AU2007101225A4 - Bullbar - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: APV Automotive Components Pty Ltd David Stevens DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia Innovation Patent specification for the invention entitled:

"BULLBAR"

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:

BULLBAR

SThe present invention relates to a bullbar assembly for a vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved means of mounting a bullbar to a vehicle.

t In order that load can be adequately transferred from a bullbar to the vehicle to which it is C mounted, the bullbar is typically fixed to the chassis rails of the vehicle. To this end, bullbars are typically provided with rearwardly extending tubes, which are integrally formed with the bullbar structure, the tubes being spaced to receive the forward ends of the vehicle chassis rails, which are rectangular in cross-section. The tubes, which are similarly rectangular in cross-section, receive bolts through top and side walls thereof, which are in turn received through mating top and side walls of the chassis rail to bolt the tubes, and thus the bullbar, to the chassis rails.

In order to ensure that the bullbar will not move relative to the chassis when loaded, it is necessary that the top wall and a side wall of each tube be fixed against the top wall and a corresponding side wall, respectively, of the respective rail. However, due to manufacturing tolerances, the spacing between the chassis rails can vary from one vehicle to another, as can the width and the height of either rail. As a result, the tubes must be oversize to ensure they can receive the rail ends therein. Inevitably, clearances arise between mating walls when the bullbar is positioned on the rails. In order to remove these clearances, bolts which fix the tubes to the rails must continue to be tightened, well beyond appropriate torques, until the tubes are bent to eliminate the clearances. Moreover, occasionally the deviation in the rail end dimensions can be so great that one of the tubes must be bent in order to receive the respective rail end when the bullbar is first positioned on the vehicle. Bending of the tubes results in undesirable skewing of the bullbar relative to the vehicle body.

A further complication results from the fact that vehicle bodies are usually not exactly centred over the chassis rails, so that some translational or rotational adjustment of the bullbar in a vertical plane which is transverse to the vehicle is required for alignment.

There is no convenient way of making such adjustment for bullbars of the type described above. Whilst bolt holes in the top walls of the tubes can be elongated in the longitudinal P:\OPER\MRFSpainaionl\DRAFT Bul B.Ba Acnmlydoc-20i2/2007 2 direction of the vehicle to permit limited rotation of the bullbar about a transverse horizontal axis, and thus some vertical adjustment of the front end of the bullbar, the elongation usually creates a clearance between the bolt and the edge of the hole in the Ilongitudinal direction, whereby the only restraint against longitudinal movement of the C, 5 upper wall of the tube relative to the bolt is the frictional engagement between the bolt head and that upper wall. Such engagement may be inadequate for preventing movement of the bullbar with respect to the chassis rails when axially loaded. In particular, if the vehicle is used off-road, a recovery winch may often be fixed to the bullbar so that tensile loads, which may be as high as 4 tonnes, are transmitted through the connections of the tubes to the rails during use of the winch. In such instances, if the rear ends of the elongated holes are clear of the bolt received therethrough, at least the top walls of the tubes may move forward, causing misalignment of the bullbar.

It is thus desirable to provide a bullbar assembly which can reliably resist axial loading though which will allow adjustment of the position of the bullbar in a vertical transverse plane such that it is correctly aligned.

Accordingly, the invention resides in a bullbar for a vehicle, comprising: a pair of mounting attachments, each mounting attachment being mountable to the forward end of a respective chassis rail of the vehicle and having a forwardly facing plate; and a bar structure, having a pair of laterally spaced apart rearwardly facing plates arranged to abut the forwardly facing plates, wherein the forwardly facing and rearwardly facing plates are provided with slots for receiving fastening elements therethrough to fix the forwardly facing plates to the rearwardly facing plates, the slots being mutually perpendicular to permit translational and rotational adjustment of the position of the bullbar relative the vehicle in an upright plane extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, each mounting attachment comprises a pair of brackets, one bracket being provided with an upper flange and the other being P:\OPER\MRSpificalioniDRAT Bull Bar A.-mbly doc-20112/2007 3 Sprovided with a lower flange, and both both brackets comprise side flanges receivable in overlapping relation against a side face of the respective chassis rail to be capable of relative slidable movement to effect abutment of the upper and lower flanges with upper Iand lower faces respectively of the chassis rail, and the upper, lower and side flanges are C 5 provided with holes for receiving fasteners to fix them against the upper, lower and side faces respectively, one of the brackets of each pair being fixed to the respective front plate portion.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the hole(s) in at least one of the overlapping side flanges is/are elongated in an upright direction so as to align with the hole(s) in the other when the upper and lower flanges abut the upper and lower faces respectively, irrespective of the spacing of the upper and lower faces, whereby common fasteners are receivable through the inner and outer side flanges.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the brackets not fixed to the front plates are each configured with at least one forwardly facing flange portion, the forwardly facing flange portions being arranged to abut respective rear faces of the forwardly facing plates and being provided with holes which align with slots in the forwardly facing plates to receive ones of said fastening elements therethrough to be fixed against the forwardly facing plates when the bar structure is fixed to the attachments.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the bar structure is provided with downwardly opening hook portions arranged to engage respective generally upwardly facing edges provided on the attachments such that the bar structure depends from the attachments when they are fixed to the chassis rails, the hook portions being positioned such that the mutually perpendicular slots align to receive the fastening elements therethrough when the bar structure depends from the attachments.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: P:%OPER\MRF\Splciicalion.s\DRAFr Bull Bar Asmblydoc-20/12/2007 4 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a disassembled vehicle bullbar according to a first Sembodiment of the invention; tI Figure 2 is a perspective view of an attachment of the bullbar fixed to the front end of a C 5 chassis rail; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the attachment shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the way in which a bar structure of the bullbar according to the first embodiment attachment mates with attachment shown in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a disassembled vehicle bullbar according to a second embodiment of the invention.

