Vehicle with convertible step and foot rest

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a self-propelled vehicle for transporting personnel and/or small cargoes including a seat for the driver and a cargo-carrying bed or floor located rearwardly of the seat. The floor includes a stationary, generally flat first platform and a movable section including a generally flat second platform and a rear wall member extending generally perpendicular to the second platform. The movable floor section is supported from the rear portion of the vehicle frame for selective pivotal movement between a raised or cargo-carrying position where the second platform is generally coplanar with the first platform and the rear wall member serves to confine cargo on the floor and a lowered or passenger-carrying position where the rear wall member can serve as a step for a passenger to step up and sit on the stationary platform and also serve as a foot rest for a rearward-facing passenger(s) sitting on the stationary platform. The movable floor section is releasably held in the raised position by a pair of laterally spaced arms, each of which, at the outer end, is pivotally supported from the movable floor section and, at the inner end, is provided with a detent notch which is biased into releasable engagement with a pin located on the vehicle frame beneath the stationary platform by a spring connected between the inner end of the arm and the vehicle frame.