| 摘要 |
A retractable hitch is adapted to be mounted to a vehicle, such as in the bed of a pickup truck. The hitch includes a ball piece for releasable engagement with a coupling mechanism secured to a trailer as known in the art. The hitch has a frame secured to the vehicle, and the frame provides a substantially flat upper surface with a sleeve opening extending below the upper surface. The ball piece moves in the sleeve between an operative position, wherein it extends above the upper surface, and a retracted position wherein the ball piece is positioned below the upper surface. A raising/lowering control moves the ball piece within the sleeve. The raising/lowering control is mechanically coupled to the ball piece with a raising/lowering control linkage, which accesses the ball piece through a bottom and a vertically extending slot in the sleeve. The raising/lowering control linkage contacts a bottom bearing surface of the ball piece to raise the ball piece upward. A spring assists in raising the ball piece upward. A locking control having a horseshoe shaped locking pin is used for selectively locking the ball piece in the operative position or in the retracted position. Operation of the raising/lowering control linkage involves only translational movement which can be quickly accomplished from the wheel well of the vehicle.
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