Tow hitch assembly

• US 4,361,342 A
• Filed: 09/29/1980
• Issued: 11/30/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Melvern L. Duffield
• Original Assignee: Melvern L. Duffield
• Inventors: Duffield, Melvern L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pekar, John A.
• Application Number:
  US06/191,946
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 280/494, 280/493, 280/492, 280/498, 280/491 B, 280/491 E, 280/495, 280/501, 280/512
• US Class Current: 280/491.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/143 characterised by the mounting of the draw-gear on the towed vehicle B60D1/187 takes precedence

Abstract

A tow hitch assembly for connecting a tractor vehicle to a trailer vehicle includes a mounting member adapted to be secured to the frame of one of the vehicles and a tow bar releasably securable to the mounting member at one end and adapted to be secured at its opposite end to the other vehicle. The connection between the tow bar and mounting member is defined by a pair of spaced-apart, parallel disc-shaped knuckles mounted on either side of a tangential flat surface on the mounting member and by a rounded nose forming the end of the tow bar which nose has a pair of flat sidewalls. The nose is sized for close-fitting insertion between the knuckles and has a radius of curvature that is the same as the radius of curvature of the knuckles. The knuckles and the nose have alignable bores so that a pin may be inserted therethrough to releasably secure the tow bar and mounting member together. By having a common radius of curvature with the knuckles, the tow bar is pivotal about the pin in a vertical plane with the rounded surface of its nose adjacent the tangential flat surface and with its sidewalls adjacent a respective knuckle. In an alternate embodiment, the mounting member is releasably secured to a bracket mounted to the frame of one of the vehicles.

Claims

1. A tow hitch assembly for use in connecting a trailer vehicle to a tractor vehicle, comprising:

a mounting member adapted to be connected to a frame portion of one of said vehicles, said mounting member having a pair of spaced-apart disc-shaped knuckles extending outwardly from said one vehicle and each oriented in a vertical plane in spaced-apart, generally parallel relation to one another and having a surface portion of said mounting member therebetween, each said knuckle having a central bore therethrough with said bores being aligned on a common axis;

a tow bar having connecting means on a first end thereof for connecting said first end to the other of said vehicles, and having a second end terminating in a rounded nose portion, said nose portion having a pair of flat, generally parallel sidewalls with a bore extending therethrough and a rounded endwall formed with a radius of curvature about said bore, said radius of curvature being approximately the same as the radius of curvature of said disc-shaped knuckles, said nose portion being sized to have a thickness between said parallel sidewalls to permit close-fitting insertion of said nose portion between said knuckles with the bore of said nose portion alignable with the bores of said knuckles to define a generally common horizontal axis whereby the surface of said nose portion endwall is in generally closely spaced relation to the surface portion of said mounting member between said knuckles for limiting the degrees of freedom about which to tow bar may pivot with respect to said mounting member; and

a connecting pin insertable through the aligned bores of the knuckles and the nose portion and coextensive with said horizontal axis.

2. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said mounting member surface portion is substantially planar and is formed generally tangential to each of said knuckles whereby said tow bar may smoothly pivot in a plane perpendicular to a said horizontal axis with said nose portion smoothly rotating along said surface portion.

3. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said connecting means is a trailer hitch ball coupler, said coupler having female receiving means for receiving a hitch ball, said female receiving means being defined in part by a surrounding sidewall and rim, said coupler having an enlarged lip extending at least partially around the rim of said female receiving means, said lip dimensioned to have a thickness greater than the thickness of said sidewall.

4. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 including an eye member secured to a mid-portion of said tow bar.

5. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said tow bar has a square cross-section, said sidewalls of said nose portion formed as a continuation of a pair of opposite sidewalls of said tow bar.

6. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said mounting is adapted to be secured to a trailer vehicle having a bumper with a generally horizontal lower surface, said mounting member including a tongue adapted to extend underneath the trailer vehicle for connection to said frame portion and a pair of flat wings extending along the lower surface of said bumper for attachment in a substantially parallel relationship thereto.

7. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 including a bracket adapted to be secured to the frame portion of said one of said vehicles, said mounting member having a shank extending therefrom and said bracket including a hollow member sized to telescopically receive said shank and including releasable connecting means for securing said shank to said bracket.

8. A tow hitch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said knuckles are spaced apart approximately 5.0 cm and have a radius of curvature of approximately 2.5 cm, said knuckles each having a width approximately 2.5 cm in thickness, said nose portion having a width approximately 0.2 to 0.5 cm less than the distance between the knuckles.

9. A tow hitch assembly for use in connecting a first vehicle having a frame and a bumper to a second vehicle for the towing of one vehicle by the other, comprising:

a generally T-shaped mounting member having a flat tongue portion adapted to extend horizontally along the underside of said first vehicle for attachment to said frame and a pair of flat side wings extending in opposite directions horizontally along the underside of said bumper for attachment thereto;

a pair of disc-shaped knuckles attached to said bracket and projecting outwardly from the bumper in generally vertical, spaced-apart parallel planes, each of said knuckles having a flat surface facing the other one of said knuckles and a bore formed therethrough, said bores being aligned on a common axis, said bracket having a surface portion between said knuckles;

a tow bar having a first end including attachment means for attaching said tow bar to said second vehicle and a second end terminating in a nose portion, said nose portion having a pair of flat sidewalls spaced-apart a distance sufficient to allow close-fitting insertion of said nose portion between said knuckles, said nose portion having a rounded endwall with a radius of curvature equal to the radius of each said knuckle and a bore formed transversely therethrough, said bore in the nose portion alignable with the bores in said knuckles whereby said endwall is in closely spaced relation to the surface portion of said bracket, and said sidewalls are each in closely spaced relation to a flat surface of a respective one of said knuckles whereby the surface of said nose portion endwall may smoothly rotate along said surface portion of said bracket when said tow bar in pivoted in a plane perpendicular to said axis, said knuckles and said nose portion generally prohibiting said tow bar from pivoting in a direction out of said plane; and

releasable connecting pin means adapted for extension through said bores when they are aligned to releasably secure said tow bar to said knuckles.

10. An improved tow hitch assembly for use in connecting a trailer vehicle to a tractor vehicle wherein a first one of said vehicles has a receiving bracket mounted to its frame with the receiving bracket having a hollow tube member positioned longitudinally along the underside of the vehicle, the improvement comprising:

a mounting member including a shank portion adapted to be telescopically received by said hollow tube member for releasably retaining said shank in engagement with said tube member, said mounting member having a pair of spaced-apart, disc-shaped knuckles on an end thereof opposite said shank, said mounting member having a surface portion between said knuckles, each knuckle having a bore formed therethrough, said bores being oriented on a common axis, said knuckles each positioned in a generally vertical plane when said mounting member is secured to said receiving bracket;

a tow bar having a first end including attachment means for attaching said tow bar to a second one of the vehicles and a second end terminating in a nose portion, said nose portion having a pair of sidewalls spaced-apart a distance to allow close-fitting insertion of said nose portion between said knuckles, said nose portion having a rounded endwall with a radius of curvature equal to the radius of curvature of each said knuckle and a bore formed transversely therethrough, said bore in the nose portion alignable with the bores in said knuckles whereby said endwall is in closely spaced relation to the surface portion of said bracket and said sidewalls are in closely spaced relation to a flat surface of a respective one of said knuckles whereby the surface of said nose portion endwall may smoothly rotate along said surface portion of said bracket when said tow bar is pivoted in a plane perpendicular to said axis, said knuckles and said nose portion generally prohibiting said tow bar from pivoting in a direction out of said plane; and

releasable connecting pin means adapted for extension through said bores when they are aligned to releasably secure said tow bar to said knuckles.

11. An improved tow hitch assembly according to claim 9 or 10 including an eye member mounted on a midportion of said tow bar.

12. An improved tow hitch assembly according to claim 9 or 10 wherein said mounting member includes a surface area between said knuckles, said surface area being substantially planar in a plane tangent to said knuckles.