Anti-jackknifing hitch assembly
First Claim
1. An anti-jackknifing hitch assembly, comprising:
- a hitch attached to a tow vehicle;
a tongue extending from a trailer and pivotally attached to said hitch;
said tongue pivoting about a pivot axis within a predetermined range of articulation;
a pair of resilient members sized for defining said predetermined range of articulation and preventing said tow vehicle and said trailer from jackknifing;
said hitch having a pair of opposing end portions;
said trailer having a pair of opposing front corner portions;
said resilient webbings respectively connecting said opposing end portions of said hitch with said opposing front corner portions of said trailer; and
a routing member assisting said resilient webbings in applying a restoring moment about said pivot axis;
said routing member extending laterally from one of said hitch and said tongue adjacent to said pivot axis;
said routing member formed from a frame having at least one pair of bars and at least one pair of loops with said resilient members extending therethrough.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An anti-jackknifing hitch assembly (12) (“assembly”) includes a hitch (18), a tongue (20), two resilient members (22a, 22b), and a routing member (24). The hitch (18) is attached to a tow vehicle (10). The tongue (20) extends from a trailer (16) and is attached to the hitch (18). The tongue (20) pivots about a pivot axis (34) within a predetermined range of articulation (52) defined by the resilient members (22a, 22b). In particular, resilient members (22a, 22b) respectively connect end portions (36a, 36b) of hitch (18) to front corner portions (40a, 40b) of trailer (16) and are sized for preventing over-articulation. Routing member (24) assists resilient members (22a, 22b) in applying a restoring moment about the pivot axis (34). Namely, the routing member (24) extends from the hitch (18) or tongue (20) adjacent to pivoting axis (34). The routing member (24) includes attachment members (48a, 48b) with resilient members (22a, 22b) extending therethrough.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An anti-jackknifing hitch assembly, comprising:
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a hitch attached to a tow vehicle; a tongue extending from a trailer and pivotally attached to said hitch; said tongue pivoting about a pivot axis within a predetermined range of articulation; a pair of resilient members sized for defining said predetermined range of articulation and preventing said tow vehicle and said trailer from jackknifing; said hitch having a pair of opposing end portions;
said trailer having a pair of opposing front corner portions;said resilient webbings respectively connecting said opposing end portions of said hitch with said opposing front corner portions of said trailer; and a routing member assisting said resilient webbings in applying a restoring moment about said pivot axis; said routing member extending laterally from one of said hitch and said tongue adjacent to said pivot axis; said routing member formed from a frame having at least one pair of bars and at least one pair of loops with said resilient members extending therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An anti-jackknifing hitch assembly, comprising:
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a hitch attached to a tow vehicle; a tongue extending from a trailer and pivotally attached to said hitch; said tongue pivoting about a pivot axis within a predetermined range of articulation; a pair of resilient webbings sized for defining said predetermined range of articulation and preventing said tow vehicle and said trailer from jackknifing; said hitch having a pair of opposing end portions;
said trailer having a pair of opposing front corner portions;said resilient webbings respectively connecting said opposing end portions of said hitch with said opposing front corner portions of said trailer; and a routing member assisting said resilient webbings in applying a restoring moment about said pivot axis; said routing member extending laterally from said tongue adjacent to said pivot axis; said routing member having a pair of loops with said resilient members extending therethrough; said routing member further including a pair of contoured plates adjacent to said loops with said contoured plates distributing a force across a predetermined length of said resilient webbings. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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Specification