Patent Publication Number: US-2007108731-A1

Title: Trailer tongue lifting and positioning system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention.  
      The present invention relates generally to a system for positioning a towed vehicle relative to a towing vehicle so that the towed vehicle and the towing vehicle may be connected together or disconnected.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      Humans have been connecting trailers to towing vehicles for many, many decades and, if one is willing to count a horse as a towing vehicle, for centuries. Trailers today are designed so that they have a trailer tongue weight meaning that when the trailer tongue is unsupported, the trailer tongue drops to the ground. It is known to lift a trailer tongue and maneuver the trailer tongue until the trailer coupler is positioned directly above a trailer hitch ball, pintle hitch or the like, whereupon the tongue is lowered so that the coupler may be connected to the hitch ball or pintle hitch or the like. Also known are trailer jacks which are devices that are connected to a trailer tongue and they include a mechanism for jacking up the trailer tongue. Some trailer jacks include a wheel or wheels to facilitate the chore of positioning the trailer tongue over the hitch ball. A number of devices for positioning a trailer coupler are described in prior including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,596,925, 4,186,938, 4,186,939, 4,545,595, 4,807,899, 4,881,864, 5,048,854, 5,072,962, 5,085,408, 5,277,446, 5,314,202, 5,405,160, 5,882,029, 5,938,227, 6,086,083, 6,193,258, 6,494,477, 6,511,089, 6,644,680 and 6,821,075.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is based upon the discovery of a vehicle based trailer tongue lifting and positioning system The system includes a vehicle based winch and a boom. A cable associated with the winch has a connector for connecting the cable to a cooperating connector provided on the trailer tongue. With the trailer near the vehicle, the cable connector is connected to the cooperating connector and the winch is activated and the cable is wound onto a the spool of the winch, pulling cable past the tip of the boom and bringing the trailer tongue connector to a position below the end of the boom. The winch remains activated so that the cable lifts the trailer tongue off of the ground until it clears the hitch ball. The end of the boom is then repositioned so that trailer tongue coupler is positioned over the trailer hitch ball and the winch is reversed so that gravity brings the coupler down onto the hitch ball whereby the trailer may be connected to the hitch. The process is reversed to remove the trailer coupler from the hitch ball. As used herein, hitch ball will refer to a hitch ball, pintle hitch or any other vehicle based trailer hitch to which a trailer may be hitched. Several embodiments of a system according to these general principals are disclosed.  
      Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to eliminate the need to manually lift the tongue of a trailer in order to connect a trailer to or to disconnect a trailer from a towing vehicle or a vehicle hitch.  
      It is a further object of the invention to provide a system that consistently and automatically positions a trailer tongue coupler over a trailer hitch ball or the like.  
      It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a system that takes up very little space.  
      These and other objects of the invention will no doubt be apparent to those familiar with this field from reading and considering the detailed description that follows. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a system according to the present invention for connecting a trailer to a towing vehicle.  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the system shown in  FIG. 1  at an intermediate stage in the process of connecting the trailer to the towing vehicle.  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the system shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  at the end of the process in which the trailer has been connected to the towing vehicle.  
       FIG. 4  is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention for connecting a trailer to a towing vehicle.  
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the system shown in  FIG. 4  at an intermediate stage in the process of connecting the trailer to the towing vehicle.  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the system shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  at the end of the process in which the trailer has been connected to the towing vehicle.  
       FIG. 7  is a view, partially in cross section, of a third embodiment of a system according to the invention.  
       FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view taken along the  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view taken along the  9 - 9  of  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 10  is a view taken along the line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of a universal bracket mount system for supporting apparatus according to the invention or other apparatus on a trailer hitch.  
       FIG. 12  is a side view of apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention supported on a hitch with the bracket shown in  FIG. 11 , during the initial steps of use.  
       FIG. 13  is a side view of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 12  during the lifting step.  
       FIG. 14  is a side view of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 12  during the step of lowering the trailer tongue to connect it to the hitch ball.  
