 |
Description  |
|
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to racks which are mounted on the beds of pickup
trucks, and particularly to a rack which can be used in combination with a
shell on a truck bed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Racks for pickup trucks are well known and are commonly used by
electricians, painters, plumbers, roofers, and other similar craftsman to
provide a means for carrying elongated articles, such as long pipes or
ladders, on a pickup truck. These racks usually comprise a number of
upright posts which are inserted into post holes provided in the sidewalls
of the pickup truck and extend upwardly to the height of the cab of the
truck. A square frame is mounted on top of the posts and provides the
carrying area for the elongated articles.
Examples of various designs for racks for pickup trucks are shown in U.S.
Pat. No. 2,947,566, issued to Tower; No. 3,217,449, issued to Levere; No.
3,594,035, issued to Ferguson; No. 3,765,713, issued to Suitt; No.
4,057,281, issued to Garrett; and No. 4,138,046, issued to DeFreze.
It is often convenient to have an enclosed area in which to carry other
articles and in which the articles may be protected from inclement weather
and the like. Shells for covering the beds of pickup trucks are well known
and provide covers of this type. An example of such a shell is shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,100 to Gardner.
It has not been possible to utilize a conventional rack with a conventional
shell, since each must be mounted to the sidewalls of the bed of the
pickup truck body, and neither accommodates the other. It would be
extremely advantageous to have the capability of carrying supplies within
a covered shell and at the same time have a rack upon which longer
articles could be mounted on the same pickup truck.
Several solutions have been proposed to this problem. For example, U.S.
Pat. No. 2,997,330 to Boultinghouse discloses a specialized cover used in
combination with a carrying rack. However, this solution requires a
specially constructed shell supporting a rack, and the shell structure
must be capable of supporting substantial loads. U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,286,
issued to Harris, discloses a rack having a canopy or tarpaulin suspended
over the bed of the pickup truck, but these coverings are flimsy and do
not offer adequate protection to loads occupying the truck bed. U.S. Pat.
No. 3,589,576 issued to Rinkle et al. shows a convertible rack having a
tarpaulin covering, but this structure cannot perform load carrying and
bed covering functions simultaneously. U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,331, issued to
Faulstich, shows a rack which fits on top of a shell. However, this rack
is also supported entirely by the shell, and thus requires a shell of
considerable strength in order to support heavy items which may be placed
on the rack. If the shell is not capable of holding these heavy items, the
entire structure will fail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a rack for use in combination with a shell
on the bed of a pickup truck which overcomes the problem of the prior art,
and provides other advantages heretofore not achieved. The present
invention provides a rack which differs substantially from that disclosed
in the prior art by providing a clearance within the rack in which a
conventional shell may be mounted. The rack of the present invention does
not require a specially constructed shell, and may therefore be used in
combination with any conventional shell. If a user wishes to utilize a
rack in combination with a shell, the user need only employ the rack of
the present invention along with a shell which he may already have, and
the additional purchase of a specially constructed shell is not required.
While the rack of the present invention provides unique capabilities of
utilization with a shell, it is evident that the rack functions as a
conventional rack and may be used without the shell.
The rack of the present invention is also supported directly on the
sidewalls of the truck bed so that heavy items may be supported in the
rack without relying upon the strength of the shell to support such items.
In addition, the rack of the present invention and the conventional shell
to be used with the rack are both bolted to the top of the truck bed
sidewalls, and either may be easily removed without disturbing the other
by simply removing the bolts and sliding either the shell or the rack off
the bed.
These and other advantages are provided by the present invention of a rack
adapted to be installed in combination with the shell in the bed of a
pickup truck. The rack comprises two opposed sets of upright posts. Each
set is adapted to extend upwardly on a plane generally parallel to one of
the sidewalls of the truck and outside of the sidewall. A pair of
horizontal side members is provided, each of which extends along the top
of one of the sets of posts and is supported thereby. Extending between
the side members is a plurality of horizontal cross members. A pair of
base plates are provided, each of which is disposed horizontally along the
bottom of one of the sets of posts and extends inwardly from the plane of
the posts to the sidewall of the truck bed. Means are provided for
fastening the inward portions of each of the base plates to the top of one
of the sidewalls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pickup truck having a rack of the present
invention installed in combination with a shell.
