Patent ID: 6042923
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: B60P,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A ramp assembly for all-terrain vehicles for facilitating loading and unloading of an all-terrain vehicle from a pickup truck, the ramp assembly comprising:a housing having a hollow interior, said housing being adapted for positioning between a pair of opposing side walls of a bed of a pickup truck, the housing having a generally rectangular configuration, the housing having a planar top wall, a planar bottom wall, a short front wall, opposed long side walls and an open rear wall;wherein said housing further includes a central divider panel extending between interior surfaces of the top and bottom walls thereby dividing said hollow interior of the housing into two chambers;at least one roller positioned along a length of each of said two chambers, said at least one roller having a longitudinal axis oriented transverse to a longitudinal axis of an associated one of said two chambers, the opposed long side walls each having a pair of mounting tabs extending outwardly front the opposed long side walls, each of said mounting tabs being offset from all associated end of a respective one of said opposed long side walls, each of the mounting tabs having an aperture therethrough; anda pair of support ramps, each of said support ramps being slidably received within a respective one of the two chambers of the housing, each of the support ramps including an inner segment and an outer segment;a hinge coupled between an outer end of the inner segment and an inner end of the outer segment whereby said outer segment is pivotable such that an outer end of the outer segment is adapted to be positionable against a ground surface; andsaid at least one roller having a unitary long cylindrical member having a smooth outer surface for abutting a central portion of an underside surface of an associated one of said support ramps, said at least one roller abutting against a medial portion of said associated support ramp for providing support to said associated support ramp along a transverse axis of said associated support ramp.