Patent ID: 8342559

Claim:
A trailer hitch for mounting the draw bar of a trailer to a hitch ball of a towing vehicle, the hitch ball of the towing vehicle including a substantially semi-spherical upper portion and a lower portion that converges beneath a larger lateral breadth of the semi-spherical upper portion to a stem of smaller breadth, said trailer hitch comprising: a ball socket for mounting on the hitch ball, said ball socket defining a substantially semi-spherical interior upper surface that corresponds in size and shape to the substantially semi-spherical upper portion of the hitch ball for mounting about the substantially semi-spherical upper portion of said hitch ball, a ball latch supported by said ball socket for engaging the hitch ball at the stem of the hitch ball below the larger lateral breadth of the hitch ball for locking the trailer hitch to the hitch ball of the towing vehicle, and said ball socket defines a lock pin opening that is directed through the path of movement of said ball latch, and a lock pin sized and shaped to extend through said lock pin opening for locking said ball latch in position below the larger lateral breadth of the hitch ball.