Work vehicle with integrated ladder rack

摘要

An ergonomic ladder rack assembly mounted on the roof of a topper for a pick-up truck bed or on the roof of a cargo van, the topper having a ladder rack assembly mounted thereon, the ladder rack assembly designed to lift, move and return a ladder load between a stowed position atop the roof of the topper or van and a deployed position alongside of the vehicle. The roof of the topper or van has recessed areas formed therein for containing components of the ladder rack to thereby lower the height profile of the combination.

主权项

1. In combination, an automotive work vehicle and a ladder rack for facilitating the loading and unloading of at least one ladder onto and from the roof of the work vehicle,
a) a ladder rack having a front four-bar linkage assembly and a rear four-bar linkage assembly, each including a stationary bar member, a movable ladder support member and a pair of linkages operatively coupled between the stationary member and the movable ladder support member with an elongated drive shaft extending between and journaled for rotation in the stationary bar member of the front and rear four-bar linkage assemblies and connected to one of the pair of linkages comprising the front and rear four-bar linkage assemblies; b) the automotive work vehicle having compartment defined by a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of side walls and a roof supported by the front, rear and side walls; the roof including outwardly and downwardly sloping recesses proximate the front and rear walls and parallel thereto, the recesses having front and rear vertical surfaces joined by a bottom surface; c) the stationary bar members of the front and rear four-bar linkage assemblies being affixed to said bottom surfaces of the front and rear recesses, respectively, and with said drive shaft passing through an opening formed in the rear vertical surface of the front recess and an opening formed in the front vertical surface of the rear recess such that the drive shaft extends beneath the roof of the compartment, the combination being such that rotation of the drive shaft in a first direction simultaneously displaces the ladder support members from a location within the recesses to a location alongside one of the compartment's pair of side walls.