Patent ID: 7347440

Claim:
A ball mount component of a trailer hitch comprising: (a) a shaft having an end shaped to fit into a receiver component of a trailer hitch, a distal end and a side; (b) a plate aligned parallel to the side of the shaft and having (i) an axis of rotation perpendicular to a width of the plate; (ii) an upper surface; and (iii) a lower surface facing the side of the shaft; (c) a plurality of hitch balls attached to the plate and extending outward from the upper surface of the plate; (d) an axle aligned perpendicular to the distal end of the shaft, wherein (i) a first end of the axle is fastened to the distal end of the shaft, whereby the distal end of the shaft extends beyond the axis of rotation of the plate, to a distance below the plate at least as far as an imaginary vertical centerline drawn through a hitch ball positioned to be coupled to a trailer and (ii) a second end of the axle extends outward from the side of the shaft and is fastened to the plate along its axis of rotation, wherein the lower surface of the plate below the hitch ball positioned to be coupled to a trailer is in contact with and supported by the side of the shaft and the plate is free to rotate 360° relative to the shaft; and (e) a locking mechanism capable of engaging the plate and the shaft, and preventing rotation of the plate, relative to the shaft.