Vehicle Step

Many vehicles including pickup trucks, trucks and all-terrain type vehicles have a high clearance between the frame and the ground and lack any means of getting into the cab. Thus, it is particularly difficult for older people, women or handicapped people to climb into the cab of these kinds of vehicles. The step of this invention makes it possible to eliminate this problem with existing vehicles by attaching a step to the vehicle frame.

The vehicle step of this invention may be easily attached to the vehicle frame by being connected to the longitudinally extending side frame member through use of a pair of clamping plates having bolts positioned on the top and bottom sides of the vehicle frame member. A plurality of additional bolts extend in the opposite direction and on opposite sides of upstanding portions of a pair of support arms extending outwardly and downwardly and under the step for engagement with the side wall along the outer side of the step. The plate which forms the top wall of the step includes a side wall extending around the entire periphery. A pair of brace members extend from the same side wall of the step upwardly and into engagement with the upstanding portions of the support arm above the outwardly extending portions of the support arm. The support arms extending outwardly and downwardly at an angle eliminate the need for downwardly extending portions directly below the vehicle frame which would have a tendency to limit the clearance of the vehicle directly under the frame. Also, the support step may be readily removed as desired through operation of the connecting bolts.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side perspective view of a vehicle with the step of this invention attached to its frame.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle step alone.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view taken along line 3 -- 3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view taken along line 4 -- 4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the step only.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the step only.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the step only.

The vehicle step of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10 and is shown mounted on the side frame member 12 of a truck 14 having a cab door 16.

The vehicle step 10 includes a step 18 formed from a sheet of metal 20 having alternating elongated openings 22 and rows of circular holes 24 over its substantial area. A downwardly extending wall 26 is connected to the peripheral edge of the plate 20. A wall 26 along the long sides of the step includes inwardly turned portions parallel to the top plate while the side wall along the ends of the step has only the width of the wall thickness as seen in FIG. 7. Step 18 is wide enough to accommodate a person's two feet spaced apart in a normal comfortable position.

A pair of mounting arms 30 extend between the step 18 and the vehicle frame 12. Each of the mounting arms 30 include a tubular square in cross section arm portion 32 extending upwardly and laterally outwardly from under the step and engagement with the outer side wall 26 along the long side of the step 18 and the arm portion 32 terminates in an upstanding portion 34 perpendicular to the step 18. A rod brace 36 extends from the median portion of the upstanding portion 34 down to the inside side wall 26 just above the arm portion 32. It is seen that a maximum amount of clearance is provided directly under the upstanding portion 34 by the arm portion 32 extending angularly downwardly and outwardly rather than having the arm portion 32 and upstandingportion 34 extending at right angles to each other.

Mounting brackets 40 are provided and include a first pair of clamping plates 42 and 43 for embracing the frame member 12 of the vehicle 14 with locking bolts 44 on top and bottom sides thereof. The clamping plate 43 cooperates with a trio of horizontally oriented plates 50 positioned on the opposite side of the upstanding portion 34 to clamp the support arm 30 to the vehicle frame 12 through operation of the horizontally spaced apart bolts 52 connecting each plate 50 to the clamping plate 43. Bolts 40 and 52 are welded to opposite sides of the plate 43 and thus extend in opposite directions to engage the plates 42 and 50. It is thus seen that the clamping plates 42 and 43 allow for vertical adjustment of the step assembly 10 relative to the vehicle frame 12 and also the clamping plates 50 and 43 allow vertical adjustment of the support arm portions 34 relative to the bracket assemblies 40 to provide further vertical adjustment. Further horizontal adjustment is also possible on the frame member 12 as well as between the brackets 40 and the support arms 30.