Patent ID: 7044492

Claim:
A towing arrangement for mounting on a towing vehicle, the towing arrangement comprising: frame side members of the vehicle; a fifth wheel for coupling to a towed vehicle; tilt pivot mountings generally toward the frame side members for tiltably mounting the fifth wheel with respect to the frame side members; each of the tilt pivot mountings comprising an upright support device, the support device having a lower fastening portion for connection to a vertical outer web portion of a respective one of the frame side members, the support device having a bearing sleeve located and supported substantially entirely on an upper end thereof; each support device including two pillar-shaped support legs separated by at least one open space, and oriented to converge upwardly substantially in a vertical plane adjacent to the vertical outer web portion from being widely spaced apart at the lower fastening portion and converging toward the bearing sleeve, the support legs lying entirely outwardly of the vertical outer web portion of the frame side member; and a hinge pin supported in the bearing sleeves of the tilt pivot mountings, wherein the hinge pin is mounted on the fifth wheel for tiltably supporting the fifth wheel with respect to the support devices.