CA3028222C - Gooseneck hitch ball coupler - Google Patents
Gooseneck hitch ball coupler Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA3028222C CA3028222C CA3028222A CA3028222A CA3028222C CA 3028222 C CA3028222 C CA 3028222C CA 3028222 A CA3028222 A CA 3028222A CA 3028222 A CA3028222 A CA 3028222A CA 3028222 C CA3028222 C CA 3028222C
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- Prior art keywords
- socket
- ball
- hitch ball
- hitch
- wear
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- 244000261422 Lysimachia clethroides Species 0.000 title claims abstract description 47
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 9
- 241001236644 Lavinia Species 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60D—VEHICLE CONNECTIONS
- B60D1/00—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
- B60D1/48—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting
- B60D1/488—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting mounted directly to the chassis of the towing vehicle
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60D—VEHICLE CONNECTIONS
- B60D1/00—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
- B60D1/01—Traction couplings or hitches characterised by their type
- B60D1/06—Ball-and-socket hitches, e.g. constructional details, auxiliary devices, their arrangement on the vehicle
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Agricultural Machines (AREA)
Abstract
A gooseneck hitch socket apparatus includes a socket member adapted for releasable attachment to a bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle. The socket member defines a socket conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of a hitch ball. A wear head recess is defined above a top end of the socket, and a wear member is releasably secured in the wear head recess such that a bottom side of a head of the wear member substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket. A ball lock is configured to be operated through a lock engagement linkage by an operator standing on the ground beside the towing vehicle.
Description
GOOSENECK HITCH BALL COUPLER
This disclosure relates to the field of hitches for connecting trailers to towing vehicles and in particular a coupler apparatus for attachment to the trailer ball of a gooseneck hitch assembly.
BACKGROUND
Connecting mechanisms for towed vehicles take a variety of forms, such as clevis and tongue mechanisms, ball and socket mechanisms, pintle hook and ring mechanisms, and the like.
Ball and socket connections comprise a spherical ball extending upward from a base attached to the towing vehicle, and a receiver socket that is attached to the trailer tongue and drops over and engages the ball to make the connection. A locking mechanism prevents the ball and socket from disengaging. The socket assembly on the trailer tongue typically includes some manner of clamp mechanism that engages the ball to prevent the socket from moving out of engagement with the ball. The ball and socket connection allows horizontal and vertical relative movement between the towing and towed vehicles.
In a gooseneck ball and socket hitch assembly, typically used for heavier trailers, the ball is mounted on a load bed forward of the rear end so the weight of the trailer is carried generally over or in front of the rear axle of the towing vehicle. A gooseneck frame member extends from the trailer over the rear end of the load bed and includes a post extending downward at the front end of the gooseneck frame member. A socket shaped coupler is attached to the bottom end of the post and engages the ball. A ball locking mechanism secures the coupler to the ball. Such a gooseneck coupler is disclosed for example in United States Patent Numbers 9,579,939 to Rabska et al. and 8,783,706 to Drake et al.
17504278v1 1 It is typically required to climb onto the load bed to activate the ball locking mechanism, however United States Patent Number 8,376,388 to Graber et al. discloses a ball locking mechanism for such a gooseneck hitch assembly that can be operated by a lever mounted on the trailer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure provides a hitch apparatus that overcomes problems in the prior art.
In a first embodiment the present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus comprising a socket member adapted for releasable attachment to a bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle for connecting the towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle. The socket member defines a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball. The socket member further defines a wear head recess above a top end of the socket, and a wear member is releasably secured in the wear head recess such that a bottom side of a head of the wear member substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket.
A ball lock is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket.
.. In a second embodiment the present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus comprising a socket member adapted for releasable attachment to a bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle for connecting the towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle. The socket member defines a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket 17504278v1 2 member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer suiface of an upper portion of the hitch ball. A ball lock is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket, and a lock engagement linkage extends upward from the socket member beside the socket and beside the gooseneck hitch member when the socket member is attached to the gooseneck hitch member. The lock engagement linkage is connected at a bottom end thereof to the ball lock, and a handle attached to atop end of the lock engagement linkage is operative to activate the lock engagement linkage to move the ball lock from the closed position to an open position where the hitch ball is free to move downward out of the socket, and a linkage lock is operative to secure the lock engagement linkage with the lock pin in the closed position.
