Patent Publication Number: US-2023136905-A1

Title: Draw bar stowage

Description:
INTRODUCTION 
     The subject disclosure relates to draw bar storage. More particularly, the disclosure relates to draw bar storage for pickup truck applications. 
     Pickup trucks are commonly used for towing trailers, campers and the like using a receiver hitch and removable draw bar. It may be desirable to remove the draw bar from the receiver hitch when not in use to deter theft of the draw bar and unintended discovery with one&#39;s shin. The draw bar may be stored loose in the open pickup bed but such stowage does little to deter theft and, being unsecured, may slide around or be ejected from the bed. Commonly, vehicle operators choose to store draw bars within the pickup cab when not in use. Draw bars are heavy and irregularly shaped, making storage in the pickup cab challenging. Additionally, draw bars may be grimy and greasy and undesirable for the interior of a pickup cab. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one exemplary embodiment, a draw bar stowage apparatus includes a bed floor in a cargo box of a pickup truck defining a first opening large enough to accept an insertion end of a draw bar but too small to pass a coupling end of the draw bar. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the first opening may include a flanged opening. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the first opening may be positioned rearward of a wheel well. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the first opening may be positioned between a sidewall of the cargo box and a main floor region of the bed floor that is delimited by the wheel wells. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the first opening may be positioned forward of a wheel well. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the first opening may be positioned between a sidewall of the cargo box and a main floor region of the bed floor that is delimited by the wheel wells. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may include a bracket beneath the bed floor and defining a second opening large enough to accept the insertion end of the draw bar. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the bracket may be attached to the bed floor. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the bracket may be attached to a lateral cross member attached to the bed floor. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may include an escutcheon lining the first opening. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the escutcheon may extend from a bed protection panel covering a portion of the bed floor. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may include a sidewall protection panel extending from the bed protection panel and covering a portion of a sidewall of the cargo box. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may include an adjustable tether coupled to one of the bed floor and a sidewall of the cargo box and configured for retaining the coupling end of a stowed draw bar. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may include a removable plug for insertion into the escutcheon. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may include a removable plug for insertion into the escutcheon and flexibly attached to the bed protection panel. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a draw bar stowage apparatus may include a cargo box of a pickup truck including a bed floor, sidewalls and wheel wells, the bed floor of the cargo box including a main floor region laterally delimited by the wheel wells and floor regions forward and rearward of the wheel wells and delimited by the wheel wells, the sidewalls and the main floor region. One of the floor regions forward and rearward of the wheel wells may define a first opening through the bed floor large enough to accept an insertion end of a draw bar but too small to pass a coupling end of the draw bar. A bracket may be beneath the bed floor and define a second opening large enough to accept the insertion end of the draw bar. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the one of the floor regions forward and rearward of the wheel wells may include a floor region rearward of a wheel well. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the apparatus may further include a bed protector including a bed protection panel and an inner wall protection panel wherein the bed protection panel includes an aperture aligned with the first opening through the bed floor. 
     In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the one of the floor regions forward and rearward of the wheel wells may include a floor region rearward of a wheel well. The apparatus may further include a bed protector including a bed protection panel and an inner wall protection panel wherein the bed protection panel includes an aperture aligned with the first opening through the bed floor, and an adjustable tether coupled to one of the bed floor and a sidewall of the cargo box and configured for retaining the coupling end of a stowed draw bar. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment, a draw bar stowage apparatus may include a cargo box of a pickup truck including a bed floor, sidewalls and wheel wells, the bed floor of the cargo box including a main floor region laterally delimited by the wheel wells and a floor region rearward of a wheel well and delimited by the wheel well, a sidewall and the main floor region. A floor region rearward of a wheel well may define a first opening through the bed floor large enough to accept an insertion end of a draw bar but too small to pass a coupling end thereof. A bracket may be attached to the bed floor and positioned beneath the bed floor and define a second opening large enough to accept the insertion end of the draw bar. A bed protector may include a bed protection panel, an inner wall protection panel, and an escutcheon inserted into the first opening. A removable plug for insertion into the escutcheon may be flexibly attached to the bed protection panel. An adjustable tether may be coupled to the cargo box and configured for retaining the coupling end of a stowed draw bar. 
