Ball mount for measuring tongue weight of a trailer
AssigneeWeigh Safe, LLC
InventorKevin McAllister
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ball mount for measuring tongue weight of a trailer is disclosed. The ball mount can include a ball portion having a hitch ball configured to couple with a tongue of a trailer. The ball mount can also include a hitch portion for interfacing with a hitch receiver associated with a vehicle. In addition, the ball mount can include a load measurement device associated with the ball portion to determine a magnitude of a downward force on the hitch ball. The load measurement device can include a reservoir having a fluid and a piston disposed therein, and a pressure sensor in fluid communication with the reservoir. The hitch ball can be configured to exert a force on the piston, thereby affecting a pressure of the fluid in response to the downward force on the hitch ball.
Claims20
A ball mount, comprising:
- a hitch portion for interfacing with a hitch receiver associated with a vehicle;
- a vertical member coupled to said hitch portion at a first end and operable to couple with a ball portion at a second end;
- and
- a ball portion comprising:
- a support structure having a side configured to couple with the vertical member, a socket operable to receive a lower portion of a hitch ball and a retention pin opening extending from the socket to the side configured to couple to the vertical member;
- a hitch ball configured to couple with a tongue of a trailer, the hitch ball having a retention opening operable to receive a retention pin;
- and
- the retention pin extending through the support structure from the side configured to couple to the vertical member and received within the retention opening of the hitch ball to capture the hitch ball in the socket and secure the hitch ball to the support structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.