In a third embodiment the present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus for connecting a towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle. The apparatus comprises a mounting plate fixed to the bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle, the mounting plate defining a plurality of mounting plate fastener holes. A socket member defines a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball.
A ball lock is mounted to the socket member and is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket. The socket member defines a plurality of socket member fastener holes corresponding to the mounting plate fastener holes such that the socket member is releasably attachable to the downward extending gooseneck hitch member by releasable fasteners, where each releasable fastener extends through one of the mounting plate fastener holes and a corresponding one of the socket member fastener holes.
The present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus that includes an easily replaceable wear member that bears the weight of the towed vehicle through the 17504278v1 3 gooseneck hitch member, and so incurs the wear that typically occurs during operation due to movement between the hitch ball and the socket member. A lock engagement linkage with a handle located far enough above the socket member that when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket an operator of average size can simply reach over the wall of a truck box of the towing vehicle and manipulate the handle while standing on the ground outside the truck box. The gooseneck hitch socket apparatus can be easily mounted to the bottom end of any one of the wide variety of downward extending gooseneck hitch members presently used in various applications.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:
Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present disclosure installed on the gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle in position to be connected to a hitch ball attached to a towing vehicle;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 with the socket member above the hitch ball and with the ball lock in the open position;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 with the hitch ball engaged in the socket and with the ball lock in the closed position;
Fig. 4 is a perspective top front view of the socket member of the embodiment of Fig.
1 detached from the gooseneck hitch member with the ball lock in the open position;
17504278v1 4 Fig. 5 is a perspective bottom front view of the socket member of Fig. 4 with the ball lock in the open position;
Fig. 5A is a schematic sectional side view of the portion of the socket member of Figs.
4 and 5 showing the wear head recess and wear member aperture;
Fig. 5B is a schematic sectional side view of the portion of the socket member of Figs.
4 and 5 showing a wear member extending up through the wear member aperture and secured by a fastener with the head of the wear member in the wear head recess;
Fig. 6 is a perspective bottom front view of the socket member of the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5 attached to the gooseneck hitch member with the hitch ball engaged in the socket and the ball lock in the closed position;
Fig. 7 is a perspective top front view of the socket member as shown in Fig.
6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus l of the present disclosure comprising a socket member 3 releasably attached to the bottom end of the downward extending gooseneck hitch member 5 of a towed vehicle 7. The gooseneck hitch member 5 is in position above a hitch ball 9 extending upward from the load bed 11 of a towing vehicle 13. The front end of the towed vehicle 7 is supported by an extendable jack assembly 15 and the towing vehicle 13 is maneuvered into the illustrated position where the jack assembly 15 can be activated to lower the front end of the towed vehicle 7 and the gooseneck hitch member 5 so the hitch ball 9 enters a socket defined by the socket member 3.
17504278v1 5 Figs. 2 - 7 illustrate the socket member 3. The socket member 3 defines a socket 17 extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member 3. The socket 17 has an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball 9.
The socket member 3 is adapted for releasable attachment to the bottom end of the downward extending gooseneck hitch member 5. A mounting plate 19 is attached to the bottom end of the gooseneck hitch member 5 and defines a plurality of mounting plate fastener holes 19A. The socket member 3 is attachable to the mounting plate 19 by fasteners, illustrated as a bolt 21 and corresponding nut 23. The bolts 21 extend through the mounting plate fastener holes 19A and corresponding socket member fastener holes 3A defined by the socket member 3, and the nuts 23 are threaded onto the bolts 21.
In this manner the socket member can be manufactured separately and then distributed to various manufacturers of trailers and like towed vehicles who simply weld a mounting plate 19 to the bottom end of the gooseneck hitch member 5, and then bolt on the socket member 3.
The mounting plate 19 defines a mounting plate aperture 25 as shown in Fig. 7, and an upper end 27 of the socket member 3, when attached to the mounting plate 19, extends upward through the mounting plate aperture 25 and into the open inner area of the gooseneck hitch member 5, typically provided by a hollow steel beam.
As seen in Figs. 5, SA, and 5B the socket member 3 further defines a wear head recess 29 above a top end of the socket 17. As shown in Fig. 5B, a wear member 31 is releasably secured in the wear head recess 29 such that a bottom side of a head 31A of the wear member 31 substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball 9 when the hitch ball 9 is engaged in the socket 17.
