Combined vehicle climbing ladder and recovery board
A vehicle assembly, includes, among other things, an accessory usable as a climbing ladder to access an area of a vehicle. The accessory is also configured to be used as a recovery board. A method of using a vehicle accessory includes, among other things, accessing a vertically upper area of a vehicle using an accessory as a climbing ladder, the accessory also usable as a recovery board.
1 . A vehicle assembly, comprising:
an accessory usable as a climbing ladder to access an area of a vehicle, the accessory is also configured to be used as a recovery board, wherein the accessory is configured to receive an upturned flange extending from a rail of the vehicle when the accessory is used as a climbing ladder, wherein at least a portion of the accessory is sandwiched vertically between the upturned flange and a lock tab that is secured to the rail of the vehicle when the accessory is used as a climbing ladder.
2 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accessory, when used as a climbing ladder, is configured to be placed adjacent to the vehicle and climbed by a user to provide the user with access to a vertically upper area of the vehicle.
3 . The vehicle assembly of claim 2 , wherein the accessory, when used as a recovery board, is configured to be placed adjacent to a wheel of the vehicle to enhance traction of the wheel.
4 . The vehicle assembly of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the accessory can be utilized as a cargo divider within a cargo area of the vehicle.
5 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accessory includes a plurality of traction nibs, wherein a thickness of the accessory is four millimeters or less when used as a recovery board such that the accessory can be driven over.
6 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accessory includes a boot scraper.
7 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accessory includes a first section and a second section, the first section coupled to the second section when the accessory is used as a climbing ladder.
8 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accessory includes a bag hanger.
9 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lock tab is configured to pivot relative to the rail back-and-forth between a first position where the accessory is sandwiched vertically between the upturned flange and the lock tab and a second position where the accessory is not sandwiched vertically between the upturned flange and the lock tab.
10 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a joiner clamp configured to secure a first section of the accessory to a second section of the accessory when the accessory is used as a climbing ladder.
11 . The vehicle assembly of claim 10 , wherein the joiner clamp includes tabs received within slots of the accessory when joining a first section of the accessory and the second section of the accessory when the accessory is used as a climbing ladder.
12 . The vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lock tab is pivotably secured to the rail of the vehicle.
13 . A vehicle assembly, comprising:
an accessory usable as a climbing ladder to access an area of a vehicle, the accessory is also configured to be used as a recovery board,
wherein the accessory includes a first section and a second section, the first section coupled to the second section when the accessory is used as a climbing ladder,
wherein the first section is configured to span from a first side wall within a cargo area of the vehicle to an opposite, second side wall of the cargo area to provide a cargo divider, the first section received within a first groove of the first side wall and further received within a second groove of the second side wall when the first section spans from the first side wall to the second side wall to provide the cargo divider.
14 . The vehicle assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first section of the accessory includes a scraper, the scraper received within one of the first groove or the second groove when the first section spans from the first side wall to the second side wall to provide the cargo divider.
15 . A method of using a vehicle accessory, comprising:
accessing a vertically upper area of a vehicle using an accessory as a climbing ladder, the accessory also usable as a recovery board;
hooking the accessory over a flange extending from the vehicle when using the accessory as a climbing ladder; and
locking the accessory over the flange using a lock tab movable to a position that sandwiches a portion of the accessory between the lock tab and the flange.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein, when using the accessory as a climbing ladder, a first section of the accessory is connected to a second section of the accessory to increase a longitudinal length of the accessory.
17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising prior to the accessing, removing at least a section of the accessory from a cargo area of the vehicle where the section is used as a cargo divider that spans from a first side wall on a driver side of the vehicle to a second side wall on a passenger side of the vehicle.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the removing includes withdrawing the section from a slot within a cargo area of the vehicle.
19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the flange is an upturned flange.
20 . The vehicle assembly of claim 15 , wherein the lock tab is pivotably secured to the rail of the vehicle.