Claims
- 1. A fifth wheel hitch having a bearing plate which is bifurcated toward the rear thereof to form a pair of rearward projections defining therebetween a forwardly converging kingpin-receiving mouth and throat, characterized by:
- confinement means on the underside of said bearing plate for forming a jaw-receiving pocket about said throat; said confinement means including a pair of spaced lateral abutment walls astraddle of said throat, and transverse abutments, for defining said pocket; interengaged kingpin-locking jaws in said pocket; and said confinement means including jaw retention means at said pocket for normally retaining said jaws in said pocket for operative engagement with a kingpin, and releasable to enable removal of said jaws from said pocket; said jaws including a fixed jaw and a shiftable jaw; said fixed jaw being in engagement with said abutment walls and abutments, thereby peripherally restrained in said pocket against horizontal movement forwardly, rearwardly and sideways; said shiftable jaw being pivotally mounted to said fixed jaw.
- 2. The hitch in claim 1 characterized by having a single vertical pin pivotally mounting said shiftable jaw to said fixed jaw; and said fixed jaw having front, rear and two side surfaces in engagement with said abutment walls in said pocket.
- 3. The hitch in claim 1 characterized by said confinement means including a releasable cover plate; a single vertical pin on said fixed jaw, pivotally mounting said swinging jaw to said fixed jaw; both said jaws being restrained against vertical upward movement by said bearing plate, and against vertical downward movement by said cover plate.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 525,439, filed Aug. 22, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,715.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
523439 |
Aug 1983 |
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