Trailer hitch having rotatable draw plate

A trailer hitch having a rotatable draw plate, which trailer hitch is characterized by a metal frame adapted for mounting on the bumper plate of a truck bumper and a pivot plate rotatably attached to the frame for selectively positioning a removable hitch ball outwardly of the housing in functional configuration and inwardly of the housing in non-functional configuration. The pivot plate is secured with the hitch ball in selective functional and non-functional configuration by means of a latch located in the frame. In a preferred embodiment, the trailer hitch is bolted to the bumper plate of the truck and is located beneath the bumper plate and bumper.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to trailer hitches and more specifically, to a 
trailer hitch mounted to the bumper of a truck or other vehicle and having 
a rotatable draw plate for selectively deploying the draw plate and 
companion hitch ball outwardly of the trailer hitch in functional 
configuration, and inwardly of the trailer hitch housing in retracted, 
non-functional configuration. 
Trailer hitches are conventionally mounted on the bumpers or frames of 
vehicles such as trucks and cars with a draw bar extending rearwardly of 
the bumper and a hitch ball bolted or otherwise secured to the pivoting 
end of the draw bar. When not in use, such hitches constitute a safety 
hazard and also detract from the esthetics of the vehicle. Since the draw 
bar and hitch ball extend outwardly from the bumper just below the knee of 
a person of average height, bumping of the shin and knee area of the legs 
against the hitch sometimes occurs when walking around the rear of the 
vehicle. The trailer hitch embodied in this invention includes a rotatable 
draw plate which operates to selectively extend the hitch ball in 
functional configuration rearwardly of the vehicle bumper for attachment 
to a trailer and inwardly of the trailer hitch housing through the plane 
of the bumper, when not in use. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Various trailer hitch mechanisms are known in the art for recessing or 
folding the draw bar and hitch ball of a trailer hitch. U.S. Pat. No. 
2,474,231, dated June 28, 1949, to R. V. Crosely, discloses a "Sliding 
Ball Hitch For Automobiles". The sliding ball hitch detailed in this 
patent is characterized by a casing adapted to be connected to the rear of 
an automobile and having an opening in the rear end thereof, the casing 
further provided with interior shoulder portions and a block slidable in 
and out of the casing through the rear opening. The block is further 
provided with portions adapted to engage the shoulder portions of the 
casing, in order to limit outward movement of the block and the block is 
also provided with a recess having a sloping surface in the upper surface 
thereof. A latch plate having an upwardly-extending lip on the outer edge 
is positioned in the recess and a spring is located in the block for 
urging the plate upwardly to lock the block in the extended position. A 
ball is connected to the block for connecting the trailer hitch to the 
hitch device of a trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,117,805, dated Jan. 14, 1964, 
to W. A. Schoeffler, discloses a "Traler Hitch", the rear end section of 
which is bolted to the vehicle and the front end section being vertically 
pivotally attached to the rear end section, for rotating the draw bar and 
hitch ball into and out of functional orientation with respect to the 
vehicle. Another trailer hitch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,296, 
dated Nov. 25, 1969, to E. L. Starling. The trailer hitch detailed in this 
patent is designed for mounting in a vehicle bumper and includes a draw 
bar pivotally mounted within a recess in the bumper, for swinging movement 
between a draft position outwardly extending from the bumper and a 
position with the draw bar fully retracted within the recess in the bumper 
to present a clean, uncluttered bumper surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,930, 
dated Aug. 29, 1978, to S. T. L. Pilhall, discloses a "Towing Device For 
Motor Vehicles". The towing device embodied in this patent includes an 
upwardly-directed portion which is shaped as a ball and connected to the 
bumper and which, in a storage position, is covered by a removable or 
slidable portion of the bumper. The ball portion is connected to the 
bumper beam in such a manner that it can be moved between the storage 
position located in a storage space in the bumper beam and a towing 
position completely outside of the storage space. A "Hinged Bi-Level Hitch 
For A Vehicle" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,899, dated June 30, 
1981, to Verle L. Humphrey. This patent details a heavy-duty, hinged 
bi-level hitch for mounting on a tubular bumper of a vehicle. The hitch 
includes an upper hitch assembly with an upper hitch ball, which upper 
hitch assembly is integrally formed in the center of the bumper. A lower 
hitch assembly is pivotally attached to the bottom of the bumper. The 
lower hitch assembly can be pivoted from a raised storage position 
underneath the vehicle to a lowered position directed below the upper 
hitch assembly by loosening a pair of bolts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,167, 
dated Nov. 13, 1984, to H. L. Haugrud, discloses a "Retractable Hitch". 