17504278v1 6 In the illustrated apparatus 1 the socket member 3 defines a wear member aperture 33 extending upward from the top end of the socket 17 and the wear head recess 29 is defined in a bottom end of the wear member recess 33. The wear member 31 extends upward through the wear member aperture 33 and a fastener 35 is engaged on an upper end of the wear member 31 above the socket member 3 and secures the wear member 31 to the socket member 3. Conveniently the wear member 31 is provided by a bolt and the fastener 35 is provided by a corresponding nut threaded onto an upper end of the bolt Thus the weight of the towed vehicle, which is often significant in these types of hitches, is carried on the gooseneck hitch member 5 and bears on the hitch ball 9. In a conventional socket member of the prior art this weight is carried on the inner surface of the top portion of the socket and the socket wears during use so that the socket member must be replaced. Typically the socket member is welded to the bottom end of the gooseneck hitch member and so the entire gooseneck hitch assembly must be replaced.
In contrast in the presently disclosed apparatus the head 31A of the wear member 31 bears the weight of the gooseneck hitch member 5 and when wear has occurred that must be addressed the nuts 23 are removed from the bolts 21 and the socket member 3 is removed providing access to the fastener 35 securing the wear member 31 to the socket -- member 3 is removed and the wear member 31 is withdrawn and replaced with a new wear member 31. The top end of the hitch ball 9 also may be flat as shown in Figs. 2 and 5B such that an increased bearing surface is provided between the flat top of the hitch ball 9 and the bottom of the head 31A of the wear member 31.
A ball lock 37 is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball 9 engaged in the socket 17, to prevent the hitch ball 9 from moving downward out of the socket 3.
A front lower edge 39 of the socket member 3 is configured to guide the hitch ball 9 into alignment with the socket 17 as the hitch ball 9 moves rearward, and the socket member 17504278v1 7 3 comprises a stop 41 on a rear portion thereof configured to stop rearward movement of the hitch ball 9 when the hitch ball 9 is substantially aligned with the socket 17.
In the illustrated apparatus 1, the hitch ball 9 comprises a ball neck 43 extending downward from a bottom side of the hitch ball 9, and the ball lock 37 comprises a lock pin 45 movable from an open position shown in Figs. 4 and 5, allowing the hitch ball 9 to enter the socket 17, to the closed position shown in Figs. 3 and 6 where the lock pin 45 extends laterally under the hitch ball 9 adjacent to the ball neck 43.
The illustrated socket member 3 comprises right and left pin lugs 47R, 47L
extending downward from corresponding right and left lower rear portions of the socket member 3, the right and left pin lugs 47R, 47L defining corresponding right and left lock pin holes 49R, 49L. The lock pin 45 extends through the right and left lock pin holes 49R, 49L
when in the closed position of Fig. 6 and extends through only the left lock pin hole 49L
when in the open position of Fig. 5. The spacing LS between the right and left pin lugs 47R is less than the diameter BD of the hitch ball 9 such that rearward movement of the hitch ball 9 rearward between the right and left pin lugs 47R, 47L is prevented.
In the illustrated apparatus 1 a lock engagement linkage 51 extends upward from the socket member 3 beside the socket 17 and beside the gooseneck hitch member 5 when the socket member 3 is attached to the gooseneck hitch member 5. The lock engagement linkage 51 is connected at a bottom end thereof to the lock pin 45, and a handle 53 attached to a top end of the lock engagement linkage 51 is operative to activate the lock engagement linkage 53 to move the lock pin 45 between the open and closed positions.
A linkage lock 55 is operative to secure the lock engagement linkage 51 with the lock pin 45 in the closed position. In the illustrated apparatus 1 the linkage lock 55 is provided by a grooves 57 defined in a pair of lock bars 59 and a handle pin 61 extending through the handle 53 and engaging the grooves 57.
17504278v1 8 The lock engagement linkage 51 extends upward from the socket member such that the handle 53 is at least 12 inches above the socket member 3. As shown by the dotted lines in Fig. the load bed 11 of the towing vehicle 13 commonly is provided by the floor of a truck box with upward extending walls 63. Conventionally an operator would be required to climb into the truck box inside the walls 63 to operate the ball lock 37. The handle of the presently disclosed lock engagement linkage 51 is located far enough above the socket member 3 that when the hitch ball 9 is engaged in the socket 17 an operator of average size can simply reach over the wall and manipulate the handle 53 while standing on the ground outside the truck box.
