The invention herein pertains to the trailer field and particularly pertains to an improved hitch shank that is forged with an advantageous geometry to improve performance and reduce material.
Trailer hitch assemblies for towing a load behind a vehicle are known in the art. These types of assemblies typically include a hitch bar receiver connected to the vehicle, a hitch bar including a mounting rack or support and a post adapted for engagement with the receiver, and a ball mount configured for engagement with the mounting rack. While the general design of the assembly as described has remained largely the same, design modifications to individual assembly components have been made to improve hitch performance and decrease manufacturing materials, resulting in a lower manufacturing cost. Market pressures have led to assembly innovations but these competitive pressures are still present and further improvements relating to reducing costs and enhancing performance are needed.
Thus, in view of the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art devices, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a trailer shank that is efficient to manufacture and simple to use.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a trailer shank with a plurality of apertures in the rack to permit vertical adjustment.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a trailer shank with a brace to increase vertical support.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a trailer shank with a cavity proximate the rack.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a trailer shank with a hollow distal to the rack.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a trailer shank with a recessed notch in the shank top longitudinal surface proximate the rack.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a lightweight trailer shank including the steps of providing a high-grade carbon steel and forging a monolithic shank as described above.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a lightweight trailer shank that includes the step of heat-treating the shank to increase strength and performance.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a trailer shank integrally formed from a rack defining a plurality of recessed apertures, an arm member, and a support brace positioned therebetween. The arm member defines a cavity more proximate to the rack and a hollow more distal in relation to the rack that are internally reinforced to maintain structural integrity while reducing the overall weight and manufacturing materials. The end of the arm member opposite the rack is formed from a pair of biased faces that are joined at a planar nose. A method of manufacturing a lightweight and structurally sound trailer shank including the steps of providing a high-grade carbon steel, forging the steel into a monolithic trailer shank as described above, and heat-treating the shank to further strengthen the shank for increased performance is also provided.
For a better understanding of the invention and its operation, turning now to the drawings,
Preferred trailer shank 10 is integrally formed with vertical rack 11 perpendicularly oriented to horizontally extending arm 12. As shown in
As shown in
As illustrated in
As previously stated, arm 12 is perpendicularly oriented to rack 11. As shown in
The sides of arm 12 are a source of significant weight, and therefore cost, of shank 10 overall. It is advantageous to reduce the weight, and therefore cost, without detrimentally affecting the performance of shank 10. Preferred arm side 22 may define one or more openings in the surface of arm side 22 positioned such that a reduction in material does not affect the structural integrity of shank 10. Preferably, arm side 22 defines cavity 23 positioned more proximal rack 11 and hollow 24 positioned more distal rack 11. As shown clearly in
Asymmetrical cavity lateral side 26 and hollow lateral side 41 are each significantly longer in terms of distance from the center point than the opposing lateral sides 26′ and 41′, respectively, resulting in a much greater slope defined by the “shorter” cavity lateral side 26′ and hollow lateral side 41′ and a shallower slope defined by the “longer” cavity lateral side 26 and hollow lateral side 41. In one embodiment of shank 10, cavity 23 defines triangular-shaped corner sides 27, 27′ which correspond in size depending on which side of the lateral axis they are positioned (i.e. the triangles 27 near “short” side 26′ are smaller than triangles 27′ near “long” side 26).
Arm top 29 is formed continuously with rack 11 and may serve multiple purposes. In one embodiment of shank 10, top 29 is not uniform and defines a first portion with a central spine running parallel to the longitudinal axis of arm 12. A pair of opposing sides 30, 30′ gently slope downward away from the midline spine, creating a crowned surface. Sides 30, 30′ extend approximately half the length of arm 12 and terminate in a pair of shoulders 31, 31′. The opposing side of top 29 beyond shoulders 31, 31′ defines top planar surface 32, forming a slight curved edge on each lateral side. The joining of sloping sides 30, 30′ at respective shoulders 31, 31′ creates the appearance of notch 33. In an embodiment of arm 12, arm bottom 34 defines shoulders similar to shoulders 31, 31′ of arm top 29, resulting in a similar appearance to top notch 33. In alternate embodiment shank 10′ as shown in
A method of manufacturing shank 10 is also provided and includes the steps of providing a rigid material such as high-quality, carbon steel to form a monolithic shank, forging the material to form shank 10 as described above, and heat treating shank 10 to produce a stronger, tougher, more durable shank than is known in the art. By forging a monolithic shank 10 instead of welding the components together as is commonly done, the overall structural integrity of shank 10 is increased while decreasing production time and cost.
The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
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Five (5) page printout from amazon.com showing a Husky Center Line Forged Shank, which has seen on p. 2 has been available since Mar. 8, 2013; copyright 1996-2014 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. |