       FIG. 15  is a perspective view of one of two side plates of a second embodiment of a universal bracket mount system. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , apparatus for connecting a trailer (not shown) to a towing vehicle (not shown) having a rear bumper RB ( FIG. 1 ) is indicated generally at  10 . The apparatus  10  comprises a conventional winch assembly  12  which, in turn, comprises a motor  14 , a cable spool  16  ( FIG. 1 ) and cable  18 . The winch assembly  12  is secured to a base plate  20  which is, in turn, mounted on a mounting plate  22 . A pin  24  extends through the base plate  20  into the mounting plate  22  and allows for rotational movement between the plates  20  and  22 . The mounting plate  22  is secured to a vehicle hitch which, as illustrated, comprises a drop ball hitch  24  adapted to be releasably received in a receiver tube  26 . The mounting plate  22  can be secured to the hitch  24  by welding or by fasteners (not shown) or by some combination. The winch base plate  20  and, with it, the winch assembly  12 , can pivot relative to the mounting plate  22  and the hitch  24 . A boom  28  is connected to the base plate  20  and extends rearwardly and upwardly therefrom and is set to pivot therewith relative to the mounting plate  22  and the hitch  24 . The base plate  20  and, with it, the winch assembly  12  and the boom  28 , pivot, relative to the hitch  24 , between a first, aligned position shown in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3  to a second position (not shown) which is described below.  
      The cable  18  extends from the spool  16  to the tip of the boom  28  and over a pulley  30  which is supported on the tip of the boom  28 . The end of the cable  18  is looped and secured in the loop is a hook  32 . Adjacent to the drop ball hitch  24  is a trailer tongue coupler  34  which would be secured to a trailer (not shown). The coupler  34  is designed to go over a tow ball  36  provided on the drop ball hitch  24  in a known manner so that a latch  38  may be pivoted to raise a retainer (not shown) inside of the coupler  34  to abut a lower portion of the ball  36  to keep the coupler  34  secured to the ball  36 . A connector  40  in the form of a hook eye is secured to the coupler  34  and extends upwardly therefrom. The operation of the apparatus  10  will now be described.  
      As a preliminary matter, the mounting plate  22  is secured to a portion of the drop ball hitch  24  with any suitable hardware (not shown) or, as suggested above, by welding. As a further preliminary matter, the connector  40  is positioned on the trailer or on the coupler  34  and connected thereto. The position of the connector  40  is set so that, when the hook  32  is engaged with the connector and the cable is wound onto the spool  16  so that the trailer tongue is raised off of the ground, the mounting plate  20  can be pivoted or rotated to a position where the connector  40  is aligned with the with the tow ball  36 . Once the position of the connector  40  is set, connecting the coupler  34  to the tow ball is simple and can be accomplished by one person, no matter how heavy the tongue weight of the associated trailer is.  
      With the trailer not connected to the towing vehicle, the vehicle is positioned so that the hitch  24  is adjacent to the coupler  34 . No precision is required in so positioning the towing vehicle and a distance of several feet between the coupler  34  and the ball  36  is easily accommodated. One simply engages the hook  32  in the connector  40 , releasing as much cable  18  from the spool  16  as is needed to accomplish this. The base plate  20  is rotated or pivoted on the mounting plate to a second position (not shown) in which the tongue of a trailer with the connector  40  supported on the hook  32  can be raised without the trailer tongue striking or bumping the drop ball hitch. With the hook  32  so connected, the winch  12  is activated to wind cable  18  onto the spool  16 . As the cable  18  is wound onto the spool  16 , the trailer is drawn towards the apparatus  10  until the connector  40  is positioned directly or nearly directly beneath the pulley  30  at the end of the boom  28 . As more of the cable  18  is wound onto the spool  16 , the trailer tongue (not shown) connected to the coupler  34  will be lifted off off of the ground until it has achieved the height shown in  FIG. 2  relative to the ball  36 . At about this point, the winch  12  is deactivated to stop the winding of the cable  18  onto the spool  16  and the lifting of the trailer tongue, and the base plate  20  is rotated, relative to the mounting plate  22 , to the first position shown in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3  where the coupler  34  is positioned over the ball  36  so that cable  18  can be unwound from the spool  16  thereby lowering the coupler  34  onto the ball  36  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The latch  38  is then pivoted to the locking position shown in  FIG. 3 . Additional cable  18  can then be unwound so that there is slack enough in the cable  18  to permit one to remove the hook  32  from the connector  40 . The process can be reversed in order to remove the trailer tongue coupler  34  from the ball  36 . Alternatively, the latch  38  can be pivoted to the release position shown in  FIG. 2  and the coupler  34  can be manually removed from the ball  36 .  