Patent ID: 7234905

Claim:
An apparatus for attaching a hitch to a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a) a pin having a longitudinal axis rotatably mountable to the hitch and having a handle for rotating the pin; b) a receptacle formed in the vehicle for receiving the pin; c) a locking site defined by a channel extending about the longitudinal axis of the pin, the channel having a generally circular cross-section along a section substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pin; d) a bypass portion intersecting the channel and extending longitudinally from the channel to an end of the pin; and e) a protrusion on the receptacle, whereby the bypass portion permits insertion of the pin into the receptacle to align the locking site and the protrusion such that rotation of the pin lockably engages the protrusion in the locking site to attach the hitch to the vehicle.