A counterbalance hinge assembly includes a cam and compression device that counterbalances a weight of a door or a ramp. The compression device biases against a rotation of the door or ramp. The downward movement of the door or ramp drives cam followers in angled slots or cam surfaces of the cam. The angled slots or cam surfaces include varying angles of incline to correspond to varying torque forces of the door or ramp during the opening or closing movement of the door or ramp.

An assembly for assisting in lifting a tailgate includes an elongated housing extending along a predetermined length, a spring anchored at one end at a first end of the housing, and a connector having a first end affixed to the opposite end of the spring and extending through the housing. In one embodiment, at least three rollers are provided for engaging the connector. The rollers may be arranged in a variety of configurations to maintain the connector and spring in a generally centered location within the housing. In another embodiment, at least two vertically aligned guides are provided. A vehicle for integrating the foregoing assemblies is also provided.

A container for transporting and storing landscaping materials includes a rectangular container body having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls, and an end wall which define an open-ended chamber; and a vertical ramp end wall that is pivotally displaceable between a normal vertical closed position, and a downwardly inclined loading position, which pivot arrangement includes a pair of horizontal pivot shafts arranged collinearly transversely of the container on opposite sides of the protruding ends of a pair of guide rails that extend longitudinally beneath the bottom wall. To afford manual operation of the massive ramp wall, a counter-balancing spring arrangement is provided including a pair of torsion springs mounted concentrically on these two pivot shafts for biasing the ramp wall from the loading position upwardly toward the closed position with an aggregate torque force that is generally equal to the weight of the ramp wall.

A truck bed extender and ramp assembly mounts to the hitch receiver of a pickup truck to allow four-wheeled vehicles to be driven into and out of the truck bed, with the rear wheels of the vehicle being supported by a crossbar spaced rearwardly from the open tailgate of the truck. The assembly includes ramps pivotally mounted to the crossbar for movement between a lowered use position for loading and unloading the vehicle and a raised transport position. The ramps automatically pivot on the crossbar when the rear wheels of the vehicle pass over the crossbar. The ramps include telescoping sections to adjust the length of the ramps.

A trailer for towing vehicles and related methods is presented. The disclosed trailer can be configured for towing certain three-wheeled vehicles and include a ramp, a front wheel retaining member, and rear wheel plates. The trailer may be configured to receive a three-wheeled vehicle, and upon receipt of the front wheel at the front wheel retaining member and the rear wheels at the rear wheel plates, transition from a first position with the ramp in a lowered configuration to a second position with the ramp in a raised and locked configuration, wherein the weight of the vehicle being towed may be used to both raise the ramp and maintain the ramp in a secured, raised configuration.

A trailer having a trailer ramp system that includes a trailer ramp coupled with the trailer and an actuator pivotally coupled to the trailer on a first end of the actuator and pivotally coupled to the trailer ramp on a second end of the actuator. The actuator is located below the trailer and is aligned with a central axis of the trailer ramp and a central axis of the trailer. The actuator is movable linearly to rotate the trailer ramp between an open position and a closed position.

A lifting mechanism for a foldable ramp may include a swivel lifting arm being biased in a passive position of the foldable ramp and being activatable for releasing and transmitting its bias into a lifting force on the foldable ramp. The foldable ramp may be for providing wheelchair access to a passenger car rear door. The foldable ramp can be swivelled between several positions including a passive position in which the foldable ramp is arranged in the car in a lying position.

An assembly for assisting in lifting a tailgate includes an elongated housing extending along a predetermined length, a spring anchored at one end at a first end of the housing, and a connector having a first end affixed to the opposite end of the spring and extending through the housing. In one embodiment, at least three rollers are provided for engaging the connector. The rollers may be arranged in a variety of configurations to maintain the connector and spring in a generally centered location within the housing. In another embodiment, at least two vertically aligned guides are provided. A vehicle for integrating the foregoing assemblies is also provided.

A ramp door closure apparatus is provided for recreational vehicles, having a recessed linear actuator both draw a cable from a mounting bracket on the ramp door adjacent to the RV opening, to raise and lower the ramp door, and then cam a locking pin fixed to the ramp door into a seal tight position after the ramp door is raised. Upon release of the locking pin from the cam when opening the door, an initial push is provided to facilitate downward rotation of the ramp door. The linear actuator is selectively detachable from the cable so as to allow manual raising and lowering of the ramp door from within the RV, by means of releasable pins accessed in the mounting structure.

A ramp door closure apparatus is provided for recreational vehicles, having a recessed linear actuator both draw a cable from a mounting bracket on the ramp door adjacent to the RV opening, to raise and lower the ramp door, and then cam a locking pin fixed to the ramp door into a seal tight position after the ramp door is raised. Upon release of the locking pin from the cam when opening the door, an initial push is provided to facilitate downward rotation of the ramp door. The linear actuator is selectively detachable from the cable so as to allow manual raising and lowering of the ramp door from within the RV, by means of releasable pins accessed in the mounting structure.