Abstract:
A hitch guide for use in guiding a gooseneck trailer hitch into alignment with a hitch ball mounted in the bed of a truck with the gooseneck trailer hitch including a substantially vertically disposed post having a substantially horizontally disposed plate secured to the lower end thereof which has an opening formed therein for receiving the hitch ball. The hitch guide is pivotally secured to the support plate at the lower end of the post and is funnel-shaped to assist in aligning the trailer hitch with the hitch ball.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a hitch guide and more particularly to a hitch guide for use in guiding a gooseneck trailer hitch into alignment with a hitch ball mounted in the bed of a truck. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     It is a difficult task to connect the hitch of a trailer or the like to a towing vehicle. It is especially difficult to connect the hitch of a gooseneck trailer to the hitch ball which is positioned in the bed of a truck. The hitching operation is made even more difficult due to the fact that the gooseneck trailers normally have a great amount of weight present on the hitch which makes it difficult to move the trailer so that the trailer hitch may be precisely aligned with the hitch ball on the truck. It is therefore necessary that the truck be precisely positioned with respect to the trailer hitch of the gooseneck trailer. 
     Many types of alignment devices have been previously provided for trailers, but is believed that there is not a prior art solution to the problem of conveniently connecting the gooseneck hitch of a gooseneck trailer to the hitch ball in the bed of a truck. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A hitch guide is disclosed for use in guiding a gooseneck trailer hitch into alignment with a hitch ball mounted in the bed of a truck with the gooseneck trailer hitch including a substantially vertically disposed post having a substantially horizontally disposed first support plate secured to the lower end thereof which has an opening formed therein for receiving the hitch ball therein. In most prior art gooseneck trailer hitches, a second plate is pivotally secured to the first support plate and is positioned immediately therebelow with the second plate having an opening formed therein which is adapted to register with the opening in the first support plate when the second plate is pivotally moved to its unlocked position. In the instant invention, the second plate is removed from the post and the hitch guide of this invention is substituted therefore. The hitch guide of this invention comprises a guide plate having a forward end, a rearward end, first and second sides, an upper surface and a lower surface. The rearward end of the guide plate is positioned beneath the first support plate on the vertically disposed post and is pivotally secured to the support plate so as to be movable between locked and unlocked positions. The rearward end of the guide plate has a circular opening formed therein which is adapted to register with the opening in the first support plate when the guide plate is in its unlocked position and which is partially offset therefrom when the guide plate is in its locked position. The guide plate has a ball guide wall extending downwardly from its lower surface for guiding the gooseneck trailer hitch into alignment with the hitch ball so that the openings in the guide plate and the first support plate will be aligned with the hitch ball. The guide plate has an angular ramp portion at its forward end which extends upwardly and forwardly. With the gooseneck trailer hitch being in a stationary position, the truck is backed rearwardly with respect to the trailer hitch so that the hitch ball in the bed of the truck comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide plate within the guide plate wall. The guide plate and the ball guide wall guides the trailer hitch into alignment with the hitch ball so that the hitch ball may be received by the opening in the first support plate and the opening in the guide plate. 
     It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved hitch guide. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hitch guide for use in guiding a gooseneck trailer hitch into alignment with a hitch ball mounted in the bed of a truck. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hitch guide of the type described above which laterally moves the trailer hitch into alignment with the hitch ball. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hitch guide of the type described above which is adapted to vertically move the trailer hitch upwardly with respect to the hitch ball or to move the ball hitch downwardly with respect to the trailer hitch through the action of the compression of the truck springs to bring the trailer hitch into alignment with the ball hitch. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hitch guide which may be easily mounted on a gooseneck trailer hitch without expensive modification thereof. 
     These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partial rear perspective view of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the invention and its relationship with respect to the ball hitch and the trailer hitch; 
     FIG. 3 is a top elevational view illustrating the invention being used to initially align the trailer hitch with the hitch ball; 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 except that the ball hitch has been moved into proper alignment with the trailer hitch; 
     FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view illustrating the hitch ball being received by the hitch guide with the hitch guide in its unlocked position; 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 except that the hitch guide has been moved to its locked position; and 
     FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the hitch guide of this invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The numeral  10  refers to a hitch ball which is mounted in the bed  11  of a truck  12 . The numeral  14  refers generally to the hitch of a gooseneck trailer  16  which includes a substantially vertically disposed post  18 . Post  18  has a support plate  20  welded to the lower end thereof which includes ears  22  and  24  extending outwardly therefrom at opposite sides thereof. Support plate  20  has an opening  26  formed therein which is circular in shape and which is adapted to receive the hitch ball  10 , as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Ears  22  and  24  have openings  28  and  30  formed therein, respectively. Opening  28  would normally have a bolt extending therethrough for pivotally connecting a lower locking plate beneath support plate  20 . The locking plate, which is omitted from the drawings, would have a circular opening formed therein adapted to register with the opening  26  in support plate  20  when the locking plate is in its unlocked position. The conventional gooseneck trailer hitch  14  also includes a locking shaft or pin  32  of the conventional locking device  62  which is adapted to extend downwardly through opening  30  in support plate  20  and through an opening  50  in the locking plate to lock the locking plate in its locked position, since the opening  50  in the locking plate is offset from the opening  26  in support plate  20  when the locking plate is in its locked position so as to prevent the gooseneck trailer hitch  14  from coming disconnected from the hitch ball  10 . 
