GB2037932A - Bumper for Goods Vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

A bumper arrangement for fitting to the rear of a goods vehicle to protect the vehicle from low speed impact as its back end is being backed up to a loading bay comprises U- shaped sleeves 18, 20 of resilient flexible material supported by clamping strips 26, 28 inserted through hollow parts of respective sleeves and each secured at one end to a respective rear corner post 14, 16 or support lug and at the other end 30, 32 to the rear cross-member 12. By unfastening the ends 30, 32 of the strips 26, 28 the sleeves 18, 20 may easily be replaced. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bumper for Goods Vehicles The present invention relates to a bumper arrangement for fitting to the rear of goods vehicles such as trailers, semi-trailers or rigid trucks having van, TIR tilt, curtain sided or flat platform bodies.

It is a common practice to fit goods vehicles with rear bumper bars which in the event of collision with the vehicle from the rear, for example by a motor car, prevent the following vehicle from passing under the load platform.

More recently, however, the need has become recognised for additional protection of the vehicle.

This additional protection is needed when the vehicle is backed-up to a loading bay and which can take up low speed impact between the vehicle and the bay. The conventional way of mounting this additional protection, called a rear bumper stop is by bolting the bumper stop directly to the cross member, but with this method of attachment the rear bumper stop is prone to break away from the rear cross member, in which case a new rear bumper stop is time consuming and expensive to fit. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved method for attachment of a rear bumper stop to a goods vehicle.

Broadly stated the invention provides a road going goods vehicle including a rear cross member at the back end of a load platform, left hand and right hand rear corner posts or support lugs, left hand and right hand sleeves of resilient flexible material, and left hand and right hand clamping members inserted through the hollow parts of the respective sleeves and each secured at one end to a respective corner post or support lug and at the other end to the rear cross member to hold the sleeves against the rear cross member to opposite sides of the vehicle.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 Is a rear view of a semi-trailer van to which rear bumper stops according to the invention are fitted; Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear cross member and corner posts showing the way in which the corner posts are attached; and Figure 3 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 2.

In Figure 1, a semi-trailer van has a floor or load platform 10 and a rear cross member 12 which, as is more clearly apparent from Figure 3 is a two part fabricated steel box section. Rear corner posts 14 and 1 6 are secured to the ends of the cross member 12. Left hand and right hand tubular members 1 8 and 20 respectively are secured along the rear vertical face 22 (Figure 3) of the rear cross member. Each tubular member 1 8, 20 is made of rubber or other suitable resilient material and is of D-section. The flat portion 24 of the D-sectioned members 1 8 and 20 is held in contact with the face 22 of the rear cross member by means of a respective steel clamping strip 26 or 28.The outer ends of the clamping strips locate in slots at the base of the rear corner posts 14 and 16 and the inner ends 30 and 32 are forwardly offset so as to contact the face 22 of the rear cross member, to which they may be bolted or otherwise attached. It will be noted that the bump rubbers 18 and 20 occupy a major portion, more than 2/3, of the width of the vehicle.

Replacement of a damaged bump rubber can be carried out merely by unfastening the offsst inner ends 30 and 32 of the clamping strips from the rear cross member, sliding the old bump rubbers 1 8, 20 off the clamping strips, and sliding on new bump rubbers. Furthermore the clamping strips 26, 28 are easy to replace since they are merely a push fit in slots in the respective rear corner posts.

Various modifications may be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A road going goods vehicle including a rear cross member at the back end of a load platform, first and second rear corner posts or support lugs, first and second bumper sleeves of resilient flexible material and first and second clamping members inserted through the hollow parts of respective bumper sleeves and each secured at one end to a respective corner post or support lug and at the other end to the rear cross member to hold the sleeves against the rear cross member to opposite sides of the vehicle.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bumper sleeve is a hollow rubber moulding.

3. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear face of the rear cross member is planar and downwardly directed, and the bumper sleeve is of D-section with the flat base of the D lying in contact with the rear face of the cross member.

4. A road going goods vehicle including first and second sleeves of resilient material mounted on the rear cross member thereof, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Bumper for Goods Vehicles The present invention relates to a bumper arrangement for fitting to the rear of goods vehicles such as trailers, semi-trailers or rigid trucks having van, TIR tilt, curtain sided or flat platform bodies. It is a common practice to fit goods vehicles with rear bumper bars which in the event of collision with the vehicle from the rear, for example by a motor car, prevent the following vehicle from passing under the load platform. More recently, however, the need has become recognised for additional protection of the vehicle. This additional protection is needed when the vehicle is backed-up to a loading bay and which can take up low speed impact between the vehicle and the bay. The conventional way of mounting this additional protection, called a rear bumper stop is by bolting the bumper stop directly to the cross member, but with this method of attachment the rear bumper stop is prone to break away from the rear cross member, in which case a new rear bumper stop is time consuming and expensive to fit. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved method for attachment of a rear bumper stop to a goods vehicle. Broadly stated the invention provides a road going goods vehicle including a rear cross member at the back end of a load platform, left hand and right hand rear corner posts or support lugs, left hand and right hand sleeves of resilient flexible material, and left hand and right hand clamping members inserted through the hollow parts of the respective sleeves and each secured at one end to a respective corner post or support lug and at the other end to the rear cross member to hold the sleeves against the rear cross member to opposite sides of the vehicle. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 Is a rear view of a semi-trailer van to which rear bumper stops according to the invention are fitted; Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear cross member and corner posts showing the way in which the corner posts are attached; and Figure 3 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 2. In Figure 1, a semi-trailer van has a floor or load platform 10 and a rear cross member 12 which, as is more clearly apparent from Figure 3 is a two part fabricated steel box section. Rear corner posts 14 and 1 6 are secured to the ends of the cross member 12. Left hand and right hand tubular members 1 8 and 20 respectively are secured along the rear vertical face 22 (Figure 3) of the rear cross member. Each tubular member 1 8, 20 is made of rubber or other suitable resilient material and is of D-section. The flat portion 24 of the D-sectioned members 1 8 and 20 is held in contact with the face 22 of the rear cross member by means of a respective steel clamping strip 26 or 28.The outer ends of the clamping strips locate in slots at the base of the rear corner posts 14 and 16 and the inner ends 30 and 32 are forwardly offset so as to contact the face 22 of the rear cross member, to which they may be bolted or otherwise attached. It will be noted that the bump rubbers 18 and 20 occupy a major portion, more than 2/3, of the width of the vehicle. Replacement of a damaged bump rubber can be carried out merely by unfastening the offsst inner ends 30 and 32 of the clamping strips from the rear cross member, sliding the old bump rubbers 1 8, 20 off the clamping strips, and sliding on new bump rubbers. Furthermore the clamping strips 26, 28 are easy to replace since they are merely a push fit in slots in the respective rear corner posts. Various modifications may be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. Claims

1. A road going goods vehicle including a rear cross member at the back end of a load platform, first and second rear corner posts or support lugs, first and second bumper sleeves of resilient flexible material and first and second clamping members inserted through the hollow parts of respective bumper sleeves and each secured at one end to a respective corner post or support lug and at the other end to the rear cross member to hold the sleeves against the rear cross member to opposite sides of the vehicle.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bumper sleeve is a hollow rubber moulding.

3. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear face of the rear cross member is planar and downwardly directed, and the bumper sleeve is of D-section with the flat base of the D lying in contact with the rear face of the cross member.

4. A road going goods vehicle including first and second sleeves of resilient material mounted on the rear cross member thereof, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.