Patent ID: 6203049
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: A01B,B60D

Abstract:
A terrain following hitch for attaching a towed vehicle to a draw bar of a towing vehicle, in which said draw bar has a pin hole which is used to attach said towed vehicle using a locking pin, and said draw bar is for pulling said towed vehicle, comprising:a draw bar attachment tube with a closed end and a top side and a bottom side, and a pin hole in said top side and bottom side, in which said pin holes of said top side and said bottom sides of said draw bar attachment tube are configured to be in alignment with said pin hole of said draw bar when said draw bar is in contact with said closed end of said draw bar attachment tube;an alignment tab attached to said draw bar attachment tube for aligning said terrain following hitch to said draw bar;a first hinge with two hinge leaves and a hinge pin, which allows rotation of said implement within a first plane, and which is attached to said draw bar and to a second hinge;a second hinge, with two second hinge leaves and a second hinge pin, which allows rotation of said towed vehicle within a second plane which is at a 90 degree to said first hinge, and which is attached to said first hinge and to a third hinge;a third hinge with at least one third leaf and a third hinge pin, which allows rotation of said towed vehicle or object within a third plane which is at a 90 degree angle to said first plane and said second plane, and which is attached to said second hinge at said third hinge pin; wherein,said terrain following hitch allows said towed vehicle to rotate in three planes to a position conforming to a configuration of ground, and independently of a position of said towing vehicle, and said hitch allows one man attachment of said terrain following hitch to said towing vehicle, by positioning said towing vehicle in close proximity to said terrain following hitch, then by placing said alignment tab on said draw bar, and then by backing said towing vehicle until said draw bar contacts said closed end of said draw bar attachment tube, and then by inserting a pin through said pin hole in said top side and bottom side of said draw bar alignment tube and through said pin hole in said draw bar.