Vehicle top rack

Claim 1

A vehicle top elongate object transporting structure comprising: at least a pair of bows, each of said bows having means for attaching said bows to the top of a vehicle in logitudinally spaced relation; each of said bows having an upstranding stop member immovably mounted at at least one end thereof; and at least one of said bows mounting a transversely movable clamp member comprising: a. a crank mounted for rotation in the end of said bow; b. a lead screw mounted for rotation in said bow and engageable by said crank; c. a slide frame engaging the bow and forming a part of the movable clamp member; d. a threaded follower engaging the lead screw and mounted in said slide frame; e. a generally U-shaped clamp arm having first and second legs; means pivotally mounting the clamp arm to the movable slide frame such that the legs of the arm generally depend toward the bow; f. a spring having one connected to the slide frame and the other end connected under tension to the U-shaped clamp arm adjacent the first leg to urge the first and second legs thereof away from the bow and about the pivotal connection between the clamp arm and the slide frame, so as to be pivoted in the opposite direction against the urging of the spring by contact of the first leg by an edge of an elongate object to be clamped to the bow when the slide frame is urged toward the elongate member; g. foot means carried by the free end of the second leg to engage the top surface of the elongate object to be transported when the clamp arm is in the clamping position; h. wherein movement of said slide frame towards the stop brings said first leg into engagement with the elongated object and causes the U-shaped clamp to be pivoted, continued movement of the slide frame continues pivoting of the U-shaped clamp until the foot means carried by the second leg engages the upper surface of the elongated object to thereby effectively clamp the object against vertical and horizontal movement.