KINGSFORD - A local inventor of recreational vehicle (RV) accessories has created a new product for pickup trucks.
Ralph Pelletier of Kingsford got his start as an inventor during his days traveling the country in his RV. He and his wife spent the summers in the Upper Peninsula, but would drive to Florida or Arizona for the winters.
After spending so much time in RVs, Pelletier realized that he could make improvements to them.
"I would always see things that could be better than they were," he explained.
Some of his past RV inventions include awning tabs for hanging plants or screens, an in-transit awning support system, self-storing fifth-wheel stabilizer jacks, a holding tank cleaner, a convertible bike rack, self-storing wheel covers, hydraulic tandem wheel locks, and an awning to ground support.
Last year, Pelletier was working on an RV entrance door latch that could be opened and closed from the inside or outside.
Currently, Pelletier has been moving forward with an invention that he first thought about at least a decade ago.
The invention is a back-mounted spare tire enclosure for pickup trucks, a feature that Pelletier thought was sorely needed.
"Usually, the spare tire is carried underneath the vehicle where it gets rusty from road salt," he pointed out. "Sometimes, you have to break them out because there's so much rust."
According to Pelletier, the challenge of the invention was
how to figure out a way for the apparatus to fold down with the tailgate and still have clearance.
His inventing process moved from thoughts, to drawings, to creating crude models, to obtaining a provisional patent, and finally to finding a manufacturer that could mass produce the product, should it be successful.
Pelletier has also notified a pickup truck magazine about the product.
"They're interested," he said. "If it works out, I could sell them the patent and they could sell the product."
Nikki Younk's e-mail address is nyounk@ironmountaindailynews.com.
