Pickup truck with interchangeable bed components

Claim 1

A pickup truck assembly with interchangeable bed components, comprising in combination: (a) a pickup truck having a frame mounted on a pair of front wheels and a pair of axle-mounted rear wheels, and a cab mounted on the frame, the frame including a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending beam members curved upward intermediate their ends to extend over the rear wheel axle, (b) an upwardly opening channel truck mounted on each beam member and extending substantially from the cab toward the rear end of the frame, the tracks conforming substantially to the curved shape of the beam members and terminating at their front ends in upwardly and rearwardly curled segments arranged to releasably capture wheels therein for securing the wheels against forward, lateral and upward displacement therefrom, and (c) a bed component for removable mounting behind the cab and comprising: (1) a cargo-supporting surface, (2) a pair of laterally spaced bed support wheels on the forward end of the bed arranged to movably engage the laterally spaced tracks on the truck frame beam members for movement along the latter into and out of releasable capture in said curled segments of the tracks for releasably securing the front end of the bed component to the truck frame, and (3) rearward bed securing means on the rearward ends of the bed component and truck frame arranged for releasable connection for securing the rearward end of the bed to the truck frame against rearward, lateral and upward displacement relative to the truck frame.