Abstract:
A device that mounts into a vehicle&#39;s hitch receiver on a first end and providing a hitch ball on a second end also having a winch disposed between the first and second end. The winch is preferably removable from the balance of the device for ease of installation, transport and security. When in use, the winch may be locked in any of several predetermined angles relative to the hitch receiver so that the force of the winch may be directed in an advantageous direction. In a variation, a guide is provided so that the winch may be more easily used to guide a trailer onto the hitch ball. Generally the winch and hitch feature may be used independently of each other or used together.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to vehicle mounted hitch receiver accessories, and more particularly, to a winch and frame with a hitch ball that attaches to a vehicle&#39;s hitch receiver. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Several designs for hitch mounted winches have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes a winch that can rotate relative to the vehicle and yet is removable from the bar while still retaining the hitch ball to attach a trailer. 
         [0005]    Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,962 issued to Webb. However, it differs from the present invention because the present invention provides for a winch assembly that is removable from the balance of the components which allows a user to move the winch assembly for security purposes while not affecting the hitch ball to attach a trailer. 
         [0006]    Furthermore, in the present invention the winch assembly has the ability to rotate relative to the bar assembly allowing the full force of the winch to be selectively directed in the most advantageous direction. This feature in the present design also permits the use of a webbing material instead of a commonly used cable because the face of the winch can be turned toward the object being pulled instead of redirecting a cable through guides. 
         [0007]    Because the winch assembly is separable from the balance of the components it can be removed for theft prevention, long haul towing, through inclement weather, exposure and other road contaminants that may damage or shorten the life of the winch assembly. 
         [0008]    The removable nature of the winch in the present device also eases attachment and detachment of the device from a vehicle by permitting the device to be installed on a vehicle in two stages: first the bar assembly and then the winch assembly. For example, a winch of sufficient strength combined with the bar assembly may be too heavy for a single person to attach to a vehicle but separating the main components could allow a single person to attach the complete assembly to a vehicle by breaking the operation into two stages. 
         [0009]    Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is one of the main objects of the present invention to provide a vehicle mounted extended tow bar with a removable winch. 
         [0011]    It is another object of this invention to provide a vehicle hitch mounted winch that can be easily rotated to face any of a plurality of predetermined directions. 
         [0012]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a hitch mounted winch with a unitary bar spanning from the hitch receiver to the ball thereby increasing strength and safety. 
         [0013]    It is another object of the invention to provide a hitch mounted winch where the winch is removable without disconnecting the trailer for security and long distance transport. 
         [0014]    It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain while retaining its effectiveness. 
         [0015]    Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  represents an elevation view of a principal variation of the device as it might be engaged onto a vehicle. The vehicle is shown in broken lines and is not a part of the claimed invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  shows an elevation view of a preferred variation of the device. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of the winch assembly separated from the bar assembly. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a plan view representation of a variation of the device that includes a guide feature. 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the winch assembly in line with the bar assembly. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the winch assembly aligned perpendicular to the bar assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    Referring now to the drawings, where the present invention is generally referred to with numeral  10  in  FIG. 1 , it can be observed that it basically includes, inter alia, a hitch assembly  12 , a winch assembly  14  and a spindle assembly  16 . For a fuller understanding of how to make and use the device a vehicle  18 , a receiver  42  and a pin  44  are also shown but are not part of the claimed invention. 
         [0024]    Vehicles used to tow typically have a receiver  42  permanently mounted to the vehicle&#39;s  18  rear frame or bumper. Some vehicles also may have a similar receiver  42  affixed to the front of the vehicle  18 . The present invention may attach to either the front or rear receiver  42  depending on the application. 
         [0025]    Now referring to  FIG. 2  where more details of the various assemblies is shown to further include, inter alia, a bar  20 , a bore  22 , a ball  24 , a nut  26 , a bore  27 , a sleeve  28 , a tongue  30 , a winch  32 , a cable  34 , a hook  36 , a plate  38  and a spindle  40 . 
         [0026]    Looking now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in typical use of the device a first end of the hitch assembly  12  is inserted into the receiver  42  and is locked into position with a pin  44  that passes through bores (obscured by pin  44  in  FIG. 1 ) on either side of the receiver  42  and through a bore  22  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) on the hitch assembly  12 . On a second end of the hitch assembly  12 , opposite the first end, is a ball  24  onto which a common trailer may be attached. 