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , apparatus for connecting a trailer (not shown) to a towing vehicle (not shown) according to a second embodiment of the invention is indicated generally at  50 . The apparatus  50  comprises a conventional winch assembly  52  which includes a cable spool  54  and cable  56 . The winch assembly  52  is secured to a stationary barrel  58  in which a movable boom  60  is mounted for movement between a first, extended position shown in  FIG. 4  and a second, retracted position shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The stationary barrel  58  is secured to a vehicle hitch which, as illustrated, comprises a drop ball hitch  62  adapted to be releasably received in a receiver tube (not shown). The barrel  58  can be secured to the hitch  62  by welding or by fasteners (not shown) or by some combination. The boom  60  is slidably received within the barrel  58 . A rear portion of the barrel  58  is at least partially closed by a barrel spring mount  64  which supports one end of a spring  66 . The other end of the spring  66  is supported by a boom spring mount  68  that is supported on the rear end of the boom  60 . The spring  66  is operable to bias the boom  60 , relative to the barrel  58 , to move from the second, retracted position ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to the first, extended position ( FIG. 4 ).  
      The cable  56  extends from the spool  54  to the tip of the boom  60  and over a pulley  70  which is supported on the forward tip of the boom  60 . The end of the cable  56  is looped and secured in the loop is a hook  72 . A trailer tongue coupler  74 , which would be secured to a trailer (not shown), is designed to go over a tow ball  76  provided on the drop ball hitch  62  in a known manner so that a latch  78  on the coupler  74  may be pivoted to raise a retainer (not shown) inside of the coupler  74  to abut a lower portion of the ball  76  to keep the coupler  74  secured to the hitch  62 . A connector  80  in the form of a hook eye is secured to the coupler  74  and extends upwardly therefrom. The operation of the apparatus  50  will now be described.  
      As a preliminary matter, the barrel  58  is secured to a portion of the drop ball hitch  62  with any suitable hardware (not shown) or, as suggested above, by welding. As a further preliminary matter, the connector  80  is positioned on the trailer or on the coupler  74  and connected thereto. The position of the  80  is set so that, when the hook  72  is engaged with the connector  80 , and when the cable  56  is wound onto the spool  54  so that the trailer tongue and coupler  74  are raised off of the ground, and when the boom is retracted to the second, retracted position, the coupler  74  is positioned directly over the tow ball  76 . Once the proper position of the connector  80  is determined, it is connected to the trailer tongue and, preferably, to the coupler  74 , as shown.  
      With the trailer not connected to the towing vehicle, the vehicle and/or the trailer is positioned so that the hitch  62  is adjacent to the coupler  74 . No precision is required in so positioning the towing or towed vehicle and a distance of several feet between the coupler  74  and the ball  76  is easily accommodated. One simply engages the hook  72  in the connector  80 , releasing as much cable  56  from the spool  54  as is needed. The boom  60  is in the first, extended position in which the tongue of a trailer, with the connector  80  supported on the hook  72 , can be raised above the tow ball  76  without the trailer tongue striking or bumping the drop ball hitch  62 . With the hook  72  so connected, the winch  52  is activated to wind cable  56  onto the spool  54  and moving the cable  56  in the direction indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 4 . As the cable  56  is wound onto the spool  54 , the trailer is drawn towards the apparatus  50  until the connector  40  is positioned directly or nearly directly beneath the pulley  70  at the end of the boom  60 . As more of the cable  56  is wound onto the spool  54 , the trailer tongue (not shown) connected to the coupler  74  will be lifted off of the ground until it has achieved the height shown in  FIG. 5  relative to the ball  76  and the boom  60 . At about this point in the winding of the cable  56  onto the spool  54 , a portion of the hook  72  engages a stop plate  82  so that further movement of hook  72  towards the pulley  70  is prevented. Further winding of cable  56  onto the spool  54  will effect movement of the boom from the second, extended position ( FIG. 4 ) to the retracted position ( FIG. 5 ), as indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 4 .  
