SWAY CONTROL FOR TRAILER HITCH

• US 3,659,874 A
• Filed: 01/16/1969
• Issued: 05/02/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William L. Rendessy
• Original Assignee: William L. Rendessy
• Inventors: Rendessy, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hersh, Benjamin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US04/805,924
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 280/446,432 74/242.8,242.1,242.12 254/189,19R
• US Class Current: 280/455.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/28 for preventing unwanted disengagement, e.g. safety appliances
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/32 involving damping devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/327 using cables

Abstract

A sway control for a trailer mounted on trailer tongue between the trailer and the towing vehicle utilizing cable means and a drum friction clutch utilizing pivotal means for interconnection between the vehicles. In combination with the clutch, the invention comprises idler pulleys spaced from said clutch and over which cables of the invention project, and means for releasably pivoting at least one of the pulleys to slack the cable in order to permit detachment of the ends of the cable from added structure to the towing vehicle; said invention also comprising novel details of the drum and the manner in which the opposite portions of the cables are substantially contiguous with each other at the periphery of the drum and extending in opposite directions toward the idler pulleys; said opposite portions of said cable wound helically around said drum in opposite directions and toward opposite ends of said drum from a location of said cable portions where they are contiguous with each other such that said opposite portions may reciprocate with each other and always be very close to axial alignment with each other as they extend in opposite directions to said idler pulleys. Said idler pulleys are positioned on a mounting bar or brackets so as to be in close vertical alignment with the cables as they extend outwardly at the point where they are contiguous.

Claims

1. In a sway control for trailers, the combination of:

a trailer with a trailer tongue;

a mounting member fixed to said trailer tongue;

a yieldingly restrained drum rotatably mounted on said member;

a pair of laterally spaced idler pulleys journaled on said mounting member and spaced oppositely away from said drum;

a demountable pivotal connection on said trailer tongue for interconnecting said tongue to a towing vehicle;

a cable means wrapped around and secured to said drum;

said cable means having opposite portions laterally disposed and directed outwardly and over said idler pulleys;

means for demountably connecting the outer ends of said cables at laterally spaced locations from said pivotal hitch connection, to said towing vehicle; and

means for adjusting suitable length of said cable means;

said opposite portions of said cable means at said drum being wound around said drum helically toward opposite ends thereof from a position at which said opposite portions are substantially contiguous with each other, whereby said opposite portions may rotatably reciprocate and wind around said drum and always be very close to axial aligment with each other as they extend in opposite directions from said drum to said idler pulleys.

2. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein;

said yieldingly restrained drum includes adjustable means to vary the frictional loading of said drum for restraining pivotal movement of said trailer hitch and the towing vehicle.

3. The invention, as defined in claim 2, wherein:

said drum at its opposite axial ends is provided with friction plate engaging surfaces;

a mounting plate adapted to be supported on a trailer tongue;

one of said frictional plate engaging surfaces being adjacent to said mounting plate;

said mounting plate having a pivot member on which said drum is rotatably mounted;

a tensioning plate disposed over and concentrically disposed relative to said pivoted members;

said tensioning plate adapted to engage the other of said frictional surfaces at the opposite end of said drum;

resilient tensioning means adapted to force said tensioning plate toward said drum and thereby frictionally loading both of said frictional surfaces adjustably for damping rotational movement of said drum as urged by said tension in said cables;

said cables being secured at opposite portions of said drum, such that said oppositely secured cables are oppositely and helically directed from said oppositely secured portions on said drums toward the middle portion of said drum where they are substantially adjacent and substantially contiguous and in a nearly axially aligned position relative to each other as they extend in opposite directions from the periphery of said drum.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2, wherein said drum at its opposite axial ends is provided with friction plate engaging surfaces;

and one of said friction plate engaging surfaces being adjacent to a mounting plate;

said mounting plate having a pivot member on which said drum is rotatably mounted;

a tensioning plate disposed over the concentrIcally disposed relative to said pivot member;

said tensioning plate adapted to engage the other of said friction surfaces at the opposite end of said drum; and

screw threaded and resilient tensioning means adapted to force said tensioning plate toward said drum and thereby frictionally loading both of said friction surfaces adjustably for damping rotating movement of said drum as urged by tension in said cables.