     The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the disclosure are readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features, advantages and details appear, by way of example only, in the following detailed description, the detailed description referring to the drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a portion of a pickup truck showing one side of a cargo box bed area including a sidewall and a substantially horizontal bed floor, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates an outer bed panel including a wheel well and a bed panel located to the rear of the wheel well, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an exemplary bed protector including a bed protection panel and an inner wall protection panel installed to the bed area behind the wheel well, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a sectional view through a portion of the bed area behind the wheel well as denoted by the section line  4 - 4  viewed in the direction of the arrows as shown in  FIG.  3   , in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    illustrates an alternate view of the bed area from beneath the bed floor and includes a draw bar in a stowed position, in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  6   . illustrates an alternate view of a stowed draw bar including drop and hitch ball and an embodiment of a tether, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
     In accordance with various features and embodiments, a draw bar stowage system for a pickup bed is described herein. A draw bar stowage system in accordance with various embodiments may stow draw bars of varying lengths, including extended length draw bars used for increasing the freedom of articulation and preventing trailer interference with the rear of the tow vehicle. A draw bar stowage system in accordance with various embodiments may be integrated into the pickup bed cargo box and is adaptable to various cargo box configurations such as no cargo box liner, spray on cargo box liners and drop-in cargo box liners. Advantageously, a draw bar stowage system in accordance with various embodiments maintains the draw bar mass low in the cargo box and manages the momentum of the substantial mass of the draw bar through the pickup bed cargo box structure. 
     With reference to  FIG.  1   , a portion of a pickup truck  101  is illustrated showing one side of a cargo box bed area  112  including sidewalls  105  and a substantially horizontal bed floor  113 . A hinged tailgate  103  may also be located between sidewalls  105  at the rear of the cargo box. The sidewall  105  may include an outer wall  107  and a substantially vertical inner wall  109 . The bed floor  113  may include several panels including an inner bed panel  118  configuring a main floor region between wheel wells  111 . An outer bed panel  114  may include wheel well  111  and a bed panel  116 . Thus, a main floor region is laterally delimited by the wheel wells, and floor regions forward and rearward of the wheel wells are delimited by the wheel wells, the sidewalls and the main floor region. The outer wall  107 , inner wall  109 , outer bed panels  114  and inner bed panel  118  may be formed from steel, other metal alloys, plastics or composite material. For the purposes of this disclosure, steel is the assumed material for the outer wall  107 , inner wall  109 , outer bed panels  114  and inner bed panel  118 . Alternate bed floor  113  configurations are envisioned including a unitary structure including wheel wells and all bed floor features. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates an outer bed panel  114  including a wheel well  111  and a bed panel  116  located to the rear of (i.e., behind) the wheel well  111 . Though not illustrated, the outer bed panel  114  may include another bed panel located to the front of (i.e., forward) the wheel well  111 . Although the described embodiments are focused on the area of the bed floor  113  behind the wheel well  111 , it is understood that alternative embodiments are applicable to other areas of the bed floor  113  including forward of the wheel well  111 . The bed panel  116  behind the wheel well  111  includes opening  121  which may be a flanged opening as shown and which is dimensioned large enough to pass the inserted portion of a draw bar, for example, a standard 2-inch by 2-inch draw bar. The flanged opening  121  may be formed during fabrication of the outer bed panel  114 , for example with well-known metal feature forming and stamping processes including punching, die forming, drawing, rolling and cutting to name a few. In accordance with one embodiment, an escutcheon  123  may line the opening  121  with the interior dimensions of the escutcheon  123  being dimensioned large enough to pass the insertion end of a draw bar but too small to pass the coupling end thereof (e.g., the end with a drop and hitch ball). The escutcheon  123  may be part of a larger bed protector  115 . The bed protector  115  may include a bed protection panel  117  integrated with the escutcheon  123  with the escutcheon extending therefrom and defining an aperture aligned with the opening  121 . The bed protector  115  may further include an inner wall protection panel  119 . The escutcheon  123 , bed protection panel  117  and inner wall protection panel  119  are functional to prevent metal to metal contact between an inserted draw bar (including drop and hitch ball) and the flanged opening  121 , bed panel  116  and inner wall  109 , thereby advantageously avoiding undesirable noise, damage, and wear. The escutcheon  123  and bed protector  115  may be manufactured from any suitable material including, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, flexible PVC, nylon, ABS, etc. 
