Rollover protection apparatus
First Claim
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1. A rollover protection apparatus, comprising:
- (a) roll bar assembly including a lower portion that is mounted to a vehicle frame and an upper portion which is pivotably mounted to the lower portion so that the upper portion is operable to pivot between a raised position and a lowered position, the upper portion being biased toward the raised position,(b) a releasable lock associated with the upper portion and the lower portion for securing the upper portion in the raised position, and,(c) a lock releasing device for releasing the releasable lock associated with the upper portion and the lower portion, such that when the lock releasing device is activated, the releasable lock releases so that an overhead obstacle is able to move the upper portion of the roll bar assembly toward the lowered position as the roll bar assembly passes under the overhead obstacle and whereby the upper portion, being biased toward the raised position, returns to the raised position after clearing the overhead obstacle, and, so that if the lock releasing device is no longer being activated, the lock returns to the locked position thereby securing the upper portion in the raised position.
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Abstract
A rollover protection apparatus unlocks and lowers from a raised position to a lowered position suitable for clearing a low hanging obstacle when an operator applies a force to an operator lever or pedal. The rollover protection apparatus returns to the raised position when the operator ceases applying force to the operator lever or pedal.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A rollover protection apparatus, comprising:
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(a) roll bar assembly including a lower portion that is mounted to a vehicle frame and an upper portion which is pivotably mounted to the lower portion so that the upper portion is operable to pivot between a raised position and a lowered position, the upper portion being biased toward the raised position, (b) a releasable lock associated with the upper portion and the lower portion for securing the upper portion in the raised position, and, (c) a lock releasing device for releasing the releasable lock associated with the upper portion and the lower portion, such that when the lock releasing device is activated, the releasable lock releases so that an overhead obstacle is able to move the upper portion of the roll bar assembly toward the lowered position as the roll bar assembly passes under the overhead obstacle and whereby the upper portion, being biased toward the raised position, returns to the raised position after clearing the overhead obstacle, and, so that if the lock releasing device is no longer being activated, the lock returns to the locked position thereby securing the upper portion in the raised position. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A rollover protection apparatus, comprising:
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(a) roll bar assembly including a lower portion that is mounted to a vehicle frame and an upper portion that is pivotably mounted to the lower portion, the upper portion operable for pivoting between a raised position and a lowered position, the upper portion being biased toward the raised position, (b) a releasable lock associated with the upper portion and the lower portion for securing the upper portion in the raised position, (c) a lock releasing and upper portion actuation device that is operable for releasing the releasable lock and for pivoting the upper portion of the roll bar assembly from the raised position toward the lowered position, (d) a manual actuator operatively associated with the lock releasing and upper portion actuation device, the manual actuator arranged such that when the manual actuator is moved from a first position to a second position the releasable lock is unlocked and such that when the manual actuator is moved from the second position toward a third position, the upper portion of the roll bar pivots away from the raised position toward the lowered position. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A rollover protection apparatus, comprising:
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(a) roll bar assembly including a lower portion that is mounted to a vehicle frame and an upper portion which is pivotably mounted to the lower portion for pivoting between a raised position and a lowered position, (b) a releasable lock associated with the upper portion and the lower portion for securing the upper portion in the raised position, (c) a lock releasing and upper portion actuation device that is operable for releasing the releasable lock and for moving the upper portion from the raised position toward the lowered position, and, (d) a movable element suitable for receiving a manually applied force, the movable element operably associated with the lock releasing and upper portion actuation device such that when a force is applied to the movable element, the releasable lock unlocks and the upper portion pivots toward the lowered position and such that if the application of the force to the movable element ceases, the upper portion pivots back to the raised position and the releasable lock re-engages to secure the upper portion in the raised position.
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Specification