Patent ID: 6299191
Filing Date: 2001-10-09
Classification: B60D

Abstract:
A double-acting trailer hitch for interconnecting a trailer to a tow vehicle, said hitch comprising:a drawbar assembly including a bar attachable to the tow vehicle and a first coupling component carried proximate a distal end of said bar;a hitchhead assembly that is mountable to the trailer, said hitchhead assembly including a ball component that is swivelably suspendable from the trailer, a drawbar extension connected to said ball component such that such drawbar extension is pivotable along a generally horizontal first axis that is transverse to the direction of travel, and a second coupling component pivotably connected to said drawbar extension along a generally vertical second axis, said first and second coupling components including complementary interengagable means for selectively coupling said first and second coupling components together and holding said drawbar assembly at a pre-determined axial angle relative to the ground; andmeans for interconnecting a rearward portion of said drawbar extension to the trailer rearwardly of said ball component, said means for interconnecting including a pivot mounted to said drawbar extension and having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation extending transversely to the direction of travel, and a spring assembly joining said pivot and the trailer for dampening relative upward and downward movement between the trailer and the tow vehicle during travel.