     Additional reference to  FIG.  3    shows an exemplary bed protector  115  including a bed protection panel  117  and an inner wall protection panel  119  installed to the panel  116  behind the wheel well  111 . The bed protection panel  117  is generally horizontal and fits substantially flush against the bed panel  116  and the inner wall protection panel  119  is substantially vertical and fits substantially flush against the inner wall  109 . The escutcheon  123  fits into the flanged opening  121  and provides retention by friction fit or through mechanical retention such as barb features  128  shown in the partial sectional view of  FIG.  4   . Alternative or additional retention to the inner wall  109  or bed panel  116  may be included, for example by additional plastic retention features or threaded fasteners, for example. In accordance with one embodiment, a flexible plug  125  may be provided for selectively covering the opening through the escutcheon  123 . Such a plug  125  may be formed from silicone or a hard natural or synthetic rubber material, for example, and may simply retain by interference fit with the interior surface of the escutcheon  123 . Flexible plug  125  is illustrated uninstalled to the escutcheon  123  in the main portion of  FIG.  3    and installed to the escutcheon  123  in the inset portion of  FIG.  3   . The Flexible plug  125  may be flexibly attached to the bed protector  115 , for example as shown by a plug  127  in the partial sectional view of  FIG.  4   . 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a sectional view through a portion of the panel  116  behind the wheel well  111  as denoted by the section line  4 - 4  viewed in the direction of the arrows as shown in  FIG.  3   .  FIG.  4   , in addition to illustrating the features above the bed floor  113  including bed panel  116 , also illustrates features beneath the bed floor  113 .  FIG.  5    is an alternate view of the bed area  112  from beneath the bed floor  113 . The bed floor  113  may include a plurality of cross members  131  which run side to side or laterally across the underside of the bed floor  113 . Cross members  131  may be spaced along the length of the floor bed  113 , for example approximately every 46-61 cm. A floor assembly may include the outer bed panels  114  and inner bed panel  118  ( FIG.  1   ) welded or otherwise fastened to the cross members  131 . The floor assembly may be part of the cargo box  112  which may include the sidewalls  105  and a front wall or bulkhead (not shown). The cross members  131  are structural members that are fastened to the frame rails (not shown) with bolts inserted from below and fastened to weld nuts at the interior bottom of the cross members  131  thereby joining the cargo box to the frame structure. A shaped bracket  133  may be welded between a cross member  131  that is adjacent the flanged opening  121  and the underside of the bed panel  116  on the opposite side of the flanged opening  121  such that the bracket  133  is beneath the flanged opening and spaced therefrom. The bracket  133  includes an opening  135  which may be a flanged opening as shown and which is dimensioned large enough to pass the insertion end of a draw bar, for example, a standard 2-inch by 2-inch draw bar. The flanged opening  135  is aligned beneath the flanged opening  121  and is spaced therefrom. In one embodiment, as illustrated, the flanged opening  135  of bracket  133  does not include an escutcheon; however, an escutcheon like escutcheon  123  associated with the flanged opening  121  in bed panel  116  may be employed for similar functionality. Alternative bracket configurations are possible. For example, an alternative bracket may be a U-shaped hat bracket  136  having a portion defining an opening  137  and two free ends  138  that may be welded to the underside of the bed panel  116  on opposite sides of the flanged opening  121 . Such a bracket is illustrated in the inset of  FIG.  5   . 
     As best illustrated in  FIG.  5   , an exemplary draw bar  145  is shown and has an insertion end  149  inserted through the flanged opening  121  and escutcheon  123  in bed panel  116  and through the flanged opening  135  of bracket  133 . The draw bar  145  has a drop  146  including a hitch ball  148 , wherein the drop  146  provides an interference stop to the insertion of the draw bar  145 . Thus, in an embodiment as illustrated including a bed protector  115 , the drop  146  may rest against the bed protection panel  117  when the draw bar  145  is stowed.  FIG.  6    provides an alternate view of a stowed draw bar  145  and drop  146  providing an interference stop as described. The draw bar may include a mounting hole  147  used to secure the draw bar to a receiver hitch at the back of the vehicle with a pin. In one embodiment, the mounting hole  147  may be located beneath the flanged opening  121  and escutcheon  123  in bed panel  116  and above the bracket  133  when the draw bar  145  is stowed. In another embodiment, the mounting hole may be located beneath the bracket  133  when the draw bar  145  is stowed. In either arrangement, the draw bar  145  may be secured from removal by insertion of a pin through the mounting hole preventing draw bar  145  removal or unintentional release from stowage. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates one embodiment of a draw bar fastening system to prevent the unintended release of a stowed draw bar  145 . The fastening system may include a tether such as a flexible strap  151 , for example a nylon textile or similar and a cinching buckle or tension lock. The flexible strap  151  may be attached to the inner wall  109  or bed panel  116  such as by a threaded fastener passing through the bed protector  115  and fixedly attaching the flexible strap  151 . Alternately, the flexible strap  151 , or alternate tether such as a lockable cable, chain or equivalent may be fed through a D-ring or other pass through feature which is attached to the inner wall  109  or bed panel  116 . The tether is primarily concerned with preventing upward movement of the draw bar, not retention or prevention of fore-aft or lateral movement of the draw bar  145 . Fore-aft and lateral movement of the draw bar  145  is managed via the bed panel  116  and bracket  133 . 
     While the above disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from its scope. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but will include all embodiments falling within the scope thereof.