Vehicle attached carrier

Claim 1

A vehicle attached carrier comprising: (a) a pair of rigid generally U-shaped side frames disposed in relatively parallel planes, said side frames each being of one-piece stock and having an arcuate intermediate portion and two straight leg portions integral with the ends of the respective arcuate intermediate portion and diverging therefrom at an acute angle along lines generally tangent to the ends of the arcuate intermediate portion whereby the spacing between the leg portions of each side frame is substantially greater at the free ends thereof than adjacent the respective arcuate intermediate portion, means connected to the leg portions providing resilient vehicle engaging feet at the free ends thereof, the legs of each of said U-shaped side frames extending at relatively different angles to a plane through the vehicle engaging feet, said side frames each having a plurality of openings therethrough perpendicular to the plane of the respective side frame and at locations spaced apart along the arcuate intermediate portion of the side frames in non-linear relation and such that lines extending chordwise of the arcuate intermediate portion between different selected pairs of the openings in each side frame are disposed in at least several different planes relative to a plane through the vehicle engaging feet, (b) a support frame including a pair of elongated arms, said arms being adapted to be disposed in a plurality of different positions extending alongside the arcuate intermediate portion of a respective one of the side frames and generally chordwise thereof, said arms each having spaced openings therethrough and spaced apart a distance to register with different selected pairs of said plurality of openings in a respective side frame in different ones of said plurality of different positions to enable mounting of the arms on the arcuate intermediate portions of the side frames with the arms extending generally horizontally outwardly in cantilever fashion adjacent the part of the arcuate intermediate portion of the respective side frame that is uppermost when the vehicle engaging feet are disposed in different vertically inclined planes, (c) bolts adapted to extend through two spaced openings in each of the arms and through a pair of registering openings in the arcuate intermediate portion of the respective side frame for attaching the arms to the arcuate intermediate portion of the side frames in selected ones of said plurality of different positions with the arms extending chordwise of the arcuate intermediate portion of the side frames at different angles to a plane through the vehicle engaging feet, (d) at least one cross member connected to the side frames and extending therebetween, and (e) strap means for attaching the carrier to a vehicle with the vehicle engaging feet resting on the vehicle body.