      As the boom  60  is retracted, and as it reaches the retracted position, a stop lever pin  84  enters a slot  86  formed in a portion of the boom and the pin  84  moves along the slot  86  until it reaches a slot recess  88  ( FIG. 4 ) into which it falls or moves under a biasing element (not shown) or into which it is manually moved. The pin  84  is supported on a stop lever  90  which is pivotally attached to and supported on the barrel  58  for pivotal movement between a first, sliding position ( FIG. 4 ) and a second, locking position ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) where the pin  84  is received in the slot recess  88  when the boom  60  is in the first, retracted position. As shown in  FIG. 5 , with the boom  60  in the retracted position and the stop lever pin engaged in the slot recess, the coupler is positioned above the tow ball  76 . Winding of the cable  56  onto the spool  54  is stopped and, with the pin  84  locking the boom  60 , relative to the barrel  58 , in the retracted position, cable  56  is unwound from the spool  54  thereby lowering the coupler  74  onto the tow ball  76 . Then, the hook  72  is disconnected from the connector  80 , the latch  78  is latched and the trailer is towed in the normal fashion. It is preferred that the winch be activated to spool up any excess slack cable.  
      The apparatus  50  can be used to aid in removing the trailer from the hitch. If the hook  72  has been removed from the connector  80 , it is attached or reattached to the connector  80  and the winch  52  is activated to wind up cable until the coupler  74  is raised off of the ball  76  and the hook  72  abuts the stop plate  82 . Continued activation of the winch  52  will help release the pin  84  for movement from the second, locking position to the first, sliding position. With the pin  84  is the first position, the winch  52  is activated to unwind cable  56  from the spool  54  so that the boom  60 , under the action of the spring  66 , moves to the extended position ( FIG. 4 ). When the boom  60  reaches the extended position, more cable  56  is unwound from the winch  52  so that the hook  72  and the coupler  74  and the trailer are lowered towards the ground under the control of the winch  52 . When the coupler  74  reaches the ground, cable is unwound to provide slack and the hook  72  is disconnected from the connector  80 , thereby disconnecting the trailer from the towing vehicle.  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 7 through 10 , apparatus for connecting a trailer (not shown) to a towing vehicle (not shown) according to a third embodiment of the invention is indicated generally at  100 . The apparatus  100  comprises a conventional winch assembly  102  which includes a cable spool  104  and cable  106 . The winch assembly  102  is secured to a stationary barrel  108  in which a movable boom  110  is mounted for reciprocating movement between a first, extended position shown in  FIG. 7  and a second, retracted position (not shown). The stationary barrel  108  may be secured directly to a vehicle hitch  112  or, preferably, is pivotally supported on a barrel support comprising one and preferably two side plates  114  which are secured to a base plate  116  that is adapted to rest on the hitch  112  or a receiver tube (not shown). A pivot pin  118  extends through the side plate or plates  114  and through the side walls of the barrel  108  so that the barrel  108  can pivot about the pin  118  from a first position shown in  FIG. 7  to a second position where the boom  110  is raised above the position shown for it in  FIG. 7  and to a third position, if desired. The barrel  118  is secured in the first, second, third or other pivoted position by a pivot locking pin  119  that also extends through the side plate or side plates  114  and the barrel  108 . The barrel  108  or, preferably, the barrel support, can be secured to the hitch  112  by welding (not shown) or by fasteners (not shown) or by some combination or by other suitable means. The boom  110  is slidably received within the barrel  118 . A rear portion of the barrel  108  is at least partially closed by a barrel spring slide mount  120  which supports one end of a spring slide  122  on which a spring  124  is supported. The other end of the spring slide  122  extends through an opening in a boom end spring plate  126  so that one end of the spring  124  abuts the plate  126 . The other end of the spring  124  abuts a spring slide plate  128  that is secured to the spring slide  122 . Thus, the spring  124  biases the boom  110 , relative to the barrel  108 , for movement of the boom  110  to the right in  FIG. 7 , from the second, retracted position to the first, extended position. Movement of the boom  110  to the right beyond the extended position shown in  FIG. 7  is prevented by a stop in the form of a rod  130  that extends through the boom  110  and the barrel  108  and is held, for sliding movement in slots formed in the barrel  108  and the boom  110  by connectors such as the thumb nuts  132 . Specifically, the stop rod  130  is received in a vertically extending slot, indicated at  133  in  FIG. 8 , formed in the barrel  108  and is also received in an L-shaped slot, indicated at  134  in  FIG. 7 , formed in the boom  110 . The boom  110  is partially supported by two supports in the form of pins  135  that extend through and are supported by the side walls of the barrel  108 .  
