Side bar assembly for vehicles such as pick-up trucks, off-road vehicles and the like

• US 4,935,638 A
• Filed: 04/27/1989
• Issued: 06/19/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kenco Williams Inc (Curtiss-Wright Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sparkomatic Corporation (Infinity Group Holding Co. LLC)
• Inventors: Straka, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor, Charles A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US07/344,124
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 280/163, 280/164.1, 280/164.2, 280/169, 280/770, 280/762, 280/291, 280/756, 180/217, 180/219, 296/75, 296/207, 182/92, 182/112, 182/127, 403/289
• US Class Current: 280/164.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/42 extending primarily along the sides of, or completely encircling, a vehicle ornamental or guard strips B60R13/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 3/00 Arrangements of steps or ladders facilitating access to or on the vehicle, e.g. running-boards construction of steps for railway vehicles B61D23/00 ; ladders E06C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/53 Split end with laterally movable opposed portions

Abstract

A side bar assembly for attachment to a chassis of different sizes of pick-up trucks, the side bar assembly including a pair of substantially L-shaped tubular members forming half-bar tube sections to collectively form a generally U-shaped side bar to extend laterally from a side of the vehicle, and a cylindrical connector sleeve having a central bore corresponding substantially to the outer diameter of the tube legs to receive the latter therein in alignment with each other with the connector sleeve encircling the adjacent portions of the tube legs over more than half the circumferential extent of each and a pair of mounting brackets to receive end portions of the side bar legs therein. The connector sleeve also includes a thickened portion defining an upwardly facing flat step surface at the top of the sleeve.

Claims

1. A side bar assembly for attachment to a chassis of a pick-up truck, off-road vehicle or the like capable of being mounted on such vehicles of a plurality of different sizes and configurations, the side bar assembly comprising a pair of substantially L-shaped tubular members forming half-bar tube sections to collectively form a generally U-shaped side bar to extend laterally from a side of the vehicle wherein the U-shaped side bar includes a pair of transverse parallel side-legs to project substantially perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal axis and a connecting cross-leg to extend parallel to said axis, the L-shaped tubular members each having a first straight tube leg to form one of the side-legs of the U-shaped side bar and having a second straight tube leg connected to the first tube leg by a curved substantially 90°

bend to form the cross-leg of the side bar, a cylindrical connector sleeve defining a central bore having an inner diameter corresponding substantially to the outer diameter of second tube legs to receive the latter therein in alignment with each other with the connector sleeve encircling the adjacent portions of the second tube legs over more than half the circumferential extent of each, and a pair of mounting brackets each having a socket formation defining a cylindrical socket sized to correspond substantially to the outer diameter of said first tube legs and receive end portions of the side-legs therein, the mounting brackets having apertured flange formations for bolt securement to the vehicle chassis, said connector sleeve being configured as a split flange clamp having a separation extending along the whole axial length thereof at a circumferential location bounded by a pair of flange formations for receiving clamping screws therein and being deformable through a slight range to receive adjacent end portions of said second tube legs therein and be clamped thereto by tightening of said screws, the immediately adjacent portion of the connector sleeve bounding the slit being radially outwardly protruding enlargements defining said flange formations having aligned screw-receiving paired openings for receiving a clamping screw along an axis lying substantially tangential to adjacent cylindrical surface portions of said tube legs, and the sleeve also including a thickened portion along the uppermost circumferential region thereof defining an upwardly facing flat step surface to be disposed horizontally along the top of the sleeve.

2. A side bar assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said connector sleeve is a metal extrusion configured as a fully encircling sleeve interrupted by a narrow slit forming said separation.