         [0027]    In one variation a tongue  30  is present to lower the elevation of the ball  24  for certain applications such as if used on a larger tow vehicle. The ball  24  is affixed to the tongue  30  by means of a nut  26 . The ball  24  may be any of the variety of commercially available sizes commonly used for towing trailers. In another variation not depicted in the drawings the ball  24  may be directly affixed to the bar  20  by means of a bore though the bar  20  at a second end of the bar  20  and affixed by a nut  26 . 
         [0028]    In a preferred variation of the device, the bar  20  is a unitary piece of strong and durable material, such as steel. The material and dimensions are such that the device is sturdy and safe enough to support the tongue weight and tension experienced by a typical trailer during normal use of the trailer. Certainly it would be strong enough to travel long distances over the highway, construction sites, stop and start traffic, boat ramps, dump sites and the wide variety of other applications that a trailer is commonly known to perform. 
         [0029]    In a preferred variation of the device a sleeve  28  is affixed to the hitch assembly  12  through the bar  20 . The sleeve  28  is dimensioned to snugly fit around the spindle  40  of the spindle assembly  16  so that the spindle  40  is permitted to rotate inside of the sleeve  28 . Generally, the winch assembly  14  is affixed to the plate  38  of the spindle assembly  16  so that the spindle  40  is fixed relative to the winch assembly  14 . 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 3  where the winch assembly  14  is shown separated from the hitch assembly  12  and can be seen to include a bore  48  positioned at the end of the spindle  40  opposite the plate  38 . The sleeve  28 , in one variation, is affixed to and traverses the depth of the bar  20  and protrudes through the bottom of the bar  20  to expose a series of bores  27  spaced at predetermined intervals about the periphery of the sleeve  28  below the bar  20 . The sleeve  28  is essentially a hollow tube dimensioned to accept the spindle  40 . 
         [0031]    A pin  46  is provided to penetrate bore  48  and any pair of opposite bores  27  on the sleeve  28 . By inserting the pin  46  through said bores  27  the spindle  40  is locked relative to the sleeve  28  and therefore necessarily the bar  20 . A plurality of bores  27  are arranged about the circumference of the sleeve  28  in pairs opposite each other so that the pin  46  can pass thorough any pair of opposite bores  27  and also the bore  48  on the spindle  40 . Preferably there are at least four bores  27  but up to sixteen bores  27  may be beneficial for some applications. 
         [0032]    To select the orientation of the winch assembly  14  relative to the hitch assembly  12  the spindle  40  is inserted into the sleeve  28  and the winch assembly  14  is rotated into the desired orientation and adjusted such that the bore  48  is aligned with a pair of bores  27  and then locked into that orientation with the pin  46 . 
         [0033]    In another variation of the device the bar  20  has a bore from the top through the bottom and the sleeve  28  is aligned with said bore and affixed to the underside of the bar  20 . In this variation said sleeve has a multiplicity of bores  27  spaced at predetermined intervals about the periphery of the sleeve  28 . The sleeve  28  and adjacent bore are dimensioned to accept the spindle  40  of the spindle assembly  16  yet allow it to rotate when the pin  46  is removed. 
         [0034]    Similar to other variations, a pin  46  is provided to penetrate bore  48  and any pair of opposite bores  27  on the sleeve  28 . By inserting the pin  46  through said bores  27  the spindle  40  is locked relative to the sleeve  28  and therefore necessarily the bar  20 . To select the orientation of the winch assembly  14  relative to the hitch assembly  12  the spindle  40  is inserted into the sleeve  28  and the winch assembly  14  is rotated into the desired orientation and adjusted such that the bore  48  is aligned with a pair of bores  27  and then locked into that orientation with the pin  46 . 