As shown in Figure 1 in exploded form, the bullbar 1 according to the preferred embodiment comprises a bar structure 3, to lie at the front of the vehicle to which the bullbar 1 is to be mounted, and a pair of opposite-handed mounting attachments 5 for attaching the bar structure 3 to the forward ends of chassis rails of the vehicle.

The bar structure 3, which is formed substantially from steel, comprises a steel frame 7 which is receivable around the front end of the vehicle, and an arrangement of steel bars 9 arranged above, and supported from, the frame 7 to protect the front end of the vehicle from impact.

The bar structure 3 further comprises a pair of laterally spaced mounting plates 11 having rearwardly facing surfaces 13 which lie in an upright plane which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The mounting plates 11 are receivable against corresponding plates provided at forward ends of the mounting attachments 5, as will be described in further detail below.

P: OPERlMRFSpecifLionsDRAFT Bull Ba AmmMy doc-20/2l2ln00 SThe frame 7 is formed with a winch support 43, to which a recovery winch (not shown) will be fixed.

It Each mounting plate 13 is provided with four transverse slots 15 extending therethrough, C 5 the slots being spaced around the perimeter of the mounting plate 11. The slots 15 receive bolts 17 therethrough for mounting the plates 11, and thus the bar structure 3, to the attachments 5 when fixed to the ends of the chassis rails. The slots 15 receive the bolts 17 with a sideways clearance whereby the lateral position of the bar structure 3 with respect to the bolts 17 is adjustable. The clearance between the edges of the slots and the bolts in an upright axis is negligible so that an area contacted by a washer, received between a nut at the end of each bolt, and the front face of plate 11 is maximised.

The bar structure 3 further comprises a pair of lugs 19 which define downwardly opening hook portions 21 positioned adjacent top edges of plates 11 to assist with mounting, as will be described further below.

Each mounting attachment 5 comprises an upper bracket 31 and lower bracket 33, which are configured to be bolted to the front end of a respective chassis rail 25 of the vehicle to fix the mounting attachment 5 to the chassis rail 25. The upper brackets and lower brackets are opposite handed.

The upper bracket 31 has fixed to its front end a forwardly facing plate 35 which is provided with four slots 37 therethrough, the slots 37 being arranged around the perimeter of the plate 35 to align with the slots 15 in mating plate 11 on the bar structure 3 such that the bolts 17 are receivable therethrough. The slots 37 extend parallel to an upright axis such that the position of the bolts 17 therein, and thus of the bar structure 3, in the direction of that axis can be adjusted. The slots 37 receive the bolts 17 with minimal sideways clearance so that the area contacted by a washer received between the head of each bolt 17 and the rear face of the plate 35 is maximised.

