Fifth wheel hitch

A fifth wheel hitch apparatus for connecting a kingpin of a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer to a towing vehicle, comprising:

• (a) a mounting mechanism secured to the towing vehicle;
• (b) a first clamp element including a forward end having a distal end with a peg, a rearward end, and a first lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the first clamp element and mounted to the mounting mechanism about a first axle to pivot about a first pivot axis;
• (c) a second clamp element including a forward end having a distal end with a slot, and a rearward end, and a second lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the second clamp element and mounted to the mounting mechanism about a second axle to pivot about a second pivot axis, the slot being structured and configured to slidably receive the peg of the forward end of the first clamp element therein, wherein the first and second clamp elements pivot relative to each other about a common third pivot axis, and wherein the first and second clamp elements pivot about the first, second and third pivot axes to cooperatively form an opened configuration wherein the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements are spaced apart from each other in order to receive the kingpin of the fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer therebetween, and to cooperatively form a closed configuration wherein the kingpin is captured between the first and second clamp elements;
• and
• (d) a locking mechanism slidably and transversely mounted to the mounting mechanism, the locking mechanism including a tumbler having a shank with a distal end, the locking mechanism having an unlocked configuration wherein the tumbler does not interfere with pivoting of the first and second clamp elements, and a locked configuration wherein the tumbler does prevent pivoting of the first and second clamp elements when the first and second clamp elements have assumed the closed configuration;
• (e) wherein as the trailer is being connected to the towing vehicle, the kingpin bears directly against the forward ends of the first and second clamp elements thereby positively and pivotally displacing the first and second clamp elements about the first, second and third pivot axes causing the kingpin to be captured between the first and second clamp elements in the closed configuration.

A fifth wheel hitch apparatus for connecting a kingpin of a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer to a towing vehicle, the fifth wheel hitch apparatus comprising:

• (a) a mounting mechanism secured to the towing vehicle, the mounting mechanism including:
• (1) a generally horizontally-oriented plate portion having a rear edge,
• (2) a skirt portion extending rearwardly and downwardly from the rear edge of the plate portion,
• (3) a centrally-spaced opening through the plate portion, the opening extending rearwardly to and through the skirt portion to provide ingress and egress access for the kingpin of the trailer;
• (b) a clamping mechanism including:
• (1) a first clamp element having a forward end, a rearward end, and a first lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the first clamp element, the first lever arm having a distal end, the first clamp element being spaced below and pivotally mounted to the plate portion about a first axle to pivot about a vertically-oriented first pivot axis,
• (2) a second clamp element having a forward end, a rearward end, and a second lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the second clamp element, the second lever arm having a distal end, the second clamp element being spaced below and pivotally mounted to the plate portion about a second axle to pivot about a vertically-oriented second pivot axis, the first and second clamp elements being structured and configured to be pivotally displaceable about the first and second pivot axes to cooperatively form an opened configuration wherein the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements are spaced apart from each other in order to receive the kingpin of the fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer therebetween, and to cooperatively form a closed configuration wherein the kingpin is captured between the first and second clamp elements, and
• (3) a first resilient device connecting the distal ends of the first and second lever arms wherein the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements are normally biased away from each other to the opened configuration;
• and
• (c) a locking mechanism including:
• (1) a tumbler having a shank with a distal end,
• (2) an unlocked configuration wherein the tumbler does not interfere with pivoting of the first and second clamp elements,
• (3) a locked configuration wherein the tumbler does prevent pivoting of the first and second clamp elements when the first and second clamp elements have assumed the closed configuration,
• (4) a second resilient device which normally and transversely biases the tumbler from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration when the first and second clamp elements have assumed the closed configuration,
• (5) a handle connected to the tumbler enabling a user to selectively place the tumbler in the unlocked configuration, and
• (6) a latch structured to releasably retain the tumbler in the unlocked configuration;
• (d) wherein, when the locking mechanism is in the unlocked configuration, as the kingpin is being removed from the first and second clamp elements, the rearward end of the first clamp element bears against the distal end of the tumbler, causing the latch to release retention of the tumbler such that the rearward end of the first clamp element retains the tumbler in the unlocked configuration instead of the latch;
• and
• (e) wherein as the trailer is being connected to the towing vehicle, the kingpin bears directly against the forward ends of the first and second clamp elements, the first and second clamp elements are positively and directly pivoted about the first and second pivot axes from the opened configuration to the closed configuration, and the second resilient device transversely biases the tumbler from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration whereat the shank of the tumbler abuttingly engages the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements thereby securely capturing and locking the kingpin between the first and second clamp elements in the closed configuration.