The present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus 1 that includes an easily replaceable wear member 31 with a head 31A that bears the weight of the towed vehicle 7 through the gooseneck hitch member 5, and so incurs the wear that typically occurs during operation due to movement between the hitch ball 9 and the socket member 3. A lock engagement linkage 51 with a handle 53 located far enough above the socket member 3 that when the hitch ball 9 is engaged in the socket 17 an operator of average size can simply reach over the wall 63 of a truck box of the towing vehicle 13 and manipulate the handle 53 while standing on the ground outside the truck box.
The gooseneck hitch socket apparatus 1 can be easily mounted to the bottom end of any one of the wide variety of downward extending gooseneck hitch members 5 presently used in various applications.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.
17504278v1 9
This disclosure relates to the field of hitches for connecting trailers to towing vehicles and in particular a coupler apparatus for attachment to the trailer ball of a gooseneck hitch assembly.
BACKGROUND
Connecting mechanisms for towed vehicles take a variety of forms, such as clevis and tongue mechanisms, ball and socket mechanisms, pintle hook and ring mechanisms, and the like.
Ball and socket connections comprise a spherical ball extending upward from a base attached to the towing vehicle, and a receiver socket that is attached to the trailer tongue and drops over and engages the ball to make the connection. A locking mechanism prevents the ball and socket from disengaging. The socket assembly on the trailer tongue typically includes some manner of clamp mechanism that engages the ball to prevent the socket from moving out of engagement with the ball. The ball and socket connection allows horizontal and vertical relative movement between the towing and towed vehicles.
In a gooseneck ball and socket hitch assembly, typically used for heavier trailers, the ball is mounted on a load bed forward of the rear end so the weight of the trailer is carried generally over or in front of the rear axle of the towing vehicle. A gooseneck frame member extends from the trailer over the rear end of the load bed and includes a post extending downward at the front end of the gooseneck frame member. A socket shaped coupler is attached to the bottom end of the post and engages the ball. A ball locking mechanism secures the coupler to the ball. Such a gooseneck coupler is disclosed for example in United States Patent Numbers 9,579,939 to Rabska et al. and 8,783,706 to Drake et al.
17504278v1 1 It is typically required to climb onto the load bed to activate the ball locking mechanism, however United States Patent Number 8,376,388 to Graber et al. discloses a ball locking mechanism for such a gooseneck hitch assembly that can be operated by a lever mounted on the trailer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure provides a hitch apparatus that overcomes problems in the prior art.
In a first embodiment the present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus comprising a socket member adapted for releasable attachment to a bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle for connecting the towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle. The socket member defines a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball. The socket member further defines a wear head recess above a top end of the socket, and a wear member is releasably secured in the wear head recess such that a bottom side of a head of the wear member substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket.
A ball lock is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket.
.. In a second embodiment the present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus comprising a socket member adapted for releasable attachment to a bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle for connecting the towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle. The socket member defines a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket 17504278v1 2 member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer suiface of an upper portion of the hitch ball. A ball lock is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket, and a lock engagement linkage extends upward from the socket member beside the socket and beside the gooseneck hitch member when the socket member is attached to the gooseneck hitch member. The lock engagement linkage is connected at a bottom end thereof to the ball lock, and a handle attached to atop end of the lock engagement linkage is operative to activate the lock engagement linkage to move the ball lock from the closed position to an open position where the hitch ball is free to move downward out of the socket, and a linkage lock is operative to secure the lock engagement linkage with the lock pin in the closed position.
In a third embodiment the present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus for connecting a towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle. The apparatus comprises a mounting plate fixed to the bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle, the mounting plate defining a plurality of mounting plate fastener holes. A socket member defines a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball.
A ball lock is mounted to the socket member and is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket. The socket member defines a plurality of socket member fastener holes corresponding to the mounting plate fastener holes such that the socket member is releasably attachable to the downward extending gooseneck hitch member by releasable fasteners, where each releasable fastener extends through one of the mounting plate fastener holes and a corresponding one of the socket member fastener holes.
The present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus that includes an easily replaceable wear member that bears the weight of the towed vehicle through the 17504278v1 3 gooseneck hitch member, and so incurs the wear that typically occurs during operation due to movement between the hitch ball and the socket member. A lock engagement linkage with a handle located far enough above the socket member that when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket an operator of average size can simply reach over the wall of a truck box of the towing vehicle and manipulate the handle while standing on the ground outside the truck box. The gooseneck hitch socket apparatus can be easily mounted to the bottom end of any one of the wide variety of downward extending gooseneck hitch members presently used in various applications.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:
Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present disclosure installed on the gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle in position to be connected to a hitch ball attached to a towing vehicle;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 with the socket member above the hitch ball and with the ball lock in the open position;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 with the hitch ball engaged in the socket and with the ball lock in the closed position;
Fig. 4 is a perspective top front view of the socket member of the embodiment of Fig.
