Patent ID: 7425013
Filing Date: 2008-09-16
Classification: B60D

Abstract:
1. A ball hitch device mountable upon the rear of a tractor vehicle and interactive with ball-receiving socket means disposed upon a forwardly directed tongue of a trailered apparatus, said hitch device comprising: a) mounting means attachable to a structurally rigid component of the rear of said tractor vehicle, b) paired rigid extension arms disposed in spaced apart facing parallel relationship and extending between proximal extremities attached by pivoting means to said mounting means and distal extremities directed rearwardly away from said tractor vehicle, c) receiving means of rectangular tubular construction secured between said extension arms adjacent said distal extremities and having upwardly directed cable-securing means, d) an elongated hitch bar telescopically received within said received means and extending to a rearward extremity, e) a hitch ball extending upwardly from said hitch bar adjacent said rearward extremity thereof, f) supporting means attached to said mounting means and extending rearwardly to an upper extremity, g) an electric winch motor secured to said upper extremity of said supporting means and having a horizontally oriented spindle centered above said extension arms, and h) a lifting cable operatively wound upon said spindle and extending downwardly to engagement with said cable-securing means, whereby i) activation of said winch motor causes said cable to be wound upon said spindle with attendant raising of said hitch ball in an arcuate path within a vertical plane centered between said extension arms, and said hitch ball is lowered within the same path by the unwinding of said cable from said spindle achieved by the gravity effect of the weight of said trailered apparatus acting through the tongue of said apparatus.