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US 12,122,465 B2Granted
Decoupled fifth wheel and gooseneck subframes
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLucas Demott, Cliff Standifer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Decoupled fifth wheel and gooseneck subframes are disclosed. An example apparatus includes brackets couplable to a vehicle frame, the brackets including puck mounts to receive a fifth wheel hitch, a subframe couplable between the brackets, the subframe including an aperture, and a gooseneck mount to receive a gooseneck ball, the gooseneck mount to be disposed in the aperture and couplable to the subframe.
Claims22
An apparatus comprising:
- a first bracket couplable to a first side of a vehicle frame and a second bracket couplable to a second side of the vehicle frame, the first and second brackets including puck mounts to receive a fifth wheel hitch, the first bracket to extend a first distance from the first side toward the second side, the second bracket to extend a second distance from the second side toward the first side, a sum of the first and second distances less than a third distance between the first side and the second side;
- a subframe couplable between the first and second brackets, the subframe including an aperture between a front plate and a rear plate of the subframe, the front plate including a cutout extending a fourth distance less than a fifth distance between the aperture and the first bracket, a width of the cutout to increase along the fourth distance from the first bracket to the aperture;
- and
- a gooseneck mount to receive a gooseneck ball, the gooseneck mount to be disposed in the aperture and couplable to the subframe.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising:
- a first inner bracket and a first outer bracket, a first rail on a first side of a vehicle frame couplable between the first inner and outer brackets;
- a second inner bracket and a second outer bracket, a second rail on a second side of the vehicle frame couplable between the second inner and outer brackets, the first and second inner brackets including openings to receive a fifth wheel hitch, the first inner bracket to extend a first distance from the first side toward the second side, the second inner bracket to extend a second distance from the second side toward the first side, a sum of the first and second distances less than a third distance between the first side and the second side;
- and
- an H-frame couplable between the first and second inner brackets, the H-frame including a circular aperture between front and rear plates of the H-frame, the front plate including a cutout extending a fourth distance less than a fifth distance between the circular aperture and the first inner bracket, a width of the cutout to increase along the fourth distance from the first inner bracket to the circular aperture.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- coupling a first bracket to a first side of a vehicle frame and a second bracket to a second side of the vehicle frame, the first and second brackets including puck mounts to receive a fifth wheel hitch, the first bracket to extend a first distance from the first side toward the second side, the second bracket to extend a second distance from the second side toward the first side, a sum of the first and second distances less than a third distance between the first side and the second side;
- coupling an H-frame between the first and second brackets, the H-frame including an aperture between front and rear plates of the H-frame, the front plate including a cutout extending a fourth distance less than a fifth distance between the aperture and the first bracket, a width of the cutout to increase along the fourth distance from the first bracket to the aperture;
- and
- coupling a gooseneck mount to the H-frame, the gooseneck mount disposed in the aperture, the gooseneck mount to receive a gooseneck ball.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.