Trailer hitch

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to improvements in the attachment of towed vehicles to towing vehicles, and more particularly, to an improved trailer hitch which allows misalignment of a towing vehicle with respect to a vehicle to be towed as the vehicles are being coupled together.

#Trailer hitches typically have a hitch ball mounted on a hitch bar rigidly secured to a towing vehicle. This ball is adapted to be coupled to the socket on the tongue of a vehicle or trailer to be towed. Generally, with trailer hitch assemblies of this type, the towing vehicle must be moved in reverse with the ball properly aligned with the trailer socket to make the necessary connection.

#FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the trailer hitch of the present invention, parts being broken away and in section to illustrate details of construction;

#FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the trailer hitch of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the hitch bar extending outwardly from the tubular housing thereof; and

#The trailer hitch of the present invention is broadly denoted by the numeral 10 and includes a rigid, tubular housing 12 which is open at both ends thereof. For purposes of illustration, housing 12 is of steel and square in cross section as shown in FIG. 4. Housing 12 is adapted to slidably receive a hitch bar 14 which is also generally square in cross section. Thus, hitch bar 14 is complementally received within housing 12. The housing 12 is adapted to be secured in any suitable manner to a towing vehicle, such as at locations 16, whereby the hitch bar 14 can be operatively connected to the towing vehicle.

#Housing 12 has a pair of sleeves 18 which are rigidly secured thereto at opposite sides of the housing and in alignment with each other. Each sleeve extends perpendicularly to the adjacent wall of housing 12 and shiftably receives a bolt 20 having an inner end 22 movable through the inner, open end 24 of the sleeve and into a position such as the dashed line position thereof shown in FIG. 1. A coil spring 26 within each sleeve 18 is held under compression between end portion 22 and an annular shoulder 28 within the sleeve to bias the bolt toward the inner open end 24 of the corresponding sleeve 18.

#The outer end of each sleeve 18 is provided with a longitudinal slot 00 (FIG. 1) which is adapted to slidably receive a projecting pin 32 on the outer end portion 34 of the corresponding bolt 20, there being an arm 36 held by a nut 38 on the outer end of the bolt. To retract end portion 22 from the dashed line position of FIG. 1, the user pulls outwardly on arm 36 until pin 32 clears the open outer end of the corresponding sleeve 18; then, arm 36 and the corresponding bolt 20 are rotated until pin 32 engages the outer end of the adjacent sleeve 18, thereby holding end portion 22 out of the inner end 24 of the sleeve 18 and allowing movement of hitch bar 14 in housing 12. When both bolts 20 are in the full line position of FIG. 1, hitch bar 14 can be shifted longitudinally of the housing 12. Bolts 22 in the dashed line positions of FIG. 1 are used to prevent outward movement of the hitch bar 14 relative to housing 12 when the hitch bar is in an operating position as shown in FIG. 3 and described hereinafter.