Holland Hitch Company

Saf-holland Gmbh

Gregory R Thorwall

Gerald W Hungerink

Justin D Keatley

John T Buckley

Richard Sibley, Jr

Rudolph A Bahnsen

John G Wieringa

Gerry W Hungerink

Richard J Sibley

A fifth wheel slider assembly includes a hitch plate with a throat for receiving a king pin of a trailer, and a slider assembly that includes at least one rack member having a first side and a second side and supportable above a vehicle frame. The slider assembly further includes a first portion including a guide plate slidably abutting the second side of the at least one rack member, and an engagement assembly releasably engaging the at least one rack member at incremental points along a length of the at least one rack member, thereby selectively positioning the hitch plate with respect to the at least one rack member, and a second portion including at least one support bracket pivotably supporting the hitch plate, slidably abutting the first side of the at least one rack member, and readily releasably coupled to the first portion of the slider assembly.

Fifth wheel slider assembly

A pintle hook hitch having an outwardly upwardly curved, fixed horn, an outwardly extending pivotal latch arm movable between a lower, closed condition over the horn, and a raised open condition, the body having a jamb face for engagement by a lock, a primary lock pivotally shiftable between a lowered and locked position for abutment with the jamb face, and an unlocked position pivotally raised away from the jamb face, a vertical spring biasing the lock toward the lowered lock position, the primary lock also being laterally shiftable with a push button pivot pin between a first lateral position and a second lateral position, a lateral spring biasing the primary lock laterally toward the first lateral position. To pivotally open the latch arm, it is necessary to perform a three-step process of first pushing the second pivot pin laterally via the push button against the lateral spring bias to laterally shift the primary lock, then lift the primary lock against the bias of the vertical spring, and then lift the latch arm.

Pintle hook

A fifth wheel hitch has a single swinging jaw, i.e., pivotal lock element, a unique cam arm, a locking plunger, a release arm, and release handle that all specially function in an interrelated manner to clearly indicate the locked or unlocked condition of the lock element. The release handle has special notches for cooperative interengagement with the top plate, specifically a lock notch and an unlock notch, engageable with a flange of the fifth wheel plate to cause the release handle to be located in specific positions. A cam surface on a finger of the pivotal lock element operates the novel cam arm to shift the release arm, for shifting it out of the unlock notch when the fifth wheel uncouples from the kingpin. The cam arm is held over center when the jaw is open, preventing the jaws from closing until the kingpin enters. When the release handle is pulled to release the locking plunger, the lock notch engages the top plate to retain the pull handle until released from this notch.

Integrated cam lever/handle lock fifth wheel

Growing community of inventors

Holland, MI, United States of America

Gregory R Thorwall