Vise swivel mount

A vise swivel mount is disclosed for use in a vehicle which includes a swivel socket bolting directly to the bed of the vehicle. A swivel column rotatively secures within the swivel socket and carries a horizontal vise support arm and vise support plate in spaced relationship over the vehicle bed. A telescoping support column extends from the bottom of the vise support plate to the vehicle bed and is vertically adjustable to support the vise in a desired vertical elevation. A spring pin is movable between the swivel socket and the swivel column to enter any one of a plurality of circular spaced openings provided in the swivel column to thereby lock the vise in any desired circularly adjusted position relative to the vehicle bed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention: 
The present invention relates generally to tools, and more particularly, it 
relates to a vise swivel mount for attachment to the bed of a truck to 
permit a vise to be secured and readily transported for use in a plurality 
of circularly adjusted positions. 
2. Discussion of the Prior Art: 
Tools such as vises are extremely useful in holding work pieces in a 
stationary, sturdy manner whereby a worker can perform various operations 
on the work piece as it is held firmly in the vise. While most vises are 
securely bolted or clamped to a workbench for use in a shop, quite 
frequently some workers must travel from job site to job site and must 
carry a vise with them for use at the various discrete locations in 
conjunction with the work to be performed. In such instances, it is now 
the common practice for the worker to simply bolt the vise directly to a 
sturdy portion of his vehicle so that the vise can be available when 
required at the various, spaced locations. 
Inasmuch as such vises are normally heavy, bulky and unwieldy, by bolting 
the vise to a vehicle in a fixed location, the prior workers have found 
that it is frequently in the way and creates a nuisance when performing 
other aspects of the work at the job site. The vise must be accessible for 
use near the rear end of the vehicle so that work pieces can be easily 
secured and removed from the vise whenever necessary without the worker 
having to actually enter the vehicle to perform the desired work 
operations. This rearward location then will position the vise directly in 
the major path of ingress and egress from the vehicle, thereby interfering 
with other operations normally performed by the workmen. Accordingly, the 
need remains to provide a convenient method of transporting a vise for use 
at various spaced job sites in a manner whereby the vise can be readily 
available for work when necessary, and can be positioned out of the main 
flow of traffic into and out of the vehicle so as not to interfere with 
the normal use of the vehicle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to tools such as vises, and more 
particularly, is directed to an apparatus suitable to mount a vise in a 
vehicle in a manner to render the vise easily available for use when 
necessary and which is capable of positioning the vise in a location that 
is away from the main path of entry into and exit from the vehicle. 
A swivel mount for a vise that is suitable for direct connection to the bed 
of a truck, such as pick-up truck has been developed which includes a 
sturdy base which vertically supports an upwardly open swivel socket and 
which is adapted to be secured directly to the truck, such as by bolting. 
A swivel column is rotatable within the socket and upwardly carries a 
horizontal vise support arm. The vise support arm terminates outwardly in 
a support bed to which the portable vise can be securely bolted, clamped 
or otherwise affixed. Preferably, the swivel mount base is secured to the 
truck bed immediately adjacent to one of the truck sidewalls whereby the 
vise support arm and the vise can be rotated to a position that is 
immediately along side of the sidewall when the vise is being transported 
and is otherwise not being used. 
After the vehicle has been driven to the job site and it is desired to use 
the vise, the swivel column with the connected vise support arm and the 
vise can be rotated or swiveled relative to the base supported socket. In 
this manner, the vise can be rotated away from the truck sidewall to any 
one of a number of more accessible, conveniently located, work positions. 
Once the vise has been swiveled or rotated to the desired work position, 
the swivel column can be locked within the swivel socket to thereby 
maintain the vise in the desired, selected location. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
swivel mount for a vise of the type set forth. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel swivel 
mount for a vise that is suitable for attaching directly to the bed of a 
truck or other vehicle and which is capable of being transported while 
locked in one position and which is adapted to be rotated to a more 
accessible position when it is intended to use the vise. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel swivel 
mount for a vise comprising a base securely bolted to a truck bed, an 
upwardly open swivel socket welded or otherwise affixed to the base, a 
swivel column rotatable within the swivel socket between any one of a 
number of circularly adjusted positions, a horizontal vise support arm 
affixed to the top of the swivel column, the vise support arm terminating 
outwardly in a vise support bed and a telescoping, movable support column 
affixed to the arm below the vise support bed to support the vise in any 
one of its circularly rotated work positions. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel swivel 
mount for a vise that is inexpensive in manufacture, sturdy in 
construction and trouble free when in use. 
Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by 
referring to the following description and claims of a preferred 
embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, 
wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the 
several views and in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake 
of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular 
structure of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and 
are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention. 
Referring now to the drawings, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the swivel 
mount 10 for a vise 68 is intended for permanent installation upon the bed 
14 of a worker's truck 12 so that the vise 68 can be readily available 
directly at a job site whenever required. As illustrated, the base 18 of 
the swivel mount preferably is affixed to the truck bed 14 adjacent to a 
sidewall 82 and near the rear terminus 84 of the truck bed 14. By mounting 
the base 18 in this position, the vise 68 can be conveniently rotated and 
stored immediately adjacent to or against the sidewall 82 of the truck 
when not in use and when the vehicle is being moved to thereby be 
positioned in an unobtrusive location. This will then leave the remainder 
of the truck available for other uses, for example, the storage and 
transportation of various tools and supplies. When the vise is to be used, 
after providing the required clearance, the vise can be rotated or 
swiveled about the base 18 to a desired circularly adjusted location. 
