A hitch assembly for a vehicle includes a cross-member structure disposed at a rear of the vehicle. The cross-member structure includes a bar extending from the first side frame to the second side frame, and a tube circumposed over the bar and having a central portion fixedly secured to the bar and a side portion rotatably coupled to the bar. The hitch assembly further includes a hitch structure adapted to move between a working position and a storage position. The hitch structure includes a base sleeve slidably circumposed over the tube and an arm extending from the base sleeve. In the working position, base sleeve is secured to the central portion and the arm extends outwardly of the rear end of the vehicle. In the storage position, the base sleeve is disposed circumposing the side portion and the arm is disposed underneath a chassis of the vehicle.

A hitch apparatus is provided including a support assembly having an upper horizontal support member and a lower horizontal support member. The upper and lower support members may be spaced apart from and generally parallel to one another. The upper and lower horizontal support members are connected by a vertical support member that is secured to the upper support member and extends downwardly through the lower support member. The lower support member is adapted for rotatable movement relative to the upper support member between first and second positions. The upper support member is releasably engageable with a standard hitch receiver on the rear of a vehicle. The lower support may be connected to a cargo tray or other component, which may be releasably connected to the vertical support member and adapted for movement between a first position behind the vehicle and a second position beneath the rear of the vehicle.

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.

A hitch assembly that is adapted for allowing the loading and unloading of cargo at the forward end of a trailer. The assembly may comprise a pivot axis, defined by a pivotable connection device, and a first plane, defined by a hitch frame, operably attached to a second plane, defined by a trailer frame of the trailer, by the pivotable connection device. The assembly can be selectively pivoted and secured between at least a first position, a second position, and a third position relative to the trailer frame, wherein the first plane and the second plane may be angularly offset from one another when the assembly is in a position other than the first position. Further, the front end of the trailer frame moves downwardly relative to the coupling means when the hitch assembly is in the second position and upwardly when the hitch assembly is in the third position.

In order to improve a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is received such that it is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between the working position and the rest position, and a rotation-blocking device that is active between the pivot bearing unit and the pivot bearing body, it is proposed that there run between the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles of the rotation-blocking device blocking faces against which rotation-blocking bodies of the rotation-blocking device are configured to abut, that rotation-blocking units of the rotation-blocking device and the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles are arranged at angular spacings from one another around the pivot axis such that, in all the pivotal positions of the pivot bearing body that are provided, with the exception of the working position and the rest position, the rotation-blocking body of at least one of the rotation-blocking units lies opposite one of the blocking faces, and thus this blocking face blocks movement of the actuation body in the actuation direction.

The invention described herein relates to an articulating trailer. The articulating trailer is configured such that it can be used with an automobile and/or an all-terrain vehicle. The articulating trailer may have two or more removable free wheels or skids mounted to it. The wheels (or skids) may be mounted substantially on the sides of the trailer. Alternatively, the wheels (or skids) may be mounted substantially underneath the trailer bed. The articulating trailer is configured with a trailer tongue extension. The trailer tongue extension is configured such that it attaches to the trailer at one or more independent attachment points. A user may release one attachment point of the trailer tongue extension causing the trailer to articulate.

In order to improve a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is received such that it is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between the working position and the rest position, and a rotation-blocking device that is active between the pivot bearing unit and the pivot bearing body, it is proposed that there run between the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles of the rotation-blocking device blocking faces against which rotation-blocking bodies of the rotation-blocking device are configured to abut, that rotation-blocking units of the rotation-blocking device and the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles are arranged at angular spacings from one another around the pivot axis such that, in all the pivotal positions of the pivot bearing body that are provided, with the exception of the working position and the rest position, the rotation-blocking body of at least one of the rotation-blocking units lies opposite one of the blocking faces, and thus this blocking face blocks movement of the actuation body in the actuation direction.

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.

In a trailer coupling, in order to detect the rest position and/or the operating position by means of an unambiguous signal, it is proposed that a detector unit is associated with the rest position locking device, said detector unit detecting at least one active position of the rest position locking device.

A hitch assembly that is adapted for allowing the loading and unloading of cargo at the forward end of a trailer. The assembly may comprise a pivot axis, defined by a pivotable connection device, and a first plane, defined by a hitch frame, operably attached to a second plane, defined by a trailer frame of the trailer, by the pivotable connection device. The assembly can be selectively pivoted and secured between at least a first position, a second position, and a third position relative to the trailer frame, wherein the first plane and the second plane may be angularly offset from one another when the assembly is in a position other than the first position. Further, the front end of the trailer frame moves downwardly relative to the coupling means when the hitch assembly is in the second position and upwardly when the hitch assembly is in the third position.