Vehicle load retaining apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for retaining a load on a vehicle bed comprising: a belt; a connector at a first end of the belt for attaching said end to a first side of the vehicle; said belt being adapted to extend upwardly from said first side of the vehicle and over the load to a location near a second side of the vehicle; a chain; a hook carred by the chain at a first end thereof for attaching it to said second side of the vehicle; a buckle assembly attached to the second end of said chain connectable to the second end of said belt and constructed to enable adjustment of said second end of the belt relative to the buckle to conform the overall combined length of the belt and chain together essentially to the size of the load; and a load binder adapted to be connected to the chain and including an actuating arm acting by swinging movement from a first position to a second position to take up slack in the chain in a manner tightening the belt on the load; said buckle assembly including a rigid plate connected to said second end of the chain and containing an elongated generally rectangular opening through which said second end of the belt extends first in one direction and then back in the opposite direction to form a loop at one side of said plate, and an elongated pin formed separately from and movable relative to said plate and adapted to extend through said loop of the belt at said side of the plate and of a length greater than the length of said opening to bridge entirely across the length of the opening so that opposite ends of the pin engage said plate beyond both of two opposite ends of said elongated opening in a relation preventing the pin from moving through the opening and thereby binding the belt loop and retaining the belt against longitudinal movement relative to said plate in any of different adjusted positions of the belt.