Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-22
2001-01-09
DePumpo, Daniel G. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S437000, C280S438100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170850
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved fifth wheel type hitch.
In many cases, it is desirable to provide a fifth wheel hitch which permits side to side as well as fore and aft pivoting of the coupler head relative to the hitch base. Permitting side to side pivoting of the coupler head relative to the hitch base relieves stresses exerted on the coupling mechanism such as when the trailer is pulled across uneven ground.
It is known to mount the coupler head of a fifth wheel hitch to the hitch base for generally unrestrained side to side pivoting relative thereto. However, in such a system, when the trailer is uncoupled from the coupler head, the coupler head pivots to one side making it difficult to align the coupling mechanism with a king pin when it is necessary to reattach the trailer to the coupler head. Some hitches have a latching mechanism which may be engaged to hold the coupler head in a generally upright rigid state to facilitate coupling with a king pin and then disengaged once the king pin is secured by the coupling mechanism to permit the head to tilt or pivot from side to side as the trailer is towed. However such systems generally do not provide side to side stability to the trailer during towing. In addition, the latching mechanisms of such systems are often difficult to engage and disengage particularly when the trailer and the towing vehicle are positioned on uneven ground.
It is also desirable to have a hitch which can be readily removed from the truck bed in which it is mounted, to permit use of the truck bed when the truck is not used for towing. Existing fifth wheel type hitches tend to be relatively heavy and difficult for a single individual to remove from a truck bed.
There remains a need for an improved fifth wheel hitch which provides both fore and aft and side to side pivoting of the coupler head relative to the hitch base which is relatively stable and which facilitates coupling and uncoupling of the coupling mechanism to a hitch pin and there remains a need for such an improved hitch which is relatively easy to install and remove from a truck bed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a fifth wheel type hitch adapted for engaging a king pin of a trailer. The hitch includes a hitch head including a coupler assembly adapted to engage the hitch pin wherein the hitch head is removably securable to the hitch base and pivotal fore and aft relative thereto. The hitch head includes an intermediate pivot frame with downwardly opening pivot saddles formed therein which are supported on cylindrical pivot bearings mounted on pivot arms extending upward from a base frame of the hitch base. The outer portion of the pivot bearings are preferably formed from polyurethane.
Latches are secured to the intermediate pivot frame adjacent each pivot saddle and are normally biased from a retracted position to a latching position. When latches are biased into the latching position with the hitch head supported on the hitch base, the latches extend underneath and engage the pivot bearings so as to prevent the hitch head from being separated from the hitch base. The latches are pivotally mounted to the intermediate pivot frame. Each latch has a lift handle secured thereto which can be grasped by a user and pivoted to advance the associated latch to the retracted position such that the hitch head may be lifted off of the hitch base by further pulling upward on the lift handles. The lift handles are adapted to support the weight of the hitch head such that the user can move the hitch head using the lift handles.
The coupler assembly is pivotally secured to the intermediate pivot frame and pivotal from side to side relative thereto. At least one shock absorber is secured at a first end to the coupler assembly and at a second end to the intermediate pivot frame to dampen side to side pivoting of the coupler assembly relative to the intermediate pivot frame. The shock absorber or shock absorbers normally bias the coupler assembly to an upright alignment relative to the intermediate pivot frame such that a vertical axis of the coupler assembly extends perpendicular to a horizontal axis of the intermediate pivot frame.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
The objects of this invention include: providing a fifth wheel hitch with a hitch head for connecting to a king pin which pivots both fore and aft and side to side relative to a hitch base and a truck bed in which it is mounted; to provide such a hitch in which the side to side pivoting of the hitch head is dampened; to provide such a hitch in which the hitch head is self leveling relative to side to side pivoting; to provide such a hitch in which the hitch head is selectively removable from the hitch base to facilitate installation and removal of the hitch from the truck bed; to provide such a hitch in which the hitch head may be securely latched to the hitch base by a releasable latching mechanism; to provide such a hitch in which the latching mechanism includes handles for advancing a latch member into and out of latching engagement with a portion of the hitch base and wherein the handles can also be used for lifting the hitch head off of the hitch base; to provide such a hitch which the hitch base is removably securable to a post extending up through the bed of the truck; to provide such a hitch which minimizes metal to metal contact between bearing surfaces of the hitch head and the hitch base; to provide such a hitch in which pivot bearings, on which the hitch head is supported for fore and aft pivoting, are formed from polyurethane; and to provide such a hitch which is easy to use and install and which is particularly well adapted for its intended uses thereof.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
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B & W Custom Truck Beds, Inc.
DePumpo Daniel G.
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy P.C.
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