     The guide hitch of this invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral  34  and is used in place of the locking plate just described. Guide hitch  34  includes a guide plate  36  having a rearward end  38 , forward end  40 , upper surface  42 , lower surface  44 , and opposite sides  46  and  48 . Guide plate  36  has a circular opening  50  formed therein adjacent its rearward end and which is adapted to register with the opening  26  in support plate  20  when the guide plate  36  is in its unlocked position. Guide plate  36  has an opening  52  formed at one side thereof which is adapted to receive a bolt  54  to enable guide plate  36  to be pivotally connected to support plate  20  by means of the bolt  54  extending through opening  52  and opening  28  in support plate  20 . 
     The upper surface  42  of guide plate  36  has a bracket  56  welded thereto which defines a generally rectangular opening  58  within bracket  56  which receives ear  24  of support plate  20  so as to limit the amount of pivotal movement of the guide plate  36  with respect to support plate  20 . Bracket  56  also has an opening  60  formed therein adapted to receive the locking shaft or pin  32  of the conventional locking device  62 . Guide plate  36  also has an opening  64  formed therein beneath bracket  56  which receives the lower end of the shaft or pin  31  of the locking device  62  when the guide plate  36  is in its locked position. 
     The lower surface  44  of guide plate  36  is provided with a hitch ball guide wall  66  which extends downwardly therefrom. For purposes of description, guide wall  66  will be described as including a rearward U-shaped portion  68  and angled side portions  70  and  72 . As seen in the drawings, guide plate  36  is provided with an angled portion  74  which extends upwardly and forwardly from that portion of guide plate  36  which is positioned immediately below support plate  20  for a purpose to be described in more detail hereinafter. 
     The guide hitch  34  of this invention is utilized as follows. Assuming that the gooseneck trailer  16  is detached from the hitch ball  10  of the truck  12  and it is desired to connect the gooseneck trailer  16  to the hitch ball  10 , the truck  12  is backed rearwardly with respect to the post  18  and the guide hitch  34 . As the truck  12  is backed rearwardly with respect to the trailer  16 , the hitch ball  10  is received between the angled side portions  70  and  72  (FIG. 3) with the guide plate  36  being in its unlocked condition. If the hitch ball  10  is not centered perfectly between the angled side portions  70  and  72 , the angled side portions  70  or  72  will engage the hitch ball  10  and the continued rearward movement of the truck  12  will cause the post  18  to be moved laterally as the hitch ball  10  moves rearwardly against either side portions  70  and  72 . The guide hitch  34  “funnels” the trailer hitch  14  into position until the hitch ball  10  registers with opening  50  in guide plate  36  and opening  26  in support plate  20 . At that time, the post  18  of the trailer  16  may be manually lowered in conventional fashion so that the hitch ball  10  is completely received in the opening  50  and the opening  26 . The guide plate  36  is then pivotally moved with respect to post  18  so that the locking pin or shaft  32  of the locking device  62  is in alignment with the opening  60  in bracket  56  and opening  64  in guide plate  36  with the locking pin or shaft  32  of the locking device  62  then being received therein to maintain the guide plate  36  in its locked position. In the locked position, the opening  50  in guide plate  36  is offset from the opening  26  in support plate  20  which will prevent the hitch from becoming detached from the hitch ball  10 . 
     During the hitching operation, if the guide hitch  34  is too low with respect to the hitch ball  10 , the engagement of the hitch ball  10  with the angled portion  74  will cause the post  18  to be raised as the truck is backed rearwardly or will cause the hitch ball  10  and the truck bed to be lowered against the resiliency of the truck springs until the hitch ball  10  registers with the openings  50  and  26 . 
     Thus it can be seen that the guide hitch of this invention enables the hitch ball  10  to be quickly and easily received by the hitch  14  of the gooseneck trailer  16 , even if the truck is not perfectly aligned with the post  18 . It can also be seen that the conventional hitch  14  of the gooseneck trailer  16  is easily modified by simply removing the lower locking plate from the hitch  14  and then installing the guide hitch  34  of this invention. 
     Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.