GB2083427A

GB2083427A - A trailer coupling device for vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2083427A
Application number: GB8125788A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ORIS METALLBAU KG RIEHLE H
Current assignee: ORIS METALLBAU KG RIEHLE H
Priority date: 1980-09-10
Filing date: 1981-08-24
Publication date: 1982-03-24
Also published as: NL8103732A; DK149712C; IT1142449B; DE3033955A1; BE889175A; FR2489758A1; DK377081A; DK149712B; DE3033955C2; GB2083427B; SE8105369L; IT8148721A0; FR2489758B1

Abstract

The trailer coupling has a support tube 1 adapted to be secured to a vehicle and which receives a cylindrical part 4 of a neck 2, the neck 2 having a coupling ball 3 on its outermost end. The neck is secured to the support tube 1 by a fastening bolt 7 passing transversely through the neck 2. The tube 1 has a transverse slot 18 for receiving the bolt 7, the slot leading to a bore 11 which serves to receive a collar 13 on the bolt of larger diameter than the remainder of the bolt 7 so that when the bolt 7 is tightened the collar 13 enters the bore 11 to thereby prevent the bolt 7 and hence the neck 2 from being detached from the tube 1. A spring clip 16 engageable with a part 17 secured to the tube 1 and a groove 15 in the collar 13 prevents accidental release of the bolt 7 from the tube 2. A locking pin serves to ensure captive mounting of the bolt in the neck 2. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A trailer coupling device for vehicles The invention relates to a trailer coupling device for vehicles, particularly but not exclusively for passenger cars, consisting of a support tube adapted to be attached to the vehicle, a spherical neck which is insertable into the support tube and which has a coupling ball, and detachable fastening means for securing the spherical neck in the support tube.

In a trailer coupling device of this type, which is known for example from German Auslegeschrift 1 6 30 928, the fastening means consists of an eccentric pin which can be operated by means of a lever and which, when the spherical neck has been inserted in the support tube, causes the spherical neck to be secured in the axial direction to the support tube. To remove the spherical neck from the support tube the eccentric pin must be drawn out of the spherical neck and out of support bearings on both sides of the support tube.

In contrast, the invention seeks to provide a fastening which enables the locking action between the support tube and spherical neck, which is exerted by the fastening means, to be effected satisfactorily and which involves little machining of the components, and to design the fastening means in such a manner that it always remains on the removable spherical neck.

According to the present invention there is provided a trailer coupling device for vehicles consisting of support tube adapted to the attached to a vehicle, a spherical neck having a cylindrical part which is insertable into the support tube and which neck has a coupling ball on its outermost end and detachable fastening means for securing the spherical neck in the support tube, wherein the fastening means consist of an adjusting bolt which passes transversely through the spherical neck and is guided therein by a thread and which, on the one hand, engages in a countersunk recess provided on the inside of the support tube and, on the other hand, is guided in a bore provided on the support tube.

The invention advantageously makes it possible that, when the adjusting bolt is screwed in, the spherical neck in the bore of the support tube is pressed on one side against the wall of the support tube bore so as to ensure a connection between the support tube and the spherical neck which is free from play and copes with all occurring stresses.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the adjusting bolt is captively mounted in the spherical neck and the support tube comprises a slot for laterally receiving the adjusting bolt, which slot enters a bore which serves to receive a collar providing a larger diameter on the adjusting bolt.

In this case the spherical neck is pushed with the adjusting bolt into the support tube in such a way that the adjusting bolt lies in the slot of the support tube. When the bore for the adjusting bolt is reached, the latter is tightened so that its tip engages in the countersunk recess and its collar engages in the bore on the support tube. Together with the bracing action between the support tube and spherical neck, a positive engagement between the adjusting bolt and the support tube is achieved by a collar.

A locking pin may be provided to ensure the captive mounting of the adjusting bolt in the spherical neck, which locking pin limits the movement of the adjusting bolt relative to the neck by means of a stop when the spherical neck is detached.

The bore for receiving the collar on the adjusting bolt may be partially located in a reinforcement plate on the support tube and locking of the adjusting bolt to prevent bolt disconnection when the spherical neck is fixed in position can be effected by a spring clip which engages in the reinforcement plate and in an annular groove on the collar of the adjusting bolt.

The adjusting bolt may have an operating handle, for example a star handle, for operation without a tool.

The spherical neck may be ball-shaped at its insert end and the support tube may have a stepped bore in this area to create a smaller internal diameter. Through this measure fine machining is reduced and it becomes possible to prevent accumulations of dirt inside the support tube or on the outside of the spherical neck from having any adverse effects.

An embodiment of a trailer coupling device according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a side view of a support tube, with a spherical neck having been inserted, and Fig. 2 shows a section along the line Il-Il in Fig. 1.

