TRAILER HITCH FOR COUPLING WITH PICK-UP TRUCK

• US 3,837,675 A
• Filed: 02/14/1973
• Issued: 09/24/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David H. Hill, Roger L. Barnes
• Original Assignee: David H. Hill, Roger L. Barnes
• Inventors: Barnes, Roger L., Hill, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Friaglia, Leo
• Application Number:
  US05/332,427
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 280/423R,438,433,434
• US Class Current: 280/423.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/06 Ball-and-socket hitches , e.g. constructional details, auxiliary devices, their arrangement on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/488 mounted directly to the chassis of the towing vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/586 Lubrication means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 280/901 Adaptation of nonspecialized vehicles to semitrailer tractors

Abstract

A hitch for coupling a goose-neck trailer to a towing vehicle (e.g., a pick-up truck) comprising a shoe carried by the gooseneck portion of the trailer and adapted for limited rotation relative to the trailer about any axis, and means mounted on the bed of the pick-up truck for receiving the shoe in a hitching position. This receiving means comprises abutment means engageable with the shoe for preventing movement of the shoe from its hitching position along a line extending the direction of travel of the pick-up truck and laterally of said line, hold-down members overlying portions of the shoe for preventing upward movement thereof, and a locking bar movable to and from a locking position in which it is engageable with the shoe for preventing movement of the shoe from its hitching position in the other direction along said line.

Claims

1. A hitch for coupling a trailer to a towing vehicle comprising a shoe adapted to be carried by the trailer for limited rotation relative to the trailer about any axis, said shoe comprising a polygonal-shaped plate having one edge at the rearward end of the plate relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle and a pair of convergent edges facing generally laterally of the vehicle with their converging ends toward the front of the vehicle, means including a bed plate adapted to be secured to said vehicle for receiving said shoe, said shoe being slideable on the bed plate on a line extending in the direction of travel of the vehicle between an unhitched position in which the shoe is clear of the receiving means and a hitched position, said receiving means comprising a pair of abutment members disposed on opposite sides of said line, each abutment member having a vertical edge for engagement with a respective convergent edge of said shoe plate thereby to prevent movement of the shoe plate in one direction along said line and laterally thereof when said shoe plate is in its hitched position and holddown means for overlying portions of said shoe when the latter is in its hitched position to prevent any substantial upward movement of the shoe, and a locking bar axially slidable on the bed generally perpendicular to said line to and from a locking position in which said bar is engageable with said one edge of said shoe plate for preventing movement of the shoe plate from its hitched position along said line in said other direction and means on said bed plate for mounting said locking bar for sliding movement to and from its locking position.

2. A trailer hitch as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a pair of guide members secured to the bed plate on opposite sides of said line from one another for rotating said shoe plate for alignment of said convergent edges thereof with said vertical edges of said abutment members and for guiding said shoe plate along said line for movement between its hitched and unhitched positions.

3. A trailer hitch as set forth in claim 2 wherein each guide member is generally the thickness of said shoe plate and is secured to the bed plate generally in line with a respective abutment member on one side of said line with one end of each said guide member constituting its converging end and with one end of its respective abutment member constituting its diverging end, spaced apart from one another with a gap therebetween, and wherein each said hold-down member is secured to the top of both its respective abutment and guide members on one side of said line, said hold-down member spanning the gap between the spaced apart ends of said respective abutment and guide members.

4. A trailer hitch as set forth in claim 3 wherein said locking bar is axially slideable on said bed plate through said gaps, said bar being movable to and from a locking position in which it extends generally laterally of said line and is engageable with said third edge of the shoe plate for preventing movement of the shoe plate from its hitched position along said line in said other direction.

5. A trailer hitch as set forth in claim 3 wherein each said guide member has an edge facing said line with said edge of each guide member being parallel to said edge of its respective abutment member and being offset inwardly toward said line relative to said edge of its respective abutment member.

6. A trailer hitch as set forth iN claim 3 wherein each said guide member has an edge facing generally toward said line with said edge of each guide member angling relative to said abutment edge of its respective abutment member so that the end portion of said guide edge distal from its respective abutment member angles away from said line and away from said abutment edge.

7. A hitch for coupling a trailer to a towing vehicle comprising a shoe adapted to be carried by the trailer, said shoe further comprises means for mounting the shoe to with respect to said trailer with the shoe adapted for limited rotation relative to the trailer about any axis, said mounting means comprising ball and socket means including a ball member having a shank portion adapted for connection to said trailer and a part-spherical bulbous end, a cylindric collar secured to the upper surface of said shoe with its bore opening upwardly, and means for holding said bulbous end captive within the bore of said collar permitting limited rotation of the ball member about any axis relative to the collar, said hitch further comprising means adapted to be secured to said vehicle for receiving said shoe, said shoe being slidable relative to said receiving means on a line extending in the direction of travel of the vehicle between an unhitched position in which the shoe is clear of the receiving means and a hitched position, said receiving means comprising abutment means engageable with the shoe when it is in its hitched position for preventing movement of the shoe in one direction along said line and also laterally of the line, and hold-down means for overlying portions of said shoe when the latter is in its hitched position to prevent any substantial upward movement of the shoe, and locking means engageable with the shoe for preventing movement of the shoe in the other direction along said line thereby to retain said shoe in its hitched position.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said abutment members converge toward said line with their converging ends toward the front of the vehicle, whereby to hitch the trailer to the vehicle, said shoe plate is positioned on the bed and said vehicle is backed toward the trailer thus effecting movement of the shoe plate along said line from its unhitched to its hitched position.

9. A trailer hitch for coupling a goose-neck trailer to a towing vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, comprising a shoe carried by the goose-neck portion of the trailer for limited rotation relative to the goose-neck portion about any axis, said shoe comprising a polygonal-shaped plate having one edge at the rearward end of the plate relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle and a pair of convergent edges facing generally laterally of the vehicle with their converging ends toward the front of the vehicle, a bed plate secured to the bed of the vehicle, said shoe being movable on the bed plate along a line extending in the direction of travel of the vehicle between an unhitched position and a hitched position, means on said bed plate for receiving the shoe plate when it is in its hitched position comprising a pair of abutment members disposed on opposite sides of said line, each abutment member having a vertical edge for engagement with a respective convergent edge of said shoe plate thereby to prevent movement of the shoe plate in one direction along said line and laterally thereof when said shoe plate is in its hitched position, a pair of hold-down members each secured to the upper face of a respective abutment member with a portion of said hold-down member overhanging said vertical edge of its abutment member for overlying an adjacent marginal portion of said shoe plate when the latter is in its hitched position for preventing any substantial vertical movement of the shoe plate, a locking member axially slideable on the bed generally perpendicular to said line to and from a locking position in which said bar is engageable with said one edge of said shoe plate for preventing movement of the shOe plate from its hitched position along said line in said other direction and means on said bed plate for mounting said locking bar for sliding movement to and from its locking position.