Fulton Manufacturing Corporation

Fulton Performance Products, Inc.

Masco Corporation

Edward Wayne Ebey

Karl E Richter

Steven L Permut

Michael C Maryonovich

Richard L Schocker

Robert Edward Proudfoot

Stephen T Bemis

The ball clamp coupler includes a coupler housing wherein a coupler socket is defined, with the coupler socket having a bottom socket opening to allow insertion of a hitch ball. A rear wall is also defined within the coupler housing interior adjacent the coupler socket. A ball clamp moves within the interior of the coupler housing between an open (uncoupled) state wherein the ball clamp is substantially removed from the coupler socket, and a closed (coupled) state wherein the ball clamp is substantially inserted within the coupler socket. During such motion, the ball clamp is guided against the rear wall, whereby engagement of the hitch ball will situate the ball clamp between the hitch ball and the rear wall. The ball clamp is driven by a clamp driving member which extends from the interior of the coupler housing to its exterior. An actuator lever is pivotally affixed to the coupler housing at a lever pivot, and is also at least pivotally affixed (and preferably also translationally affixed) to the clamp driving member at a driving member pivot outside the coupler housing. Thus, rotating the actuator lever about the lever pivot causes the actuator lever to rotate (and perhaps translate) with respect to the clamp driving member at the driving member pivot, thereby moving-the clamp driving member and the ball clamp between the open (uncoupled) state and the closed (coupled) state.

Ball clamp trailer coupler

A ball clamp trailer coupler for engaging a standard vehicle hitch ball includes a coupler housing wherein a forward coupler socket is defined, and a ball clamp which is movably situated within the coupler housing rearwardly of the coupler socket. The clamp has a clamping face which faces the coupler socket, and the clamping face slopes downwardly as it extends forwardly to conclude at a frontwardly-protruding lower clamping face edge. The clamp also includes a ramp face which slopes downwardly and rearwardly from the lower clamping face edge. When the coupler is lowered onto a hitch ball with the coupler located too far forwardly, i.e., so that the hitch ball is situated beneath the clamp, the hitch ball will contact the ramp face to push the clamp rearwardly out of the coupler socket rather than into the coupler socket (as will occur where the ramp face is not present). The coupler socket is thereby left unobstructed by the clamp, allowing easier insertion of the hitch ball prior to tightening the clamp to engage the hitch ball within the coupler socket.

This document describes a drop foot jack, also known as a vehicle landing gear or landing gear jack. A drop foot is telescopically borne within an inner sleeve, which is in turn telescopically borne within an outer sleeve. A rotatable screw is situated within the outer sleeve, and it engages the top surface of the inner sleeve so that rotation of the screw will move the outer sleeve and inner sleeve with respect to each other. The drop foot, inner sleeve, and outer sleeve preferably each have a circumference having multiple discrete sides, e.g., each may have a polygonal cross-section. Apertures are spaced along the lengths of the drop foot and the inner sleeve, and a latch plate having a generally planar configuration which can be selectively moved into aligned apertures in the inner sleeve and the drop foot to thereby engage the drop foot with respect to the inner sleeve. The plane of the latch plate is situated generally perpendicular to the lengthwise axes of the inner sleeve and drop foot, thereby enhancing the surface area of the latch plate that contacts the drop foot and inner sleeve; as a result, the shear strength (and load capacity) of the jack is increased. When the latch plate is inserted in the inner sleeve and drop foot, it engages two or more adjacent sides of the drop foot and the inner sleeve, thereby helping to avoid canting of the drop foot with respect to the inner sleeve. The outer sleeve includes a lubrication passage extending between its exterior and its interior, and the top surface of the inner sleeve has a depressed area adjacent the screw. The lubrication passage allows lubricant injected from the exterior of the outer sleeve to access the depression, whereby lubricant may pool in the depression to maintain the screw in a lubricated state.

Drop foot jack

A spring-biased mechanism for a trailer coupler to positively connect a trailer to a towing vehicle. The coupler is attached to a tongue of a trailer and adapted to receive a hitch ball of a towing vehicle. A locking assembly mounted within the coupler prevents withdrawal of the hitch ball from the coupler housing to prevent inadvertent separation of the trailer from the towing vehicle. The lock includes a rotatable pin extending transversely through the coupler housing to selectively prevent withdrawal of the hitch ball. The rotatable pin is connected to a spring-biased lever positioned externally of the coupler housing. In addition to pivoting between a locked and an open position to rotate the pin, the lever can be laterally shifted to be held open against the biasing of the spring allowing insertion of the ball. To lock onto the hitch ball, the lever can be pulled outwardly causing the spring to bias the lever to the locked position.

