Anti-rattle hitch mounted rack
AssigneeEast Mountain Outfitters LLC
InventorsCharles Blake Owen, Bryce Allen Owen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle sports rack includes a hitch bar for insertion into a vehicle trailer hitch receiver. The hitch bar includes a wedge clamp for clamping the hitch bar against the inside walls of the vehicle hitch receiver. The wedge clamp is held in alignment with the hitch bar by a wedge clamp spring before and when the hitch bar is inserted into the trailer hitch receiver, thus making for easier, one-person installation. A hitch bar bolt pulls the wedge clamp out of alignment with the hitch bar when tightened, the non-alignment forming the clamping action. A hitch pin further secures the hitch bar in the vehicle trailer hitch receiver.
Claims15
A vehicle hitch-mounted sports rack, comprising:
- a sports equipment rack;
- and a hitch bar operatively coupled to the sports equipment rack at a rearward portion and including a forward portion configured to slide into a hitch bar receiver coupled to a vehicle;
- the hitch bar including:
- a square bar defining a sloping forward end;
- a hitch bar wedge disposed to slide along the sloping forward end of the square bar;
- a hitch bar wedge spring configured to urge the hitch bar wedge into alignment with the square bar;
- and a hitch wedge bolt arranged, when tightened, to apply force between the square bar and the hitch bar wedge;
- and wherein the square bar extends fully to the forward end of the hitch bar at only one corner of the square bar such that the sloping forward end does not fully span the perimeter of the square bar, and slopes away from the one corner both horizontally and vertically;
- and wherein the hitch bar wedge occupies a volume forward of the sloping forward end of the square bar.
A vehicle hitch-mounted sports rack, comprising:
- a sports equipment rack;
- and
- a hitch bar operatively coupled to the sports equipment rack at a rearward portion and including a forward portion configured to slide into a hitch bar receiver coupled to a vehicle;
- the hitch bar including:
- a square bar defining a sloping forward end;
- a hitch bar wedge disposed to slide along the sloping forward end of the square bar;
- a hitch bar wedge spring configured to urge the hitch bar wedge into alignment with the square bar;
- and
- a hitch wedge bolt arranged, when tightened, to apply force between the square bar and the hitch bar wedge;
- wherein:
- the hitch bar wedge further comprises a wedge spring bracket;
- the square bar defines a wedge spring stop;
- and
- the hitch bar wedge spring is coupled between the wedge spring stop and the wedge spring bracket.
A method for installing a vehicle sports rack, comprising:
- inserting a fonNard end of a hitch bar into a hitch bar receiver of a vehicle;
- and
- tightening a hitch bar bolt to cause a hitch bar wedge to slide against a sloping forward surface of the hitch bar and wedge against only one corner of the hitch bar receiver, causing the hitch bar to be clamped against an inner perimeter of the hitch bar receiver;
- wherein inserting the forward end of the hitch bar into the hitch bar receiver of the vehicle further comprises inserting the fonNard end of the hitch bar defined at least partially by a hitch bar wedge urged into alignment with the hitch bar by a hitch bar wedge spring;
- and wherein tightening the hitch bar bolt to cause the hitch bar wedge to slide against the sloping forward surface of the hitch bar and wedge only against one corner of the hitch bar receiver, causing the hitch bar to be clamped against an inner perimeter of the hitch bar receiver includes causing the hitch bar wedge to compress the hitch bar wedge spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.