Patent ID: 6764268
Filing Date: 2004-07-20
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
In a ladder rack adapted to be attached to a utility vehicle to facilitate loading and unloading ladders onto and from the roof of said vehicle, the ladder rack including a front four-bar linkage assembly and a rear four-bar linkage assembly, each including a stationary bar member, a movable ladder support member and a pair of linkages operatively coupled between the stationary member and the movable ladder support member, the ladder rack further including an elongated drive shaft journaled for rotation in the stationary bar members of the front and rear four-bar linkage assemblies and connected to one of the pair of linkages comprising the front and rear four-bar linkage assemblies, the improvement comprising:an offset member rigidly affixed to an end portion of the movable ladder support member of the front four-bar linkage assembly and a bracket rigidly joined to the stationary bar member of the front four-bar linkage assembly and pivotally joined to the offset member a predetermined distance from a longitudinal axis of the movable ladder support member of the front four-bar linkage assembly such that rotation of the elongated drive shaft simultaneously rotates the movable ladder support members in unison between a generally horizontal disposition and a generally vertical disposition and with the ladder support member of the front four-bar linkage assembly at a higher elevation than the ladder support member of the rear four-bar linkage assembly when said ladder support members are vertically disposed.