Patent ID: 7540545

Claim:
A vehicle-to-vehicle grasping apparatus removably attached to the front end of a motor vehicle comprising: a first side plate, a second side plate, a top plate, a bottom plate and an end plate which form a rectangular box having an open end; a long and narrow opening is formed on the surface of the side plates and circular openings are adjacent to the proximal ends of the side plates; a gripping device which is comprised of: a first top clamp finger, a second top clamp finger, a first bottom clamp finger, and a second bottom clamp finger with each clamp finger being an arcuate member that extends from a first end adapted with openings to be connected to a pivot pin and a mechanical link to a second end defining the tip of the finger; a rectangular plate is fixedly attached to the inside edges of the top clamp fingers and to the inside edges of the bottom clamp fingers so as to maintain a desired distance between the clamp fingers; a pivot pin inserted into the aligned openings of the clamp fingers and the side plates; a hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder rod with the first end of the hydraulic cylinder removably attached near the end plate by means of a pivot pin inserted in the circular openings of the first and second side plates and the second end of the hydraulic cylinder at the distal end of the cylinder rod having a cylindrical opening; a elongated pivot pin which extends into the long and narrow opening of the first and second side plates is inserted into the cylindrical opening of the second end of the hydraulic cylinder along and the first end of a pair of mechanical links; and a pivot pin is inserted into the clamp finger openings and the first end of the mechanical links.