US Patent 9637178 Tubular vehicle exterior accessory extrusion

A hollow tubular shape is extruded from aluminum and used as a basic building block for one or more different truck accessories, such as a side step, grill guard and headache rack. The outside of the hollow tubular shape provides flat surfaces and angled edges over most of its periphery, including a major wall and several side walls. An attachment wall opposite the major wall includes attachment slides that enable the extrusion to be attached in numerous configurations, including to attachment brackets. The interior of the extruded hollow tubular shape includes openings to receive end caps.