Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Patent
1989-03-22
1991-02-05
Hill, Mitchell J.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
70 34, 280507, 280511, B60D 104
Patent
active
049898922
ABSTRACT:
An improved trailer hitch is disclosed for coupling a towing vehicle and a trailer. The invention is suitable for accommodating both ball and socket-type couplings and ring and pintle-type couplings. The integral body of the trailer hitch has the known elements of a rear mount for attaching the body to a towing vehicle, a ball housing with a bore for mounting a removable ball stud, a plate for mating with the attachment means of a towed vehicle, and a passage for connecting a latching arm. The improvement comprises four elements. First, the latching arm has a head, having a front face and a rear face, and a pair of substantially parallel legs integrally attached to opposite sides of the head and extending beyond the faces of the head. Each leg has an aperture for mating with the passage of the integral body and engaging a pin. Second, to prevent rotation of the latching arm, a notch on the integral body seats the rear face of the latching arm. Third, a pin is provided for insertion through the apertures of the legs and the passage of the integral body to lock the latching arm in place. This pin engages the final element of the improvement: a locking means prevents the pin from disengaging the apertures and passage. By including an insert into the passage of the integral body, the latching arm can attain multiple fixed positions and the hitch can accommodate a variety of different sized ball couplings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2591487 (1952-04-01), Wirz
patent: 4434996 (1984-03-01), Wallace
patent: 4758015 (1988-07-01), Pixley
patent: 4844498 (1989-07-01), Kerins et al.
Kerins George C.
Kerins James
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