| 摘要 |
A hitch for coupling a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle, particularly in situations where the vehicles are misaligned. The hitch has a tongue housing for attachment to one of the vehicles and a tongue for extension and retraction within a throat defined by the tongue housing. The tongue articulates laterally to couple misaligned vehicles. The tongue has a coupler, such as a clevis, ring or ball, on one end to effect coupling between the two vehicles. The tongue is movable to a locked position where a spring-biased pin is insertable through apertures in the tongue housing and the tongue to lock it in place. The tongue and the tongue housing have cooperating guide members to effect a smooth, guided movement of the tongue from an extended position to its retracted, locked position. The guide members have cooperating, rounded cam members and pockets which facilitate the smooth, guided movement of the tongue to its locked position. The tongue has a trunnion near to the end opposite the coupler to prevent the tongue from being completely withdrawn from the throat. Rounded side walls of the tongue housing define a generally hourglass shaped throat. The side walls guide the tongue during retraction into the housing, assisting in the smooth, guided movement to its locked position. The tongue housing may be configured to accommodate therein the entire length of the tongue when it is in its fixed, locked position.
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