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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7931291 | Fifth wheel coupling assembly with removable locking mechanism A removable locking mechanism for a fifth wheel hitch is provided which includes a mounting plate removably attachable within a fifth wheel chassis formed to support a fifth wheel hitch plate that has an aperture in the load surface thereof. The mounting plate is fo... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7896383 | Fifth wheel hitch A fifth wheel hitch assembly is provided for use with a kingpin, the hitch assembly including a hitch frame including a throat for receiving the kingpin therein, a jaw member pivotally coupled to the hitch frame and moveable between an open orientation and a closed ... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7651113 | Compact fifth wheel locking mechanism In a fifth wheel hitch, a locking mechanism for retaining a trailer kingpin within a fifth wheel slot. The locking mechanism includes a jaw assembly comprised of a cam arm pivotally attached at one end to the underside of the hitch plate, a bumper arm pivotally atta... | 01/26/2010 |
| 7591476 | Fifth wheel king pin release mechanism having additional functions A manual release mechanism for disengaging a king pin on a truck trailer from a fifth wheel of a truck cab includes a substantially straight lever arm with a first end being pivotally attached to the fifth wheel and a second end being spaced away from the fifth whee... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7543837 | Single handed controlled trailer hitch A hitch includes a control linkage having a single handle on a control bar. The control linkage doubles to provide both a positive safety feature and a movement feature to the hitch, permitting single handed operation of both the positive safety feature and the open... | 06/09/2009 |
| 7510203 | Hitch release system A hitch release system for releasing the locked engagement of a hitch, the hitch having a manually operable release bar coupled to a locking mechanism, the hitch release system includes a selectively actuatable power assist system, the power assist system being rele... | 03/31/2009 |
| 7264259 | Fifth wheel hitch assembly A fifth wheel hitch assembly includes a mounting assembly, an arched base assembly, a head assembly and a jaw assembly carried by the head assembly. The jaw assembly includes a stepped jaw body. The head assembly includes a single piece, weldless and seamless skid p... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7261311 | Fifth wheel hitch assembly with self-locator Typical fifth wheel hitch assemblies require the operator to leave the cab of the vehicle to put the fifth wheel hitch assembly into position to receive a king pin of a trailer. The present invention is a fifth wheel hitch assembly that comprises a base assembly, a ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7152869 | Fifth wheel hitch requiring reduced or no lubricant A trailer hitch assembly includes a hitch plate and a locking mechanism. The hitch plate includes a throat for receiving a kingpin of a trailer. The locking mechanism locks the kingpin in the throat and includes a pair of lock jaws whose lock jaw contact surface, wh... | 12/26/2006 |
| 6964427 | Trailer accessible from each end and method Apparatus and method for facilitating access to articles from a rear end and a front end of a trailer (A) disclose the use of a hydraulic cylinder (D) exerting a force between a towbar (C) and the trailer for pivoting the trailer on its wheels (B) to make the traile... | 11/15/2005 |
| 6957823 | Hitch assembly A hitch assembly including a frame for being attached to a tow vehicle; a cradle assembly pivotally attached to the frame for pivotal fore and aft movement; a hitch receiver mounted to the cradle assembly for being attached to a trailer; a leaf spring mounted to the... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6935650 | Trailer hitch An improved fifth wheel hitch for attaching a trailer to a towing vehicle. The hitch includes an outer box support frame having two rails for mounting the trailer hitch to the towing vehicle, a spherical bearing mounted in the frame having a ball joint, and a latch ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6908093 | Kingpin coupler A kingpin coupler for allowing a user to connect a trailer having a kingpin to a towing vehicle. The kingpin coupler includes a head assembly, casting, jaws and a locking slide bar. The jaws are pivotably mounted in the housing and are biased into the open position ... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6726179 | Fifth wheel helper A fifth wheel helper is adapted to be inserted underneath a fifth wheel hitch plate to hold it in a horizontal position so that the truck can be pulled forward after the king pin of the trailer has been trapped behind the fifth wheel. The fifth wheel helper comprise... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6726234 | Hitch rotor control system and apparatus A hitch (10) with a lock indicator system (16) interacts with a rotor (18) to provide an indication that a kingpin (14) is properly inserted into the hitch. The rotor rotates in response to proper insertion of the kingpin to align a rotor... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6520527 | Air released fifth wheel assembly A fifth wheel assembly for connecting a tractor trailer combination has a pressure actuated piston operated from within the cab of the tractor which releases the locking jaw from the trailer king pin. A piston rod has an internal floating rod which has a ... | 02/18/2003 |
| 6491317 | Fifth wheel safety catch The invention is an attachment for a fifth wheel trailer hitch generally mounted within the bed of a vehicle to prevent damage to the vehicle in the event that the fifth wheel hitch fails due to faulty hook-up, the invention including a horizontal cross b... | 12/10/2002 |
| 6402176 | Fifth wheel coupler A manually actuable release arm of a fifth wheel coupling is engagable with a plate in a first position wherein the locking member is retracted to allow release (or entry) of a king pin and in a second position wherein the member is projected to hold a lo... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6398249 | Tilting fifth wheel trailer hitch A fifth wheel hitch (10) has a skid plate (28) pivotally mounted to a housing (18) for lateral pivotable movement. The hitch is closed with a sliding jaw plate and has a lock block (54) that optionally can affix the skid plate to the housing during towing... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6272949 | Air operated fifth wheel uncoupling apparatus An accessory apparatus for uncoupling a king pin of a trailer from a locking device on a fifth wheel. The accessory apparatus includes a power device such as a pneumatic cylinder suspended from the bottom surface of the fifth wheel plate to form a fifth w... | 08/14/2001 |
