Patent ID: 7549692

Claim:
A compact ramp assembly for a tailgate of a pickup truck for loading and unloading equipment on and off the bed of the pickup truck, comprising: a hollow interior cavity formed within the tailgate; a unitary guide track disposed within the hollow interior cavity and mounted to the tailgate; the unitary guide track further including a transverse guide channel and a pair of longitudinal guide channels with the longitudinal guide channels connected to the transverse guide channel; a pair of connection plates mounted to the unitary guide track and capable of slidable adjustable movement along the transverse guide channel and the longitudinal guide channels; a pair of locking hinges with one locking hinge attached to each connection plate and each locking hinge capable of independent pivotal motion with respect to the other locking hinge; the locking hinges capable of pivoting between zero and 90 degrees; a pair of ramps with each ramp secured to each respective locking hinge and the ramps pivoting concomitant with the pivotable motion of the locking hinges; each ramp including at least three ramp members with the ramp members being telescopically extensible and retractable with respect to each other; and whereupon opening the tailgate allows the ramps to be extended so that the locking hinges and the ramps can pivot and the ramp members can telescopically extend for contacting the ground surface whereby the equipment is positioned on the ramp members and directed up the ramp members for loading the equipment on the bed of the pickup truck and the equipment is directed down the ramp members for unloading off the bed of the pickup truck.