GB2348289A - Device for indicating the weight to be exerted by the tow hitch of a towed vehicle - Google Patents

Device for indicating the weight to be exerted by the tow hitch of a towed vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2348289A
GB2348289A GB9929602A GB9929602A GB2348289A GB 2348289 A GB2348289 A GB 2348289A GB 9929602 A GB9929602 A GB 9929602A GB 9929602 A GB9929602 A GB 9929602A GB 2348289 A GB2348289 A GB 2348289A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
load
wheel
indicating device
indicating
weight
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9929602A
Other versions
GB9929602D0 (en
Inventor
Adrian Leslie Ward
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to GB9929602A priority Critical patent/GB2348289A/en
Publication of GB9929602D0 publication Critical patent/GB9929602D0/en
Publication of GB2348289A publication Critical patent/GB2348289A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60D—VEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D1/24—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by arrangements for particular functions
    • B60D1/248—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by arrangements for particular functions for measuring, indicating or displaying the weight
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60D—VEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D1/58—Auxiliary devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60D—VEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00—Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D1/58—Auxiliary devices
    • B60D1/66—Props
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01G—WEIGHING
    • G01G19/00—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups
    • G01G19/08—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups for incorporation in vehicles

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Force Measurement Appropriate To Specific Purposes (AREA)

Abstract

A support for measuring the weight on the front, coupling, end of a drawn vehicle, such as a caravan or trailer, includes a wheel-carrying pivoted bar 11 which, when the wheel is in contact with the ground, is pivoted against springs 3 and 4 to cause a pointer 1 to move against a scale 15 to indicate the load. A skid plate 13 is shown as an alternative to the wheel 12 and when this is used a indicator 6 moves relative to a linear scale, against a spring 9. The scales may have different colours to show whether the loading is safe or not. The upper end of the support includes a screw threaded hole 14 to which the ball of a ball hitch may be attached.

Description

LOAD INDICATING DEVICE This invention relates to a load-indicating device for use with a drawn vehicle It has been recognized for some time now that to safely tow a drawn vehicle the drawn vehicle must be correctly loaded with regard to weight distribution.
Most manufacturers of automobiles quote the vehicles maximum towing weights. Most manufacturers of automobiles also quote the"TOW BALL LOADING". This is the weight, force, or load placed on the drawing vehicle at the point of connection by the drawn vehicle.
This invention is designed to give an indication of the load the drawn vehicle would place on the towing vehicle BEFORE it is attached to the towing vehicle.
This invention is designed so it can be fitted to the draw bar of a drawn vehicle by any means. E. g. clamp or bolt. This invention is also designed to replace directly any existing forward supports as used on drawn vehicles such as a"jockey wheel".
A particular use of the invention is described by way of example in FIG 1.
The detail of the invention is shown in FIG 2.
The following is a basic list of parts.
1, pointer, fixed to 11 2, pivot 3, compressive medium, e. g. rubber 4 tension medium, e. g. spring 5 inner tube 6 indicator pin 7 vertical indicator scale 8 slot in tube 9 compression spring 10 outer tube 11 horizontal bar 12 wheel 13 skid plate 14 threaded hole for accessories 15 indicator scale for pointer 1 The following is a description of the invention and how it works.
The invention has two indicating parts, principally the pointer 1, and the pin 6. The pointer 1 is fixed to the horizontal bar 11. The wheel 12 is fixed to the horizontal bar 11. The horizontal bar 11 pivots around the pivot 2.
Resistance to this angular motion is provided by the tension medium 4 e. g. spring and the compressive medium 3 e. g. rubber.
The invention works as in the following.
When the wheel 12 is NOT in contact with the ground, the horizontal bar 11 will be forced by the tension and compressive mediums 4 and 3 to pivot in a circular direction. This will cause the pointer 1 to follow suit. The pointer 1 will then be pointing to the lower end of the indicator scale 15.
This will indicate no load.
As more load is placed on the drawn vehicle the invention complete with wheel 12 will touch the ground. This will cause the horizontal bar 11 to move circularly around the pivot 2. The tension and compressive mediums 3 and 4 will be gradually overcome allowing the pointer to move angularly around the indicator scale 15. The indicator scale is calibrated to show either the load in Kg or green (safe) and red (unsafe) loading.
This invention is also designed to accept a skid plate 13 for use as an alternative for the wheel 12.
When the skid plate 13 or the wheel 12 is used a different load indicating scale can be used. This is the load indicating scale 7.
The following is a description of how this part of the invention works.
When a vertical load acts upon the invention the inner tube 5 is pushed inside the outer tube 10. resistance to this action is provided by the internal compression spring 9. The indicator pin 6 is fixed to the inner tube 5 and protrudes through a slot 8 in the outer tube 10. As the inner tube 5 slides up the outer tube 10 the indicator pin 6 moves accordingly. On the outer tube 10 there is an indicator scale 7. As the load increases on the invention the more the inner tube 5 and the indicator pin 6 will slide up the outer tube 10.
Thus indicating more load on the indicator scale 7. The indicator scale 7 is also calibrated to read either Kg or red (unsafe) and green (safe) or both.
The outer tube 10 has in the top of it a hole, which can be internally threaded to accept accessories. One named accessory is a ball as shown in FIG 3. This is to allow the invention to be coupled directly to the drawn vehicles tow coupling. This also allows the use of the invention as an independent load indicating support device.

