Collapsible tailgate ramp

Claim 1

A portable, collapsible ramp for a truck tailgate or doorway, said ramp having spaced sides interconnected by crossmembers; each side of said ramp comprising a plurality of beam members slidably connected one to another to lie in stacked, side-by-side relation when said ramp is collapsed, and in an elongated, staggered relationship one to another when said ramp is extended; said crossmembers extending-normal to said ramp sides and at least one crossmember being secured to the upper surface of and interconnecting each spaced pair of beam members on either side of said ramp; a first pair of spaced beam members being securable at one of their ends to said truck tailgate or doorway and the remaining pairs being slidably extendable therefrom; said beam members of said remaining pairs thereof each comprising on one side thereof a channel defined by spaced, parallel, upper and lower tracks and, on the other side thereof, an elongated support means located in the channel of an adjacent beam member and engagable by said upper and lower tracks thereof and to provide longitudinal, sliding movement of one beam member with respect to said adjacent beam member; flange means on said support means of one beam member and spaced inwardly of said tracks in the adjacent beam member to limit lateral movement of said support means on said tracks and of said one beam member relative to said adjacent beam member; and means adjacent one end of said channels to limit longitudinal movement of said beam member with respect to its adjacent beam member.