Claims
- 1.) A fifth wheel hitch assembly for towing a trailer behind a towing vehicle, comprising:
a base; a skid plate received on said base and including an opening for receiving a king pin of the trailer; and a locking jaw assembly carried on said base for engaging the king pin of the trailer when the king pin is properly received in said opening in said skid plate, said locking jaw assembly being characterized by a first jaw including a first gear set and a second jaw including a second gear set.
- 2.) The assembly of claim 1, further including a control handle for displacing said first and second jaws between open and closed positions.
- 3.) The assembly of claim 2, wherein said first gear set and said second gear set mesh.
- 4.) The assembly of claim 3, wherein said first jaw includes a lug for engaging said control handle.
- 5.) The assembly of claim 4, wherein said lug and said control handle are connected together by a first pivot pin.
- 6.) The assembly of claim 5, further including an inner mounting platform between said skid plate and said base.
- 7.) The assembly of claim 6, wherein said first jaw is pivotally mounted to said inner mounting platform on a first stub shaft and said second jaw is pivotally mounted to said inner mounting platform on a second stub shaft.
- 8.) The assembly of claim 7, further including a first tensioning spring extending between said first jaw and said inner mounting platform and a second tensioning spring extending between said second jaw and said inner mounting platform.
- 9.) A fifth wheel hitch assembly for towing a trailer behind a towing vehicle, comprising:
a base; a weldless and seamless, one-piece skid plate received on said base and including an opening for receiving a king pin of a trailer; and a locking jaw assembly carried on said base for engaging the king pin of the trailer when the king pin is properly received in said opening in said skid plate.
- 10.) A fifth wheel hitch assembly for towing a trailer behind a towing vehicle, comprising:
a weldless and seamless, one-piece base; a skid plate received on said base and including an opening for receiving a king pin of a trailer; and a locking jaw assembly carried on said base for engaging the king pin of the trailer when the king pin is properly received in said opening in said skid plate.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/303,175 filed on Jul. 5, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60303175 |
Jul 2001 |
US |