Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Daniel Joseph McCarthy

Marwan Ahmad Elbkaily

Vincent Anthony Chimento

Kimberly Ann Lazarz

Viktor Kostrominov

Tushar Kamble

Aaron Bresky

John Martin Knittel

Juyoung Lee

Jungmao Michael Chang

Douglas Lee Howe

Andre Kunynetz

Chih Yu Lin

Larry Kube

Gargi Tandra

Jeremiah James Smith

An assembly includes a pair of frame rails, each of the frame rails elongated along a vehicle-longitudinal axis and having a front portion, a rear portion, and an elevated portion above and between the front portion and the rear portion. The assembly includes a cross-support fixed to at least one of the frame rails at the elevated portion and extending along a cross-vehicle axis from one of the frame rails toward the other of the frame rails. The assembly includes a bracket fixed to the frame rail at the elevated portion and fixed to the cross-support.

Vehicle frame assembly

The disclosed inventive concept provides a trailer hitch arrangement for use with a drawbar that is adaptable to universally use a high strength conventional hitch pin. Particularly, a reducing pin sleeve is fitted into the hitch pin hole of the drawbar. The inner diameter of the reducing pin sleeve is less than the hitch pin hole conventionally formed in the drawbar while the inner diameter of the reducing pin sleeve is the same as that of the receiver. When the drawbar is fitted into the receiver, the reducing pin sleeve is captured therein, thus preventing side-to-side movement relative to the drawbar. The disclosed inventive concept allows vehicle owners having a standard 3&#x2033; receiver trailer hitch which conventionally includes a &#x215d;&#x2033; hitch pin hole to safely and effectively handle above 20,000 lbs. trailer rating by insertion of the hitch pin sleeve into the &#xbe;&#x2033; hitch pin hole provided in the drawbar.

Trailer hitch architecture adaptable to multiple conventional drawbar sizes having drawbar adaptor size-reducing sleeve for attachment pin

The disclosed inventive concept provides a robust tow hook mounting structure for use with vehicles having curved frames in which the tow hook remains fixed to the vehicle during a front end impact event. The structure includes weld nuts aligned in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A frame reinforcement to which the tow hook is attached is welded to the front tip of the curved frame. Mounting bolts are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to secure the tow hook and the tow hook reinforcement to the frame weld nuts. The shear capacity of the mounting bolts is higher than the towing capacity and the crash load during an impact event. The structure generates high bending moments that trigger favorable bending deformations in the kick down area of the frame in which the structure functions as a backup arrangement in an impact event and reduces high crash pulses.

Tow hook mounting structure for use with vehicle having curved frame

A vehicle includes a steel frame, steel bracket, an e-coating layer, and an aluminum cargo bed. The steel frame has a top side. The steel bracket has a zinc-plating, is secured to the top side of the steel frame, and has an upper surface that faces away from the frame. The e-coating layer is deposited externally and collectively on the steel frame and steel bracket. The aluminum cargo bed is secured to the upper surface such that the zinc-plating and e-coating layer are sandwiched between the steel bracket and aluminum cargo bed.

Vehicle cargo bed system

Growing community of inventors

Northville, MI, United States of America

Daniel Joseph McCarthy