FIG. 2 is a detailed, perspective view of the bottom portion of the rack
showing its mounting to the sidewall of the pickup truck bed.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the portion of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is an inside, elevational view, taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring more particularly to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, there
is shown a conventional pickup truck 10 having a forward cab 11 and a
rearward bed 12 defined by a pair of sidewalls 13 and a tailgate 14. Each
of the sidewalls 13 is conventionally provided with a plurality of
vertically extending stake holes or post holes within which rack posts may
be inserted and has a flat upper surface 15 which may be used, for
example, for mounting of a shell, camper, or other structure within the
bed of the truck. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional shell 17 is mounted
in the bed 12 of the truck. The shell 17 provides a closed top to the bed
and has an open bottom, and is typically mounted directly on the top
surface 15 of the sidewalls 13. The sides of the shell 17 extend upwardly
directly over the sidewalls 13 and each side of the shell is provided with
an inwardly extending flange 18 (FIG. 2) which extends along the top
surface 15 of one of the sidewalls 13 so that the shell is supported on
the sidewalls. Each flange 18 is provided with a plurality of holes
through which bolts may be inserted to mount the shell to the truck.
Typically, bolts are inserted through the flange 18 and the top surface 15
of the sidewall to anchor the shell 17 to the truck bed.
In accordance with the present invention, a rack 20 is provided which may
be mounted in combination with the shell 17 on the pickup truck bed 12.
The rack 20 comprises two sets of upright posts 21 which extend vertically
on each side of the pickup truck bed 12. Each set of posts 21 extends in a
plane outside of the sidewalls 13 to provide clearance for the sides of
the shell 17, which extend upwardly directly over the sidewalls 13. As
shown in FIG. 1, two posts 21 are provided on each side of the truck.
However, more posts could be provided on each side if desired.
Extending between the posts 21 on each side of the truck is an upper side
member 22. Each side member 22 extends generally horizontally between the
posts 21 along the sides of the pickup truck bed 12 and supports the posts
on each side. Cross members 23 extend horizontally between the side
members 22 and the front and the back of the rack. The cross members 23
extend horizontally. The cross members 23 connect the posts 21 on each
side and the side members 22 and provide the support for articles which
will be carried on the rack, such as ladders, long pipe or conduit, siding
material, or other items. The cross members 23 extend across the rack at a
height greater than the height of the conventional shell 17, which is
typically the same height as that of the truck cab 11. The rack thus
provides a clearance for the shell 17 so that the shell may fit beneath
the cross members 23. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of the
invention, the cross members 23 extend between the posts 21. However, the
cross members 23 may also extend directly between the side members 22.
While two cross members 23 are shown in FIG. 1, additional cross members
may be provided in order to provide adequate support for the articles
being carried in the rack. The posts 21, the side members 22, and the
cross members 23 may be formed of tubular steel or other suitable material
which is conventionally used in rack construction.
In accordance with the present invention, the posts 21 are not mounted
directly to the sidewalls 13, but are mounted to base plates 25 each of
which extends inwardly from the plane of one of the sets of posts 21 to
the adjacent sidewall 13 of the truck, and help provide clearance in order
to accommodate the shell 17. Each of the base plates 25 is elongated and
extends horizontally along the top surface 15 of the sidewalls 13, and
extends laterally outwardly beyond the sidewalls 13. The bottom of the
posts 21 are securely attached, such as by welding, along the outer
portion of each base plate 25. The inward portion of each base plate 25 is
then secured to the sidewalls 13. In accordance with conventional means
for mounting shells, the base plate 25 is bolted to the top surface 15 of
the sidewall by bolts 27 (FIG. 4). The inward portion of each base plate
25 is provided with holes which correspond to the holes in the flange 18
of the shell. The bolts 27 are inserted through the holes in the flange 18
of the shell 17 and through the corresponding holes in the inward portion
of the base plate 25 and into the top surface 15 of the sidewalls 13 to
secure both the rack 20 and the shell 17 to the truck sidewalls 13.
The rack of the present invention thus provides a structure which is
capable of supporting articles for which a rack is generally used but
which provides clearance within the rack so that a conventional shell may
be mounted on the pickup truck simultaneously with the rack. In addition,
either the rack or the shell may be removed without disturbing the other.
To remove either the rack or the shell, the bolts 27 are removed and
either the rack or the shell may be slid rearwardly off the pickup truck
bed without disturbing the other.
While the invention has been shown and described with respect to a specific
embodiment thereof, this is intended for the purposes of illustration
rather than limitation and other variations and modifications to the
specific shown and described will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Accordingly, this patent is not to be limited to the specific embodiment
shown and described, nor in any other way which is inconsistent with the
extent to which the progress in the art has been advanced by this
invention.
* * * * *
|
|
 |
|
 |
Description |
|
