Abstract:
It is connected to a lawn tractor or vehicle for towing any foldable sheet type material such as a tarp, (construction) plastic, or cloth across the ground to move large debris or material. This assembly contains multiple tubing, stabilizers, and hardware that allow a direct connection to a lawn tractor or a vehicle/ATV using a standard receiver type hitch. The sheet material is folded and then rolled onto the tarp connection tube and then attached to the tarp support tube. When towing, the clamping point gets tighter the harder you pull on it, making it a strong connection. Now the material is tightly gripped between these two tubes, which allow the use of any type of foldable sheet material for towing. This design eliminates the need to use any type of grommet load connection points within the sheet material that could be easily pulled out during heavy loads or use.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Inventor Date Patent No. Title: 
         [0002]    Thompson 1996 U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,321 Tarp Harness Draft and Equalizer Assembly 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention relates to the moving of landscape and/or garden type material such as trees, branches, leaves, grass clippings, mulch, rocks, sand, snow, and other types of debris by loading them onto any foldable type sheet material that is directly attached to the rear of a lawn tractor or connected thru a standard receiver type hitch found on most vehicles and/or ATV&#39;s used for towing. 
         [0004]    This invention makes it very easy to move large and awkward-sized loads of debris around obstacles and through difficult types of terrain. Also, loading debris onto the Tarp Tow is very simple because the attached sheet is at ground level and unloading it is just as easy. To unload, just grab one end of the rear corner of the sheet and pull it over itself until all the debris falls off the sheet as it flips over. 
         [0005]    The Tarp Tow assembly contains six tubes, two stabilizer assemblies and the needed hardware. There are two main features in this invention. First, the assembly is attached directly to a lawn tractor or vehicle without the use of cables, chains, or ropes. Second, it has the ability to hold a foldable sheet by rolling it onto the tarp connection tube and then clamp it down to the tarp support tube within the assembly. This allows the use of any type of strong foldable sheet material to be used such as a tarp, tarpaulin, wire mesh, (construction) plastic, or cloth fabrics. This invention is different from others because it removes the need to use any grommets within the sheet as a load connection point for towing. 
         [0006]    Thompson&#39;s device, which is patented under U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,321, can tow a tarp or tarpaulin by a draft bar unit. It can either be pulled by hand or by using mechanical towing equipment. His design requires the use of grommets within the sheet material as a load attach point to connect to his draft bar unit. As stated within Thompson Patent document, “the limit thereof being the strength of the tarp and grommets which interconnect the tarp to the flexible harness, per se.” This new invention is not limited by the strength of the grommets within the material because it does not require them at all as a connection point to the assembly for towing. This new invention allows the use of any foldable type sheet material, which his does not because it is limited to a grommet-type connection. 
         [0007]    Thompson&#39;s device also uses a cable, chain, or rope to connect his assembly to the mechanical towing equipment. Because it is not directly attached to the mechanical towing equipment like this invention, if one of his connections fails, then his whole assembly can be slung back onto the driver and vehicle causing damage to either or both. 
         [0008]    The Tarp Tow was created for the purpose of helping people move heavy loads of debris with their lawn tractor or vehicle/ATV and not be limited to using any special material such as a tarp with grommets. It also was designed, for strength and safety reasons, to be directly attached to the lawn tractor or vehicle without the use of any cables, chains, or ropes. 
         [0009]    It also can be noted that a standard size trailer ball can be mounted into the spacer tube or the tarp support tube of the assembly, allowing a lawn tractor the ability to tow a trailer if needed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a view of the Tarp Tow assembly connected to a lawn tractors rear plate or hitch, while using a tarp or plastic sheet to tow multiple large tree branches. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an isometric exploded view of the Tarp Tow assembly with a Build of Material listing all of its components. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the tractor main support tube or the spacer tube. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the tractor main support tube or the spacer tube. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the tarp connector tube or the tarp support tube. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the tarp connector tube or the tarp support tube. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is an isometric exploded view of the tractor main support tube of the Tarp Tow assembly with all its hardware shown. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of the tractor main support tube of the Tarp Tow assembly. 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  shows a top view of a typical lawn tractor rear-receiver mounting plate or hitch. 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  shows an isometric exploded view of the Tarp Tows lower assembly attaching to the rear-receiver mounting plate or hitch (ref.  FIGS. 2 ,  8 - 9 ). 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  shows an isometric view of the completed lower section of the Tarp Tow with the support arm assemblies in exploded view. 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the lower and upper section of the Tarp Tow assembly with the support arms attached to the tractor rear receiver and frame. 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a front view of the lower and upper section of the Tarp Tow with the support arms attached to the tractor rear receiver and frame. 
