Step plate assembly for providing a step while preserving access to the hitch ball of a hitch assembly
AssigneeUSA Ramp, Inc
InventorsLowell E. Blankenship, Willie L. Dawson, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for providing a step at the back of a pickup truck if the truck has a receiver hitch for holding a receiver bar. The preferred apparatus has a support structure secured to the tongue of the receiver bar with the hitch ball and nut. A pivot plate and a tread plate are pivotally mounted to the support structure, providing the step when in the horizontal position and allowing access to the hitch ball when in the vertical position.
Claims5
A step plate assembly for attachment to a hitch bar of a hitch assembly where the hitch bar has a tongue for holding with a hitch-ball nut, a hitch ball with a shaft, the step plate assembly comprising:
- a support frame having a horizontally oriented bottom side with an attachment hole for attachment to a bottom side of the tongue with the hitch ball and hitch-ball nut, the support frame further having a left side and a right side extending vertically upward and perpendicular to the bottom side;
- a pivot plate, the pivot plate being pivotally mounted to the left and right side of the support frame;
- and
- a tread plate attached to the pivot plate, where the tread plate serves as a step when horizontally positioned and where the tread plate may be rotated upwardly to a vertical position for access to the hitch ball.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.