| 6179316 | Stepped lock plunger fifth wheel hitch A fifth wheel hitch comprising a bifurcated top plate with a dead-end throat for receiving a cooperative kingpin, a hinged jaw pivotal between a closed position across the throat and an open position clear of the throat, the jaw having a rearward surface ... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6170851 | Tilting fifth wheel trailer hitch A fifth wheel hitch (10) has a skid plate (28) pivotally mounted to a housing (18) for lateral pivotable movement. The hitch is closed with a sliding jaw plate and has a lock block (54) that optionally can affix the skid plate to the housing during towing... | 01/09/2001 |
| 6095544 | Fifth wheel hitch release A fifth wheel hitch operable between a fully locked condition and a fully released condition, having a top hitch plate and a lock jaw, a locking plunger shiftable between a biased, extended locking position engaging the jaw and a retracted position for re... | 08/01/2000 |
| 6092825 | Flatbar fifth wheel release handle A fifth wheel hitch, actuator and lock assembly comprising a bifurcated hitch plate, a kingpin engagement jaw movable between a closed position for engaging a kingpin and an open position for releasing a kingpin, a lever coupled with the jaw and operative... | 07/25/2000 |
| 6050588 | Fifth wheel ball hitch latching assembly A fifth wheel ball hitch latching assembly includes a housing, a funnel mounted within the housing and defining a conical-shaped passage for guiding movement of a ball hitch into the funnel through an open bottom end thereof toward an open top end thereof... | 04/18/2000 |
| 5988666 | Fifth wheel hitch release A fifth wheel hitch operable between a fully locked condition and a fully released condition, having a top hitch plate and a lock jaw, a locking plunger shiftable between a biased, extended locking position engaging the jaw and a retracted position for re... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5988665 | Fifth wheel locking mechanism A novel interconnection of the jaw, wedge and operating handle in a fifth wheel facilitates the provision of a secondary locking mechanism which further insures the security of the system. In the invention, the jaw is connected to the operating handle by ... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5865458 | Reduced weight fifth wheel assembly A reduced weight fifth wheel generally mountable on a tractor for coupling between a tractor and a trailer, which fifth wheel has the approximately the same bearing surface area, a more continuous surface area by elimination of a lever-bar pin port in the... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5839745 | Lock mechanism for fifth wheel hitch The lock mechanism for a fifth wheel hitch of the present invention includes a housing mounted on a pedestal, the housing having a hitch plate mounted on the upper end thereof. The hitch plate slot, for receiving a trailer pin, is mounted over a channel e... | 11/24/1998 |
| 5641174 | Fifth wheel locking mechanism A interconnection of the jaw, wedge and operating handle in a fifth wheel facilitates the provision of an indicator on a secondary locking mechanism which further insures the security of the system. In the invention, the jaw is connected to the operating ... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5516138 | Lock and release mechanism for fifth wheel A mechanism for locking and unlocking of a king pin of a fifth wheel. The mechanism includes a jaw member, a wedge member, a bumper member and a lever member interconnecting the jaw member, the wedge and the bumper member. A handle member includes a handl... | 05/14/1996 |
| 5516137 | Jaw assembly for a fifth wheel hitch A jaw assembly for a fifth wheel hitch includes a support plate, a jaw bolt mounted for relative sliding movement on the support plate between open and closed positions and a trigger for positively holding the jaw bolt in the open position. A spring is co... | 05/14/1996 |
| 5472223 | Air operated fifth wheel An accessory fluid cylinder and cam apparatus mounted under a fifth wheel, which is both manually operable or energizable by a tractor air system to enable a driver to automatically and remotely release the safety latch and unlock the fifth wheel jaw to r... | 12/05/1995 |
| 5464241 | Plural height powered fifth wheel hitch A powered, adjustable height, fifth wheel hitch comprising a support plate having a front end portion and a rear end portion, a fifth wheel plate above the support plate having a front portion and a bifurcated rear portion, coaxial transverse trunnion pin... | 11/07/1995 |
| 5456484 | Lock and release mechanism for fifth wheel A simpler, more direct mechanism for locking and unlocking of a king pin of a fifth wheel is provided. The mechanism includes a jaw member, a wedge member, a bumper member and a lever member interconnecting the jaw member, the wedge and the bumper member.... | 10/10/1995 |
| 5326123 | Connector assembly A connector assembly for interconnecting a vehicle and a trailer having a hitch element includes a gripper assembly which is operable to engage the hitch element. The gripper assembly includes a plurality of jaws which are pivotally connected with and are... | 07/05/1994 |
| 5257796 | Integrated cam lever/handle lock fifth wheel A fifth wheel hitch has a single swinging jaw, i.e., pivotal lock element, a unique cam arm, a locking plunger, a release arm, and release handle that all specially function in an interrelated manner to clearly indicate the locked or unlocked condition of... | 11/02/1993 |
| 5176396 | Fifth wheel unlocking device with fluid powered redundancy An accessory fluid cylinder and cam apparatus mounted under a fifth wheel may be energized by a tractor compressed air system to enable a driver to automatically and remotely unlock the fifth wheel jaw to release a trailer king pin when the tractor parkin... | 01/05/1993 |
| 5137298 | Fifth wheel locking device A fifth wheel for an over the road tractor having a locking bolt that may be cocked so as to latch and unlatch respecting movement to engage a king pin retaining jaw.... | 08/11/1992 |
| 5120080 | Trailer hitch A trailer hitch for attaching the forward end of a trailer to the rear end of a vehicle comprising a hitch pin support attachable to the forward end of the trailer and being provided with a downwardly projecting cylindrical hitch pin having a circular met... | 06/09/1992 |
