Trailer hitch assemblies and related methods
AssigneeDixon Ford
InventorDixon Ford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A trailer hitch assembly sized and shaped to fit within a trailer hitch receptacle, wherein the trailer hitch assembly includes a first tubular element and a second tubular element. Each tubular element has an angled end, wherein the angled ends of the first tubular element and the second tubular element are complementary to each other. The trailer hitch assembly may further include at least one guide to assist in aligning the first tubular element with the second tubular element along the angled ends. The trailer hitch assembly may further include an actuator configured to engage both the first tubular element and the second tubular element and to diagonally displace the first tubular element relative to the second tubular element.
Claims20
A trailer hitch assembly sized and shaped to fit within a trailer hitch receptacle, the trailer hitch assembly comprising:
- a first hitch member having a rectangular cross section and having a first end and a first angled end opposite the first end, the first angled end having a planar end surface extending from a first edge of the first hitch member to a second diagonally opposite edge of the first hitch member, the first edge defining a line along a longitudinal length of the first hitch member, the planar end surface of the first angled end extending along a plane, a reference line being in the plane between the first edge and the second diagonally opposite edge, wherein the line defined by the first edge and the reference line in the plane define an acute angle therebetween;
- a second hitch member having a second end and a second angled end opposite the second end, the second angled end of the second hitch member being complementary to the first angled end of the first hitch member;
- at least one guide projection disposed partially within at least one of the first hitch member and the second hitch member and longitudinally extending from one of the angled ends of the first hitch member or the second hitch member;
- and
- an actuator configured to engage both the first hitch member and the second hitch member and configured to diagonally displace the first hitch member relative to the second hitch member upon actuation.
A trailer hitch assembly, comprising:
- two hitch members, each hitch member of the two hitch members having an angled end, wherein the angled ends of the two hitch members are configured to complementarily align one with another;
- an actuator configured to engage both of the two hitch members and to displace the two hitch members relative to one another;
- a first hole in a side wall of one of the two hitch members;
- and
- a second hole in a side wall of the other of the two hitch members, the first hole and the second hole configured to be aligned when the two hitch members are aligned along the angled ends of the two hitch members and to receive a security pin simultaneously through both the first hole and second hole.
A method of forming a trailer hitch assembly, comprising:
- forming two hitch members having complementary angled ends, wherein the two hitch members are configured to align together along the complementary angled ends;
- forming a hole in a side wall of each of the two hitch members;
- attaching at least one guide projection to an interior surface of at least one of the two hitch members;
- and
- attaching a ball mount to one of the two hitch members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.