1 detached from the gooseneck hitch member with the ball lock in the open position;
17504278v1 4 Fig. 5 is a perspective bottom front view of the socket member of Fig. 4 with the ball lock in the open position;
Fig. 5A is a schematic sectional side view of the portion of the socket member of Figs.
4 and 5 showing the wear head recess and wear member aperture;
Fig. 5B is a schematic sectional side view of the portion of the socket member of Figs.
4 and 5 showing a wear member extending up through the wear member aperture and secured by a fastener with the head of the wear member in the wear head recess;
Fig. 6 is a perspective bottom front view of the socket member of the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5 attached to the gooseneck hitch member with the hitch ball engaged in the socket and the ball lock in the closed position;
Fig. 7 is a perspective top front view of the socket member as shown in Fig.
6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus l of the present disclosure comprising a socket member 3 releasably attached to the bottom end of the downward extending gooseneck hitch member 5 of a towed vehicle 7. The gooseneck hitch member 5 is in position above a hitch ball 9 extending upward from the load bed 11 of a towing vehicle 13. The front end of the towed vehicle 7 is supported by an extendable jack assembly 15 and the towing vehicle 13 is maneuvered into the illustrated position where the jack assembly 15 can be activated to lower the front end of the towed vehicle 7 and the gooseneck hitch member 5 so the hitch ball 9 enters a socket defined by the socket member 3.
17504278v1 5 Figs. 2 - 7 illustrate the socket member 3. The socket member 3 defines a socket 17 extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member 3. The socket 17 has an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball 9.
The socket member 3 is adapted for releasable attachment to the bottom end of the downward extending gooseneck hitch member 5. A mounting plate 19 is attached to the bottom end of the gooseneck hitch member 5 and defines a plurality of mounting plate fastener holes 19A. The socket member 3 is attachable to the mounting plate 19 by fasteners, illustrated as a bolt 21 and corresponding nut 23. The bolts 21 extend through the mounting plate fastener holes 19A and corresponding socket member fastener holes 3A defined by the socket member 3, and the nuts 23 are threaded onto the bolts 21.
In this manner the socket member can be manufactured separately and then distributed to various manufacturers of trailers and like towed vehicles who simply weld a mounting plate 19 to the bottom end of the gooseneck hitch member 5, and then bolt on the socket member 3.
The mounting plate 19 defines a mounting plate aperture 25 as shown in Fig. 7, and an upper end 27 of the socket member 3, when attached to the mounting plate 19, extends upward through the mounting plate aperture 25 and into the open inner area of the gooseneck hitch member 5, typically provided by a hollow steel beam.
As seen in Figs. 5, SA, and 5B the socket member 3 further defines a wear head recess 29 above a top end of the socket 17. As shown in Fig. 5B, a wear member 31 is releasably secured in the wear head recess 29 such that a bottom side of a head 31A of the wear member 31 substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball 9 when the hitch ball 9 is engaged in the socket 17.
17504278v1 6 In the illustrated apparatus 1 the socket member 3 defines a wear member aperture 33 extending upward from the top end of the socket 17 and the wear head recess 29 is defined in a bottom end of the wear member recess 33. The wear member 31 extends upward through the wear member aperture 33 and a fastener 35 is engaged on an upper end of the wear member 31 above the socket member 3 and secures the wear member 31 to the socket member 3. Conveniently the wear member 31 is provided by a bolt and the fastener 35 is provided by a corresponding nut threaded onto an upper end of the bolt Thus the weight of the towed vehicle, which is often significant in these types of hitches, is carried on the gooseneck hitch member 5 and bears on the hitch ball 9. In a conventional socket member of the prior art this weight is carried on the inner surface of the top portion of the socket and the socket wears during use so that the socket member must be replaced. Typically the socket member is welded to the bottom end of the gooseneck hitch member and so the entire gooseneck hitch assembly must be replaced.
