VEHICLE TOWING APPARATUS

Technical Field The present field of invention relates to tow bar devices commonly used to tow various types of vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to a tow bar ap paratus designed to tow vehicles having a towing handle. Means are provided to lock the towing handle and the tow bar such that normal towing operations can take place.

Background of the Invention:

In the past there have been other tow bar devices such as applicant's own Aircraft Tow Bar Device, U.S. Letters Patent 3,955,832 which have been well adapted to towing vehicles. However, they have not been as universal as the user would desire and, therefore, applicant has developed an improved towing apparatus which is more universal in nature and can be more

-r efficiently locked to a towed vehicle such as an aircraft or any other vehicle of a like nature.

Objects and Advantages of the Present Invention

One of the objects of the invention is to pro¬ vide a tow bar apparatus which attaches to a towed vehicle at the rear end and includes a tow head assembly at the front end with universal type connec¬ tion zones engaging a handle carried by the towed vehicle such as the main strut of the nose wheel of an aircraft such as a jet airplane.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inverted U-shaped locking means wherein a sliding block having a front C-shaped edge with an extended lip engages an inverted U-shaped member captivating the handle carried by the towed vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a blocking means on the tow head for pre-

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venting the lock from further sliding movement and giving insurance to secured captivatingly relation¬ ship of the handle of the towed vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system intermediate the ends c which normally urges the tow head end slightly down¬ ward to more securely fasten the tow head U-shaped member to the handle carried by the towed vehicle. Another object of the present invention is to provide handle means on the main stem of the towing

₁₀ apparatus to enable the user to easily, quickly and efficiently line up the tow head with the handle carried by the towed vehicle and to enable the user to create an upward thrust on the main stem to secure the handle to the U-shaped interior connection zone.

₁₅ Another object of the present invention is to provide a towing vehicle which has stop means to prevent the front and rear ends from being damaged due to the tow apparatus not being connected to either the towed vehicle or the towing vehicle.

_2Q Another object of the present invention is to provide a towing apparatus which includes handle means attached to an eccentric which is keyed for movement with the lock through a crank arm wherein the crank arm is connected to both the sliding block

₂₅ and the eccentric through connecting pins.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tow head wherein the crank arm which is connected to the sliding block includes a notch at the top to provide a connection area for the lock means to

„ _n prevent the lock from slipping or sliding out of its locked relationship with the handle of the towed vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tow bar apparatus which can be raised and lowered by

₃₅ hydraulic means.

A general object of this invention is to provide a device as has been heretofore described and will be hereinafter described which is well suited and well

adapted to accomplish the objects herein and the general object of towing a vehicle with a handle as has been and as will be hereinafter described.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant inven¬ ts tion will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Description of the Drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of the tow bar apparatus -, _Q incorporated in the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the tow head showing the apparatus in the unlocked posi- ₁₅ tion;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 in the direction indicated showing the tow head in cross section;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the 2 _Q tow head showing the apparatus in the locked position;

Figure 6 is a side sectional view of the appara¬ tus taken along line 6-6 in the direction indicated, showing the apparatus in the locked position.

₂₅ Detailed Description of the Drawings:

With reference to the drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the various views and with parti¬ cular reference to Figure 1, there is shown the tow

_3Q bar incorporating the present invention shown gener¬ ally at 10. The apparatus includes a rear end zone 12 having hitching means 14. The hitching means is of a conventional type which is convenient for attach¬ ment to a tow vehicle such as is commonly used at c major airports and the like.

The tow bar includes a front end zone 20 having towing means 22.

Intermediate the two end zones is a middle zone 60 including suspension means 62. The suspension means includes wheel means such as 63.

With particular reference to Figure 4, there is shown generally the towing means 22. The towing means includes a tow head 24.

The tow head 24 includes a front end zone 26 having a lower terminal inverted U-shaped end zone 28 with an inside surface 30 defining a connection zone sized and shaped for compatible engagement with the vehicle tow handle 32 as shown in Figure 1. The tow head includes a rear zone 34 defining a connection zone wherein the main stem 18 of the tow bar is connected to the tow head as at bolts 36.

