Adjustable Vehicle Rack for Hauling Recreational Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods of hauling personal recreational vehicles, such as trailers and truck cargo areas, limit outdoor enthusiasts' ability to tow additional trailers or campers due to space constraints, making convenient transportation challenging, especially in remote areas where camping and vehicle use coincide.
Innovation Solution
A modular vehicle rack system with an outer and inner frame, featuring telescoping members and adjustable guides, which can be mounted to a vehicle to securely convey and store personal recreational vehicles, allowing for easy loading and unloading, and accommodating various vehicle sizes and angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional trailers or truck cargo areas are used to haul personal recreational vehicles, then the vehicles can be transported, but the outdoor enthusiasts cannot simultaneously tow a travel trailer or camper
Solution Approach 1:
The rack system utilizes the vertical dimension by mounting telescoping members to the vehicle's cab or frame, extending upward and outward to create storage space that does not consume horizontal towing capacity. This allows the vehicle to maintain full towing capability while still transporting personal recreational vehicles on the rack structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed rack structure is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate various vehicle sizes and loading angles
Solution Approach 1:
The rack employs telescoping members that can extend and retract, allowing the structure to dynamically adjust its dimensions. The telescoping members include guides that permit angular adjustment, enabling the rack to adapt to different vehicle sizes, weights, and loading configurations while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack is divided into modular components including outer frames, inner frames, and telescoping members that can independently adjust. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for specific functions while providing overall system flexibility to accommodate various personal recreational vehicles.
3Adaptability or versatility
If telescoping members are added to the rack to provide adjustability, then vehicle accommodation improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping members serve multiple functions: they provide length adjustment for different vehicle sizes, enable angular positioning for proper loading, and can be configured in various numbers (one, two, or more) depending on the specific application needs. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle rack for hauling one or more personal recreational vehicles is provided. A vehicle rack may be adjustable to allow one or more personal recreation vehicles to be stored above a vehicle's cargo area allowing the vehicle to also tow a trailer.