The retractable hitch is designed for attachment beneath the bumper of a 
vehicle and the tow bar of the hitch is held in a retracted position by a 
pivotal wall locked in place. Alternatively, the tow bar may be clamped 
into an operational position by the same pivotal wall locked in place. The 
retractable hitch is operated into and out of the functional configuration 
by moving a handle beneath the hitch and rotating the tow bar, as desired. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,194, dated Sept. 10, 1985, to Roy Dane, discloses a 
trailer hitch which includes a plate that is adapted to selectively lie 
flush with the bed of the truck or other vehicle and extend upwardly for 
attachment to a trailer. A hitch block, which has a connecting ball at one 
end, is journalled on an axis below the plate in such a manner, that when 
disposed in the towing position, the ball is located above the plate and 
when the vehicle is used for hauling, the entire block can be folded down 
beneath the bed of the vehicle. The opposite end of the block is provided 
with a spring-biased, retractable pin and an arcuate member located 
beneath the plate is provided with holes which receive the pin to hold the 
block in a selected position. 
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved, heavy-duty 
trailer hitch having a rotatable draw plate for selectively orienting a 
hitch ball in functional towing configuration outwardly of the trailer 
hitch housing and rotating the hitch ball inwardly of the trailer hitch 
housing when not in use. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved trailer 
hitch having a rotatable draw plate, which trailer hitch is designed for 
removably mounting to the bumper of a pick-up truck or other vehicle and 
is designed to selectively deploy the hitch ball outwardly of the vehicle 
bumper when in functional configuration and inwardly of the trailer hitch 
housing and inside the vertical plane of the vehicle bumper when in 
rotated, non-functional configuration, responsive to manipulation of a 
latch mechanism and rotation of the draw plate. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a trailer hitch having 
a rotatable draw plate, the frame of which trailer hitch is mounted on the 
bumper of a pick-up truck and is operable to locate the hitch ball 
outwardly of the plane of the bumper for coupling to the hitch mechanism 
of a trailer and inwardly of the trailer hitch housing and retracted 
inside the plane of the bumper when not in use. 
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved 
trailer hitch having a rotatable draw plate which is capable of removably 
receiving hitch balls of varying diameter and wherein a first hitch ball 
is mounted to the draw plate and a second hitch ball is mounted to the 
bumper and trailer hitch housing. 
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved 
trailer hitch having a curved, rotatable draw plate, which trailer hitch 
is characterized by a housing having a ball clearance opening and is 
adapted for mounting on the bumper plate of a pick-up truck bumper and is 
rugged in construction and designed to tow trailers of substantially any 
size, with the capability of rotatably deploying the hitch ball outwardly 
of the bumper when in functional configuration and retracting the hitch 
ball through the ball clearance opening inside the trailer hitch housing 
when in stored configuration, responsive to manipulation of a latch and 
rotation of the draw plate with respect to the housing. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These and other objects of the invention are provided in a new and improved 
trailer hitch having a rotatable, curved draw plate for bolting to the 
bumper of a pick-up truck, which trailer hitch includes a latch mechanism 
for securing and releasing the draw plate and selectively deploying the 
trailer hitch ball outwardly of the trailer hitch housing in functional 
configuration and inwardly of the trailer hitch housing through a ball 
clearance opening, when retracted and not in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6 of the drawings, the trailer 
hitch of this invention is generally illustrated by reference numeral 1. 
The trailer hitch 1 includes a frame 1a, having a flat bumper mount plate 
2, for securing the trailer hitch 1 to the conventional bumper plate 31 of 
the bumper 29 in a truck 28, by means of hitch mount bolts 30 and 
cooperating mount nuts 33. The bumper 29 is mounted on the truck 28 in 
conventional fashion and the trailer hitch 1 is suspended beneath the 
bumper plate 21 of the bumper 29 by means of the hitch mount bolts 30 and 
mount nuts 33, as illustrated. In a most preferred embodiment of the 
invention, a pair of mount slots 3 are provided in the bumper mount plate 
2 in spaced relationship, in order to receive the hitch mount bolts 30 in 
adjustable fashion and accommodate a wide variety of hole spacings in the 
bumper plate 31. A ball mount hole 4 is also provided in the bumper mount 
plate 2 between the mount slots 3, in order to accommodate an auxiliary 
hitch ball 32, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The frame 1a of the trailer hitch 
1 is completed by a pair of curved, downwardly extending side plates 5, 
one of which side plates 5 is welded or otherwise attached to a curved 
groove plate 25 and the other of which is secured to a rounded bottom 
mount plate 13, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The bottom mount plate 13 and 
the groove plate 25 define a curved clearance groove 24, which exists for 
a purpose which will be hereinafter further described. In a most preferred 
embodiment of the invention and referring again to FIG. 1, the bumper 
mount plate 2 to side plates 5 welds are strengthened by a pair of plate 
gussets 6 and the bottom edge of one of the side plates 5 is welded to a 
top mount plate 7, which extends parallel to the bumper mount plate 2. A 
partition plate 14 projects downwardly from welded attachment to the 
bumper mount plate 2 and is secured at the bottom edge thereof to the 