      The cable  106  extends from the spool  104  over a first, rear pulley  136 , through the slide mount  120 , through the spring  124  and the spring slide  122 , through the slide plate  128 , through the plate  126 , through the boom  110 , through a stop plate  137  and over a second, front pulley  138  at the front tip of the boom  110 . A hook (not shown) or the like is supported on the end of the cable  106 , like the hook  72  in  FIGS. 4 through 6 . As described above in connection with the previous embodiment, the hook is adapted to engage a trailer coupler or, preferably, a connector secured to the trailer tongue, as in the first two embodiments. The operation of the apparatus  100  will now be described.  
      The barrel  108 , preferably supported on the pivot support, is secured to a portion of a vehicle hitch. If supported on the pivot support, the barrel is pivoted about the pivot pin  118  to desired angular position where it is supported by the pivot locking pin  119  which engages a portion of the side plate  114  and a portion of the barrel  108 . The operation of the apparatus is virtually the same as the operation of apparatus  50 . Specifically, a connector, such as a hook (not shown) supported on and connected to the cable  106  is connected to the tongue of a trailer that is resting on the ground and, preferably, the connector of the cable  106  is connected to a connector, such as a hook eye, that is, in turn, connected to the trailer tongue. Once the cable is connected to the trailer tongue, the winch is activated to wind cable over the pulley  138  and onto the spool  104  of the winch  102 . When enough cable  106  has been wound onto the spool  104 , the portion of the trailer to which the cable  106  is connected will be positioned under the pulley  138  on the boom  110 . As with previous embodiments, further winding of cable  106  onto the spool  104  will lift the trailer tongue up from the ground until a stop (not shown) that is connected to the cable  106  outside of the boom  110  abuts the stop plate  137 . Because the boom  110  is extended while the trailer tongue is lifted, interference between the trailer tongue and the vehicle hitch is avoided. Once the stop on the cable  106  abuts the stop plate  137 , further winding of cable  106  onto the spool  104  will cause the boom  110  to retract from the extended position shown in  FIG. 7  to a retracted position (not shown) where the vertically extending slot  133  in the barrel  108  aligns with the short leg of the L-shaped slot  134  formed in the boom  110  whereupon the stop rod  130  can move and is moved downwardly to lock the boom  110  in the retracted position. With the boom  110  locked in the retracted position, the trailer will be positioned relative to a vehicle mounted hitch so that, as cable  106  is unwound from the spool  104 , the trailer coupler will be lowered onto the hitch of the vehicle for connection thereto. The stop rod  130  can stay in the down or locking position where it prevents the force exerted on the boom  110  by the spring  124  from moving the boom from the retracted position to the extended position.  
