Patent ID: 7708301

Claim:
A tow cable attachment mount for an agricultural tractor, the tractor having a ground-supported chassis, and relative forward and opposing rearward ends defining a vehicle longitudinal axis, said attachment mount comprising: a base portion for connecting said attachment mount to the tractor chassis, said base portion having generally parallel and opposing first and second planar surfaces, a base length, and a perimeter edge, said perimeter edge having a forward perimeter edge portion and at least a rearward section of the base portion having coupling structure configured for directly coupling the mount with the chassis; an attachment portion having a contour edge, a bracing tab located at a forward end of the attachment portion, and an eyelet structure for receiving a tow cable, said attachment portion being generally perpendicularly disposed with respect to said base portion so that said attachment portion extends generally away from said second planar surface of the base portion, said contour edge being shaped to manage stress distribution in said attachment mount, said stress distribution resulting from application of a tow force along a tow axis applied to said attachment mount, and said bracing tab extending beyond said perimeter end for contact with said chassis in order to manage stress distribution in the connection between said attachment mount and said chassis and wherein said eyelet structure is located between a coupling structure in a rear section of attachment portion and the bracing tab with respect to the tow axis and said bracing tab is configured such that when the mount is connected to a tractor an end of the bracing tab, parallel to the first planar surface, contacts the tractor providing a pivot about which the attachment mount will tend to pivot as pulling forces are applied to the mount.