Quick hitch assembly

A towline is mounted on a pulling vehicle and at one end of the towline a hitching member is secured; the towing vehicle includes a bracket for receiving the hitching member and a locking pin for securing the hitching member in a socket of the bracket; with the locking pin removed, the winch can play out the cable to connect the hitching device to an implement to be towed or pull an implement toward the pulling vehicle.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an improved towing device and, more 
specifically, to a towing device that will enable the towing tractor or 
vehicle to negotiate rough terrain or steep grades while temporarily being 
relieved of the weight of the towed implement. 
Frequently, in off the road construction, mining and logging operations, 
the condition of the terrain can often be such that the towing of various 
implements can be a time-consuming, if not impossible, endeavor for the 
towing tractor. In the past, it has frequently been necessary to 
completely unhitch the towed implement to permit the towing tractor to 
move to negotiable terrain. Such a practice has often required the virtual 
abandonment of certain heavy equipment until temporary road conditions can 
be improved to permit safe towing of such implements. 
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the 
foregoing difficulty by providing a hitching assembly for a towing tractor 
or vehicle which will eliminate the necessity of unhitching a towed 
implement should rough terrain, steep grades or weather conditions render 
it difficult for the towing tractor to continue moving while burdened with 
the implement. 
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a bracket which 
is mounted on a towing vehicle and which includes a socket for receiving a 
hitching member which is connected to one end of a cable with the other 
end of the cable being connected to a powered winch which may be either 
part of the bracket or part of the towing tractor. A locking device in the 
form of a movable pin is provided to lock the connecting or hitching 
device in the socket of the bracket for normal towing of an implement. In 
the event that the towing tractor encounters difficulties, the locking pin 
is unlocked and the winch operated to play out the cable while the towing 
vehicle continues movement until negotiable terrain is reached. 
Thereafter, the winch is operated to pull the implement to the towing 
vehicle until the hitching member is securely inserted into the socket and 
locked in position by the locking pin. 
With this arrangement, delays that have normally been encountered where a 
towing vehicle encountered a steep grade, mud or obstacles such as tree 
stumps can be greatly minimized if not entirely eliminated and the dangers 
of towing cumbersome implements over such terrain will be greatly 
diminished. In addition, the socket of the bracket and the hitching member 
are designed so that the driver of the towing vehicle can remain at the 
controls of the towing tractor during operation of the winch towing of the 
implement. 
The foregoing and other advantages will become apparent as consideration is 
given to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings, in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals designate corresponding 
parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 the bracket 
10 of the present invention which includes, in an exemplary form, two 
parallel extending plates 12 and 14 which are secured, as by bolting or 
welding, to extend perpendicularly from a mounting plate 18 which itself 
is secured to the chassis 17 of a towing vehicle such as a tractor. The 
plates 12 and 14 are separated by a pair of perpendicularly extending 
plates one of which is indicated at 16. 
The upper plate 12 is provided with an opening 19 through which partially 
extends a pulley 20 which is rotatably mounted on a pin 21 which extends 
through openings in the sides of the plates 16. The pulley serves as a 
guide for a cable 22 which, as shown, extends upwardly to a guide pulley 
23 (FIG. 2), rotatably mounted in a housing 24 which also may be suitably 
mounted on the chassis of the tractor above the bracket 10. From the 
pulley 23, the cable extends to a winch carried on the tractor and 
operated by either a take-off from the tractor motor or by the hydraulic 
system of the vehicle. Adjacent the housing 24 a guard wall 26 is disposed 
to extend upwardly from the plate 12 and is secured to a mounting arm 28 
which may be attached to the top part of the housing 24. The arm 28 
pivotably supports a hydraulic cylinder 30 which has the conventional 
hydraulic lines 32 which may be connected to the hydraulic pump of the 
towing vehicle. A piston (not shown) is mounted within the cylinder 30 
and, as is conventional, a piston rod 34 extends from the lower end of the 
cylinder and is connected to a yoke 36 having a pin 37 which is inserted 
through a bore in the uppermost end of a locking pin 38. An annular guide 
member 40 is disposed about a circular opening in plate 12 to serve as a 
guide for the pin 38. 
Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a connecting member or hitching 
device 42 which, at its forward end, is releasably connected to cable 22. 
Between the plates 16, there is rotatably mounted a guide roller 44 which 
may of resilient material such as rubber. In addition, two guide rollers 
46 preferably of steel are rotatably mounted in spaced parallel relation 
on the outer end of the plates 12 and 14 to define an entrance. A 
transverse plate 48 having an aperture for receiving the pin 38 extends 
between plates 16 (FIG. 5) and is disposed at a selected distance between 
the interior sides of the plates 12 and 14. These elements, the rollers 44 
and 46 and the plate 48 together define a socket for the connection member 
42 in the bracket 10. 
Turning now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, there is shown the connection or hitching 
member 42 which is constructed with upper and lower plates 50 and 52 which 
extend in parallel relation and are separated by side wall plates 61 to 
which the plates 50 and 52 are securely fastened as by welding, bolts or 
rivets. The rear end of the connecting device 42 is provided with a flared 
end having curved shoulders 54 which engage the rollers 46 when the 
connection device 42 is located in the socket in the bracket 10 as 
described above. Spaced inwardly from the rear end of the connection 
device 42 is a pair of aligned apertures 53. Welded to the respective 
surfaces 50 and 52 are annular ring members 56 which surround the 
apertures 53 which are provided for receiving a hitching pin 41 (FIG. 1). 
The upper ring member 56 may be provided with a bore 57 through its 
diameter for receiving a pin which will pass through the hitching pin 41 
to secure it in place. The distance between the interior surfaces of the 
plates 50 and 52 should be such that a hitching tongue of an implement may 
be inserted therebetween for receiving the hitching pin 41. Adjacent the 
front end of the connection device 42, an aperture 58 is provided which is 
defined by a cylindrical tube 60 which is welded to the plates 50 and 52, 
as illustrated in FIG. 4. The interior diameter of the tube 60 is such 
that the locking pin 38 will fit easily therein as shown in FIG. 2. 
At its first end, the connection device 42 is provided with a nose member 
62 which includes a slot 64 and a recess 68 for receiving the chock 70 
attached to the end of the cable 22. A protective plate 62 is welded to 
the exterior edges of the plates 50 and 52 to guard against damage to the 
member 62. The surfaces 54 will be located relative to the aperture 58 
such that when the hitching member 42 is in the socket and the surfaces 54 
engaging the rollers 46, the tube 60 and associated apertures in the 
bracket 10 will all be aligned to receive the locking pin 38. 
In operation of the hitching assembly of the present invention, a worker 
will connect an implement to be towed in the normal fashion by securing 
the hitching tongue of the implement between the plates 50 and 52 with the 
hitching member 42 in the position illustrated in FIG. 2. The hitching pin 
41 will then be inserted and locked in position. In the event the towing 
tractor encounters difficulty in moving over terrain, the tractor operator 
simply unlocks the locking pin 38 by retracting the piston rod 34 to 
release the connection device 42 and then will allow the winch to play out 
a length of cable as the pulling tractor continues to move to secure 
ground. Thereafter, the winch is operated while the tractor is stopped to 
pull the towed implement towards the tractor until the connection device 
42 returns to the socket in the bracket 10 and is locked by reinsertion of 
the locking pin 38 to the position illustrated in FIG. 2. Thereafter, the 
towing tractor may recommence movement with the implement hitched to the 
tractor in the normal manner. 
Having described the invention, it will be apparent that various 
modification may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and 
scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.