Trailer alignment device
OwnerGlenn E. Knisleyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device simply the alignment of a trailer tongue of a towed vehicle for coupling to the tow bar of a towing vehicle. The device includes a direction orientable wheeled body having a socket thereon to receive the lower end of a vertical tongue jack of the trailer whereby movement of the wheel of the device aligns the trailer tongue hitch socket with the hitch ball of a towing vehicle. Wheel movement is achieved by rotation of a gear in engagement with the wheel.
Claims15
A device to facilitate the alignment of a trailer with a tow vehicle for engagement of the trailer hitch ball of the tow vehicle to the socket of the tongue of the trailer, which device comprises in combination:
- a. a housing having an inverted U-shaped body, having a left side member, a right side member and a top member, said left and right side members having aligned axle receiving bores therein;
- b. a wheel, comprising a wheel mounting means having a central throughbore for the receipt of an axle, and a tire disposed on said wheel mounting means, said tire having a series of spaced inward extending slots around the periphery of the tread;
- c. an axle disposed between said body's left and right members and having said wheel mounting means disposed thereon;
- d. a manually rotatable paddle wheel unit, having a series of outwardly extending paddles, rotatably mounted between the left and right members of said body, one of said paddles being engageable with one of the tire's slots at a given point in time in a gear-like manner;
- e. actuating means for rotating said paddle wheel unit extending through one of said body members, and connected to said paddle wheel unit;
- and
- f. a tubular receiver having a pair of linearly aligned bores therein for receipt of an orientation shaft mounted upon said top member, said tubular receiver adapted to receive a trailer tongue jack support tube,
- whereby upon rotation of the actuating means to rotate the paddle wheel unit a series of paddles engages a series of slots in said wheel causing said wheel to move in the direction it has been oriented.
A device to facilitate the alignment of a trailer with a tow vehicle for engagement of the trailer hitch ball of the tow vehicle to the socket of the tongue of the trailer, which device comprises in combination:
- a. a housing having an inverted U-shaped body, having a left side member, a right side member and a top member, all of said members being constructed of square tubing, and said left and right side members having aligned axle receiving bores therein;
- b. a wheel, comprising a wheel mounting means having a central throughbore for the receipt of an axle, and a tire disposed on said wheel mounting means, said tire having a series of spaced inward extending slots around the periphery of the tread;
- c. an axle disposed between said body's left and right members and having said wheel mounting means disposed thereon;
- d. a manually rotatable paddle wheel unit, having a series of outwardly extending paddles, rotatably mounted between the left and right members of said body, one of said paddles being engageable with one of the tire's slots at a given point in time in a gear-like manner;
- e. actuating means for rotating said paddle wheel unit extending through one of said body members, and connected to said paddle wheel unit;
- and
- f. a tubular receiver having a pair of linearly aligned bores therein for receipt of an orientation shaft mounted upon said top member, said tubular receiver adapted to receive a trailer tongue jack support tube, said receiver also having a cross pin disposed across the diameter thereof;
- whereby upon rotation of the actuating means to rotate the paddle wheel unit a series of paddles engages a series of slots in said wheel causing said wheel to move in the direction it has been oriented.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.