Patent ID: 6203046
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
Adaptor structure for towing a pintle hitch trailer behind a truck having a fifth wheel mount, the adaptor structure comprising:a mounting plate constructed and arranged to be mounted to a surface of a tongue of a trailer to be towed, the mounting plate including mounting tabs extending from opposing ends of the mounting plate,beam structure having first and second ends, the first end being removably coupled to the mounting tabs by a pin connection, the second end including a fifth wheel mount structure constructed and arranged to engage a fifth wheel mount of a truck, anda tension arm coupled at one end thereof to the beam structure at a position between the first and second ends of the beam structure, another end of the tension arm defining a pintle hitch coupler constructed and arranged to engage a pintle eye of the trailer,wherein the beam structure comprises first and second beams and a generally downwardly extending beam at the second end of the beam structure, each of the first and second beams having proximal and distal ends, each distal end being coupled to an associated mounting tab and each proximal end being coupled to the downwardly extending beam, andwherein each of the mounting tabs includes a pair of brackets disposed in spaced relation, each bracket of a pair of brackets having a bore therethrough such that a pin may extend through the brackets of a pair, each of the distal ends of the first and second beams having a width less than the spacing between two brackets of a pair of brackets, and having a bore therethrough.