Pin-drop hitch mount assembly with biased pin retainer mechanism

A method of operating a pin-drop hitch mount assembly comprising:

• retaining a pin of the hitch mount assembly in a retracted position with a latch, the pin being retained in a pin receiver that is supported by a drawbar receiver;
• biasing the latch toward the first position with a biasing member to retain the pin in the retracted position;
• advancing a drawbar along a longitudinal axis of a drawbar cavity of the drawbar receiver;
• moving the latch from a first position to a second position as a consequence of advancing the drawbar, the latch, in the first position, retaining the pin in the pin receiver, the latch, in the second position, releasing the pin for movement toward an extended position to attach the drawbar to the drawbar receiver;
• and
• wherein advancing the drawbar includes abutting and actuating an actuator member that is supported by the drawbar receiver from a neutral position to a displaced position.

A pin-drop hitch mount assembly comprising:

• a drawbar receiver that is hollow and tubular, the drawbar receiver defining a drawbar cavity that extends linearly along an axis, the drawbar cavity configured to receive a drawbar that advances generally along the axis;
• a pin receiver tube that is fixed to the drawbar receiver, the pin receiver defining a pin opening that is open to the drawbar cavity;
• a slot that is defined in the drawbar receiver and the pin receiver tube;
• a pin that is received within the pin opening of the pin receiver, the pin configured for movement between a retracted position and an extended position, the pin configured to attach the drawbar to the drawbar receiver when in the extended position, the drawbar receiver being detached from the drawbar when the pin is in the retracted position, the pin including an aperture;
• a latch that is supported for rotational movement between a first position and a second position relative to the drawbar receiver, the latch including a first projection and a second projection that project radially from an axis of rotation of the latch and that are received in the slot, the first projection, in the first position, received in the aperture to engage and retain the pin in the retracted position, the first projection, in the second position, being disposed outside the aperture to disengage and release the pin for movement of the pin from the retracted position to the extended position;
• an actuator member disposed within the drawbar receiver and supported for linear movement along the axis between a neutral position and a displaced position, the actuator member configured to be actuated from the neutral position to the displaced position by the drawbar that advances generally along the axis of the drawbar cavity, the actuator member including an edge configured to engage the second projection of the latch to thereby move the latch from the first position to the second position;
• a first biasing member configured to bias the latch toward the first position;
• and
• a second biasing member configured to bias the actuator member toward the neutral position.