Gooseneck puck extender
AssigneeGen-Y Creations, LLC
InventorCarl J. Borkholder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gooseneck ball extender is designed to mate with a center socket and receivers mounted to a towing vehicle and provide a gooseneck ball that is offset from the center socket. The extender has a cylindrical shaft with captured balls that can be moved between a retracted position and an extended position through a spring-loaded locking shaft that moves between an unlocked and locked position. The locking shaft is biased towards the locked position where the captured balls are extended. The extender has an outrigger portion that has puck locks. The puck locks are rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position. As attached to the towing vehicle, the outrigger portion provides additional support to the gooseneck ball.
Claims19
An offset gooseneck adapter for use with a towing vehicle puck system having a center socket and a receiver spaced from said center socket by a distance, said adapter comprising:
- a central connection portion having a cylindrical shaft with a cylindrical surface, said cylindrical shaft having a captured ball moveable between an extended position and a retracted position through movement of a locking shaft that is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said extended position of said ball defined by a portion of said captured ball displaced radially beyond said cylindrical surface by said locking shaft, said retracted position of said captured ball defined by said captured ball radially moveable to a position inside said cylindrical surface;
- a base frame affixed to said central connection portion, said base frame having a bolt spaced from said cylindrical shaft by a distance equal to said distance between said center socket and said receiver;
- and
- a gooseneck ball affixed to said central connection portion and offset from said cylindrical shaft.
An offset gooseneck adapter for use with a towing vehicle puck system having a center socket and a receiver spaced from said center socket by a distance, said adapter comprising:
- a central connection portion having a cylindrical shaft with a cylindrical surface, said cylindrical shaft having a captured ball moveable between an extended position and a retracted position through movement of a locking shaft that is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said extended position of said ball defined by a portion of said captured ball displaced radially beyond said cylindrical surface by said locking shaft, said retracted position defined by said captured ball being radially moveable to a position inside said cylindrical surface;
- a gooseneck ball affixed to said central connection portion and offset from said cylindrical shaft;
- a base frame fixed with respect to said central connection portion and having a locking feature;
- and
- a rotating lock having a T-shaped bolt and a locking handle affixed thereto, said rotating lock rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said locking handle securable to said locking feature on said base frame in said locked position where said T-shaped bolt is spaced from said cylindrical shaft by a distance equal to said distance between said center socket and said receiver.
An offset gooseneck adapter for using with a towing vehicle having a center socket and at least one receiver spaced from said center socket by a distance, said offset gooseneck adapter comprising:
- a cylindrical shaft for being received by said center socket, said cylindrical shaft selectively lockable to said center socket;
- an offset gooseneck portion fixed with respect to said cylindrical shaft, said offset gooseneck portion having a gooseneck ball affixed thereto;
- a base frame connected to said offset gooseneck portion and having a locking feature;
- a rotating lock for being received by and lockable to said receiver, said rotating lock securable to said locking feature in a locked position spaced from said cylindrical shaft by a distance equal to said distance between said center socket and said receiver;
- and
- when said cylindrical shaft is locked to said center socket and said rotating lock is secured to said receiver, said gooseneck ball is affixed to said towing vehicle offset from said center socket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.