         [0035]    Now referring to  FIG. 4  where a top plan view of a variation of the device is shown to further include a guide  50 . The guide  50  is generally ‘Y’ shaped and affixed to the winch assembly  14  and/or the hitch assembly  12  so that the forked end is held centered over the ball  24 . This is particularly useful for drawing the tongue of a trailer over the ball  24  so that the trailer can more easily be attached to a vehicle for towing. In a preferred variation the guide  50  is removable to allow for easier and safer storage and trailer towing. Use of the guide  50  makes it possible to attach a heavy trailer to a vehicle with only a single person. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show an example of the winch assembly  14  locked onto the hitch assembly  12  at alternate orientations.  FIG. 5  shows the winch  32  cable and hook  36  directed straight back from the vehicle it would be attached onto. This orientation may be useful, for example, to pull a trailer onto the ball  24  or if a trailer is attached to the ball then to pull an object onto the trailer. Alternately,  FIG. 6  shows the winch assembly  14  facing the side of the bar  20  so that the force of the winch  32  is directed to the side of the track of the vehicle to which it is attached. The orientation of the winch assembly  14  as demonstrated in  FIG. 6  may have advantages if, for example, the vehicle onto which the device is mounted slips over the ground when tension is applied by the winch when directed directly behind the vehicle. The winch  32  can then be oriented to draw perpendicular to the vehicle as shown in  FIG. 6  so that the wheels of the tow vehicle may be oriented perpendicular to the force applied by the winch and would therefore be much less likely to slip. 
         [0037]    Other contemplated advantages of having the winch  32  draw from various angles could include, by means of example, launching a boat at an awkward or unimproved boat launch, towing a landscape shredder with the hitch and using the winch  32  to draw heavy logs to the mouth of the shredder or aiding in hooking up the ball  24  to an oddly positioned or heavy trailer. 
         [0038]    A safety feature of a safety chain fastening point may optionally also be present on the bar  20  between the spindle assembly  16  and the ball  24  to provide a point where safety chains that are present on many trailers can attached to provide a redundant attachment in case the trailer disconnects from the ball  24 . Similarly, a chain may also be provided affixed to the bar  20  between the bore  22  and the spindle assembly  16  so that the invention can be safety chained to the hitch receiver assembly on the vehicle. Typically the winch  32  is electrically powered by a wired connection to the tow vehicle&#39;s battery and power system. Switches to activate the winch may be inside the vehicle cabin, on a wired or wireless remote control or on the winch assembly  14 . For certain applications is may be desirable to have an independent and dedicated power supply, such as a battery, affixed to the winch assembly  14  or other appropriate area of the invention. 
         [0039]    It can easily be appreciated that the winch feature of the invention could be used with or without a trailer as well as the trailer towing features of the invention may be used with or without the winch attached to the hitch assembly. 
         [0040]    Optional accessories may include a removable fabric rain fly to cover the winch  32  and protect it from the elements while in storage or during transport. A storage bag may also be provided to protect the winch assembly  14  and its electronic components when it is removed from the hitch assembly  12  for storage. A strap may also be used as an alternate to the cable depicted in the drawings. Various capacity winches may also be available that are suitable to a variety of tasks. 
         [0041]    In a preferred variation, the device may be described as a vehicle hitch receiver mounted device comprising a hitch assembly, a winch assembly and a spindle assembly where said hitch assembly is comprised of a bar having on a first end a means to securely and releasably engage into a standard vehicle hitch receiver and on a second end having a standard hitch ball where said spindle assembly is comprised of a first sub-assembly comprised of a spindle affixed at substantially the perpendicular to a plate and a second sub-assembly comprised of a sleeve vertically and permanently affixed to said bar between said first end and said second end of said bar where said spindle of said first sub-assembly dimensioned to fit into said sleeve of said second sub-assembly and when engaged into the sleeve said spindle is rotatable relative to said sleeve and a lock between said spindle and said sleeve is provided to fix the relative position of said spindle to said sleeve at any of a plurality of predetermined positions and said winch assembly comprises a winch and is affixed to said plate which is in turn affixed to said spindle and said winch assembly is separable from said hitch assembly when said lock is released. 
         [0042]    Optionally, the device may be further characterized in that the winch is controlled from a wireless control switch. Optionally, it may be further characterized in that a safety chain is affixed to the hitch assembly and is attachable to a tow vehicle. Optionally, it may be further characterized in that an attachment point is provided on the hitch assembly to receive a trailer&#39;s safety chain. Optionally, it may be further characterized in that said hitch ball is removable and replaceable with different sized hitch balls. Any of these options may be included with the preferred deign alone or in concert with other optional elements. 
         [0043]    The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.