The front plate 35 is provided along its top edge with a cutout 39, defining an upwardly P.XOPERMR %SpwitlcuonDRAF Bull Bu Asuxby.doc-2011Y200 6 extending lug 41 at an outside end of an upwardly facing edge of the plate. The upwardly facing edge is the upper edge of the plate t The upper bracket 31 is formed from steel plate which is bent to provide a side flange I 5 arranged in an upright plane which is perpendicular to the plane in which the front plate lies, and an upper flange 47 arranged in a plane perpendicular to the planes in which the front plate 35 and side flange 45 are arranged. The support member 43 is, in addition, formed with a rib 49 which extends upwardly from the inner edge of upper flange 47, and a rib 51 which extends inwardly from the lower edge of side flange 45, the ribs affording the upper bracket 31 greater stiffness and increasing the length of weld which attaches the upper bracket 31 to the front plate A bolt hole 53 is provided through upper flange 47 and a pair of bolt holes 55, one above the other, is provided through the side flange The bolt holes 53 and 55 align with corresponding bolt holes provided in a top face and outer side face, respectively, of the chassis rail, holes in the chassis rail 25. Nuts are welded to the inner wall of the chassis rail 25 behind the holes in the outer side face of the chassis rail The upper bracket 31 is fixed to the end of the chassis rail by placing the upper 43 and side 45 flanges into abutment with the top and outer side faces of the chassis rail 25 and aligning the holes 43 and 55 with the corresponding holes in the chassis rail. Because the chassis rail 25 is received below upper flange 43, it supports the upper bracket 31 before any bolts are inserted therethrough.

The lower bracket 33 is formed from a single shaped section of steel plate which is bent such that the lower bracket 33 comprises a side flange 57 and lower flange 59. The side flange 57 is arranged in a plane which is parallel to the plane in which the side flange on the upper bracket 31 is arranged. The lower flange 59 is arranged in a plane which is parallel to the plane in which the upper flange 47 is arranged. The side flange 57 is P:%OPER Rp pecifflcionsDRAFT Bull Bw AL.*y dc.20/2/207 7

U

provided with two holes 61 therethrough, one above the other, the holes 61 being elongated along an upright axis. The lower flange 59 is provided with a hole 63 therethrough.

The lower bracket 33 is further configured at its front end with forward facing flange portions 63A and 63B. Flange portion 63A extends outwardly from a front edge of side flange 57 and flange 63B extends, in the opposite direction, from the front edge of a return portion 65 extending upwardly from an inner edge of lower flange 59. The return portion 65 is sufficiently spaced from the side flange 57 so that it will be clear of the chassis rail 25 when the lower bracket 33 is fitted to the chassis rail. The flange portions 63A and 63B are arranged in a plane which is parallel to the plane of front plate Flange portion 63A is provided with a pair of holes 67, one above the other, which align with the holes 37 adjacent the outside edge of the front plate 35, the holes 67 being elongated along an upright axis. Flange portion 63B is provided with a hole 69 which aligns with the lower hole 37 positioned adjacent the inner edge of front plate 35. The pair of holes 61 and hole 63 align with the pair of holes 55 and hole 53 respectively.

The procedure for mounting the bullbar to the vehicle will now be described.

Firstly, each mounting attachment 5 is fixed to the end of the respective chassis rail 25. To this end, upper bracket 31, is positioned on the end of the chassis rails 25 such that the upper flange 43 and side flange 45 abut the top and outer side faces of the respective chassis rail 25 and the holes 55 and 43 align with the corresponding holes in the chassis rail 25. The lower bracket 33 is then upwardly received over the front end of the chassis rail 25 such that the inner face of the side flange 57 is received against the outer face of the side flange 45 of the upper bracket 31 and the front faces of the flange portions 63A and 63B are received against the rear face of the front plate 35. The lower bracket 33 is then slid upwardly until the lower bracket reaches a position in which the upper face of lower flange 59 is received against the lower face of the chassis rail 25. In this position, the holes 67, 61 and 69, because they are slotted, align with holes 37, 55 and 37 respectively, irrespective of the spacing between the top and bottom faces of the chassis rail, which P.,OPER\MRNSpccinflonsDRAFT Bull A.Imbly.do.20/122007 8 spacing varies from one chassis rail to another.

Next, bolt 20 is inserted through hole 53, through the chassis rail (via the holes provided in tIt the top and bottom faces thereof) and finally through hole 63, and a nut and washer fitted C, 5 to the end of the bolt 20. Bolts 18 are then inserted through holes 61 and 55 in the side flanges 45 and 57 and screwed into the nuts welded to the inner wall of the chassis rail.

The bolts 18 and 20 are then tightened to the appropriate torque, whereby the attachment is clamped against the upper and lower faces of the chassis rail and is also securely bolted to the outer side face of the chassis rail. Advantageously, because the attachments 5 are mounted separately from, and before, the bar structure 3, access to the bolts 18 and 20 for tightening cannot be obstructed by the bar structure 3.

