Low impact protection system for vehicles

Claim 1

In a vehicle bumper mount for mounting a vehicle bumper to the end of the side bar of a vehicle frame, mounting bracket means straddling an end of the side bar, said bracket means comprising an upper plate extending longitudinally over the upper surface of the side bar and a lower plate extending over the lower surface of the side bar with plate means joining said upper and lower plates at the outer end of the side bar, an upper bracket mounted on the upper side of the side bar over the upper plate of the bracket means and in vertically spaced relation therefrom, a lower bracket mounted on the underside of the side bar below the lower plate of the bracket means and in vertically spaced relation therefrom, a block of resilient material secured between the upper plate and upper bracket and a corresponding block of resilient material secured between the lower plate and lower bracket, the blocks of resilient material stressing in shear between the mounting bracket means and side bar during impact forcing the bumper toward the side bar, means securing the mounting bracket means to the end portion of the side bar and to the vehicle bumper, and stop means on bumper mount for cooperating with the at least one of said plates to restrict deflection of said resilient blocks in the direction forcing the bumper outward from the end of the side bar and stressing said resilient blocks in shear in the direction forcing the bumper toward the end of the side bar.