In contrast in the presently disclosed apparatus the head 31A of the wear member 31 bears the weight of the gooseneck hitch member 5 and when wear has occurred that must be addressed the nuts 23 are removed from the bolts 21 and the socket member 3 is removed providing access to the fastener 35 securing the wear member 31 to the socket -- member 3 is removed and the wear member 31 is withdrawn and replaced with a new wear member 31. The top end of the hitch ball 9 also may be flat as shown in Figs. 2 and 5B such that an increased bearing surface is provided between the flat top of the hitch ball 9 and the bottom of the head 31A of the wear member 31.
A ball lock 37 is operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball 9 engaged in the socket 17, to prevent the hitch ball 9 from moving downward out of the socket 3.
A front lower edge 39 of the socket member 3 is configured to guide the hitch ball 9 into alignment with the socket 17 as the hitch ball 9 moves rearward, and the socket member 17504278v1 7 3 comprises a stop 41 on a rear portion thereof configured to stop rearward movement of the hitch ball 9 when the hitch ball 9 is substantially aligned with the socket 17.
In the illustrated apparatus 1, the hitch ball 9 comprises a ball neck 43 extending downward from a bottom side of the hitch ball 9, and the ball lock 37 comprises a lock pin 45 movable from an open position shown in Figs. 4 and 5, allowing the hitch ball 9 to enter the socket 17, to the closed position shown in Figs. 3 and 6 where the lock pin 45 extends laterally under the hitch ball 9 adjacent to the ball neck 43.
The illustrated socket member 3 comprises right and left pin lugs 47R, 47L
extending downward from corresponding right and left lower rear portions of the socket member 3, the right and left pin lugs 47R, 47L defining corresponding right and left lock pin holes 49R, 49L. The lock pin 45 extends through the right and left lock pin holes 49R, 49L
when in the closed position of Fig. 6 and extends through only the left lock pin hole 49L
when in the open position of Fig. 5. The spacing LS between the right and left pin lugs 47R is less than the diameter BD of the hitch ball 9 such that rearward movement of the hitch ball 9 rearward between the right and left pin lugs 47R, 47L is prevented.
In the illustrated apparatus 1 a lock engagement linkage 51 extends upward from the socket member 3 beside the socket 17 and beside the gooseneck hitch member 5 when the socket member 3 is attached to the gooseneck hitch member 5. The lock engagement linkage 51 is connected at a bottom end thereof to the lock pin 45, and a handle 53 attached to a top end of the lock engagement linkage 51 is operative to activate the lock engagement linkage 53 to move the lock pin 45 between the open and closed positions.
A linkage lock 55 is operative to secure the lock engagement linkage 51 with the lock pin 45 in the closed position. In the illustrated apparatus 1 the linkage lock 55 is provided by a grooves 57 defined in a pair of lock bars 59 and a handle pin 61 extending through the handle 53 and engaging the grooves 57.
17504278v1 8 The lock engagement linkage 51 extends upward from the socket member such that the handle 53 is at least 12 inches above the socket member 3. As shown by the dotted lines in Fig. the load bed 11 of the towing vehicle 13 commonly is provided by the floor of a truck box with upward extending walls 63. Conventionally an operator would be required to climb into the truck box inside the walls 63 to operate the ball lock 37. The handle of the presently disclosed lock engagement linkage 51 is located far enough above the socket member 3 that when the hitch ball 9 is engaged in the socket 17 an operator of average size can simply reach over the wall and manipulate the handle 53 while standing on the ground outside the truck box.
The present disclosure provides a gooseneck hitch socket apparatus 1 that includes an easily replaceable wear member 31 with a head 31A that bears the weight of the towed vehicle 7 through the gooseneck hitch member 5, and so incurs the wear that typically occurs during operation due to movement between the hitch ball 9 and the socket member 3. A lock engagement linkage 51 with a handle 53 located far enough above the socket member 3 that when the hitch ball 9 is engaged in the socket 17 an operator of average size can simply reach over the wall 63 of a truck box of the towing vehicle 13 and manipulate the handle 53 while standing on the ground outside the truck box.
The gooseneck hitch socket apparatus 1 can be easily mounted to the bottom end of any one of the wide variety of downward extending gooseneck hitch members 5 presently used in various applications.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.
