Vehicle bumper

Claim 1

A bumper construction for a vehicle having a fitting extending horizontally transversely of an end of said vehicle to which said bumper construction may be attached, said fitting having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough, said bumper construction comprising in combination: a rigid plate member, said plate member being dimensioned to extend substantially co-extensively with said fitting completely across said end of said vehicle and having a first surface adapted to face outwardly from said vehicle and a second surface adapted to face towards said vehicle, said plate member having a plurality of through openings extending between said surfaces thereof, at least certain of said openings being in registry with said fitting apertures; a plurality of securing devices corresponding in number to said certain openings for securing said plate member to said fitting, each of said devices including a resiliently deformable impact energy absorbing block having an opening therethrough, an apertured rigid metal washer, a mounting rod having an enlarged end portion engaged with said first surface and a mounting end portion, and means to fix said mounting end portion to said vehicle fitting and to clampingly maintain said block in engagement with said second surface of said plate member whereby said block is resiliently deformable upon movement of said plate member towards said vehicle fitting, said mounting end portion being threaded substantially throughout its length and extending from said enlarged end portion freely and successively through one of said plate member openings, said block opening, said metal washer, and an aperture with which said one plate member opening is in registry, said means including first, second and third nuts, said first lock nut being adjustably threaded on said mounting end portion to bear on said metal washer and cooperating with said enlarged end portion to clampingly maintain said block in engagement with said second surface, said second and said third lock nuts being adjustably threaded on said mounting end portion to clamp said vehicle fitting therebetween and to vary the distance between said second and first lock nuts as required to compensate for variations in the distances between said fitting and said second surface adjacent said certain openings and apertures, and said certain openings being arranged in a vertical and horizontal spaced relationship relative to one another throughout the extent of said plate member whereby to permit loads imposed on said plate member to be uniformly distributed to said fitting by said devices; and a resiliently deformable impact energy absorbing body portion secured to said first surface of said plate member and sized to extend substantially coextensively therewith and covering said enlarged end portions of each said mounting roD.