Multi-purpose end-gate for overland vehicles

Claim 1

For use in combination along the transversely extending horizontal rear-end of an overland vehicle, an upright end-gate that is also alternatively employable as a ramp or as a trailer whenever panels portions of the end-gate are freed from their up-right gating condition, said end-gate in the upright gating condition comprising: (A) an upright U-shaped frame member at its external side extending along and being attachable along transversely extending frame-pivot means to said vehicle rear-end, said U-shaped frame member at its internal side having a transversely extending finite internal-width; (B) an upright laminarly extending first-panel having a said finite internal-width and including a transversely extending trail-end that is removably pivotably attached along a first-pivot means to said frame member, said first-panel also having a transversely extending lead-end that loftily overlies said trail-end, and pivotably attached strut means located within the laminar confines of said first-panel; (C) an upright laminarly extending second-panel locatable rearwardly of and substantially parallel to said first-panel, said second-panel having a transverse extent approximating that for said first-panel and including a trailward-end that is pivotably attached along a second-pivot means to the first panel lead-end, said second-panel also having a transversely extending leadward-end provided with drawbar-attachment means; (D) inter-panels rigidifying means that is wholly inactive when the first-panel and second-panel are employed in up-right parallelism but that actively maintains the two panels substantially co-planar whenever the end-gate is pivoted at said second-pivot means and for alternative employments as ramp or trailer; and (E) terrain-traversing means removably attachable to said strut means whenever the end-gate panels are to be freed at said first-pivot means from said frame member and employed in a trailer mode.