Trailer hitch mounted tool support

• US 4,576,395 A
• Filed: 04/26/1984
• Issued: 03/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Heron Longoria
• Original Assignee: Heron Longoria
• Inventors: Longoria, Heron
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/604,361
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 280/511, 280/769, 280/415 A, 280/402, 280/423 R, 224/42.07, 224/42.01, 224/42.03 R, 224/42.03 A, 224/42.03 B, 224/42.42
• US Class Current: 280/511
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 9/06 at vehicle front or rear rear luggage compartments within vehicle extensible externally of the vehicle body B60R5/041

Abstract

An upstanding support is provided and open at its lower end for snug downward telescoping over an upwardly projecting hitch ball supported from a hitch tongue of a width greater than the diameter of the ball. The lower end of the upstanding support is downwardly abuttable against the upwardly facing surfaces of the hitch tongue spaced immediately outward of an upstanding cylindrical zone containing the outer periphery of the hitch ball and the support includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced clamp screws threadingly supported therefrom with the innermost ends of the clamp screws being clampingly engageable with the reduced diameter shank portion of the hitch ball spaced closely above the hitch tongue. The upper end of the upstanding support mounts a horizontal mounting plate therefrom which may be utilized to support a plurality of different objects such as a grinder, workbench, hoist, cycle carrier, sign, floodlight, pipe rack and the like.

Claims

1. A support for use in conjunction with a conventional trailer hitch of the type including a horizontally projecting bar portion having an upper surface and a hitch ball projecting upwardly from said bar portion including an upper generally spherical ball portion, a shank depending downwardly from said ball portion and extending and secured downwardly through said bar portion and an enlarged abutment disc on an intermediate portion of said shank downwardly abutted against the upper surface of said bar portion and being of substantially the same outside diameter as the diameter of said ball portion and with said upper surface projecting horizontally outwardly of an upstanding cylindrical zone containing the outer peripheries of said ball portion and abutment disc, said support including an upstanding support whose lower end defines a downwardly opening cylindrical cavity therein for snug downward telescoping of the lower end of said support member over said ball portion and abutment disc and with the lower end of said support member downwardly abutted against said upper surface, said support member including a plurality of peripherally spaced setscrews threadingly supported therefrom and projectable and retractable generally radially of said cylindrical cavity at a predetermined level above the lower end of said cavity for clamp engagement with said shank intermediate said ball portion and disc, the upper end of said support including mounting means for mounting various different objects from the upper end of said support.

2. The support of claim 1 wherein said upstanding support member comprises a one piece upstanding tubular standard.

3. The support of claim 1 wherein said support member includes an upstanding tubular standard, said standard including upper and lower inner and outer relatively telescoped sections, the interior of the lower end of said lower section defining said recess, an intermediate length portion of said upper section including an abutment sleeve telescoped thereover and secured thereto downwardly abutted against the upper end of said lower section, said lower section including a generally radial setscrew threadingly engaged therewith and releasably clampingly engaged with a lower end portion of said upper section registered therewith.

4. The support of claim 1 wherein said upstanding support member includes an anchor eye supported from the lower end portion thereof for locked chain anchoring of said support member from said bar portion.

5. In combination with a conventional trailer hitch of the type including a horizontally projecting bar portion having an upper surface and a hitch ball projecting upwardly from said bar portion including an upper generally spherical ball portion, a shank depending downwardly from said ball portion and extending and secured downwardly through said bar portion and an enlarged abutment disc on said shank downwardly abutted against the upper surface of said bar portion and being of substantially the same outside diameter as the diameter of said ball portion and with said upper surface projecting horizontally outwardly of an upstanding cylindrical zone containing the outer peripheries of said ball portion and abutment disc, a support including an upstanding support member, the lower end of said support member defining a downwardly opening cylindrical cavity therein and being snugly downwardly telescoped over said ball member and disc with the lower end of said support member ownwardly abutted against said upper surface, and lock means carried by the portion of said support member defining said cavity releasably engageable with said hitch ball below said ball portion for preventing upward displacement of said support member from said upper surface.

6. The trailer hitch and support member combination of claim 5 wherein said support member comprises an upstanding tubular member whose lower end defines said recess, said lock means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced generally radial setscrews threadingly supported from said tubular member and clamp engageable with said shank portion below said ball portion.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said tubular member comprises a one piece tubular member.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said tubular member includes upper and lower small and large diameter tubular sections rotatably and telescopingly engaged with each other, said upper section including outer abutment means supported therefrom and downwardly abuttingly engageable with the upper end of said lower section, said lower section including a generally radial setscrew clamp engageable with a lower end portion of the upper section with which said setscrew is registrable.

9. A support member defining a generally plane surface, a ball member supported from said support member and including an outer ball portion disposed outward of said surface and a shank portion smaller in diameter than said ball portion extending between said ball portion and said support member and supporting said ball portion from said support member, said surface including portions thereof projecting outwardly of a cylindrical zone normal to said surface and containing the outer periphery of said ball portion, a pipe including one end thereof snugly telescoped over said ball portion and abutted against said surface portions, said one end of said pipe including peripherally spaced and threadingly supported generally radial setscrews releasably clamp engaged with said shank, said ball member including a diametrically enlarged abutment disc on said shank spaced from said ball portion and abuttingly engaged with said surface, said abutment disc being of substantially the same outside diameter as the diameter of said ball portion, said one end of said pipe also being snugly telescoped over said abutment disc.

10. The support member, ball member and pipe combination of claim 9 wherein said ball member comprises a trailer hitch ball member.

11. The support member, ball member and pipe combination of claim 10 including support means carried by the other end of said pipe for supporting a load therefrom.

12. A support member defining an outwardly facing surface, a ball member supported from said surface and projecting outwardly therefrom in the direction in which said surface faces, said ball member including an outer ball portion disposed outward of said surface and an elongated shank portion smaller in diameter than said ball portion extending between the latter and said support member and supporting said ball portion from said support member, said surface including portions thereof projecting outwardly of a cylindrical zone generally concentric with and extending about said elongated shank portion and containing the outer periphery of said ball portion, a tubular member including one end thereof snugly telescoped over said ball portion and abutted against said surface portions, said one end of said tubular member including peripherally spaced and threadedly supported generally radially setscrews releasably clamp engaged with said ball member at least closely adjacent the intersection of said ball and shank portions, means defining a generally cylindrical radially outwardly facing shoulder substantially coninciding with said cylindrical zone and projecting outwardly from said surface portions toward said outer ball portion, said one end of said tubular member also being telescoped over said shoulder, and support means carried by the other end of said tubular member for supporting a load therefrom.