Forward folding vehicle grill guard

A grill guard apparatus for a vehicle to protect a grill of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• a bumper attached to the front end of the vehicle such that same extends across the lower front portion of the vehicle below the grill;
• a grill guard pivotally attached at a bottom portion thereof to the bumper about a substantially horizontal pivot axis located vertically between top and bottom edges of the bumper such that the grill guard can pivot about the pivot axis from an upright raised position in front of the vehicle grill to a lowered position extending substantially horizontally forward from the bumper;
• wherein the grill guard is configured such that portions of the grill guard above the pivot axis bear against the bumper above the pivot axis when the grill guard is in the raised position, and such that portions of the grill guard below the pivot axis bear against the bumper below the pivot axis when the grill guard is in the lowered position and thereby support the grill guard in the lowered position;
• a lock mechanism operative to maintain the grill guard in the raised position.

A lock apparatus for locking a first member to a second member, the apparatus comprising:

• a catch rod mounted to the first member;
• and
• a latch mechanism mounted to the second member;
• wherein the latch mechanism comprises a catch member and a rotatable handle configured such that when the handle is in an open position, the catch member is in an open position with a face of the catch member adjacent to the catch rod and a lip of the catch member is located on a side of the catch rod opposite to the latch mechanism, and configured such that when the handle is rotated to a locked position, the catch member moves toward the latch mechanism so that the lip engages the catch rod.