Paccar Inc.

Barry W Carothers

Rob A Cook

Jeffery E Kerney

John H Waskow

Robert Lee Bundy

A tilt mechanism for pivoting a vehicle body panel relative to a vehicle chassis includes a pivot pin having a pivot pin axis. The pivot pin provides a single-point pivot attachment of the body panel to the chassis such that the body panel can articulate about the pivot pin axis relative to the chassis. A support member pivotably connects to the chassis about the pivot pin axis by the pivot pin. The support member has a tilt axis along a longitudinal extent of the support member. The tilt axis is perpendicular to the pivot pin axis. The support member supports the vehicle body panel weight through a pivotal connection between a support member end and the body panel. The pivotal connection allows the body panel to pivot relative to the chassis about the tilt axis via a bearing. A torsion bar is within the support member. One portion of the torsion bar is secured to the support member and another portion is secured to the body panel by a slot that receives a torsion bar end. The torsion bar biases the body panel relative to the chassis along at least an angular portion of a pivotal range about the tilt axis. The slot is hour-glass-shaped such that the body panel can pivot about the tilt axis relative to the chassis without loading the torsion bar over a specified angular range about the tilt axis.

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Flower Mound, TX, United States of America

Barry W Carothers