Abstract: A low-floor-vehicle ramp has a slideway (13) attached to a bottom side of a vehicle floor (2) proximate a door sill, a boarding-ramp assembly (1) hinged to a ramp-control plate (14) that slides on parallel slideways (22, 23, 59, 60, 68) as actuated horizontally by motorized bidirectional actuation of a ramp-slide actuator (16, 56) that is affixed to the vehicle (3) and has a horizontally actuating member (17, 58) attached to the ramp-control plate. A floor-access plate (9) forms an access bridge between the boarding-ramp assembly and the vehicle floor. Foldable side barriers (7, 8) on outside edges of the boarding-ramp assembly spring to an upright mode automatically in extended mode. A ramp switch (10) is operated by a driver of the vehicle. Tool-operative backup gearing (19) is provided for operation with various types of hand-operative or motor-operative tools (20, 21) in event of failure of the ramp-slide actuator.

Abstract: A driving wheel suspension system for a vehicle such as a passenger car, a van or a light or heavy truck or bus, which includes a pair of wheel support assemblies each of which consists of a leaf spring lying parallel to the vehicle's drive shaft and a wheel spindle journalled within a wheel spindle housing mounted on the center of the leaf spring, and a straight dead axle whose opposite ends are connected to one of the wheel spindle housings by a pair of spaced apart conical bearings journalled in the wheel spindle housing and surrounding the end of the straight dead axle, whereby the conical bearings supporting the dead axle prevent torsional loads being imposed on the dead axle caused by vertical displacements of the driving wheels as the vehicle is driven over rough, uneven terrain.

Abstract: A heated air delivery system for vans, trucks and buses which has a single heated air distribution compartment located beneath the dashboard and designed to deliver heated air to defrost the entire windshield through a single elongated tapered defroster discharge nozzle located along the center of the dashboard. The heated air distribution compartment is also designed to deliver heated air to other areas within the vehicle's interior such as the driver's area, the stepwell entry area and teh driver's side mirror. The heated air is delivered into a plenum chamber within the air distribution compartment preferably from an opening in the bottom of the compartment.

Abstract: An airfoil is mounted on the exhaust pipe of a tractor trailer vehicle generally forward the exhaust pipe opening so as to be upstream of the exhaust pipe in the airflow deflected by a drag reducer mounted on the tractor roof forward the exhaust pipe. The airfoil splits the deflected airflow around the exhaust pipe. The airfoil has a pervious portion located generally below the exhaust pipe opening to allow airflow therethrough to prevent a low pressure buildup in the area generally below the exhaust pipe opening. The airfoil also has an airflow impervious portion located generally above the exhaust pipe opening to create a low pressure behind the impervious portion and generally above the exhaust opening to thereby draw the exhaust flow upwardly into the deflected airflow.