Vehicle article carrier having stowable cross bars

A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:

• first and second support rails secured to said outer body surface generally parallel to one another, and orientated parallel to a longitudinal axis extending along said outer body surface;
• said support rail rails each including first and second independent movable mounts each being slidably supported on its associated support rail, and each being adjustably positionable along its associated said support rail;
• each of said first and second movable mounts having a manually engageable locking wheel assembly for fixed securing at a desired position along said side rail, and said first movable mounts on each of said support rails having a pivot mechanism associated therewith;
• a pair of cross bars supported from said support rails for supporting articles thereon, each of said cross bars being coupled at a first end thereof to an associated one of the first movable mounts, and at a second end thereof to one of the second movable mounts on the same one of the side rails, when in a stowed mode, so that each said cross bar is disposed parallel with one of said side rails;
• each of said cross bars including a manually engageable locking wheel at the second ends thereof for fixedly securing each said second end of each said cross bar to an associated one of said second movable mounts when said cross bar is in said stowed mode, and to the other one of said second movable mounts on the other one of said support rails so that each said cross bar is disposed in a spanning mode extending perpendicularly between said support rails and is secured at said first and second ends thereof to said support rails.

A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:

• first and second support rails secured to said outer body surface generally parallel to one another, and orientated parallel to a longitudinal axis extending along said outer body surface;
• said support rail rails each including first and second independent movable mounts each being slidably supported on its associated support rail, and each being adjustably positionable along its associated said support rail;
• each of said first and second movable mounts having an opening with a manually engageable locking wheel assembly disposed within opening, each said movable mount being fixedly securable at a desired position along said side rail, and said first movable mounts on each of said support rails having a pivot mechanism associated therewith;
• a pair of cross bars supported from said support rails for supporting articles thereon, each of said cross bars having a shroud at each of first and second ends thereof, and each of said cross bars being coupled at said first end thereof to an associated one of the first movable mounts, and at said second end thereof to one of the second movable mounts on the same one of the side rails, when in a stowed mode, so that each said cross bar is disposed parallel with one of said side rails;
• each of said shrouds of each of said cross bars including a manually engageable locking wheel at the second ends thereof for fixedly securing each said second end of each said cross bar to an associated one of said second movable mounts when said cross bar is in said stowed mode, and to the other one of said second movable mounts on the other one of said support rails so that each said cross bar is disposed in a spanning mode extending perpendicularly between said support rails and is secured at said first and second ends thereof to said support rails.