Trailer coupler lock

A winch strap anchor for securing the strap of a winch to the winch drum proximate the hub to maintain a low profile and eliminate crank force irregularities. The anchor is secured to the walls of the drum and is configured to lie against the winch hub thereby minimizing the eccentric winding of the strap onto the winch. The anchor includes a longitudinal slot for receiving the strap to secure the strap to the anchor. The anchor with the strap attached can be manually attached to the winch drum securing the strap.

Winch strap anchor

A satellite antenna drive mechanism which includes a drive gear housing for reciprocally driving a satellite antenna dish. Generally, the satellite dish is supplied with a retaining bracket to which a U-shaped bow screw is mounted. The bow screw threadably engages the drive gear housing such that rotation of the drive gears causes a corresponding movement of the bow screw and the dish. The drive housing includes three meshed gears which cooperate to drive the bow screw. A first gear drive is connected to drive means for manually or mechanically driving the gears. An intermediate gear connects the first gear to a third internally threaded gear which receives the bow screw of the antenna dish. This third gear drive is positionally captured between the wall plates of the housing yet is free floating within the housing to provide smooth travel of the bow screw through the drive housing.

Horizon-to-horizon satellite antenna drive mechanism

A coupler for a ball type hitch has a body member that includes a socket portion and a closure mechanism that is slidably mounted on the body member for movement between the open position, a closed position, and a third overshoot position. The closure mechanism includes a lower retaining plate and a latch plate which automatically latches when the closure mechanism achieves the closed position. A spring biases the closure mechanism from the open position to the closed position and third position. The closure mechanism is retained in the closed position when the coupler is engaged to a properly sized hitch ball. The closure mechanism is free to move to the third overshoot position when the coupler is engaged to an undersized ball. Visual indicators exit the coupler body member when the closure mechanism is in the open or third overshoot positions. The retainer plate includes a lock receiving aperture for receiving a lock that prevents unauthorized opening of the coupler.

Trailer coupler with tamper resistant lock mechanism

A jack support for rotatably supporting a jack between the support position and a stored position. The jack support has two brackets with one bracket welded to an outer housing of the jack and a second bracket mounted onto the tongue portion of a trailer. The second bracket attached to the trailer has two lugs that extend therefrom. The first bracket welded to the jack has a slot and a notch therethrough which interconnect with the two lugs. The first bracket can pivot between a support position and a stored position. A spring biased pin is mounted to the first bracket and can be received within one of two holes in the second bracket to fix the support in either the stored or support position.

Swivel jack

A winch has a drum and drum gear attached thereto. The drum gear is driven by a pinion gear that is attached to an operating shaft which in turn, is attached to an operating handle. The drum side adjacent the drum gear has a plurality of notches which allows the pinion gear to axially slide therethrough to disengage the pinion gear from the drum gear whereby paying out of the rope can be done without spinning of the pinion gear or the operating handle. The pinion gear can remesh with the driving gear by passing through the notch toward its operating position.

Neutral winch

A coupler for a ball type hitch has a body member that includes a socket portion and a closure mechanism that is slidably mounted on the body member for movement between the open position, a closed position, and a third overshoot position. The closure mechanism includes a lower retaining plate and a latch plate which automatically latches when the closure mechanism achieves the closed position. A spring biases the closure mechanism from the open position to the closed position and third position. The closure mechanism is retained in the closed position when the coupler is engaged to a properly sized hitch ball. The closure mechanism is free to move to the third overshoot position when the coupler is engaged to an undersized ball. Visual indicators exit the coupler body member when the closure mechanism is in the open or third overshoot positions.

Trailer coupler

An emergency stop mechanism for a lifting device capable of moving a load along a predetermined path against and with the force of gravity using a winch-operated primary cable, and wherein the primary cable accomplishes a lifting function by pulling the load in the direction of increased potential energy. The emergency stop mechanism comprises a secondary cable suspended stationary and parallel to the path of movement of the load. A braking device fastened to the load is actuated by a decrease in tension in the primary cable below a predetermined minimum amount of tension and responds to such decrease by gripping the secondary cable.

Emergency stop mechanism

An emergency stop mechanism for a lifting device capable of moving a load along a predetermined path against and with the force of gravity using a primary cable. The emergency stop mechanism includes a secondary cable or line functionally in parallel with the primary cable. The secondary cable is attached to the load and is wound around an idling drum, with means provided to keep the secondary cable taut around the idling drum. In the event of a failure of the primary lifting system, a braking assembly, sensing and actuated by a decrease in tension in the primary cable, arrests the rotation of the idling drum and thus stops or slows the descent of the payload.

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Wausau, WI, United States of America

Edward Wayne Ebey