Patent ID: 6554306
Filing Date: 2003-04-29
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
A wheel protection device for a vehicle of the type having a wheel mounted in a wheel well opening of a fender of a body of the vehicle, the fender having a front portion forward of the wheel well opening, the wheel protection device comprising:a mounting bracket for mounting on the front portion of the fender of the vehicle, said mounting bracket having a forward end and a rearward end; and a debris deflection member being attached to said mounting bracket and being adapted to extend below the fender of the vehicle forward of the wheel when said mounting bracket is mounted on the front portion of the fender, said debris deflection member having a top attached to said mounting bracket and a bottom free end extending away from said mounting bracket; wherein said debris deflection member has a curved outer surface for orienting in a forward direction on the vehicle to deflect debris laterally of a path of the rear wheel; and wherein the curved outer surface of said debris deflection member is curved about an axis of curvature positioned between the outer surface and the rearward end of said mounting bracket, said axis of curvature extending from said mounting bracket generally in a direction toward the bottom free end of said debris deflection member such that said axis of curvature is orientatable in a generally vertical direction when said mounting bracket is mounted on the forward portion of the fender; wherein the axis of curvature of said debris deflection member extends in a direction from the forward end of the mounting bracket toward the rearward end of the mounting bracket and extends in a direction away from a plane of the mounting bracket such that the debris deflection member is positioned in an orientation that slopes rearwardly and away from the fender of the vehicle when the mounting bracket is mounted on a bottom of the fender of the vehicle.