Girth hitching mechanism

An apparatus for making a girth hitch from a girth loop on an object comprising:

• a fork provided with a throat sized to receive said object therein between one side surface and an other side surface;
• an actuator gate rotatably mounted at said one side surface of said fork for responsively rotating when displaced in one direction by said object;
• a latch ring keeper provided at said other side surface of said fork for releaseably holding a latch ring element;
• a parrot hook assembly mounted on the actuator gate having a hook element for engaging said latch ring element of latch ring keeper when said actuator gate is displaced in said one direction by said object entering said throat;
• and
• a girth loop carried on said fork having a latch ring bite portion connected to said latch ring element and a hook bite portion supported on said parrot hook assembly, whereby as said object displaces said parrot hook assembly in a different direction, said hook element of said parrot hook assembly disengages said latch ring element from said latch ring keeper, said hook bite portion of said girth loop is pulled free of said parrot hook assembly and said girth loop is pulled from said fork to form said girth hitch o said object.

A method for making a girth hitch from a girth loop on an object comprising:

• supporting one side surface and an other side surface having a throat sized to receive said object therein between;
• rotatably displacing an actuator gate on said one side surface by said object as said object travels in one direction as it enters said throat;
• releaseably holding a latch ring element at said other side surface;
• engaging said latch ring element by a hook element after said rotatably displacing and said object entering said throat;
• and
• withdrawing said one side surface and said other side surface to remove said object from said throat;
• tying said girth hitch on said object with a girth loop carried between said one side surface and said other side surface having a latch ring bite portion connected to said latch ring element and a hook bite portion supported on said hook element, whereby as said object displaces said hook element in a different direction, said hook element disengages said latch ring element from said other side surface, said hook bite portion of said girth loop is pulled free of said hook element and said girth loop is pulled from said supporting to form said girth hitch on said object.