Patent ID: 7976053

Claim:
A trailer coupler device for attaching a trailer to a towing vehicle, comprising: an elongate coupler arm having a front end and a rear end, the front end of the coupler arm configured for attachment to a towing vehicle, wherein at least a first knuckle is molded into a first side of the coupler arm rear end, the first knuckle having an elongate, internal shaft; an elongate front arm adapted to be attached to a front of the trailer, wherein at least a second knuckle is molded into a first side of a front end of the front arm, the second knuckle having an elongate internal shaft, the first and second knuckles having elongate lengths that extend along the axes of their respective internal shafts; and wherein the elongate shafts of the first knuckle and the second knuckle are coaxially-aligned so as to collectively form a single, elongate rotation shaft sized to receive a rotator pin, and wherein the coupler arm can rotate about an axis of the rotation shaft when the rotator pin is positioned in the rotation shaft such that the coupler arm can rotate between ( 1 ) an operating position wherein the front arm and the coupler arm extend along a common longitudinal axis, and ( 2 ) a stow position wherein the coupler arm is oriented along a different longitudinal axis as the front arm.