Patent ID: 7125031

Claim:
A tow bar for connecting a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle, the tow bar comprising: (a) a first connection mechanism connected to the towing vehicle, the first connection mechanism defining a longitudinally-oriented axis that is fixed relative to the towing vehicle; (b) a second connection mechanism connected to the towed vehicle, the second connection mechanism defining a transverse horizontally-oriented axis that is fixed relative to the towed vehicle; and (c) a third connection mechanism connecting the first connection mechanism to the second connection mechanism, the third connection mechanism defining a third connection mechanism center point, the third connection mechanism including: (1) a one-piece spherically-shaped ball member having a radius and a ball member center point; and (2) a socket member having a main cavity with a main cavity center point and a radius of curvature, which is slightly greater than the radius of the ball member, and (3) wherein the ball member is rotatively captured within the socket member with the ball member center point and the main cavity center point coinciding with the third connection mechanism center point; and (d) wherein the third connection mechanism is configured and structured to allow pitch, yaw and roll movements, including any and all combinations thereof, of the transverse horizontally-oriented axis, defined by the second connection mechanism, relative to the longitudinally-oriented axis, defined by the first connection mechanism, and wherein the pitch, yaw and roll movements between the transverse horizontally-oriented axis, defined by the second connection mechanism, and the longitudinally-oriented axis, defined by the first connection mechanism, occur at the third connection mechanism center point.