Moreover, also owing to the attachments 5 being separate from the bar structure 3, each attachment 5 is able to be provided with corrosion proofing separately from the bar structure 3, which structure will generally be provided with a powder coating, such coating being relatively unsuitable for the locations at which the bar structure attaches to the chassis. In this embodiment, the attachments 5 are zinc-plated, though it will be appreciated that the attachments 5 may be provided with alternative forms of corrosion proofing which are superior to powder coating and which could not practicably be applied to the bar structure 3.

In addition, because the attachments 5 are separate from the bar structure 3, they are not constrained from being secured against the faces of the chassis rails as they would be if integrally formed with the bar structure and not exactly positioned to mate with those faces.

Following fixing of the attachments 5 on the ends of the chassis rails, the bar assembly 3 is positioned on the attachments 5. To start with, the bar structure 3 is lifted so that the hook portions 21 are received over the upwardly facing edges of the respective front plates inward of the lugs 41, whereby the bar structure 3 freely hangs from the front plates thus eliminating the need for the weight of the bar structure 3 to be supported by P:\OPER\MRF\Spcflanion\DRAFT Bull Bar Acmbly d-20/12/2007 9 Salternative means. Each of the lugs 41, which abuts a corresponding hook portion if the bar structure 3 is slid far enough sideways towards the lug, prevents the hook portion from disengaging the upper edge of the front plates 35, so that the bar structure 3 cannot fall.

In 5 When the hook portions 21 are generally aligned with the attachments 5, the holes generally align with the lower ends of the slots 37, 67 and 69 so that bolts 17 can be received through the holes 15 and 37 of the mating plates 13 and 35, as well as through the holes 67 and 69 in the flange portions 63A and 63B.

With the plates 11 abutting plates 35, the bar structure 3 is moved sideways, causing the slots 15 to slide relative to the bolts 17 received therethrough, until the bar structure 13 is aligned laterally with the front of the vehicle, and the outer ends of the bar structure 3 are lifted, such that the bolts 17 move in slots 37, 67 and 69, until the correct vertical and rotational alignment of the bar structure 3 in an upright plane which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is effected, whereupon the bolts 17 are tightened to force the plates 11 and 35 together and secure the bar structure, correctly aligned to the front of the vehicle, to the attachments 5 and thus the vehicle chassis.

Advantageously, because none of the bolt holes in the attachments 5 and mounting plate 11 are elongated in a direction parallel with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the bolts cannot move in those holes under the tensile loads applied to the bar structure during operation of the winch, so that alignment of the bar structure 3 will be maintained.

Moreover, owing to the slidable adjustability of the upper 31 and lower 33 brackets along an upright axis, those brackets can clampingly engage both top and bottom faces of the chassis rail, in addition to being fixed to those faces and fixed against the outer side face of the chassis rail, significantly enhancing load transfer from the bullbar 1 to the vehicle chassis.

In the following description of an alternative embodiment, the same reference numerals have been used to identify corresponding features.

P:\OPER\MR0Spcificalion \DRAFT Bull Ba Aucmbly doc-20/12/2007

(N

-In the alternative embodiment, (shown in Figure the bar structure 3, including the frame 7 and bars 9, is aluminium instead of steel. In this embodiment, the winch tIt support 43 (to which a winch 44 is to be bolted), instead of being an integral part of the 5 frame 7, is formed separately from the frame 7 and is formed with the pair of laterally spaced mounting plates 11. The mounting plates 11 are receivable between the forwardly facing plates 35 and rearwardly facing plates (not shown) which are provided as an integral part of the frame 7. The rearwardly facing plates have substantially the same configuration as the mounting plates 11 in the previous embodiment (though the holes provided therethrough need not be slotted), whereby bolts are receivable through the holes in the rearwardly facing plates, then through the slots in the corresponding mounting plates 11, and finally through the slots in the corresponding forwardly facing plates 35 for mounting the bar structure 7 to the attachments 5 (which attachments are identical to those of the previous embodiment). It will thus be appreciated that the mounting plates 11 need not be integrally formed with the remainder of the bar structure 3.

The winch support 43 is, like the frame 7 of the previous embodiment, provided with a pair of lugs 19 which define downwardly opening hook portions 21. In this embodiment, the lugs 19 extend rearwardly from outer upright edges of the plates 11 such that the hook portions 21 are engageable with upwardly facing edges of projections 40 formed at outer edges of the plates 11 and extending sideways therefrom. Upwardly extending lugs 41' are formed at outer ends of the projections.