projecting edge of the top mount plate 7, in order to define a latch 
chamber 8a, provided with a latch 8, as illustrated. A pair of thin plate 
fillers 16 are welded between the curved top edges of the side plates 5 
and the corresponding edges of the bumper mount plate 2, respectively, to 
strengthen the frame 1a. A ball clearance opening 26 is defined by the 
downwardly-extending partition plate 14 and the opposite one of the side 
plates 5 and the ball clearance opening 26 lies adjacent to the latch 
chamber 8a, as illustrated. The latch 8 provided in the latch chamber 8a 
is further characterized by a latch bracket 9, the legs of which are 
welded or otherwise attached to the top mount plate 7 and a t-bar 10, 
slidably mounted in the horizontal segment of the latch bracket 9. A coil 
spring 11 is mounted on the t-bar 10 and is disposed between the latch 
bracket 9 and a spring washer 12, which is welded or otherwise attached to 
the t-bar 10, in order to spring-load and bias the extending end of the 
t-bar 10 downwardly through an opening (not illustrated) in the top mount 
plate 7 and into a corresponding and registering opening 22, provided in 
the underlying pivot plate 15, and a bottom mount plate opening 13a, 
located in the bottom mount plate 13. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the pivot 
plate 15 is rotatably disposed between the spaced top mount plate 7 and 
bottom mount plate 13 and includes a curved front margin 27 and a pair of 
spaced spring pin openings 22, a pivot bolt opening 23 and a hitch ball 
19. The pivot plate 15 is rotatably attached to the top mount plate 7 and 
the bottom mount plate 13 by means of a pivot bolt 17, which extends 
through the pivot bolt opening 23 and corresponding registering openings 
(not illustrated) drilled in the top mount plate 7 and bottom mount plate 
13 and is secured by a cooperating pivot nut 18. The hitch ball 19 is 
secured to the pivot plate 15 near the front margin 27 of the pivot plate 
15 by means of a ball mount nut 21, which is threaded on the ball mount 
bolt 20, which projects through a companion opening (not illustrated) 
drilled in the pivot plate 15, as illustrated. 
Referring again to FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 of the drawing, the pivot plate 15 is 
rotatably mounted between the top mount plates 7 and the bottom mount 
plate 13 on the pivot bolt 17 such that the hitch ball 19 is extended 
outwardly of the ball clearance opening 26 in functional configuration. 
When so located, the hitch ball 19 is deployed for attachment to the hitch 
mechanism of a trailer (not illustrated) in conventional manner. 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 of the drawing and as heretofore noted, the 
pivot plate 15 is rotatably disposed between the spaced top mount plate 7 
and bottom mount plate 13 on the pivot bolt 17 by means of the pivot bolt 
17. Furthermore, the projecting end of the t-bar 10 extends through a hole 
(not illustrated) provided in the top mount plate 7 and the spring pin 
opening 22 which is aligned with the corresponding opening in the top 
mount plate 7 (not illustrated), and into the bottom mount plate opening 
13a, in order to selectively lock the pivot plate 15 in functional 
configuration as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in folded or 
non-functional configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Rotation of the 
hitch ball 19 from the functional configuration to the locked 
configuration is effected by lifting the t-bar 10 upwardly against the 
bias in the spring 11 to clear the extending end of the t-bar 10 from the 
bottom mount plate opening 13a and companion spring pin opening 22 in the 
pivot plate 15, to allow the pivot plate 15 to rotate on the pivot bolt 
17, such that the curved front margin 27 clears the side plates 5 and the 
hitch ball 19 moves through the ball clearance opening 26, to the position 
illustrated in FIG. 4. As illustrated in FIG. 2, this movement also allows 
the ball mount nut 21 and the extending end of the ball mount bolt 20 to 
traverse the clearance groove 24 and facilitates relocation of the 
opposite spring pin opening 22 adjacent the t-bar 10, such that subsequent 
release of the t-bar 10 responsive to the bias in the spring 11, extends 
the end of the t-bar 10 through the relocated spring pin opening 22 and 
the fixed bottom mount plate opening 13a. 
Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing, it will be appreciated 
that the hitch ball 19 is conveniently stored rearwardly of the frame 1a, 
as illustrated in FIG. 4, to prevent injury resulting from stiking the 
hitch ball 19 when it is deployed as illustrated in FIG. 3. Furthermore, 
this deployment of the hitch ball 19 enhances the appearance of the 
trailer hitch 1. 
In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame 1a is 
constructed of steel and the rotatable pivot plate 15 is cut from steel 
plate stock having a thickness of about 3/8 inch. The pivot bolt 17 is 
typically about 1 inch in diameter and the side plates 5 are most 
preferably constructed of segments of 14-inch pipe. 
Referring again to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the mount slots 3 facilitate 
adjustment of the bumper mount plate 2 on the bumper plate 31 and bumper 
29 of substantially any truck 28, using a variety of spacings for the 
hitch mount bolts 30. Furthermore, since the pivot plate 15 is curved at 
the front margin 27 and around the sides and since the side plates 5 are 
also curved to accommodate the pivot plate 15, the pivot plate 15 cannot 
exit the frame 1a, even if the pivot bolt 17 and t-bar 10 should fail. 
This serves as an additional safety factor in the construction of the 
trailer hitch 1. 
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, 
it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be 
made and used therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all 
such modifications and combinations which may fall within the spirit and 
scope of the invention.