Hitch assembly

Abstract

The hitch assembly has a rigid structural configuration for attachment to a vehicle having front and rear axle frame structures. The device is used for towing one vehicle with another and may be fitted to either one of the front or rear axle frame structures. The assembly comprises a boom portion including a coupling mechanism for attaching to another hitch mechanism. The coupling mechanism may be designed for the attachment to a standard ball or may be a standard ball depending on whether the assembly is being used for a tow bar or as a ball hitch assembly. Two leg members are mounted to the boom portion and are pivotal with respect to each other. Each leg member includes a contact end for abutting an axle frame structure of a vehicle. A flexible line such as a chain extends outwardly from each of the contact ends of the leg members to wrap around the axle frame structure against which the contact end abuts. A mechanism mounted on the assembly is used to pull the line at a location laterally displaced rearwardly from the contact ends to thereby simultaneously tighten the line that is wrapped around the respective axle structure while pivotally urging the two leg members inwardly with respect to each other.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.