      When it is desired to disconnect a trailer from a towing vehicle on which the apparatus  100  is mounted, the foregoing process is basically reversed. If the hook connected to the cable  106  has been removed from the connector attached to the trailer, it is attached or reattached to the connector and the winch  102  is activated to wind up cable  106  onto the spool  104  until the trailer coupler is raised off of the vehicle hitch and until the hook or other cable stop abuts the stop plate  137 . Continued activation of the winch  102  will help release the stop rod  130  for movement from the second, boom locking position (not shown) to the first, boom sliding position shown in  FIG. 7 . With the stop rod  130  in the first position, the winch  102  is activated to unwind cable  106  from the spool  104  so that the boom  110 , under the action of the spring  124 , moves to the extended position ( FIG. 7 ). When the boom  110  reaches the extended position, more cable  56  is unwound from the winch  102  until the trailer is lowered to the ground under the control of the winch  102 . When the trailer reaches the ground, cable  106  is unwound to provide cable slack and the hook or other cable connector is disconnected from the trailer tongue or trailer coupler, thereby disconnecting the trailer from the towing vehicle.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 11 , a universal bracket is indicated generally at  140 . The bracket  140  is well suited for mounting apparatus, including apparatus according to the present invention, on a hitch bar HB which is normally received in a receiver tube (not shown). The bracket  140  comprises a first side plate  142  and a second side plate  144  and these are each mirror images of the other. Stabilizer elements  146  are provided on plate  142  and stabilizer elements  148  are provided on plate  144 . The elements  146  and  148  are positioned on the plates  142  and  144  so that, when they are secured to a hitch bar HB as by fasteners  150  and  152 , the elements  146  and  148  engage the hitch bar HB so as to prevent rotation of the bracket relative to the hitch bar HB and even to prevent any relative movement between the plates  142  and  144  on the one hand and the hitch bar HB on the other hand. The bracket  140  is adapted to be semi-permanently mounted on the hitch bar HB, a portion of which is typically received inside of an associated receiver tube (not shown) and held there with a clevis type pin. This mounting is done by bringing the plate  142  against one side of the hitch bar HB with one element  146  above and one element  146  below the hitch bar HB and bringing the plate  144  against the opposite side of the hitch bar HB with one element  148  above and one element  148  below the hitch bar HB. A pair of fasteners  150  is extended through openings above and below the elements  146  and  148  in the plates  142  and  144  and engaged with fasteners  152  to snugly and firmly hold the plates  142  and  144  in the positions described above. It is preferred that the fasteners  152  be nuts including means to prevent or resist rotation thereof in a manner that would loosen the fasteners  150  and  152 , such as nylon locking nuts. The bracket  140  provides means for mounting apparatus on a hitch bar HB which is typically received in a receiver tube RT, without the need for drilling holes in or otherwise compromising the hitch bar HB.  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 12 through 14 , apparatus indicated generally at  154  is mounted on a bracket  140  corresponding generally with the bracket  140  shown in  FIG. 11  which, in turn, is mounted on a hitch bar HB that is received in a receiver tube RT. The apparatus  154  comprises a boom  156  that is pivotally supported in a boom bracket  158  which, in turn, is supported on the universal bracket  140 . A winch  160  is supported on and secured to the boom bracket  158 . Cable  162  from the winch  160  passes through upper and lower cable slots  164  and  166  in the boom  156  and over a pulley  168  that is supported for rotation on a distal end  170  of the boom  156 . A stop  172  is carried on the cable near a terminal hook  174 . As described below in some detail, the stop  172  is operable to engage portions of the boom  156  near the distal end  170  adjacent to the slots  164  and  166  when cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 .  
      The boom bracket  158  shown in  FIGS. 12 through 14  can be made from rectangular steel tube stock and is, preferably, hollow. The bracket  158  is provided with a slot  176  which is adapted to receive a shaft of the connector  150  while the shaft of another connector,  180  extends through one of three pairs of aligned apertures  182  in the plates of the universal bracket  140 . In  FIGS. 12 through 14 , the connector  180  extends through the lowest pair of aligned apertures  182  to support the boom bracket in a generally horizontal orientation, as shown. This works well in conjunction with a drop hitch  184 . With a straight hitch (not shown), the connector  180  may be positioned in the middle or the upper pair of aligned apertures  182  in the universal bracket so that a distal end  186  of the boom bracket  158  is positioned higher than is shown in  FIGS. 12 through 14 . It is preferred to provide in the apparatus  154  a mechanism for mounting the boom bracket  158  at different heights and/or different angular orientations relative to the bracket  140  or the hitch bar HB or both.  
