Patent ID: 8662523

Claim:
A tow bar for connecting a towing vehicle to a vehicle to be towed, the tow bar comprising: (a) a towing hitch member connected to a towing vehicle; (b) a towed hitch member connected to a vehicle to be towed; (c) a head member having a forwardly-extending front connector structured to releasably connect the head member to the towing hitch member; (d) a pair of tow bar legs, each tow bar leg including: (1) an outer member having a proximal end, a rearwardly-extending distal end, and an inner surface, (2) an inner member having a proximal end, and a rearwardly-extending distal end, (3) a locking member having: (A) a first portion with a fore end adhesively secured to the inner surface of the outer member at the distal end thereof, an aft end, and an orifice extending from the aft end to the fore end, the orifice being dimensioned to allow the inner member to be slidably displaceable therethrough, (B) a second portion fixedly secured to the proximal end of the inner member, and (C) a third portion including: (i) a transversely-oriented latch cavity through the inner member, (ii) a pair of opposing latches mounted in the latch cavity wherein the pair of opposing latches are radially-displaceable relative to the inner member, and (iii) a resilient element biasing the pair of opposing latches radially outwardly, (iv) the latch cavity being spaced from the second portion wherein, as the inner member is being displaced rearwardly relative to the outer member and the second portion abuttingly engages the fore end of the first portion, the pair of opposing latches are automatically displaced radially outwardly thereby releasably locking the inner and outer members relative to each other, and (4) a pair of leg connectors structured to connect the pair of tow bar legs to the head member, each tow bar leg being adhesively secured to a respective one of the pair of leg connectors; (e) rear connectors pivotally secured to respective distal ends of the inner members and structured to releasably connect the inner members to the towed hitch member.