Claims (7)

  1. CLAIMS 1. A load-indicating device to indicate the load that is present at the coupling end of a drawn vehicle before it is attached to the drawing vehicle.
  2. 2. A load-indicating device as in claim I where means are provided to attach it to the drawn vehicle.
  3. 3. A load indicating device as in claims 1 and 2 which has either a wheel or a skid plate in contact with the ground.
  4. 4. A load indicating device as in the above claims which uses either compressive or tensioning mediums or both as a resistance to load.
  5. 5. A load indicating device which has a means of height adjustment.
  6. 6. A load indicating device which has an accessory to enable direct attachment to a drawn vehicles coupling.
  7. 7. A load-indicating device as in the above claims as described herein with reference to figures 1 and 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
GB9929602A 1999-12-16 1999-12-16 Device for indicating the weight to be exerted by the tow hitch of a towed vehicle Withdrawn GB2348289A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9929602A GB2348289A (en) 1999-12-16 1999-12-16 Device for indicating the weight to be exerted by the tow hitch of a towed vehicle

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9929602A GB2348289A (en) 1999-12-16 1999-12-16 Device for indicating the weight to be exerted by the tow hitch of a towed vehicle

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9929602D0 GB9929602D0 (en) 2000-02-09
GB2348289A true GB2348289A (en) 2000-09-27

Family

ID=10866341

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9929602A Withdrawn GB2348289A (en) 1999-12-16 1999-12-16 Device for indicating the weight to be exerted by the tow hitch of a towed vehicle

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2348289A (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE20313356U1 (en) 2003-08-27 2003-10-23 AL-KO Kober AG, 89359 Kötz Support device of a trailer drawbar of a car trailer
GB2417332A (en) * 2004-08-19 2006-02-22 Bradley Doublelock Ltd Monitoring loading of a trailer
EP2178785A2 (en) * 2007-07-16 2010-04-28 Cequent Trailer Products Jack assembly
US9333823B2 (en) 2013-12-23 2016-05-10 Hossein Shahroodi Gravitationally aligning wheels
EP2280263B1 (en) * 2009-07-30 2019-05-15 Hein, Herr Thomas Supporting load measuring device and retrofitting method for a vehicle trailer device

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB917351A (en) * 1960-03-03 1963-02-06 Leslie Bentley Improvements in or relating to caravans and trailers
US3797594A (en) * 1973-07-20 1974-03-19 J Chaffee Trailer tongue weight scale
US4056155A (en) * 1976-03-01 1977-11-01 Wahl Martin H Portable trailer tongue weight scale
GB2337605A (en) * 1998-05-07 1999-11-24 Raymond Bostock Nose weight indicator for a trailer or caravan

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB917351A (en) * 1960-03-03 1963-02-06 Leslie Bentley Improvements in or relating to caravans and trailers
US3797594A (en) * 1973-07-20 1974-03-19 J Chaffee Trailer tongue weight scale
US4056155A (en) * 1976-03-01 1977-11-01 Wahl Martin H Portable trailer tongue weight scale
GB2337605A (en) * 1998-05-07 1999-11-24 Raymond Bostock Nose weight indicator for a trailer or caravan

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE20313356U1 (en) 2003-08-27 2003-10-23 AL-KO Kober AG, 89359 Kötz Support device of a trailer drawbar of a car trailer
GB2417332A (en) * 2004-08-19 2006-02-22 Bradley Doublelock Ltd Monitoring loading of a trailer
EP2178785A2 (en) * 2007-07-16 2010-04-28 Cequent Trailer Products Jack assembly
EP2178785A4 (en) * 2007-07-16 2011-04-06 Cequent Trailer Products Jack assembly
US8523148B2 (en) 2007-07-16 2013-09-03 Cequent Trailer Products, Inc. Jack assembly
EP2280263B1 (en) * 2009-07-30 2019-05-15 Hein, Herr Thomas Supporting load measuring device and retrofitting method for a vehicle trailer device
US9333823B2 (en) 2013-12-23 2016-05-10 Hossein Shahroodi Gravitationally aligning wheels

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9929602D0 (en) 2000-02-09

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)