A support tube 1 according to Fig. 1 projects rearwards from the back of a vehicle and it is used for the detachable fastening of a spherical neck 2 which is inserted in the support tube and which has a coupling ball 3 on its outer end. The diameter of the bore part 4 in the support tube 1 corresponds to the diameter of the main part of the spherical neck 2 so that the neck is a close fit in the tube. The front insert end of the spherical neck is shouldered or turned to create a diameter which is slightly smaller than that of the bore 4.

Correspondingly a bore part 5 in the support tube 1 lying inwardly of the bore part 4 also has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the bore 4 and, when the spherical neck is inserted, its ballshaped end 6 engages in the said bore 5.

A detachable fastening of the spherical neck 2 in the support tube 1 is ensured by an adjusting bolt 7.

As shown particularly in Fig. 2, the adjusting bolt 7 lies at right angles to the spherical neck 2 in a tapped hole 8. Its front end is provided with a conical extension 9 which engages in a countersunk recess 10 in the support tube 1. At the opposite end, the adjusting bolt 7 projects outwards through a bore 11 in the support tube, the said bolt being provided with a star handle 12 on this end. The diameter of the bore 1 i is larger than the diameter of the adjusting bolt 7. A collar 13, which is provided on the adjusting bolt, has a corresponding diameter, so that it is a close fit in the bore 1 A reinforcement plate 14 secured to the exterior of the tube in the area of the bore 11 increases the depth of the bore 11.On its outer circumference the collar 1 3 is provided with an annular groove 15 which a spring clip 16 engages to secure the adjusting bolt 7 in position, the said spring clip being inserted into a bore 1 7 (Fig. 1) provided on the reinforcement plate 14. Extending from the end of the support tube 1 to the bore 11 is a slot 18 (Fig. 1) having a width equal to the diameter of the adjusting bolt 7 in the area of its thread. To prevent the adjusting bolt 7 from being unscrewed from the spherical neck 2 there is provided a locking pin 1 9 which lies at right angles to the adjusting bolt 7 and engages in an unthreaded part which has been shouldered or turned to create a smaller diameter.

When the spherical neck 2 is secured to the support tube 1, all the parts occupy the position as shown in the drawing. The adjusting bolt 7 urges the spherical neck 2 in the arrow direction 20 against the support tube 1, thus producing a connection or fastening which is free from play and which copes fully with all occurring stresses.

To detach the spherical neck 2 from the support tube 1 the spring insert 1 6 is pulled and then the adjusting bolt 7 is unscrewed out of the spherical neck 2 by means of the star handle 12 until this screwing movement is limited by the end of the thread of the adjusting bolt 7 abutting the locking pin 19. When the adjusting bolt 7 is in this position, its conical extension 9 has disengaged itself from the countersunk recess 10 in the support tube 1 and the collar 13 has moved out of the bore 11. When the adjusting bolt 7 is in this position, the spherical neck 2 can be drawn out of the support tube 1, the adjusting bolt 7 sliding along inside the slot 1 8.

Claims

1. A trailer coupling device for vehicles consisting of a support tube adapted to be attached to a vehicle, a spherical neck having a cylindrical part which is insertable into the support tube and which neck has a coupling bail on its outermost end, and detachable fastening means for securing the spherical neck in the support tube, wherein the fastening means consist of an adjusting bolt which passes transversely through the spherical neck and is guided therein by a thread and which, on the one hand, engages in a countersunk recess provided on the inside of the support tube and, on the other hand, is guided in a bore provided on the support tube.

2. A coupling device according to Claim 1, wherein the adjusting bolt is captively mounted in the spherical neck and the support tube has a slot for laterally receiving the adjusting bolt, which slot enters a bore which serves to receive a collar providing a larger diameter on the adjusting bolt, the arrangement being such that when the bolt is threadedly tightened into an engaged position, the collar enters said bore to thereby prevent the bolt being withdrawn through the slot.

3. A coupling device according to Claim 2, wherein a locking pin is provided to ensure the captive mounting of the adjusting bolt in the spherical neck, which locking pin limits the movement of the adjusting bolt relative to the neck by means of a stop when the spherical neck is detached.

4. A coupling device according to Claims 2 or 3, wherein the bore for receiving the collar on the adjusting bolt is partially located in a reinforcement plate on the support tube, and locking of the adjusting bolt to prevent bolt disconnection when the spherical neck is fixed in position is effected by a spring clip which engages in the reinforcement plate and in an annular groove on the collar of the adjusting bolt.

5. A coupling device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the adjusting bolt has an operating handle.

6. A coupling device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the spherical neck is ballshaped at its insert end and the support tube has a stepped bore in this area to create a smaller internal diameter.

7. A trailer coupling device for a passenger car substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.