Patent ID: 7258181

Claim:
A trailer mule vehicle ( 150 ) comprising, an omni-directional vehicle ( 100 ), said omni-directional vehicle characterized by having first and second drive wheels ( 2 ) disposed along a horizontal axis ( 20 ) and designed and arranged to rotate 360 degrees about a central vertical axis ( 10 ) which intersects said horizontal axis between said first and second drive wheels, and a hitch assembly ( 200 ) having an axle ( 52 ) with at least two trailer mule wheels ( 50 ) rotatably attached to said axle, and a trailer hitch ( 60 , 66 ), said hitch assembly ( 200 ) coupled to said omni-directional vehicle by a trolley assembly ( 9 ) designed and arranged so that said omni-directional vehicle ( 100 ) can rotate about said central vertical axis ( 10 ) while said hitch assembly ( 200 ) remains stationary.