In a fifth wheel hitch for connecting a kingpin of a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer to a towing vehicle wherein the fifth wheel hitch includes a pair of opposing jaws for capturing the kingpin of the trailer, the improvement comprising:

• (a) one of the opposing jaws including a first clamp element including a forward end having a distal end with a peg, a rearward end, and a first lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the first clamp element and mounted about a first axle to pivot about a first pivot axis;
• and
• (b) the other one of the opposing jaws including a second clamp element having a forward end having a distal end with a slot structured and configured to slidably receive the peg of the forward end of the first clamp element therein, a rearward end, and a second lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the second clamp element and mounted about a second axle to pivot about a second pivot axis;
• wherein the first and second clamp elements also pivot relative to each other about a common third pivot axis;
• (c) wherein as the trailer is being connected to the towing vehicle, the kingpin directly bears against the forward ends of the first and second clamp elements thereby positively and pivotally displacing the first and second clamp elements about the first, second and third pivot axes causing the kingpin to be captured between the first and second clamp elements.

A fifth wheel hitch apparatus for connecting a kingpin of a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer to a towing vehicle, the fifth wheel hitch apparatus comprising:

• (a) a mounting mechanism secured to the towing vehicle, the mounting mechanism including:
• (1) a generally horizontally-oriented plate portion having a rear edge,
• (2) a skirt portion extending rearwardly and downwardly from the rear edge of the plate portion, and
• (3) a centrally-spaced opening through the plate portion, the opening extending rearwardly to and through the skirt portion to provide ingress and egress access for the kingpin of the trailer;
• (b) a clamping mechanism including:
• (1) a first clamp element including a forward end having a distal end with a peg, a rearward end, and a first lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the first clamp element, the first lever arm having a distal end, the first clamp element being spaced below and pivotally mounted to the plate portion about a first axle to pivot about a vertically-oriented first pivot axis,
• (2) a second clamp element including a forward end having a distal end with a slot, a rearward end, and a second lever arm spaced between the forward and rearward ends of the second clamp element, the second lever arm having a distal end, the second clamp element being spaced below and pivotally mounted to the plate portion about a second axle to pivot about a vertically-oriented second pivot axis, the slot being structured and configured to slidably receive the peg of the forward end of the first clamp element wherein the first and second clamp elements operatively pivot relative to each other about a common third pivot axis, the first and second clamp elements being structured and configured to be pivotally displaceable about the first, second and third pivot axes to cooperatively form an opened configuration wherein the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements are spaced apart from each other in order to receive the kingpin of the fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer therebetween, and to cooperatively form a closed configuration wherein the kingpin is captured between the first and second clamp elements, and
• (3) a first resilient device connecting the distal ends of the first and second lever arms wherein the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements are biased to the opened configuration;
• and
• (c) a locking mechanism including:
• (1) a tumbler having a shank with a distal end,
• (2) an unlocked configuration wherein the tumbler does not interfere with pivoting of the first and second clamp elements,
• (3) a locked configuration wherein the tumbler does prevent pivoting of the first and second clamp elements when the first and second clamp elements have assumed the closed configuration,
• (4) a second resilient device which normally and transversely biases the tumbler from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration when the first and second clamp elements have assumed the closed configuration,
• (5) a handle connected to the tumbler enabling a user to selectively place the tumbler in the unlocked configuration, and
• (6) a latch structured to releasably retain the tumbler in the unlocked configuration;
• (d) wherein, when the locking mechanism is in the unlocked configuration, as the kingpin is being removed from the first and second clamp elements, the rearward end of the first clamp element bears against the distal end of the tumbler causing the latch to release retention of the tumbler such that the rearward end of the first clamp element retains the tumbler in the unlocked configuration instead of the latch;
• and
• (e) wherein as the kingpin bears directly against the forward ends of the first and second clamp elements, the first and second clamp elements are positively and directly pivoted about the first, second and third pivot axes from the opened configuration to the closed configuration, and the second resilient device biases the tumbler from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration whereat the shank of the tumbler abuttingly engages the rearward ends of the first and second clamp elements thereby securely capturing and locking the kingpin between the first and second clamp elements in the closed configuration.