Patent ID: 8596682

Claim:
A load mounting system for a vehicle, including: (a) a support assembly configured for supporting a load, wherein the support assembly has a substantially vertical component having first and second ends and defining an inner substantially vertical plane and a substantially horizontal component having first and second ends and defining an inner substantially horizontal plane, wherein the first end of the substantially vertical component is connected with the first end of the substantially horizontal component, at least a portion of the substantially vertical component being mountable to a frame of a vehicle at one or more support assembly mounting locations along the longitudinal axis of the frame and, when mounted, the substantially horizontal component is configured to extend from the frame of the vehicle for supporting a load, such that the load has positive contact with at least a portion of the inner substantially vertical plane and at least a portion of the inner substantially horizontal plane; (b) first and second attachment members extending along at least a portion of the respective second ends of the substantially vertical component and the substantially horizontal component, wherein the second attachment member is positioned at or below the substantially horizontal plane, wherein the first and second attachment members each include an elongate slot; and (c) at least one retaining device configured for securing the load on the support assembly, the at least one retaining device being coupleable to the first and second attachment members, wherein the at least one retaining device is movable from a first coupling position to the first and second attachment members to a second coupling position to the first and second attachment members, and wherein the at least one retaining device is coupleable to the first and second attachment members at a different axis location than the support assembly mounting locations along the longitudinal axis of the frame, wherein the at least one retaining device is slidably movable within the elongate slots of the first and second attachment members.