Ring latch for pintle hitch

A hitch apparatus for connecting a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• a hitch ring member adapted at a rearward end for attachment to the towed vehicle such that an axis of a ring aperture defined by the hitch ring member is oriented substantially vertically;
• a pintle hitch member comprising a base adapted at a forward end for attachment to the towing vehicle, and a hook member attached to a rear end of the base and forming a cradle between the base and an upward oriented male portion of the hook member, the cradle configured to support the hitch ring member in a ring location;
• a latch member pivotally attached to the base about a substantially horizontal pivot axis such that the latch member can pivot from a closed position, where a rear portion of the latch member extends over the cradle above the hitch ring member in the ring location, to an open position where the rear portion of the latch member is forward of the cradle;
• wherein the latch member is weighted such that the latch member falls to the closed position when the latch member is in the open position;
• wherein the latch member pivots in a pivot range extending from the closed position through the open position and through a balanced position to a release position where a front portion of the latch member is above the cradle, and wherein the latch member is weighted such that when the latch member is in the pivot range between the balanced position and the closed position the latch member falls to the closed position, and when the latch member is in the pivot range between the balanced position and the release position the latch member falls to the release position.