Tow bar apparatus
OwnerJohn Greavesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tow bar apparatus, that allows a towing vehicle to tow a towed vehicle, has a hitch member, a pair of tow bars, and a pair of socket members. The hitch member is adapted to engage a tow bar receiver of the towing vehicle. The pair of socket members are adapted to be attached to the towed vehicle. Each of the pair of tow bars includes a plate ball member at a first end for pivotally engaging one of the pair of socket members. Each of the pair of tow bars further includes a second end, the second ends of the pair of tow bars being joined to form a hitch ball member that pivotably and rotatably engages the hitch member.
Claims12
A tow bar apparatus for use by a towing vehicle having a tow bar receiver to tow a towed vehicle, the tow bar apparatus comprising:
- a hitch member having a hitching portion and a hitch socket member, the hitching portion being shaped to cooperate with the tow bar receiver to attach the hitch member to the towing vehicle, the hitch socket member having a peripheral lip that defines a central aperture that communicates with an internal chamber of the hitch socket member;
- a pair of tow bars, each of the pair of tow bars having a first end and a second end, each of the pair of tow bars having a plate ball member at the first end and a hemisphere at the second end, the hemispheres of the pair of tow bars interlocking to form the hitch ball member that is pivotally and rotatably engaged within the internal chamber of the hitch socket member such that each of the pair of tow bars extends out of the internal chamber through the central aperture but the hitch ball member is locked within the internal chamber;
- a pair of socket members adapted to be attached to the towed vehicle, each of the pair of socket members including a base portion having a sidewall shaped to define an internal chamber, the sidewall defining a top aperture that is shaped to removably receive the plate ball member of one of the pair of tow bars, the sidewall further defining a bar slot that extends from the top aperture into the sidewall, the bar slot being shaped to receive the one of the pair of tow bars when the plate ball member is inserted into the internal chamber, but the bar slot being too small to allow the plate ball member to escape through the bar slot;
- and
- means for blocking the top aperture to prevent the plate ball member from escaping from the internal chamber through the top aperture.
A tow bar apparatus for use by a towing vehicle having a tow bar receiver to tow a towed vehicle, the tow bar apparatus comprising:
- a hitch member having a hitching portion and a hitch socket member, the hitching portion being shaped to cooperate with the tow bar receiver to attach the hitch member to the towing vehicle,
- the hitch socket member having a hitch socket peripheral lip that defines a hitch socket central aperture that communicates with a hitch socket internal chamber of the hitch socket member;
- a top socket bearing element and a bottom socket bearing element, the top and bottom socket bearing elements having top and bottom hitch socket outside surfaces shaped to fit within the hitch socket internal chamber of the hitch socket member, the top and bottom socket bearing elements further having top and bottom hitch socket inside bearing surfaces shaped to provide a bearing surface around at least part of a hitch ball member;
- a pair of tow bars, each of the pair of tow bars having a first end and a second end, each of the pair of tow bars having a hemisphere at the second end, the hemispheres of the pair of tow bars interlocking to form the hitch ball member that is pivotally and rotatably engaged between the top and bottom socket bearing elements within the internal chamber such that each of the pair of tow bars extends through the central aperture;
- and
- means for removably engaging the first end of each of the pair of tow bars to the towed vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.