Door Assemblies for Ground Support Tractors

Abstract

A vehicle door assembly includes a lower track having a ramp and a door slidably received by the lower track and translatable between a closed position and an open position. The door includes a main panel and a closeout panel that is translatable relative to the main panel between an extended position and a retracted position. The closeout panel includes a lift surface configured to directly contact the ramp as the door translates from the closed position toward the open position, such that the ramp applies a retraction force causing the closeout panel to translate from the extended position toward the retracted position. In some embodiments, the closeout panel translates linearly without rotation and returns toward the extended position responsive to gravitational force as the door translates toward the closed position. The door assembly may be incorporated into a ground support tractor having a wheeled chassis and a cabin.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.