Patent ID: 6913276
Filing Date: 2005-07-05
Classification: B60D,B62D

Abstract:
1. A hitch dampening system for damping longitudinal movement of a towed vehicle with respect to the towing vehicle, the hitch dampening system comprising: a first assembly for being coupled to the towed vehicle; a second assembly for being coupled to the towing vehicle; a plurality of dampening members being operationally coupled between said first assembly and said second assembly, said dampening members permitting said first assembly to swing in an arc with respect to said second assembly such that said dampening members reduce longitudinal forces exerted on the towing vehicle by the towed vehicle when a momentum of the towed vehicle differs from a momentum of the towing vehicle; each of said dampening members comprising a swing arm rotatably coupled to said first assembly, each of said swing arms being rotatably coupled to said second assembly opposite of said first assembly such that said swing arm of each of said dampening members defines the radius of the arc said first assembly swings along with respect to said second assembly; and each of the dampening members comprising a pair of pivot rods, each pivot rod of said pair of said pivot rods being integrally coupled to opposite ends of the associated one of said dampening members, one of said pivot rods being rotatably coupled to said first assembly and the other one of said pivot rods being rotatably coupled to said second assembly, the associated one of said pivot rods rotatably coupled to said first assembly extending through a portion of said first assembly, the associated one of said pivot rods being rotatably coupled to said second assembly extending through a portion of said second assembly, said pivot rods permitting said swing arm of the associated one of said dampening members to rotate with respect to said first assembly and said second assembly such that said first assembly swings in an arc with respect to said second assembly.