5. The invention, as defined in claim 2, wherein;

said drum at its opposite axial ends is provided with friction plate engaging surfaces;

a mounting plate adapted to be supported on a trailer tongue;

one of said friction plate engaging surfaces being adjacent to said mounting plate;

said mounting plate having a pivot member on which said drum is rotatably mounted;

a tensioning plate disposed over and concentrically disposed relative to said pivoted member;

said tension plate adapted to engage the other of said frictional surfaces at the opposite end of said drum;

resilient tensioning means adapted to force said tensioning plate toward said drum and thereby frictionally loading both of said frictional surfaces adjustably for damping rotational movement of said drum as urged by tension in said cables;

said drum being provided with openings extending therethrough adjacent opposite ends thereof; and

an intermediate portion of said cable means is extended through said openings, such that said opposite portions of said cable are helically directed form said openings toward the middle portion of said drum at which said opposite protions of said cable are substantially contiguous and in a nearly axially aligned position relative to each other.

6. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said trailer is provided with a body;

a pair of brackets supporting said idler pulleys in spaced relation to each other thereon;

said trailer tongue comprising a single bar member and said drum being mounted on said single bar member between said idler pulleys.

7. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said drum is mounted on said tongue in a position forwardly relative to said idler pulleys, such that cables extending from said idler pulleys forwardly to said drum converge in a direction toward said drum.

8. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said trailer is provided with a body and brackets are provided for mounting said idler pulleys near opposite sides of said body;

said drum being mounted on a forward portion of said tongue, said cables extending from said idler pulleys in a converging forward direction to said drum to afford unrestricted space between said idler pulleys and between said forwardly converging cables.

9. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said opposite portions of said cable at said drum being wound around said drum helically toward opposite ends thereof from a position at which said opposite portions are substantially contiguous with each other, whereby said opposite portions may rotatably reciprocate and wind around said drum and always be very close to axial alignment with each other as they extend in opposite directions from said drum to said idler pulleys.

10. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein;

at least one of said idler pulleys is readily movably mounted laterally of its axis on said mounting member to permit movement of said idler pulley to cause slackening of said cable and to permit said cable readily to be released from said towing vehicle; and

latch means adapted to hold said idler pulley in position with relation to said mounting member to maintain tension in said cable when it is connected for operation with said towing vehicle.

11. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein said drum is provided with openings therethrough adjacent opposite ends thereof and an intermediate portion of said cable is extended through said openings such that said opposite portions of said cable are helically directed from said intermediate portion toward the middle portion of said drum at which said Opposite protions of said cable are substantially contiguous and in a nearly axially aligned position relative to each other.

12. A sway control for a trailer hitch comprising in combination:

A. a mounting member fixed to the trailer hitch;

B. a yieldingly restrained drum rotatably mounted on said member;

C. laterally spaced idler pulleys journaled on said mounting member each side of said drum;

D. a demountable pivotal connection on said trailer hitch for interconnecting said hitch to a towing vehicle;

E. an operating cable having its intermediate portion wrapped around and secured to said drum with its ends extending laterally outwardly therefrom and over said idler pulleys;

F. and means for demountably connecting the outer ends of said cable at laterally spaced points from said pivotal hitch connection to said towing vehicle;

at least one of said spaced idler pulleys journaled on a bracket pivotally mounted on said mounting member; and

a releasable latch interconnected between said bracket and mounting member for movement relative to said drum to relieve normal operative tension in said cable and to facilitate unhooking the cable end from connection with the towing vehicle and for determining the amount of frictional restraint exerted by said drum.

13. In a sway control for trailer hitches, the combination of a cable means having opposite ends and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion having opposite portions, said opposite ends adapted to be removably connected in spaced apart relation and with a towing vehicle;

a plurality of spaced apart rotary means engageable with said intermediate portion of said cable means and adapted to be carried by a trailer vehicle;

at least one of said rotary means having a frictionally damped rotor;

said opposite portions being wound around said damp rotor helically toward said opposite ends from a position at which said opposite portions are substantially contiguous with each other, whereby said portion may rotatably reciprocate and wind around said damped rotor and always be very close to each other as they extend in opposite directions from said rotor, said opposite ends of said cable means extending from said plurality of said rotary means;

connection means adapted removably to connect said opposite ends of said cable means to the towing vehicle;

means movably mounting at least one of said rotary means to move said at least one of said rotary means in a direction to permit a slack condition of said cable means when it is desired to hitch or unhitch said opposite ends of said cable relative to a towing vehicle; and

releasable means adapted normally for holding said last-mentioned rotary means in a stationary position in which said cable means is held tight over said plurality of said rotary means.