A retractable truck bed cover having an array of parallel aluminum slats joined together by connective hinges including leading and trailing edge configuration for improving the security of the cover by covering and concealing the seam between adjacent slats while improving the connective hinge's resistance to the effects of aging and/or exposure to temperature fluctuations. The truck bed cover connective hinge slat is designed to be in an array of discrete slats, which are joined to one another by means of joiner members secured at each end to slat end caps. The distal ends of the joiner members are attached to slat end caps at the distal ends of the slats, thereby preventing the joiner members from shrinking in relationship to the slats due to aging and I or exposure to temperature fluctuations.

A tonneau cover comprising: (a) a first panel and a second panel; (b) a hinge located between and connecting the first panel and the second panel; and (c) a cover extending over all or a portion of the first panel, the second panel, or both, and the hinge so that, when the first panel or the second panel rotates about the hinge, the cover forms a portion of the hinge and maintains the integrity of the hinge.

A ground milling machine comprising a machine frame, a driver's cab, a drive motor, movement means driven by the drive motor and a milling unit for milling up ground material, wherein the driver's cab has a protection roof and a front window device through which an operator located in the driver's cab can look forward in a forward direction of the ground milling machine.

A soft top assembly which includes lift assist and improved fabric management. The assembly includes front side rails pivotally connected to rear side rails. A plurality of fabric control bows with control linkages provide fabric control to the top material during pivoting of the front side rails. A first and second gas strut are attached to the rear side rails to assist lifting and controlled motion as the top is moved between a closed position and open sunroof position, as one strut is fully loaded and compressed while the other strut is fully loaded and open, for lift assist and dampening.

A pickup truck including a passenger compartment, a cargo bed operatively coupled to the passenger compartment, and a selectively deployable drag reduction system mounted at the cargo bed. The selectively deployable drag reduction system includes a deflector that is shiftable between a non-deployed configuration and a deployed configuration. In the deployed configuration the deflector is exposed to an airflow passing over the pickup truck.

A rack assembly configured to mount to sidewalls of a truck bed of a vehicle. In some embodiments, the rack assembly comprises a pair of side rails configured to secure to the sidewalls of the truck bed, a pair of tracks, and a plurality of mounting brackets configured to mount the pair of tracks to sidewalls of the truck bed and above the side rails so as to transfer vertical load from the tracks to the sidewalls of truck bed.

A method of mounting a roof panel assembly to a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof includes: mounting a frame of the roof panel assembly to the fixed roof from below with an operating mechanism and a ring frame in a position corresponding to a closed position of the movable panel, providing an amount of paste-like adhering material onto the ring frame distributed around the circumference thereof, positioning the movable panel onto the ring frame from above with the adhering material interpositioned and compressing the adhering material until a correct position with respect to the vehicle roof is reached, and keeping the movable panel in this position until the adhering material is sufficiently hardened to maintain the panel in its position.

A method of mounting a roof panel assembly to a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof includes: mounting a frame of the roof panel assembly to the fixed roof from below with an operating mechanism and a ring frame in a position corresponding to a closed position of the movable panel, providing an amount of paste-like adhering material onto the ring frame distributed around the circumference thereof, positioning the movable panel onto the ring frame from above with the adhering material interpositioned and compressing the adhering material until a correct position with respect to the vehicle roof is reached, and keeping the movable panel in this position until the adhering material is sufficiently hardened to maintain the panel in its position.

An apparatus and method for implementing a vehicle sun and rain shield that converts to a pop-up sheltered compartment. The apparatus semi-permanently attaches to the roof of any vehicle. The device is easy to install and does not interfere with the parking and storage profile of the vehicle. The device is sized to fit within the perimeter of any vehicle roof when deployed. The device is easily opened and closed to provide added sun and rain protection. The device has movable panels that extend beyond the vehicle roof to provide sun and rain protection. The movable panels deflect in response to contact. The movable panels also lock in a position perpendicular with the plane of the roof to provide the pop-up sheltered compartment. The sheltered compartment is useful for storing items or providing temporary shelter for users.

An apparatus and method for implementing a vehicle sun and rain shield that converts to a pop-up sheltered compartment. The apparatus semi-permanently attaches to the roof of any vehicle. The device is easy to install and does not interfere with the parking and storage profile of the vehicle. The device is sized to fit within the perimeter of any vehicle roof when deployed. The device is easily opened and closed to provide added sun and rain protection. The device has movable panels that extend beyond the vehicle roof to provide sun and rain protection. The movable panels deflect in response to contact. The movable panels also lock in a position perpendicular with the plane of the roof to provide the pop-up sheltered compartment. The sheltered compartment is useful for storing items or providing temporary shelter for users.