Patents Assigned to Marlin Crawler, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20240059353
    Abstract: The present invention provides reinforcing braces that may be attached to the factory-supplied chassis mounts for the lower control arms of the steering knuckles of vehicles to reinforce and shield the mounts from objects below the vehicle that may be encountered when traveling through rugged terrain. The braces of the present invention are designed for the front and rear control arm mounts, each brace including a pair of parallel sturdy metal flanges that are generally perpendicularly attached to a sturdy metal lower base plate. Each flange is designed to be attached to one of the flanges of the factory-supplied chassis mounts, and has an opening therein for receiving mounting hardware and strengthening of the camber adjustment structures. The sturdy metal lower base plates may extend out and away from the flanges of the brackets to provide a lower shield to protect the chassis and mounting hardware from damage that may occur from contact with large objects that may be encountered below the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Patent number: 11794814
    Abstract: The present invention provides reinforcing braces for attachment to factory-supplied chassis mounts for the lower control arms of steering knuckles of vehicles to reinforce and shield the mounts from objects below the vehicle encountered when traveling through rugged terrain. Each brace includes a pair of parallel sturdy metal flanges that are attached to a sturdy metal lower base plate. Each flange is designed to be attached to one of the flanges of the factory-supplied chassis mounts, and has an opening therein for receiving mounting hardware, and an open section for engagement with camber adjustment structures. The sturdy base plates provide a lower shield to protect the chassis and mounting hardware from damage from contact with large objects encountered below the vehicle. The front base plate may also include an elongated front shield for deflecting large objects as the vehicle moves forward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Publication number: 20230303165
    Abstract: The present invention provides embodiments of modified upper and lower control arms for attachment to the steering knuckle that came with the vehicle, or for attachment to a modified steering knuckle of an embodiment of the invention, such that the steering knuckle, and in particular the wheel hub opening of the steering knuckle, are located at positions that are closer to the front of the vehicle than the positions provided by the control arms that came with the vehicle. The forward position of the wheel hub relative to the position provided by the factory or stock control arms moves the wheel and tire forward by the same distance, thereby allowing much larger wheels and tires to be mounted on the vehicle which do not rub against or interfere with the wheel well, fender or body mount, thereby increasing the approach angle of the vehicle for use in off-road climbing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Publication number: 20230234437
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for mounting a front differential to the frame of a vehicle that has been equipped with off road components to achieve proper alignment without decreasing ground clearance. The apparatus may include first and second support brackets having bushings that directly engage the differential thereby eliminating bulky spacers that otherwise decrease ground clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Patent number: 11667327
    Abstract: The present invention provides embodiments of modified upper and lower control arms for attachment to the steering knuckle that came with the vehicle, or for attachment to a modified steering knuckle of an embodiment of the invention, such that the steering knuckle, and in particular the wheel hub opening of the steering knuckle, are located at positions that are closer to the front of the vehicle than the positions provided by the control arms that came with the vehicle. The forward position of the wheel hub relative to the position provided by the factory or stock control arms moves the wheel and tire forward by the same distance, thereby allowing much larger wheels and tires to be mounted on the vehicle which do not rub against or interfere with the wheel well, fender or body mount, thereby increasing the approach angle of the vehicle for use in off-road climbing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Publication number: 20210339800
    Abstract: The present invention provides embodiments of modified upper and lower control arms for attachment to the steering knuckle that came with the vehicle, or for attachment to a modified steering knuckle of an embodiment of the invention, such that the steering knuckle, and in particular the wheel hub opening of the steering knuckle, are located at positions that are closer to the front of the vehicle than the positions provided by the control arms that came with the vehicle. The forward position of the wheel hub relative to the position provided by the factory or stock control arms moves the wheel and tire forward by the same distance, thereby allowing much larger wheels and tires to be mounted on the vehicle which do not rub against or interfere with the wheel well, fender or body mount, thereby increasing the approach angle of the vehicle for use in off-road climbing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Publication number: 20210323608
    Abstract: The present invention provides reinforcing braces that may be attached to the factory-supplied chassis mounts for the lower control arms of the steering knuckles of vehicles to reinforce and shield the mounts from objects below the vehicle that may be encountered when traveling through rugged terrain. The braces of the present invention are designed for the front and rear control arm mounts, each brace including a pair of parallel sturdy metal flanges that are generally perpendicularly attached to a sturdy metal lower base plate. Each flange is designed to be attached to one of the flanges of the factory-supplied chassis mounts, and has an opening therein for receiving mounting hardware and strengthening of the camber adjustment structures. The sturdy metal lower base plates may extend out and away from the flanges of the brackets to provide a lower shield to protect the chassis and mounting hardware from damage that may occur from contact with large objects that may be encountered below the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Patent number: 11066099
    Abstract: The present invention provides embodiments of modified upper and lower control arms for attachment to the steering knuckle that came with the vehicle, or for attachment to a modified steering knuckle of an embodiment of the invention, such that the steering knuckle, and in particular the wheel hub opening of the steering knuckle, are located at positions that are closer to the front of the vehicle than the positions provided by the control arms that came with the vehicle. The forward position of the wheel hub relative to the position provided by the factory or stock control arms moves the wheel and tire forward by the same distance, thereby allowing much larger wheels and tires to be mounted on the vehicle which do not rub against or interfere with the wheel well, fender or body mount, thereby increasing the approach angle of the vehicle for use in off-road climbing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Patent number: 11046135
    Abstract: The present invention provides reinforcing braces that may be attached to the factory-supplied chassis mounts for the lower control arms of the steering knuckles of vehicles to reinforce and shield the mounts from objects below the vehicle that may be encountered when traveling through rugged terrain. The braces of the present invention are designed for the front and rear control arm mounts, each brace including a pair of parallel sturdy metal flanges that are generally perpendicularly attached to a sturdy metal lower base plate. Each flange is designed to be attached to one of the parallel flanges of the factory-supplied chassis mounts, and has a generally U-shaped opening therein for receiving mounting hardware and strengthening of the camber adjustment tabs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Publication number: 20200361265
    Abstract: The present invention provides reinforcing braces that may be attached to the factory-supplied chassis mounts for the lower control arms of the steering knuckles of vehicles to reinforce and shield the mounts from objects below the vehicle that may be encountered when traveling through rugged terrain. The braces of the present invention are designed for the front and rear control arm mounts, each brace including a pair of parallel sturdy metal flanges that are generally perpendicularly attached to a sturdy metal lower base plate. Each flange is designed to be attached to one of the parallel flanges of the factory-supplied chassis mounts, and has a generally U-shaped opening therein for receiving mounting hardware and strengthening of the camber adjustment tabs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski
  • Publication number: 20200010115
    Abstract: The present invention provides embodiments of modified upper and lower control arms for attachment to the steering knuckle that came with the vehicle, or for attachment to a modified steering knuckle of an embodiment of the invention, such that the steering knuckle, and in particular the wheel hub opening of the steering knuckle, are located at positions that are closer to the front of the vehicle than the positions provided by the control arms that came with the vehicle. The forward position of the wheel hub relative to the position provided by the factory or stock control arms moves the wheel and tire forward by the same distance, thereby allowing much larger wheels and tires to be mounted on the vehicle which do not rub against or interfere with the wheel well, fender or body mount, thereby increasing the approach angle of the vehicle for use in off-road climbing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicant: Marlin Crawler, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czajkowski