Paccar Inc.

Jeffery E Kerney

Eric N Tucker

Richard H Barrett, Jr

Timothy S Norwood

Johnny C Fraga

Charles E Koske

Daniel E Oen

Rob A Cook

John H Waskow

Derek L Davis

Robert Lee Bundy

Darald C Brewster

Bruce E Lawyer

Barry W Carothers

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.

Tilt mechanism and method for pivoting a vehicle body panel relative to a vehicle chassis

Exterior shell of a truck grill crown

Exterior shell of a truck hood

Exterior shell of a truck cab fuel tank step fairing

Truck cab

A quick-release hinge arrangement is provided for releasably-pivotally supporting two members and more particularly a section of a truck hood and its adjacent side panel. This arrangement includes a first hinge leaf connected with a first one of the members, for example the section of the truck hood just mentioned, and a second hinge leaf connected with a second one of the members, for example the adjacent side panel. An arrangement is provided for releasably-pivotally connecting the hinge leafs together and includes a set of first and second cooperating closed knuckles forming part of the first and second leafs, respectively, a quick-release pin removably inserted through cooperating knuckles for pivotally connecting the leafs together, a fixed pin carried by one of the leafs, and an open knuckle which is formed as part of the other leaf and which releasably-pivotally receives the fixed pin. In that way, with the quick-release pin in place within its closed knuckles, two members are pivotally supported to one another. When the release pin is removed, two members may be separated from one another but, upon initial release of the pin, remain supported to one another.

Quick-release arrangement for releasably-pivotally supporting two

Growing community of inventors

Highland Village, TX, United States of America

Jeffery E Kerney