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US 2003/0141085 A1Published application
Planter hitch locking and alignment apparatus
AssigneeCase Corporation
InventorsPaul M. Paluch, James G. Jamilosa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for securing an agricultural implement to a hitch receiving member of a vehicle, the apparatus including at least first and second elongated tongue members where the second tongue member is slidably received in the first tongue member and forms at least first and second latch receiving slots, the apparatus also including a locking assembly having an extending end receivable in the first and second slots to lock the second tongue member with respect to the first in extended and retracted positions, respectively, the apparatus further including adjustable stops and bearing members that facilitate after manufacturing adjustment of tongue assembly and locking assembly components.
Claims28
An extendable apparatus for securing an agricultural implement to a hitch receiving member of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a first elongated tongue member having a first external surface and first and second ends, forming a first passageway and mounted to the implement;
- a second elongated tongue member having a second external surface and first and second ends, forming a second passageway and slidably mounted within the first passageway for movement between a retracted position where the first end of the second tongue member is proximate the first end of the first tongue member and an extended position wherein the first end of the second tongue member is proximate the second end of the first tongue member;
- a locking assembly including at least a first arm member, a first spring member and a first locking cylinder, the first arm member pivotally mounted to the external surface of the first tongue member and having a first locking end that extends past the second end of the first tongue member and toward the second tongue member, the spring member secured proximate the first locking end to pull the first locking end toward the second tongue member, the first locking cylinder secured proximate the first locking end such that when a first locking cylinder rod is extended, the first locking end is forced away from the second tongue member, the second tongue member forming first and second slots proximate the first and second ends of the second tongue member, respectively, for receiving the first locking end when the second tongue member is in the retracted and extended positions, respectively.
An extendable apparatus for securing an agricultural implement to a hitch receiving member of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a first elongated tongue member having a first external surface, first and second ends and a first internal surface, the first internal surface forming a first passageway, the first tongue member mounted to the implement;
- a second elongated tongue member having a second external surface and first and second ends, forming a second passageway and slidably mounted within the first passageway for movement between a retracted position where the first end of the second tongue member is proximate the first end of the first tongue member and an extended position wherein the first end of the second tongue member is proximate the second end of the first tongue member the clearance between an external surface of the second tongue member and an adjacent internal surface of the first tongue member being a clearance dimension, the first and second tongue members being a first tongue pair;
- a locking assembly mounted to one of the first tongue pair members and operable to lock the first tongue pair members in each of a retracted and an extended position;
- a first extension stop member linked to the second end of the first tongue member, extending inward within the first passageway a first dimension and forming a first extension stop surface facing away from the second end of the first tongue member;
- and
- a second extension stop member secured to the second external surface and proximate the first end of the second tongue member, extending outward from the second tongue member a second dimension and forming a second extension stop surface facing away from the first end of the second tongue member;
- wherein the first and second extension stop members are juxtaposed on similar sides of respective tongue members, each of the first and second dimensions is less than the clearance dimension and wherein the sum of the first and second dimensions is greater than the clearance dimension such that when the second tongue member is in the extended position, the first and second extension stop surfaces contact and limit extension of the second tongue member from the first tongue member.
4 more elements
An extendable apparatus for securing an agricultural implement to a hitch receiving member of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a first elongated tongue member having a first external surface and first and second ends, forming a first passageway and mounted to the implement, the first tongue member including top and bottom side walls and first and second opposed lateral sidewalls and forming first and second openings proximate the second end of the first tongue member in at least two of the side walls;
- a second elongated tongue member having a second external surface and first and second ends, forming a second passageway and slidably mounted within the first passageway for movement between a retracted position where the first end of the second tongue member is proximate the first end of the first tongue member and an extended position wherein the first end of the second tongue member is proximate the second end of the first tongue member;
- an aligning assembly including first and second bearing members and first and second retainer plates, the first and second bearing plates received in the first and second openings, respectively, and the first and second retainer plates mounted to the external surfaces of the first tongue member over the first and second openings, respectively, thereby retaining the bearing members in the openings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.