Bumper Systems for Snowmobiles
AssigneeArctic Cat Inc.
InventorBradley Hoppe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A snowmobile bumper system includes a lift bumper and a tow bumper. The lift bumper includes first and second side lift members with a lift handle extending therebetween. The first side lift member is coupled to a first side panel of a drive tunnel. The second side lift member is coupled to a second side panel of the drive tunnel. The lift handle is disposed aft of and above the drive tunnel. The tow bumper includes first and second side tow members with a cross member extending therebetween. The first side tow member is coupled to the first side panel of the drive tunnel. The second side tow member is coupled to the second side panel of the drive tunnel. The tow bumper is positioned below the lift bumper. A towing assembly is coupled to the cross member of the tow bumper.
Claims20
A tow bumper kit for aftermarket installation on a snowmobile having a drive tunnel with first and second side panels, the tow bumper kit comprising:
- first and second side tow members;
- a cross member configured to extend between aft ends of the first and second side tow members;
- a towing assembly configured to be coupled to the cross member;
- first and second support brackets configured to respectively couple the first and second side tow members to the first and second side panels of the drive tunnel;
- and
- a plurality of fasteners configured to secure the first and second support brackets relative to the drive tunnel and to secure the towing assembly relative to the cross member,
- wherein, when the tow bumper kit is installed on the snowmobile, the first and second side tow members and the cross member form a tow bumper configured to support towing loads from the towing assembly through the drive tunnel.
A tow bumper assembly for a snowmobile having a drive tunnel with first and second side panels, the tow bumper assembly comprising:
- a first side tow member configured to be coupled to the first side panel of the drive tunnel;
- a second side tow member configured to be coupled to the second side panel of the drive tunnel;
- a cross member extending between aft ends of the first and second side tow members;
- a towing assembly coupled to the cross member;
- and
- support brackets configured to attach the first and second side tow members to the drive tunnel,
- wherein the tow bumper assembly is mountable to the drive tunnel as a standalone tow-bumper assembly without requiring a lift bumper to carry towing loads from the towing assembly.
A tow bumper assembly configurable for installation on any one of a plurality of snowmobile models having different tow bumper connection requirements, the tow bumper assembly comprising:
- a first side tow member;
- a second side tow member;
- a cross member extending between the first and second side tow members;
- a towing assembly coupled to the cross member;
- first and second forward support brackets configured to couple the first and second side tow members to a drive tunnel of a selected snowmobile model;
- and
- first and second aft support brackets configured to couple the first and second side tow members to the drive tunnel of the selected snowmobile model,
- wherein the first side tow member includes a plurality of first bracket connection locations for the first aft support bracket, and wherein the second side tow member includes a plurality of second bracket connection locations for the second aft support bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.