Patent ID: 7607678

Claim:
An extendable trailer hitching machine for coupling a trailer to the back of a towing vehicle and for towing the trailer, said trailer hitching machine comprising a means of anchoring to the back of the towing vehicle a means of pulleying the trailer, and a pivot plate in cooperating relationship extendable rearward from the anchoring means and supporting a pulley post and a hitch ball yoked to the pulleying means and engaged with the trailer, the anchoring means comprising an anchor plate having a forward end affixed to the towing vehicle, and a rearward portion supporting the pulleying means, the pulleying means comprising: (a) a pulley wheel having an axle anchored to the anchor plate, (b) an anchor post anchored to the anchor plate, (c) an elongate pulling member having a first end affixed to the axle and a second end affixed to the anchor post, an intermediate portion of the pulling member looping rearward around the pulley post anchored to the pivot plate, and (d) a fixed pivot-point relationship with the anchoring means, whereupon actuating the pulleying means pulls the trailer hitching machine from a configuration wherein the hitch ball is extended rearward, to a retracted configuration with the hitch ball closer to the towing vehicle for towing the trailer.