One-piece pintle hitch
AssigneeBuyers Products Company
InventorsThomas A. Gries, Mark J. Saltzman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A one-piece pintle hitch is disclosed. The one-piece hitch utilizes an integral drawbar that may be engaged with a conventional receiver assembly such as installed along the underside of a vehicle. The one-piece pintle hitch avoids the use of prior art mounting plates that bolt to one another. Accordingly, the problems associated with threaded fasteners such as loosening, fracturing, and corrosion are eliminated. In addition, the one-piece pintle hitch utilizes a unique configuration along its bar portion that results in a significant reduction in weight and materials.
Claims20
A pintle hitch comprising
- a bar having a non-cylindrical configuration and further having a distal end and a proximal end opposite from said distal end;
- a lower jaw integrally formed with and nonseparable from said distal end of said bar, and extending therefrom by a neck having an upper and lower strengthening member and intermediate connecting portion;
- an upper jaw hingedly attached to said distal end of said bar, said upper jaw being movable from a closed position in which a portion of said upper jaw contacts a portion of said lower jaw, to an open position in which said upper jaw is spaced from said lower jaw;
- wherein said proximal end of said bar has a rectangular cross section and is adapted to engage a receiver assembly.
A pintle hitch comprising:
- a longitudinal bar member having a non-cylindrical configuration and further having a distal end, a proximal end, a first side extending between said distal end and said proximal end, and a second side opposite from said first side and also extending between said distal end and said proximal end;
- and
- a pintle hook and latch assembly disposed at said distal end of said bar member, said pintle hook being integral with and nonseparable from said distal end of said bar member by a neck having an upper and lower strengthening member and intermediate connecting portion, said latch being pivotally movable with respect to said pintle hook;
- wherein said bar defines a first narrowed region along said first side of said bar and a second narrowed region along said second side of said bar, thereby imparting a non-circular cross section to said bar along said first and second narrowed regions, and said proximal end of said bar is adapted to engage a receiver assembly.
A pintle hitch assembly comprising:
- a longitudinal bar member having a non-cylindrical configuration and further having a distal end, a proximal end, a first side extending between the distal end and the proximal end, and a second side opposite from said first side and extending between the distal end and the proximal end, said bar defining an aperture extending through said bar proximate said proximal end and further defining a first narrowed region along said first side of said bar and a second narrowed region along said second side of said bar;
- a lower jaw integrally formed with said bar and permanently disposed at said distal end of said bar by a neck having an upper and lower strengthening member and intermediate connecting portion, said lower jaw defining an aperture extending through said lower jaw;
- an upper jaw hingedly attached to said lower jaw, said upper jaw defining an aperture extending through said upper jaw, said upper jaw being positioned with respect to said lower jaw such that said aperture defined in said upper jaw is aligned with said aperture defined in said lower jaw;
- a pivot member disposed in said aperture defined in said lower jaw and said aperture defined in said upper jaw, wherein said pivot member serves to provide said hinged attachment between said upper jaw and said lower jaw;
- wherein said proximal end of said bar is adapted to engage a hitch receiver assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.