Westfalia-automotive Gmbh

Arne Kuhlen

Kay Angermann

Raphael Gringel

Hendrik Graute

Martin Wyrwich

Sergei Stachurski

A carrier arrangement for a rear end of a vehicle, forms a component of a load carrier which can be detachably fastened to the vehicle and projects in front of the rear end of the vehicle during use or forms a component of a coupling device that can be fastened to a rear end of a body of the vehicle, wherein, in the case of the load carrier (), the carrier arrangement is provided for applying a load and comprises, in the case of the coupling device, a holder for a trailer coupling for attaching a trailer to the vehicle or for a load carrier coupling part for detachably coupling a load carrier to the vehicle. The carrier arrangement has at least one support profile which has a support profile circumferential wall with support profile circumferential wall sections arranged at an angle to each other and/or extend in a curved manner about the longitudinal axis of the support profile and delimit an interior space of the support profile with respect to the longitudinal axis on the circumference. The support profile is stiffened at least along a part of its longitudinal axis in a reinforcement section by a reinforcement profile which comprises reinforcement profile wall sections arranged at an angle to each other and/or extend in a curved manner about a reinforcement profile longitudinal axis of the reinforcement profile, and is supported on the support profile circumferential wall of the support profile in order to reinforce the support profile, wherein the at least one reinforcement profile engages into the interior space of the support profile or the support profile engages into a reinforcement profile interior space of the reinforcement profile which is delimited by the reinforcement profile wall sections in a circumferential angle range of more than 180&#xb0; extending about the longitudinal axis of the support profile.

Support assembly of a load carrier or a coupling device

The disclosure relates to a trailer coupling for a motor vehicle, comprising a carrier assembly having a transverse carrier for arranging on the rear of a motor vehicle and a retainer retained on the transverse carrier for retaining a coupling element of the trailer coupling, wherein the coupling element is provided for fastening a trailer, wherein the retainer is connected to the transverse carrier by a tension anchor of a tension anchor assembly wherein the tension anchor penetrates the transverse carrier along the tension anchor load axis of the tension anchor and loads an abutment surface of the retainer, through which abutment surface the tension anchor load axis or an axis parallel thereto passes, against the transverse carrier. Further, the retainer has at least one side support surface, which projects in front of the abutment surface adjacent to the tension anchor and lies against the transverse carrier such that the retainer is supported on the transverse carrier laterally adjacent to the tension carrier with respect to a force acting transversely to the tension anchor load axis of the tension anchor.

Trailer coupling having a tension anchor

A trailer coupling for a motor vehicle is disclosed, which comprises a carrier assembly having a transverse carrier designed as a profiled part and a retainer retained on the transverse carrier for retaining a coupling element, of the trailer coupling, wherein the coupling element is provided for fastening a trailer or a load carrier, wherein the retainer is connected to the transverse carrier by a tension anchor of a tension anchor assembly wherein the tension anchor penetrates the transverse carrier along the tension anchor load axis of the tension anchor and loads an abutment surface of the retainer, through which abutment surface the tension anchor load axis or an axis parallel to the tension anchor load axis passes, against a side wall of the transverse carrier, said side wall having a through-opening for the tension anchor wherein the tension anchor assembly has a support element having a support surface and a support protrusion, which protrudes from the support surface in the direction of the tension anchor load axis and which engages in the through-opening of the side wall, wherein the support surface of the support element is supported on the side wall of the transverse carrier next to the through-opening by at least one force component in the direction of the load axis and the support protrusion is supported in the through-opening by at least one force component transverse to the load axis.

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Ennigerloh, Germany

Arne Kuhlen