope 32 has been wrapped around the ladder 14 carried thereon.
While the invention has been described with preferred specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims.
