Patent ID: 8167330

Claim:
A tongue for hitching a trailer to a vehicle and for supporting the trailer when it is unhitched from the vehicle, comprising: a. a first, fixed tongue member securely engageable with the trailer; b. a second, pivotable tongue member having a first, front end section, a second, rear end section, and an intermediate section between the first end section and the second end section; c. hitching means in secure engagement with the first end section of the second tongue member to securely and temporarily hitch the second tongue member to the vehicle; d. pivot means connecting the intermediate section of the second tongue member to the first tongue member to allow pivoting of the second tongue member in relation to the first tongue member between a first position in which the second tongue member is generally aligned with the first tongue member, and a second position generally perpendicular to the first position; e. means for temporarily securing the second tongue member to the first tongue member in the first and second positions; f. a flip-down leg also mounted on said pivoting means for movement between a first position, in which it extends rearwardly beside said first tongue member, and a second, lowered position in which it extends downwardly from said pivot means and can support the trailer; and g. wherein the flip down leg is of channel form, having a first channel side portion provided with an aperture and an opposing second channel side portion being recessed, said means for temporarily securing the second tongue member to the first tongue member includes a hitch pin, and said hitch pin passes through said aperture in the flip-down leg for supporting the flip-down leg in said first position; the arrangement being such that said hitch pin is movable to a partially withdrawn position where it releases the flip-down leg while the hitch pin still secures the second tongue member to the first tongue member in said first position of the second tongue member, thus allowing said flip-down leg to move to its second, lowered position and to support the trailer while the hitch pin is fully removed and while the second tongue member is moved from its first position to its second position.