Patent ID: 7293791

Claim:
A hitch assembly for mounting on a towing tongue of a towed vehicle and coupling at a hitch connection of a tow vehicle variably longitudinally and laterally spaced with respect thereto wherein said tongue has forwardly and inwardly converging side arms, said hitch assembly comprising: a housing having a center plate, a top plate and a bottom plate having frontal side walls adapted to engage and be affixed to the side arms of said towing tongue; a generally forwardly opening U-shaped cavity formed in said center plate, said cavity defined a rounded base and laterally spaced longitudinally extending side walls; a restricted throat section at the front portion of said cavity having inwardly inclined walls merging with said longitudinally extending side walls and mutually spaced to form a restricted passage therebetween; an elongated tow bar member having a head section and a tail section interconnected by a straight center section, said center section having a width narrower than said restricted passage of said throat section and extending therethrough with said tail section located in said cavity, said tail member being cylindrical and larger than said restricted opening, said tail section engaging said throat section in an extended position to form a pivotal connection therewith and engaging said base of said cavity in a retracted position; nestable surfaces formed on said head section and said throat section interengaging as said tow bar member approaches said retracted position to effect mechanical longitudinal alignment of said tow bar member with said housing; a hitch component on said head section for coupling with said hitch connection of said tow vehicle; a first vertical passage formed through said top plate and said bottom plate adjacent said restricted passage; a second passage formed in said tow bar member and coaxially aligned with said first passage when said tow bar member is in said retracted position; a lock block vertically connected to said top plate and having a third passage coaxial with said first passage; a lock bolt slidably carried in said third passage and slidable between a raised position above said restricted passage and a lowered position extending through said first and second passages to thereby lock said tow bar member to said housing member; an actuating member operatively connected to said lock bolt for moving said lock bolt from said lowered position to said raised position; detent means operatively associated with said lock bolt and said lock block for maintaining said lock bolt in said raised position; and spring means carried in said third passage for biasing said lock bolt to said lowered position.