Following fixing of the attachments 5 on the ends of the chassis rails, the bar assembly 3, including the frame 7, winch support 43 and winch 44 (fixed to the support 43), is positioned on the attachments 5, and the bolts inserted through the holes in the rearwardly facing plates, the slots in the corresponding mounting plates 11, and the slots in the corresponding forwardly facing plates 35. The hook portions 21 are received over the upwardly facing edges of the projections 40, inward of the lugs 41', whereby the winch support 43 and winch 44 freely hang from the front plates 35, as can the remainder of the bar assembly after insertion and partial fastening of the bolts, whereby the hook P:OPER\MRFSpcicauonsDRAFT Bull Bw A sCmbly.doc-2011202007 11 portions 21, projections 40 and lugs 41' serve the same role as the hook portions 21, cutouts 39 and lugs 40 as described in connection with the previous embodiment. When the hook portions 21 are generally aligned with the attachments 5, the holes 15 generally tIt align with the lower ends of the slots 37, 67 and 69 so that the bolts 17 can be received C 5 through the holes 15 and 37 of the mating plates 13 and 35, as well as through the holes 67 and 69 in the flange portions 63A and 63B.

Alignment of the bar structure 3 to the front of the vehicle is then carried out in exactly the same way as in the previous embodiment. With the plates 11 abutting plates 35, the bar structure 3 is moved sideways, causing the hook portions 21 to slide along the upwardly facing edges of the projections 40 and slots 15 to slide relative to the bolts 17 received therethrough, until the bar structure 3 is aligned laterally with the front of the vehicle. The outer ends of the bar structure 3 are then lifted, such that the bolts 17 move in slots 37, 67 and 69, until the correct vertical and rotational alignment of the bar structure 3 in an upright plane which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is effected, whereupon the bolts 17 are tightened to force the plates 11 and 35 together and secure the bar structure 3, correctly aligned to the front of the vehicle, to the attachments 5 and thus the vehicle chassis.

In the previous embodiment, the bullbar may further comprise, if required, separately formed plates (not shown) which are receivable between the plates 11 of the frame 7 and the forwardly facing plates 35 of the attachments 5, the separately formed plates acting as spacers to increase the separation between the front of the vehicle and the bullbar. If invoked, the separately formed plates constitute the "mounting plates".

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

P:OPERMRFSpcificaionsRAFT Bull Ba A nimbly.doc-20112/2007 12

O

SWhile various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in tI form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described 0 exemplary embodiments.

Claims (4)

1. A bullbar for a vehicle, comprising: Ia pair of mounting attachments, each mounting attachment being mountable to the CI 5 forward end of a respective chassis rail of the vehicle and having a forwardly facing plate; and a bar structure, having a pair of laterally spaced apart rearwardly facing plates arranged to abut the forwardly facing plates, wherein the forwardly facing and rearwardly facing plates are provided with slots for receiving fastening elements therethrough to fix the forwardly facing plates to the rearwardly facing plates, the slots being mutually perpendicular to permit translational and rotational adjustment of the position of the bullbar relative the vehicle in an upright plane extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

2. A bullbar according to claim 1, wherein each mounting attachment comprises a pair of brackets, one bracket being provided with an upper flange and the other being provided with a lower flange, both brackets comprising side flanges receivable in overlapping relation against a side face of the respective chassis rail to be capable of relative slidable movement to effect abutment of the upper and lower flanges with upper and lower faces respectively of the chassis rail, the upper, lower and side flanges being provided with holes for receiving fasteners to fix them against the upper, lower and side faces respectively, and wherein one of the brackets of each pair is fixed to the respective front plate portion.

3. A bullbar according to claim 2, wherein the hole(s) in at least one of the overlapping side flanges is/are elongated in an upright direction so as to align with the hole(s) in the other when the upper and lower flanges abut the upper and lower faces respectively, irrespective of the spacing of the upper and lower faces, whereby common fasteners are receivable through the inner and outer side flanges.

4. A bullbar according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the brackets not fixed to the front plates are each configured with at least one forwardly facing flange portion, the P:OPER\MR\Specifaltions\DRAFT Bull Ba Asscmbly.do-20/12/2007 14 Sforwardly facing flange portions being arranged to abut respective rear faces of the Sforwardly facing plates and being provided with holes which align with slots in the forwardly facing plates to receive ones of said fastening elements therethrough to be fixed ,I against the forwardly facing plates when the bar structure is fixed to the attachments. (N A bullbar according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bar structure is provided with downwardly opening hook portions arranged to engage respective generally Supwardly facing edges provided on the attachments such that the bar structure depends from the attachments when they are fixed to the chassis rails, the hook portions being positioned such that the mutually perpendicular slots align to receive the fastening elements therethrough when the bar structure depends from the attachments.