           [0023]      FIG. 14  is a side view of the completed Tarp Tow assembly with all the hardware mounted to the rear receiver plate or hitch and frame of a lawn tractor. 
           [0024]      FIG. 15  is a front view of the completed Tarp Tow assembly mounted to the rear receiver plate or hitch and frame of a lawn tractor. 
           [0025]      FIG. 16  is an isometric view of the completed Tarp Tow assembly mounted to the rear receiver plate or hitch and frame of a lawn tractor. 
           [0026]      FIG. 17  is a top view of the completed Tarp Tow assembly mounted to the rear receiver plate or hitch and frame of a lawn tractor. 
           [0027]      FIG. 18  is a detailed view “C” of the top view shown in  FIG. 17 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 19  is a bottom view of the completed Tarp Tow assembly mounted to the rear receiver plate or hitch and frame of a lawn tractor. 
           [0029]      FIG. 20  is a detailed view “E” of the bottom view shown in  FIG. 19 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 21  is a top view of a foldable type sheet. 
           [0031]      FIG. 22  shows the sheet from  FIG. 21  folded. 
           [0032]      FIG. 23  is a top view of a folded sheet. 
           [0033]      FIG. 24  shows the sheet from  FIG. 23  folded. 
           [0034]      FIG. 25  is a top view of a folded sheet. 
           [0035]      FIG. 26  shows the sheet from  FIG. 25  folded. 
           [0036]      FIG. 27  is a top view of the finished folded sheet that has the tarp connector tube lying across the top of the folded area. 
           [0037]      FIG. 28  is a top view showing the folded sheet rolled up onto the tarp connector tube. 
           [0038]      FIG. 29  is an isometric view of the folded sheet with the tarp bar lying across the folded area. 
           [0039]      FIG. 30  is an isometric view showing the folded tarp or sheet rolled up onto the tarp connector tube as also shown in  FIG. 28 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 31  is a top view of the tarp connector tube rolled up onto the folded tarp or sheet. 
           [0041]      FIG. 32  is a detailed view F from the top view in  FIG. 31 . 
           [0042]      FIG. 33  is a top view of the complete Tarp Tow assembly with tarp or sheet attached to a lawn tractor. 
           [0043]      FIG. 34  is an isometric view of the complete Tarp Tow assembly with a tarp or sheet attached to a lawn tractor. 
           [0044]      FIG. 35  is a detail view H of the isometric view shown in  FIG. 34 . 
           [0045]      FIG. 36  is a side view of the complete Tarp Tow assembly with a tarp or sheet attached to a lawn tractor. 
           [0046]      FIG. 37  is a detail view I of the side view shown in  FIG. 36 . 
           [0047]      FIG. 38  is an isometric exploded view of the adapter kit for attachment to a standard receiver type hitch with the Build of Material listing all of the components. 
           [0048]      FIG. 39  is an isometric view of the secondary connection method of the Tarp Tow assembly connected to a standard receiver type hitch. 
           [0049]      FIG. 40  is a top view of the receiver adapter tube. 
           [0050]      FIG. 41  is a top view of the support adapter tube. 
           [0051]      FIG. 42  is a side view of the support adapter tube. 
           [0052]      FIG. 43  is an isometric view of the Tarp Tow lower assembly mounted to the rear of a lawn tractor with a trailer ball attached in the spacer tube. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0053]    This is a description of the Tarp Tow invention with all the parts within the assembly that can be used to attach to a lawn tractor&#39;s rear mount or be connected to a standard receiver type hitch mount. The material size, hole, and hardware locations are not limited to what is listed below. The Tarp Tow materials and hardware can increase or decrease in size depending on the load requirement of the tractor or vehicle the tarp tow is being installed onto. The Tarp Tow Build of Material (BOM) for a lawn tractor is shown under item numbers  1 - 24  on sheet  2 ,  FIG. 2 . The adapter tubes and hardware for a standard receiver type hitch mount are shown under item numbers  27 - 31  in the BOM on sheet  19 ,  FIG. 38 . 
         [0054]    The first parts of the BOM for a lawn tractor are items  1  or  11  shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . They are made the same and they are called the tractor main support tube (item  1 ) and the spacer tube (item  11 ). Both are 1.75″ square hot rolled steel tubing with galvanized finish that is 12 gauge in thickness with 7/16″ thru holes on 1″ centers on all sides and 11″ in length. The center hole position within the tubes are enlarged to a 21/32″ thru all. 
