A base is secured to a mounting member extending from a towing vehicle and having an upstanding ball element. A retention member carried by the base is selectively movable to a position over a socket element which extends from a towed vehicle and which is detachably engaged downwardly over the ball element. The retention member limits the upward travel of the socket element and maintains engagement of the coupling. The retention member is held in position by lock means. A resilient member is disposed between the base and the retention member to prevent the retention member from rattling against the base.

The ball member of a trailer hitch is bolted to a tongue piece and is coaxially surrounded at its base by a raised rim integrally formed with the tongue piece. A ball cover is pivotally mounted on the tongue piece and is movable from an open position to a closed position covering the ball. Means are provided for locking the cover in the closed position so that the cover prevents the trailer socket member from disengaging from the ball and together with the rim prevents the ball from disengaging with the tongue piece either vertically or horizontally.

The present invention relates to a releasable lock mechanism (10) for preventing accidental displacement of a hitch tow pin (24). The tow pin (24) is alternately released and locked in place by pivoting a cam lever (40) 180 degrees which action causes a spring biased member (28) horizontally supported by a support bracket (12) to slide forward over the hitch tow pin (24) and alternately backward away from the hitch tow pin (24) to enable the hitch tow pin (24) to be readily removed.

A trailer hitch having a tubular column between a hitch ball and a towing vehicle. A mating shaft with a horizontal retaining plate has a mating shaft fitting removably within the tubular column. A pin through mating openings in the shaft and tubular column maintain the retaining plate above a trailer arm socket mounted on the hitch ball. A guide with a pair of tapered vertical walls forming a horizontal V-shape has a mating shaft which fits alternately in the tubular column to guide a trailer arm into engagement with the hitch ball.

An improved trailer hitch is disclosed for coupling a towing vehicle and a trailer. The invention is suitable for accommodating both ball and socket-type couplings and ring and pintle-type couplings. The integral body of the trailer hitch has the known elements of a rear mount for attaching the body to a towing vehicle, a ball housing with a bore for mounting a removable ball stud, a plate for mating with a towed vehicle, and a passge for connecting a latching arm. The improvement comprises four elements. First, the latching arm has a head, having a front face and a rear face, and a pair of substantially parallel legs integrally attached to opposite sides of the head and extending beyond the faces of the head. Each leg has an aperture for mating with the passage of the integral body and engaging a pin. Second, to prevent rotation of the latching arm, a notch on the integral body seats the rear face of the latching arm. Third, a pin is provided for insertion through the apertures of the legs and the passage of the integral body to lock the latching arm in place. This pin engages the final element of the improvement: a locking device prevents the pin from disengaging the apertures and passage. By including an insert into the passage of the integral body, the latching arm can attain multiple fixed positions and the hitch can accommodate a variety of different sized ball couplings.