17504278v1 9
Claims (10)
1. A
gooseneck hitch socket apparatus for connecting a towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a rnounting plate fixed to the bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle, the mounting plate defining a plurality of mounting plate fastener holes;
a socket member defining a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball;
a ball lock mounted to the socket member and operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket;
wherein the socket member defines a plurality of socket member fastener holes corresponding to the mounting plate fastener holes such that the socket member is releasably attachable to the downward extending gooseneck hitch member by releasable fasteners, where each releasable fastener extends through one of the mounting plate fastener holes and a corresponding one of the socket member fastener holes; and wherein the socket member further defines a wear head recess above a top end of the socket, and a wear member releasably secured in the wear head recess such that a bottom side of a head of the wear member substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket.
22545358v i Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-27
gooseneck hitch socket apparatus for connecting a towed vehicle to a hitch ball extending upward from a load bed of a towing vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a rnounting plate fixed to the bottom end of a downward extending gooseneck hitch member of a towed vehicle, the mounting plate defining a plurality of mounting plate fastener holes;
a socket member defining a socket extending upward from a bottom side of the socket member, the socket having an inner surface substantially conforming to an outer surface of an upper portion of the hitch ball;
a ball lock mounted to the socket member and operative, when in a closed position and with the hitch ball engaged in the socket, to prevent the hitch ball from moving downward out of the socket;
wherein the socket member defines a plurality of socket member fastener holes corresponding to the mounting plate fastener holes such that the socket member is releasably attachable to the downward extending gooseneck hitch member by releasable fasteners, where each releasable fastener extends through one of the mounting plate fastener holes and a corresponding one of the socket member fastener holes; and wherein the socket member further defines a wear head recess above a top end of the socket, and a wear member releasably secured in the wear head recess such that a bottom side of a head of the wear member substantially coincides with a top end of the hitch ball when the hitch ball is engaged in the socket.
22545358v i Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-27
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the socket member further defines a wear member aperture extending upward from the top end of the socket and the wear head recess is defined in a bottom end of the wear rnember recess, and wherein the wear member extends upward through the wear member aperture and a fastener is engag-ed on an upper end of the wear member above the socket member and secures the wear member to the socket member.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the wear member comprises a bolt and the fastener comprises a corresponding nut threaded onto an upper end of the bolt.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the top end of the hitch ball is flat.
5. The apparatus of any one of claims I - 4 wherein a front lower edge of the socket member is configured to guide the hitch ball into alignment with the socket as the hitch ball moves rearward, and wherein the socket member comprises a stop on a rear portion thereof configured to stop rearward movement of the hitch ball when the hitch ball is substantially aligned with the socket.
6. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 - 5 wherein the hitch ball comprises a ball neck extending downward from a bottom side of the hitch ball, and the ball lock comprises a lock pin movable from an open position, allowing the hitch ball to enter the socket, to the closed position where the lock pin extends laterally under the hitch ball adjacent to the ball neck.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the socket member comprises right and left pin lugs extending downward from corresponding right and left lower rear portions of the socket member, the right and left pin lugs defining corresponding right and left lock pin holes, and wherein the lock pin extends through the right and left lock pin holes when in the closed position and extends through only one of the right and left lock pin holes when in the open position.
22545358v i Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-27
22545358v i Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-27
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the right and left pin lugs are configured such that rearward movement of the hitch ball rearward between the right and left pin lugs i s prevented.
9. The apparatus of any one of claims 6 - 8 comprising a lock engagement linkage extending upward from the socket member beside the socket arid connected at a bottom end thereof to the lock pin, and wherein a handle attached to a top end of the lock engagement linkage is operative to activate the lock engagement linkage to move the lock pin between the open and closed positions, and a linkage lock is operative to secure the lock engagement linkage with the lock pin in the closed positi on.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the lock engagement linkage extends upward from the socket member such that the handle is at least 12 inches above the socket member.
22545358v i Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-27
22545358v i Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-27
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3028222A CA3028222C (en) | 2018-12-20 | 2018-12-20 | Gooseneck hitch ball coupler |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3028222A CA3028222C (en) | 2018-12-20 | 2018-12-20 | Gooseneck hitch ball coupler |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA3028222A1 CA3028222A1 (en) | 2020-06-20 |
| CA3028222C true CA3028222C (en) | 2021-06-15 |
Family
ID=71107205
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3028222A Active CA3028222C (en) | 2018-12-20 | 2018-12-20 | Gooseneck hitch ball coupler |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA3028222C (en) |
-
2018
- 2018-12-20 CA CA3028222A patent/CA3028222C/en active Active
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA3028222A1 (en) | 2020-06-20 |
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