         [0055]    The next parts are used to hold and to clamp the sheet material within the assembly. They are shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , which are made the same and they are called the tarp connector tube (item  18 ) and the tarp support tube (item  21 ). Both are 1.75″ square galvanized steel tubing that is 12 gauge in thickness with 7/16″ thru holes on 1″ centers on all sides and 37″ in length. 
         [0056]    The standard receiver type hitch mount is shown in  FIGS. 38-39 . The receiver adapter tubing (item  27 ) shown in  FIG. 40  is made from 2.0″ square galvanized steel that is 12 gauge in thickness with 7/16″ thru holes on 1″ centers on all sides and 6″ in length. The third hole position from the bottom within the tube is enlarged to a 21/32″ thru all for use within the standard receiver type hitch mount (item  32 ). The support adapter tube (item  28 ) shown in  FIGS. 41 and 42  is made from 1.75″ square galvanized steel that is 12 gauge in thickness with 7/16″ thru holes on 1″ centers on all sides and 11″ in length.  FIG. 41  shows the top view of the support adapter tube (item  28 ) where the second and fourth hole position is enlarged to a 21/32″ thru all.  FIG. 42  shows a side view of the support adapter tube (item  28 ) where the fourth hole from the bottom is enlarged to a 21/32″ thru all for use when connected to the standard receiver type hitch (item  32 ). 
         [0057]    Assembly of Invention with Hardware 
         [0058]    The tractor main support tube shown in  FIG. 2  (item  1 ) is the first part of the assembly that is attached to the rear of a lawn tractor (item  25 ) shown in  FIG. 9 . First, take the tractor main support tube (item  1 ) shown in  FIG. 7  and install two clevis pins (items  2 ) into the top side of the tube in the first hole locations in each end as shown. Both clevis pins are held in place by two hairpin cotters when installed (item  9 ). Next a washer (items  3 ) and a bolt (item  4 ) are installed thru the back side of the tractor main support tube (item  1 ) in the second hole position on each end of the tube as shown. The bolt (item  5 ) and washer (item  6 ) are installed on the top side center hole position of the tractor main support tube (item  1 ). On the bottom side of the tractor main support tube (item  1 ) a second washer (item  6 ) is placed onto the bolt (item  5 ) and pushed flush onto the tractor main support tube (item  1 ). Now this assembly is placed onto the top of the lawn tractor rear receiver plate or hitch (item  25 ) shown in  FIG. 9  and the bolt (item  5 ) goes thru the receiver hitch thru hole. Next the 3 rd  washer (item  6 ), lock washer (item  7 ), and nut (item  8 ) are installed on the bolt that is on the back side of the tractor rear receiver plate or hitch shown in  FIGS. 19 and 20  and tightened to complete the first part of the Tarp Tow assembly as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 10 . 
         [0059]    Next the spacer tube (item  11 ) has two plastic end caps (item  10 ) installed into each end and then it is centered between the two bolts (item  4 ) and pushed flush against the tractor main support tube (item  1 ) as shown in  FIG. 10 . Then the tarp support tube (item  21 ) has two plastic end caps (item  10 ) installed into each end and then it is centered between the two bolts (item  4 ) and pushed flush against the spacer tube (item  11 ) as shown in  FIG. 10 . Now, two washers (item  3 ), two lock washers (items  24 ) and two nuts (items  23 ) are installed on the two bolts (item  4 ) and tightened to complete the lower Tarp Tow assembly also shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0060]    Next in  FIG. 11 , install two eye bolts (item  12 ) and two ⅜″ washers (item  22 ) and slide them into the back side of the tarp support tube (item  21 ) as shown. On the other side of the tarp support tube (item  21 ) place the two ⅜″ washers (item  22 ), lock washers (item  24 ), and nuts (item  23 ) and tighten them on the eye bolts (item  12 ). Get the turnbuckles (item  13 ) and connect them into the eye bolts (item  12 ) that are connected to the tarp support tube (item  21 ) and then take the other side of the turnbuckles and connect them into the frame of the lawn tractor (item  25 ) as shown in  FIGS. 12 ,  14 - 19 . Some tractors already have shoulder bolts or open sheet metal areas to connect them to the frame. If not, using  FIGS. 12 ,  14  and  18  as a reference, try to find a location for mounting the support assemblies by holding the turnbuckle (item  13 ) between 35 to 45 degrees off the horizon in an area on the frame (item  25 ) where you can drill a hole and mount the eyebolts (item  14 ), washers (item  15 ), lock washers (item  16 ), and nuts (item  17 ). 
