Patent Grant
4482169
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for all governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty. This invention relates generally to the field of automotive accessories of the type configured for increasing traction of vehicles in snow or ice conditions, and more specifically to a device configured for placement onto the bed of a truck to increase rear wheel traction by adding weight to the truck bed at critical points over the rear axle. In the operation of light trucks, such as half-ton pickup trucks, the weight distribution on the axles is such that these trucks are particularly susceptible to stalling and becoming stuck in heavy snow and to spinning out on icy roads at most any speed. The tendency for light trucks to get stuck and/or spin out is particularly pronounced when the truck is operated with little or no load thereon. The lack of traction in snow or ice conditions usually results in substantial waste of fuel and, in the event the truck requires towing, a substantial waste in manpower and vehicle operating expense. The lack of traction may also be a primary cause of accidents, with attendant loss in the form of personal injury and property damage. The foregoing problems are, of course, multiplied in situations where a fleet of trucks is operated. It is well known that increasing the weight on the rear axle of a rear axle driven vehicle, such as by adding sand bags or the like, will increase traction of the rear wheels. It is, however, important to note that the location and distribution of weight added to the rear axle may be as important a consideration as that of merely adding substantial weight to the axle. The present invention provides an accessory configured to add weight with optimum distribution to the rear axle of a rear axle driven vehicle, particularly a vehicle carrying an open bed over its rear axle, such as a pickup truck, and comprises a frame sized for placement on the truck bed between the wheel wells and carrying a plurality of removable weights attached to the rack at the ends thereof as near as practicable the wheel wells to maximize the added load at points above the rear axle near each rear wheel. It is therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an accessory for placement on the bed of a pickup truck for increasing the traction of the rear wheels. It is a further object of this invention to provide a traction rack for adding weight in a desired distribution to the rear axle of a pickup truck and which may be easily placed on and removed from the bed of the pickup truck. These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the detailed description of certain representative embodiments thereof proceeds. In accordance with the foregoing principles and objects of the present invention, a traction rack for a rear axle driven truck is provided which comprises a generally rectangularly-shaped assembly having side elements sized for placement on the bed of the truck between the wheel wells, lead weights attached to respective ends of the side elements to form the rectangular assembly having substantial weight concentrated near the ends of the assembly near the wheel wells, one of the side elements having an extension on each end exceeding the spacing between the wheel wells to facilitate placement and restraint of the rack over the rear axle.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 4190281 | Chandler | Feb 1980 | |
| 4269443 | Farmer | May 1981 | |
| 4339142 | Tanner | Jul 1982 | |
| 4343578 | Barnes | Oct 1982 |
