A kingpin stabilizer having a kingpin-retaining bracket having a base plate and upwardly extending walls along at least two sides of the base plate. The upwardly extending walls and the base plate forming a receiving cavity with the upwardly extending walls spaced apart to fit said kingpin therebetween. At least one upwardly extending wall has a pin retainer. The stabilizer includes three telescoping legs extending from the pin-retaining bracket forming a tripod.

“THREE-DIMENSIONAL MONITORING SYSTEM FOR KINGPIN ON FIFTH WHEEL” describes an invention patent, for a monitoring system of Kingpin/Fifth Wheel articulation presented on trucks, with a great applicability for autonomous steering systems and vehicle dynamics control. This system allows the precise monitoring of translational, rotational movements and the relative accelerations of the king pin (5) in relation to the fifth wheel (3) on the X, Y and Z axes, totaling measurements in six degrees of freedom. The present patent presents two ways to make this monitoring of the three-dimensional position of the kingpin (5): The first through a set of sensors (6) accelerometers and gyroscope integrated to an electromagnet (4) that when electrified, is coupled to the king pin (5) by magnetic attraction. The second mode through a reference device (20) that is magnetic, identifiable, independent and easy to apply to the kingpin (4).

In some embodiments, a range sensor is configured to detect a distance between a portion of a vehicle and an object above the portion of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the detected distance may be presented to an operator to allow the operator to control a height of an adjustable suspension in order to manually control the distance. In some embodiments, the detected distance may be used to automatically control the distance. In some embodiments, the distance may be controlled in order to allow the vehicle to couple to the object, such as a fifth wheel of the vehicle coupling to a kingpin of a trailer.

The present invention relates in general to a fifth wheel hitch and method of using a fifth wheel hitch that is mounted to a bed of a towing vehicle, and more specifically, to a fifth wheel hitch that is vertically secured to a kingpin of a fifth wheel trailer without requiring the use of adapters or extensions. One aspect of the fifth wheel hitch and method of use includes a hitch head assembly that is adjustable in height such that the fifth wheel hitch is compatible with different sizes of towing vehicles and fifth wheel trailers. The hitch head assembly also incorporates a funnel shaped design for receiving the kingpin of the fifth wheel trailer in a vertical fashion to prevent the kingpin from sliding horizontally out of the hitch head after being pulled forward by the towing vehicle. A four-way pivot joint accommodates instantaneous variations in pitch and/or roll attitudes between the towing vehicle and the fifth wheel trailer connected by the fifth wheel hitch. The hitch head assembly further includes a latching and locking mechanism that indicates whether or not a secure connection has been properly executed between the fifth wheel hitch and fifth wheel trailer to assure an operator that the towing vehicle is ready for travel.

A terminal tractor includes a fifth wheel coupling which is rotatable relative to a longitudinal axis of the terminal tractor such that an opening in the fifth wheel coupling may be reoriented depending on the terminal tractor's direction of approach to a semi-trailer.

A non-kingpin trailer can be coupled to a towing vehicle having a towball in the bed of the towing vehicle. For example, the non-kingpin trailer can be coupled to the towing vehicle by installing a trailer coupler system in the bed of the towing vehicle by securing the trailer coupler system to the towball in the bed of the towing vehicle and securing the adapter hitch to the trailer coupler system by inserting the first towball of the trailer coupler system into the towball receptacle of the adapter hitch.

A system for automatically coupling the air and electrical lines of a tractor to a trailer. The tractor has a fifth wheel coupling that is configured to be coupled to a kingpin of the trailer. The height of the fifth wheel coupling is adjustable. A trailer coupling head is mounted to the trailer and carries air line and electrical connectors. A fifth wheel coupling height control system is configured to automatically control the height of the fifth wheel coupling when it is coupled to the kingpin of the trailer, to control the height of the trailer coupling head. A tractor coupling head carries air line and electrical connectors that are configured to be operably coupled to the mating connectors of the trailer coupling head. A tractor coupling head carrier removably carries the tractor coupling head. A tractor coupling head carrier control system moves the tractor coupling head carrier toward and away from the trailer coupling head along a longitudinal axis. A clamping mechanism carried by the tractor coupling head establishes at least two alternative clamping states, one clamping state where the tractor coupling head is clamped to and carried by the tractor coupling head carrier such that the tractor coupling head is moved as the tractor coupling head carrier is moved, and a second clamping state where the tractor coupling head is clamped to the trailer coupling head such that the tractor coupling head carrier is free to move relative to the tractor coupling head.

A gooseneck trailer having a coupler attached to its neck. The coupler having a recess at its lower end, wherein the diameter of the recess is slightly larger than a diameter of the hitch ball, thus permitting the coupler to receive the hitch ball. The gooseneck trailer further comprises a guide attached to the lower end of the coupler over an exposed area around the recess. The guide having a round arch portion and a pair of prongs. The round arch having a crown portion and a pair of haunches. The radius of the curvature of the crown of the round arch is proportional to the radius of the hitch ball. The pair of prongs are continuous with the pair of haunches, wherein the crown portion, the two haunches, and the two prongs are integral.

Techniques are described for measuring angle and/or orientation of a rear drivable section (e.g., a trailer unit of a semi-trailer truck) relative to a front drivable section (e.g., a tractor unit of the semi-trailer truck) using an example rotary encoder assembly. The example rotary encoder assembly comprises a base surface; a housing that includes a second end that is connected to the base surface and a first end that is at least partially open and is coupled to a housing cap; and a rotary encoder that is located in the housing in between the base surface and the housing cap, where the rotary encoder includes a rotatable shaft that protrudes from a first hole located in the housing cap, and where a top of the rotatable shaft located away from the rotary encoder is coupled to magnet(s).

A trailer having a bed portion includes: a deck including a first end and a second end and including a first side and a second side; a front extension moveably engaged with the first end of the deck, where the front extension includes a first beam moveably engaged with the deck on the first side and a second beam moveably engaged with the deck on the second side; and a rear extension moveably engaged with the second end of the deck, where the rear extension includes a first beam moveably engaged with the deck on the first side and a second beam moveably engaged with the deck on the second side. The first beam of the front extension is arranged vertically relative to the first beam of the rear extension, and the second beam of the front extension is arranged vertically relative to the second beam of the rear extension.