Anti-theft devices for parked tractor vehicles

Claim 1

In combination with a cab-over-engine type tractor vehicle wherein its vertical steering column carries a co-turnable and radially-offset pitman-arm that is pivotally connected to linkage to effect steering of the tractor through driverside roadway wheel, and wherein the tractor has an upright frontal bumper frontally disposed of the pitman-arm and having a driverside foot-hold opening in horizontal registry with the pitman-arm whenever the steering wheel is turned in the direction of the driverside roadway wheel, the improvement of a tractor anti-theft device for a tractor parked in the condition where the steering wheel has brought the pitman-arm in horizontal registry with said bumper foot-hold opening, and said anti-theft device thereat comprising: A a horizontally extending J-hook extending through the driverside foot-hold opening and engaged with the pitman-arm, said J-hook adjacent the free-end terminus of the longer leg being provided with a hole therethrough; B a vertical abutment-plate having frontal and rear upright surfaces and being provided with a horizontal aperture therethrough, said abutment-plate rear surface abutting against the bumper and so as to wholly obscure the driverside foot-hold opening, the J-hook longer leg protruding through the abutment-plate aperture whereby the J-hook longer leg hole is located frontally of the abutment-plate, the J-hook shorter leg being located wholly rearwardly of the abutment-plate; C padlock means having a shackle of finite-breadth and said shackle extending through the J-hook longer leg; and D steadying means to maintain the J-hook drawn tightly forwardly against the pitman-arm and at the abutment plate in non-rotational and obscuring relationship at the bumper driverside foot-hold opening.