Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-29
2001-01-09
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S438100, C280S439000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170849
ABSTRACT:
The file of this patent contains at least one color photograph. Copies of the patent with color photos will be provided by the PTO upon payment of necessary fee.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the hitches used to attach 5th wheel trailers/recreational vehicles to various types of tow vehicles.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many types of hitches and hitch systems are commonly supplied by various manufacturers to securely attach 5th wheel or goose neck trailer to tow vehicles. These hitches are manufactured and supplied in several load ranges to accommodate the weight and load to be towed. Several safety features are incorporated to assure a secure and safe locking device.
Originally all hitches were mounted rigidly to the frame of the tow vehicle following the practice of hitching commercial semi-trailers to commercial tractors. The major difference between commercial hitches and recreational vehicle hitches was in size. One problem arose from the failure to consider the differing operating conditions. Commercial trailers and tractors operate almost entirely on surfaces with the trailer and tractor on the same plane. Recreational vehicles frequently need to be leveled when parked by raising one side of the trailer leaving the tow vehicle on an unlevel surface. The result is a binding force in the hitch making it very difficult to unhook and hook up the two vehicles.
A further problem resulted from the failure to consider how the weight and spring load of the tow vehicle would effect the trailer and its contents. This has resulted in numerous cases of broken contents of the trailer and broken front frames on 5th wheel trailers. The trend to heavier 5th wheel trailers which need to be towed by larger trucks has increased the severity of the problem because until now there was no hitch or hitch system designed to address the problems.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects of my hitch system are as follows. Previously designed hitch systems did not provide a means to protect the trailer or its contents from shock damage due to roughness of road surfaces and resulting bounce and movement. Neither did they provide a safe locking device. My hitch system encompasses all these and several other advantages.
My system uses a totally articulated hitch plate which allows the tow truck and trailer to move in a more flexible manner. This protects the hitch pin and its related box and frame assembly from the stresses incurred by the tow vehicle when operating on unlevel surfaces.
Other manufacturers attempt to cover weight variations of trailers by building several different hitches with different weight ratings. This causes confusion among prospective owners who fail to understand the difference in the ratings and results in serious mismatching of hitch system and trailer weights. My hitch system overcomes this problem by being manufactured in one size. My hitch system has been static tested to 45,000 pounds and the hitch assembly itself is rated to 25,000 pounds, far in excess of most hitches supplied by other manufacturers and in excess of any existing demands. This allows changes from one trailer to another without concern for safety ratings.
My hitch system also incorporates a hinged platform (see
FIG. 1
) that the hitch itself is mounted on which is supported by heavy duty air bags which are further stabilized by shock dampening devices. This combination results in a firm but soft ride preventing damage to the trailer and its contents.
SUMMARY
As is the case with many devices, 5th hitch development for recreational vehicles has been based on similar but different products already in existence. Large commercial semi-trailers and tractors have long used what has come to be known as a 5th wheel hitch. For commercial use these devices are designed and built to carry a weight load of thousands of pounds and in some instances tow over 100,000 pounds. These 5th hitches are made to allow a small amount of pitching motion front to rear to accommodate the normal unevenness in road surfaces. No allowance is made to accommodate the side to side rolling motion frequently met by recreational vehicles.
Further, commercial 5th hitches were unnecessarily large for 5th recreational vehicles which rarely weigh more than 20,000 pounds. Design of recreational vehicle 5th hitches simply followed the pattern of start with a huge commercial hitch and scale it down in size.
This method of design has worked fairly well until the recent trend toward larger and heavier 5th wheel recreational vehicles. As long as the 5th wheel recreational vehicles did not exceed approximately 12,000 pounds they could be towed by properly equipped pickup trucks. The trend toward heavier 5th wheel recreational vehicles has resulted in the need for larger and heavier tow trucks. Many owners and truck converters have begun using medium duty or larger trucks. One problem that has resulted comes from the fact that these trucks have stiffer suspension systems and much more weight than the previously used pickup trucks. The stiffer springs and increased inertia of these larger trucks has resulted in a rough ride for the trailer and its contents. There have been numerous instances in which the front frame of the 5th wheel trailer has broken. My hitch system solves all of these problems by isolating the trailer from the inertial weight of the truck and its stiffer springs using air bags and carefully designed hinge arms. The 5th wheel recreational vehicle floats on a cushion of air with my hitch system.
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Shriver J. Allen
Swann J. J.
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