The locking means comprises a slidable block 40 defining a lock member includes a lower front edge 42 having a C-shaped zone in the lower front edge 44. The lock is slidably connected to the tow head at the front distal end as shown in Figure 4. The lower front edge may include a C-shaped member which has an extended lip as shown at 46. The towing means includes an eccentric 50 which is keyed for rotation with the sliding block through crank arm 48 by pins 52 and 54. Pin 54 includes a top having a hole as at 56 which is for locking the sliding block in its locked position as will be explained hereinafter. A pin 53, axially fixed through eccentric 50 is connected to handle means 70, thereby a movement in the handle means 70 would cause a corresponding movement in the eccentric and in the sliding block by means of the pivoted crank arm 48. The position indicated in Figure 4 is the open position whereby the lock is spaced a pre¬ determined distance from the U-shaped member 28. In order to move the lock in the position indicated in Figure 6, the locked position, the user moves the handle 70 to the position indicated in Figure 5 thus causing the eccentric to move and the sliding lock to slide along the tow bar head main stem since it is linked for movement with the eccentric through crank

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arm 48. The lock is then moved forward with the C member 44 engaging the U-shaped member 28 and the extended lower lip 46 completes the lock as shown in Figure 6 thereby the handle 32 of the towed vehicle (not shown) may be captivatingly engaged to the tow head 24 as shown in Figure 1.

With particular reference to Figures 4 and 6 there is shown the locking member 80 which serves to prevent further sliding of the lock 44 once the lock is in the position shown in Figure 6. The user merely pushes down on the top 82 of the locking member 80 and the rod member 84 engages in hole 56 thereby preventing further sliding of the lock 44.

With particular reference to Figure 1, there is shown the suspension system generally designated by the numeral 60 including wheel means 63. The suspen¬ sion system comprises springs 64, a main frame 65 including mounting connections 66 for spring 64 and a hydraulic cylinder 67 also being connected to the main frame 65 at points 68 and 69 shown in Figure 2. The springs 64 can be positioned and tensioned rela¬ tive to the suspension main frame 65 and the main stem 18 such that the tow head 24 is urged slightly downward. The user may find this helpful in captiva¬ ting the handle 32 since an upward pressure on the main stem may be required to force the U-shaped member interior surface connection zone 30 over the handle to captivate it securely prior to moving the handle in the locked position.

The hydraulic cylinder shown in Figure 1 and designated by the number 67 includes a first end 59 being attached to the main stem 18. At that point a hydraulic hand pump may be inserted to raise and lower the elongate stem so that the tow head will be at the desired height in line with the tow handle. Handle means 90 and 92 shown in Figure 1 have been provided in the preferred embodiment for facili¬ tating raising the main stem and tow head above the handle 32 to afford the user an easy and efficient

way of captivating the handle prior to captivating the handle with the lock in the U-shaped member 30. The handle means additionally can be used to pull the tow bar into place without the towing vehicle wasting energy for such an operation. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, when the tow bar 10 is not connected to either the towing or the towed vehicle, it will be forced to the horizontal by gravity at either the first or second end. In order to protect the hitch and/or the head from contacting the ground, stop means 100 and 102 have been provided. Thus, if the vehicle tilts forward, stop means 100 will protect . the tow head 24 from contacting the horizontal since the stop means is lower than the tow head and will therefore contact the earth first. The same result would be true if the tow bar were to be tilted back¬ wards, stop means 102 would prevent the hitch from being damaged inasmuch as stop means 102 would con¬ tact the earth prior to the hitch 14 since stop means 102 hangs below the main stem as indicated in Figure 2.

IN USE:

The user lines up the tow bar 10 by pulling the tow head 24 into connecting relationship with the towed vehicle handle 32 by pulling the main stem 18 through handle means 90 and 92. The device is then lowered by the hand pump to the desired level. In the case where the suspension system normally urges the tow head slightly downward, the user will pull the tow head 24 upward at the handle means 90 and 92 over the towed vehicle handle 32 in captivating relation with said handle. After the handle rests securely within the interior 30 of the U-shaped member of the tow head 24, the handle is moved in the position indicated in Figure 5 to make the sliding lock 44 move to the position indicated in Figure 6. Thus, the C-shaped member of the lock 40 is in cap-

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tivating relationship under the handle 32 securely captivating the handle. The blocking member 80 is provided to secure the lock 40 in place. The user presses down on the top 82 of block 80 and the opera¬ ting member 84 of block 80 engages notch 56 preven- ting the lock 40 from further movement.

In order to release the towed vehicle, the user merely reverses the above-described steps first unlocking the lock 40 and then moving the handle means 70 such that the lock is in the unlocked posi- tion and lifting the tow head 24 out of connecting relation with the handle 32.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical ad preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to em¬ brace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

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