      The boom  156  is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the boom bracket  158  on a connector  188  between a first position shown in  FIG. 12  and a second position shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . The connector extends through the bracket  158  and the boom  156 . A stop  190 , which takes the form of a headed shaft in the apparatus  154 , also extends through an aperture  192  in the bracket  158  and acts on the boom  156  to prevent it from rotating about the connector  188  (clockwise in  FIGS. 12 through 14 ) from the first position, even when the cable  162  is supported on the pulley  168  and is supporting a substantial load. The stop  190  can be repositioned to extend through an aperture  194  to act on the boom  156  to prevent it from rotating about the connector  188  (clockwise in  FIGS. 12 through 14 ) from the second position, even when the cable  162  is supported on the pulley  168  and it is supporting a substantial load.  
      In use, the apparatus  154  may be used to lift a trailer tongue TT and position it on a trailer ball TB as follows. If the boom is other than in the first position, it is repositioned to be in the first position and the boom stop  190  is positioned in the aperture  192  ( FIG. 12 ). The connector at the end of the cable  162 , which takes the form of the terminal hook  174  in the apparatus  154 , is connected to a trailer tongue TT or to a connector associated with the trailer tongue such as a hook eye  196  connected to a trailer coupler TC on the trailer tongue TT ( FIG. 12 ). Cable  162  may have to be unwound from the winch  160  in order for the connector hook  174  to reach the trailer connector  196 . The winch  160  is operated to wind up cable  162 . As cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 , the trailer tongue TT will be repositioned and repositioned again until the connector  196  is positioned directly beneath the pulley  168  ( FIG. 12 ). As more cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 , the connector  196  and the trailer coupler TC and the trailer tongue TT will be raised up ( FIG. 12 ). When the cable stop  172  reaches the end  170  of the boom  156  and more cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 , the boom  156  will pivot from the first position towards the second position, thereby relieving all pressure on the boom stop  190  in the aperture  192 . As more cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 , the boom  156  will rotate past the second position and the stop  190  is then positioned in the aperture  194  and the winding up of cable  162  can be stopped. Cable  162  is then unwound from the winch  160 . As cable  162  is unwound, the boom will pivot to the second position ( FIG. 13 ) where the stop  190 , which is positioned in the aperture  194 , will prevent it from moving past the second position even as more cable  162  is unwound. So, as more cable  162  is unwound, the cable stop  172  and the connector  174  will be lowered, relative to the distal end  170  of the boom  156 , thereby lowering the trailer tongue TT until enough cable has been unwound that the trailer coupler TC is positioned on the trailer ball TB ( FIG. 14 ). A trailer tongue latch TTL can then be latched to latch the trailer onto the hitch ball HB.  
