The invention concerns a tow hook applicable to vehicles towing light trailers where disconnection of a catch from the body is possible.

According to the state of art, there are known tow hooks, a disconnectable catch of which has a flat surface in his mounting portion finished with a transverse key, cross-section of which is like a half of a circle. The locking device is an element transversely situated in the rotatable body, having a cross-section like a half of a circle, which after introduction it over the key of the catch rotates by 180°.

An inconvenience of this solution is necessity of use of additional outside protections against unlocking.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate the above defects and inconveniences. The essence of the invention is a tow hook for automotive vehicles being a ball catch with mounting keys, mounted disconnectably in a body fastened to a bracket, the body having a mounting element and a locking device, characterised in, that the body is a spatial shaped element, having a cylindrical, preferably co-axial seat with a mounting element in the form of a rod fastened to the opposite walls of the seat and a hole for the locking device pin. The locking device is a spatial element fastened to the body, in a blind seat of which the pin with pressure elements are mounted. The ball catch in the mounting portion has a shaped excess with a profile in the surface perpendicular to the catch axis, like a half of a circle, being a rod seat while in the zone corresponding to the pin hole having a pin seat.

It is advantageous that the locking device pin has a toothed surface in the portion situated in the seat while in the wall at the side of the pin toothed

surface the locking device has a gear with rotatable element on an axle in the seat.

It is also advantageous that the locking device pin has a key with a peg in the portion situated in the seat while on the axle it has an arm with a fork connected to a turnover through a connector.

It is also advantageous that the rotatable element is a lever.

It is also advantageous that the rotatable element is a handwheel.

It is also advantageous that the pressure element is a spiral spring mounted on the gear axle. Moreover it is also advantageous that the pressure element is a spring mounted in the locking device seat.

It is also advantageous that the connector is a bowden cable.

It is evenly advantageous that the turnover device is a two-sided lever. It is especially advantageous that the turnover device is a lever fastened to a wheel with a circumferential groove mounted rotatably on the axle, and the turnover device is fastened onto the inside wall of a trunk.

Use of a hook according to the invention gives the following technical- and-functional effects: - reliable securing of the locking device pin against slipping out of the seat

- longlife of the joint

- simple construction

- easy assembly and disassembly of the catch in the body

- possible transmission of high dynamic loads - small overall dimensions

- self-locking

- protection of the operator against cut

- protection against operation of the locking device by outsiders

- elimination of additional protections - operation of the locking device in a convenient position

- clean disconnector

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hook in the surface along the body seat axis and the locking device seat axis in the first version; Fig. 2 illustrates a fragment of mounting part of the catch; Fig. 3 is a rear view of Ihe mounting part of the catch, and

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hook in the surface along the body seat axis and the locking device seat axis in the second version.

The tow hook has a body 1 fastened to a frame or bracket not shown on the drawing. The body 1 is a spatial shaped element having a cylindrical co-axial seat 2. In the seat 2 there is a mounting element in the form of a rod 4 fastened to both opposite walls 3. The body 1 has a hole 5 in one of the walls 3. The ball catch 16 in the mounting portion 17 has a shaped excess 18 with a profile in the surface perpendicular to the axis of the catch 16 like a half of a circle. There is a seat 19 of the rod 4 in this excess. A seat 20 is in the zone corresponding to the hole 5. A locking device 6 is fastened to the budy 1 in the zone of the hole 5. The locking device 6, in the first version, has a blind seat 7 in which a pin 9 is mounted on a spring 8. The pin 9 in the portion situated in a seat 11 has a toothed surface 10. Cylindrical portion of the pin 9 is situated in the hole 5 of the body 1. The locking device has the seat 11 in the wall on the side of the toothed surface 10 of the pin 9, where it has a gear 15 on an axle 12 with a spiral spring 13 and an rotatable element in the form of a lever 1 .

In the first version to connect the catch 16 to the body 1 the catch 16 will be set so that the even surface of the excess 18 is parallel to the rod 4 axis. The catch set in such a way will be introduced with its mounting portion 17 into the seat 2 of the body 1. Under the influence of movement the pin 9 moves overcoming a resistance of the springs 8 and 13 and slips into the seat 7 of the locking device 6. After introducing the mounting portion 17 up to end the catch 16 will be turned by 90° so that the rod 4 is in the seat 19. Then the pin 9 under the influence of forces of the springs 8 and 13 moves with its cylindrical portion into the seat 20.

Disconnection of the catch 16 from the body 1 is possible by turning the lever 14. The gear 15 overcoming a resistance of the springs 8 and 13 shifts the pin 9 far into the seat 7. It enables turning of the catch 16 by 90° and removing it from the seat 2.

In the second version the locking device 6 has a shaped arm 23 with forks fastened on an axle 21 with a spring 22 for a peg 24 of the pin 9. A cable of the bowden 25 is fastened to the arm 23.A shield of the bowden 25 is at one end supported by a stop 26 of a plate 27 of a turnover device 28 fastened onto an outside wall 29 of a vehicle trunk not shown on the drawing. The turnover device 28 has a wheel 31 with an inside groove 32,

situated on an axle 30, on the wheel circumference there is fixed the other end of the bowden 25 cable. A lever 33 is fastened to the wheel 31.

The lever 33 will be turned to disconnect the catch 16 from the body 1. The bowden 25 will cause a turn of the fork 23 around the axle 21 and through the peg 24 retraction of the pin 9 from the seat 20 of the mounting portion 17 overcoming forces of the springs 7 and 22.