Retractable van side door ramp

A support structure including a first horizontal marginal portion, an elongated ramp including a relatively short extendable and retractable inner base end portion and a considerably longer outer end portion extendable and retractable relative to said marginal portion, said portions being arranged in end aligned relation and pivotally joined at adjacent ends for limited angular displacement about a horizontal transverse axis, said ramp portions and support structure including coacting support and guide means supporting said ramp for guided shifting between a retracted position with the entire ramp retracted inwardly of said marginal portion and a limited extended position with said inner end portion retained inwardly of said marginal portion and said outer end portion including at least a major length portion thereof extended outwardly of said margin, said coacting support and guide means being constructed such that the guided support of said outer end portion from said support assembly is terminated as said ramp is extended to said limited extended position, thereby freeing said outer end portion for downward swinging of the end thereof remote from said base end portion by gravity, biasing means operatively connected between said portions yieldingly resisting relative downward swinging of said outer end portion relative to said base end section, said biasing means being operative to counteract a major portion, only, of the force of gravity acting upon said outer end portion to swing the outer end thereof downwardly.

A vehicle and loading ramp combination including a vehicle having a floor assembly and an upstanding wall projecting upwardly from said floor assembly and having a door opening formed therein including a lower margin, an elongated ramp including a relatively short extendable and retractable inner base end portion and a considerably longer extendable and retractable outer end portion, said portions being arranged in adjacent end aligned relation and pivotally joined at adjacent ends for limited relative angular displacement about a horizontal transverse axis between first at least substantially horizontally disposed and aligned relative positions and second relative positions with said base end portion horizontally disposed and said outer end portion inclined downwardly and outwardly relative to said inner end portion, said ramp portions and floor assembly including coacting support, force and guide means supporting said ramp for guided shifting between a retracted position with the entire ramp retracted inwardly of said opening and a limited extended position with said inner end portion retained inwardly of but adjacent said opening and at least a major length portion of said outer end portion extending outward of said opening, said coacting support, force and guide means being selectively actuatable to extend and retract said ramp and including means, when actuated to extend said ramp, to extend said ramp from said retracted position to at least substantially said limited position while maintaining said portions in said first relative positions and to thereafter cause said portions to shift to said second relative positions as said ramp reaches said limited extended position and, when actuated to retract said ramp from said limited extended position, to initially shift said portions from said second relative positions to said first relative positions and to thereafter shift said ramp from said limited extended position to said retracted position.