The base 18 of the swivel mount 10 is provided with a plurality of openings 
20, 22, 24 to receive the base mounting bolts 26, 28, 30, 32 therethrough. 
In a preferred construction, a base mounting plate 34 is positioned below 
the bottom surface of the truck bed 14 and is provided with a plurality of 
bolt receiving openings 36, 38, 40, 42. Accordingly, by placing the base 
18 upon the truck bed 14, the base openings 20, 22, 24 can be utilized as 
a template to drill holes directly through the truck bed construction. The 
parts can then be secured together both above and below the truck bed by 
employing conventional base mounting bolts 26, 28, 30, 32 and securing 
nuts 44, 46, 48, 50. 
A hollow, cylindrical swivel socket 52 is welded or otherwise securely 
affixed to the base 18 in a manner to project its open upper end 88 
vertically upwardly. A spring pin 54 is provided in a suitable opening 
formed in the swivel socket sidewall 86 whereby the pin can enter the 
hollow interior of the swivel socket 52 for securing the swivel column 56 
in a circularly adjusted position in the manner hereinafter more fully set 
forth. 
A tubular swivel column 56 rotatively positions within the hollow interior 
of the swivel socket 52 and is provided with a plurality of circularly 
spaced locking openings 58, 60 in vertical alignment with the spring pin 
54. Accordingly, by inserting the swivel column downwardly through the 
open end 88 of the swivel socket 52, the plurality of locking openings 58, 
60 can be brought into vertical alignment with the spring pin 54. Then, by 
pulling the spring pin 54 outwardly and turning the swivel column 56 
relative to the swivel socket 52, any one of the adjustment or locking 
openings 58, 60 can be brought into alignment with the spring pin 54. When 
the desired adjustment opening 56, 58 is rotated into alignment with the 
spring pin 54, the spring can be released to allow the pin to enter the 
selected locking opening 58, 60 to thereby lock the swivel column 56 in a 
desired circularly rotated location within the swivel socket 54. 
A horizontal vise support arm 62 is welded or otherwise secured to the top 
of the swivel column 56 whereby the swivel column and the vise support arm 
will be rotated as a unit when it is desired to circularly rotate the vise 
68. If desired, a reinforcing strut 64 may be secured between the outer 
periphery of the swivel column 56 and the underside of the vise support 
arm 62 for reinforcing purposes in known manner. A vise mounting bed or 
plate 66 is endwardly affixed to the vise support arm 62 and is provided 
with suitable openings to receive the vise clamping bolts 70 therethrough 
to rigidly secure the vise 68 to the vise support arm 62. A telescoping 
support column 72 comprising a movable, telescoping lower member 74 and 
bottomly affixed column support plate 76 is affixed to the underside of 
the vise support arm 62 immediately beneath the vise 68 for vise support 
purposes. An adjustment or locking handle 78 is movable through an 
adjustment opening 80 provided in the stationary arm of the support column 
72 to permit vertical adjustment of the column support base as may be 
necessary to accommodate differences in elevation between the truck bed 14 
and the truck tailgate 16 or other constructions utilized to support the 
vise 68. 
Still referring to FIG. 1, and further considering FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, when 
it is desired to transport the vise 68 to the job site, the spring pin 54 
can be pulled outwardly until the pin clears the adjustment openings 58, 
60 provided in the swivel column 56. With the column thus freed, the vise 
68 can be rotated about the swivel socket 52 to the desired circularly 
rotated location, immediately adjacent to the truck sidewall. Upon arrival 
at the job site, the vise can be rotated to any one of a number of 
circularly rotated positions. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the 
vise 68 can be positioned centrally of the truck 12 near the rear end 84 
of the truck bed 14. By rotating the vise, the attached vise support arm 
68 and the swivel column 56 as a unit while pulling the spring pin, one of 
the locking or adjustment openings 58, 60 can be brought into alignment 
with the spring pin 54. The spring pin can then be released to enter the 
aligned adjustment opening 58, 60 to thereby lock the swivel column 56 and 
the attached vise support arm 62 and vise 68 in the work position 
illustrated in FIG. 3. 
Similarly, if it is desired to position and lock the vise 68 outwardly of 
the truck bed 14, the spring pin 54 can be pulled outwardly until the vise 
support arm 62, the vise 68 and the telescoping support column 72 are 
angularly located and positioned upon the truck tailgate 16 in the manner 
illustrated in FIG. 4. One of the adjustment openings 58, 60 can be 
brought into alignment with the spring pin 54 whereby release of the 
spring pin will secure the swivel column 56 in this circularly adjusted 
position. The vise 68 can also be similarly located near the outward end 
of the truck tailgate 16, if so desired, upon further rotation of the 
swivel column 56 and vise support arm 62 relative to the swivel socket to 
the position illustrated in FIG. 5. Again, the spring pin 54 can be pulled 
outwardly until one of the adjustment openings 58, 60 aligns with the 
spring pin to secure the parts in this circularly adjusted position. As 
hereinbefore set forth, the telescoping column 72 can be vertically 
adjusted as necessary to provide firm vertical support for the vise 68 in 
any of its circularly adjusted positions. 
Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of 
particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made 
only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of 
construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted 
to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the 
scope of the invention should not be limited by the foregoing 
specification, but rather, only by the scope of the claims appended 
hereto.