Retractable vehicle mud flap
View Patent ↗A retractable mud flap assembly has a housing suspended from a vehicle hitch receiver tube so as not to interfere with mounting of a hitch ball thereon. The housing receives a rotatable shaft therein upon which a flexible mud flap panel can be rolled into the housing in a stored position. The housing has a lower dispensing slot between opposing flanges through which a portion of increased thickness of the panel cannot pass. A tool attachment portion is supported at one end of the shaft for selective attachment of an auxiliary handle member or rotary tool for example. A radial locking member on the housing selectively engages shaft to lock the panel in either the stored position or a working position suspended from the dispensing slot.
1. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends;
a hitch attachment arranged to suspend the housing from a hitching portion of the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction; and
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft; and
the hitch attachment comprising a bracket arranged to be secured about a hitch receiver tube on the vehicle in a manner which does not interfere with mounting of a hitch ball relative to the hitch receiver tube.
2. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the hitch attachment is arranged to wholly suspend the housing from the hitching portion of the vehicle such that the housing is only supported on the hitching portion of the vehicle.
3. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends;
a hitch attachment arranged to suspend the housing from a hitching portion of the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction; and
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft; and
the hitch attachment comprising a bracket arranged to be secured about the hitching portion of the vehicle using threaded fasteners such that the housing is selectively separable from the vehicle.
4. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the housing is fully enclosed about the shaft.
5. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes two flanges spanning laterally between the opposing ends parallel to one another to define a dispensing slot therebetween and wherein the mud flap panel is received through the dispensing slot between the two flanges.
6. The assembly according to claim 5 wherein the mud flap panel includes a portion of increased thickness at the outer free edge which cannot pass through the dispensing slot.
7. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends;
a hitch attachment arranged to suspend the housing from a hitching portion of the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction; and
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft; and
the mud flap panel further comprising a rigid weighted member spanning along the outer free edge along a full width of the panel in the lateral direction.
8. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends;
a hitch attachment arranged to suspend the housing from a hitching portion of the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction;
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft; and
a tool attachment portion supported at one end of the shaft so as to be arranged selective attachment to an auxiliary handle member for manually driving rotation of the shaft.
9. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the tool attachment portion protrudes outwardly beyond the housing in the lateral direction.
10. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the tool attachment portion comprises an end portion of the shaft having a cross section perpendicular to the lateral direction which is polygonal.
11. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends;
a hitch attachment arranged to suspend the housing from a hitching portion of the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction;
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft; and
a locking member supported on the housing for movement in a radial direction relative to the shaft between a disengaged position in which the shaft is freely rotatable and an engaged position in which the locking member engages to the shaft so as to prevent rotation of the shaft relative to the housing.
12. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the locking member is in threaded connection with the housing such that rotation of the locking member about a respective longitudinal axis displaces the locking member in the radial direction relative to the shaft.
13. The assembly according to claim 11 further comprising a plurality of sockets at circumferentially spaced apart positions on the shaft, wherein the locking member comprises an inner end portion arranged to be received in a selected one of the sockets in the engaged position.
14. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends and being arranged to be supported on the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction; and
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft;
the housing being fully enclosed about the shaft;
the housing including two flanges spanning laterally between the opposing ends parallel to one another to define a dispensing slot therebetween;
the mud flap panel being received through the dispensing slot between the two flanges; and
the mud flap panel including a portion of increased thickness at the outer free edge which cannot pass through the dispensing slot.
15. A retractable mud flap assembly for a motor vehicle supported on wheels for movement in a forward working direction, the assembly comprising:
a housing extending in a lateral direction between two opposing ends and being arranged to be supported on the vehicle rearward of the wheels such that the lateral direction is perpendicular to the forward working direction of the vehicle;
a shaft supported by the housing for rotation about an axis of the shaft oriented in the lateral direction;
a mud flap panel spanning longitudinally between an inner edge secured to the shaft and an opposing free outer edge; and
a tool attachment portion supported at one end of the shaft so as to be arranged selective attachment to an auxiliary handle member;
the mud flap panel being formed of a flexible material so as to be movable between a working position depending downwardly from the housing towards the free outer edge and a stored position rolled onto the shaft.
16. The assembly according to claim 15 wherein the tool attachment portion comprises an end portion of the shaft having a cross section perpendicular to the lateral direction which is polygonal and protrudes outwardly beyond the housing in the lateral direction.
17. The assembly according to claim 15 further comprising a locking member supported on the housing for movement in a radial direction relative to the shaft between a disengaged position in which the shaft is freely rotatable and an engaged position in which the locking member engages to the shaft so as to prevent rotation of the shaft relative to the housing.
18. The assembly according to claim 15 further comprising:
the housing being fully enclosed about the shaft;
the housing including two flanges spanning laterally between the opposing ends parallel to one another to define a dispensing slot therebetween; and
the mud flap panel being received through the dispensing slot between the two flanges.