Fifth wheel hitch
AssigneeCurt Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsJoel D. Diller, Wolfe C. Parzyck
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fifth wheel hitch has a base attachable to a towing vehicle, a seat attachable at a selected elevation above the base, and a kingpin adapter attachable to a kingpin of a trailer so as to permit rotation of the kingpin adapter relative to the kingpin about a kingpin rotation axis. The seat has a mouth which narrows in the longitudinal direction, such as by having a pyramidal shape. A bottom of the kingpin adapter has a shape which can cause both pivoting rotation of the kingpin adapter relative to the kingpin and longitudinal or transverse translational movement of the kingpin adapter and attached kingpin when the towing vehicle is driven to a position with the seat under the bottom of the kingpin adapter and the kingpin is jacked down so the kingpin adapter seats into the seat.
Claims13
A fifth wheel hitch comprising:
- a base attachable to a towing vehicle so as to define a longitudinal direction of the fifth wheel hitch matching with the longitudinal direction the towing vehicle travels in forward and reverse;
- a seat attached at a top of the base, the seat having a mouth which narrows in the longitudinal direction of the fifth wheel hitch;
- and
- a kingpin adapter attachable relative to a kingpin of a towed vehicle, the kingpin adapter having a kingpin opening defining a generally vertical kingpin rotation axis which receives the kingpin so as to permit rotation of the kingpin adapter relative to the kingpin about the kingpin rotation axis, the kingpin adapter having a skid plate providing a top surface of the kingpin adapter around the kingpin opening, the kingpin adapter having a bottom extending downwardly lower than the skid plate;
- wherein the bottom of the kingpin adapter mates with the seat such that the mouth of the seat can cause pivoting rotation of the kingpin adapter when the base is moved in the longitudinal direction relative to the kingpin adapter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.