      Starting with the trailer coupler TC on the trailer ball TB, the trailer can be unhitched from the hitch  184  and positioned so that the trailer tongue TT is on the ground, just as easily as it was hitched to the hitch  184 . The boom  156  is pivoted to the second position ( FIG. 14 ) and the boom stop  190  is positioned in the aperture  194 . The connector  174  is connected to the trailer tongue TT and, preferably, to the hook eye connector  196  ( FIG. 14 ). The trailer tongue latch TTL is unlatched and cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 , thereby raising the trailer tongue until the cable stop  172  engages the distal end  170  of the boom  156  and, as more cable  162  is wound onto the winch  160 , all pressure on the boom stop  190  is relieved and it is removed from the aperture  194  and repositioned in aperture  192 . Cable  162  is now unwound from the winch  160  with the result that the boom will rotate from the second position towards the first position and into the first position where it will engage the boom stop  190  which will prevent the boom  156  from rotating past the first position. As more cable  162  is unwound from the winch  160 , the connector  174  and the trailer tongue TT will be lowered relative to the distal end  170  of the boom  156  until the trailer tongue TT is lowered to the ground. As more cable  162  is unwound from the winch  160 , there will be slack in the cable  162  to permit the removal of the connector  174  from the trailer.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 15 , a side plate  200  is shown. A pair of the side plates  200  may be substituted for the side plates  142  and  144  ( FIG. 11 ) in a universal mounting bracket for supporting apparatus according to the present invention. A pair of the side plates  200  may be secured by bolts and nuts around a hitch bar (not shown in  FIG. 15 ) for mounting apparatus according to the invention thereon. Plate mounting bolt holes  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208  and  210  are provided in the plate  200 . It has been found that the plates  200  are well secured to a hitch bar when they are positioned one on each side of the bar and a lower bolt is positioned through bolt holes  202  in plates  200  and two upper bolts are positioned through bolt holes  204  and  206  and each bolt is secured with a nylon locking nut. Apparatus according to the invention, like the apparatus  50  or the apparatus  100  or the apparatus  154  can be mounted on the plates  200  using bolt holes  216  and  218  or bolt holes  212  and  214 , depending on how high it is desired to mount the apparatus of the present invention. Apparatus mounted on the plates  200  can be mounted lower still if a lower mounting bolt is positioned in bolt holes  204  and upper mounting bolts are positioned in bolt holes  208  and  210  and each bolt is secured with a nylon locking nut.  
      Thus, it will be seen that the present invention is a device operable to position a trailer for attachment to a hitch ball on a towing vehicle, including lifting a trailer tongue above a hitch ball, without hitting the trailer tongue on the hitch ball, and repositioning the trailer tongue so that it may be lowered directly onto the hitch ball. The device is also operable to lift a trailer tongue of a trailer to detach it from a hitch ball and to reposition the trailer tongue so that it may be lowered to the ground without hitting the trailer tongue on the hitch ball. The invention is also a method for raising a trailer tongue above a hitch ball, repositioning the trailer tongue and lowering the trailer tongue onto the hitch ball for connecting the trailer to the towed vehicle. It is also a method for lifting a trailer tongue to disconnect a trailer from a hitch ball, repositioning the trailer tongue and lowering the trailer tongue to the ground.  
      According to the invention, the device includes a base or a bracket for mounting the device to a towing vehicle, a cable spool for winding cable onto and off of, preferably present as part of a motorized winch, a boom supported relative to said base or bracket and a cable support, preferably in the form of a pulley, mounted on the boom. The boom is mounted for movement between a first, hitch clearing position and a second, trailer connecting or disconnecting position. When the boom is in the first position, the cable support is operable to support the cable so that, when a load such as a trailer is connected to a free end of the cable and cable is wound onto or off of the spool, the load can be raised and lowered without the load interfering with a vehicle hitch associated with the vehicle. When the boom is in the second position, the cable support is operable to support the cable so that, when a load such as a trailer is connected to a free end of the cable and cable is wound onto or off of the spool, the trailer can be raised from and lowered to a position where a trailer coupler can be connected to and disconnected from a vehicle hitch. In two embodiments, the boom is biased from one position to the other position. In a preferred embodiment, the boom is biased towards the first position from the second position. Preferably, the device includes means for supporting the boom in more than one position. The device may include pivot means for mounting the boom relative to the base or the bracket for movement between first and second positions or it may include means supporting the boom for longitudinal movement between first and second positions. In the case where the boom is pivotally supported, it can be supported to pivot about a vertical axis or about a horizontal axis. When the boom is supported to pivot about a horizontal axis, the cable support moves in an arc when the boom pivots and that arc is in a plane that is oriented vertically.  
      Although a motorized winch is illustrated, any winch including a manually operated winch may be employed in a device according to the invention. As a cable support, a rotatably mounted pulley is preferred although a roller or a shaft or any other device that can serve to redirect the tension in a cable can be used.