         [0061]    The tarp connector tube (item  18 ) has two plastic end caps (item  10 ) installed into each end and then it is centered onto the top of the tarp support tube (item  21 ) as shown in  FIGS. 12-14 . Next, two bolts (item  19 ) are put thru both tubes on top side at the second hole position from each end to clamp the assembly together using two wing nuts (item  20 ) to tighten down as shown in  FIG. 14 . Now the Tarp Tow assembly is ready to have a foldable sheet (item  26 ) to be connected for use. 
         [0062]      FIGS. 15-20  gives different views of what the Tarp Tow assembly looks like without the foldable sheet attached when it is fully installed on a lawn tractor. 
         [0063]    Next is an example on how to fold a sheet (item  26 ) correctly to install it onto the tarp connection tube (item  18 ). The sheet (item # 26 ) must be folded to allow the tarp connection tube to roll the material onto itself and also keep the outer hole locations open to allow for installation as shown in  FIG. 32 . Lay the sheet (item  26 ) flat as in  FIG. 21 . Now fold the corners A to the B position as shown. Once this is completed it should look something like  FIG. 22 . Next fold the corners C to the D position as shown in  FIG. 23 . Once this is completed it should look something like  FIG. 24 . Now fold E to the F position as shown in  FIG. 25 . Once this is completed it should look something like  FIG. 26 . 
         [0064]    Now take the tarp connection tube (item  18 ) and lay it onto the folded sheet (item  26 ) as shown in  FIGS. 27 and 29 . Now hold the folded sheet (item  26 ) with the tarp connection tube (item  18 ) and roll it onto the tube four to five times over as shown in  FIGS. 28 and 30 . Once it is completed, it should look like  FIGS. 31 and 32 . 
         [0065]    Now with the sheet (item  26 ) attached to the tarp connection tube (item  18 ), install this assembly onto the tarp support tube (item  21 ) with the two bolts (item  19 ) and wing nuts (item  20 ) as shown in  FIG. 33-37 . Once the wing nuts (item  20 ) are tightened down the sheet is now clamped to the assembly and it is ready to be used. 
         [0066]    The assembly also has a secondary mount method that connects it to a vehicle or an ATV that has a standard receiver type hitch mount (item  32 ) for towing as shown in  FIGS. 38 and 39 . 
         [0067]    Take the receiver adapter tube (item  27 ), and slide it into the standard receiver type hitch (item  32 ) on the vehicle as shown in  FIG. 39 . Make sure to line up the 21/32″ thru hole shown in  FIG. 40  with the hitch pin thru hole on the vehicles receiver hitch (item  32 ). Next, take the support adapter tube (item  28 ) and slide it into the receiver adapter tube (item  27 ) until the 21/32″ thru holes shown in  FIG. 42  on its sides line up with the others in the vehicles standard receiver type hitch (item  32 ) that will allow a hitch pin to be installed to hold it in place within the receiver hitch (item  32 ). 
         [0068]    Next you take the complete assembly with the omitted parts and install the two ⅝″ bolts (item  29 ) and two washers (item  30 ) into the top center thru holes that are in the tractor main support tube (item # 1 ) and the spacer Tube (item  11 ) as shown in  FIG. 38 . Now, place the bolts (item  29 ) into the thru holes that are in the top of the support adapter tube (item  28 ) and insert the bolts into the thru holes and lay them flat onto each other. Next, install the washers (item  30 ) and nuts (item  31 ) onto the bolts (item  29 ) and tighten the assembly together. Now the assembly can be used with a standard receiver hitch type connection (item  32 ) as shown in  FIG. 38-39 . Just add the sheet (item  26 ) to the tarp connection bar (item  18 ) as shown earlier and install onto the assembly and it is ready to be used. 
         [0069]    The last feature that this assembly can do is that a standard trailer ball (item  33 ) and its&#39; hardware can be installed into the center thru hole in the spacer tube (item  11 ) or the tarp support tube (item  21 ) as shown in  FIG. 43 . To use, one will remove the tarp connection tube (item  18 ) and its&#39; hardware (items  19 - 20 ) to allow a trailer to be connected to the trailer ball with no interference.