A target and aiming method with apparatus for accurately lining up a towing vehicle to a tow-type recreational vehicle or trailer for easy hook-up. Attachable components for accurate alignment of the trailer tongue to the towing vehicle hitch ball through use of a pointer and a target strip on the rear window of the towing vehicle is detailed in the specification and illustrated in the drawings.

A unitary trailer alignment guide for positioning a towing vehicle with respect to a trailer for connecting a trailer hitch includes a base, a telescoping upright member, a telescoping horizontal member joined at one end to the upper end of the upright member and rotatable through 270 degrees at the joint, and a vertical locator member at the forward end of the horizontal member, remote from the joint. In use, a trailer guide is mounted on a trailer. The lengths of the telescoping vertical and horizontal members are adjusted so that the vertical locator member will touch the towing vehicle when the trailer is aligned with the towing vehicle in position for connecting the trailer hitch.

A device for assisting in vertically, longitudinally and laterally aligning two coupling members, one associated with a towing vehicle and the other associated with a towed vehicle, comprises a first sight member for positioning substantially perpendicularly directly over one coupling member and a second sight member for positioning substantially perpendicularly directly over the other coupling member, one sight member having a shaped portion permitting alignment to be achieved while the sight members are positioned over their respective coupling members. A memory device is provided for slidably mounting on one of the sight members to record the vertical distance of a coupling member from a common surface.

A trailer hitch alignment device includes a pointer assembly for mounting to a rear portion of a vehicle and a target assembly for mounting to the tongue of a trailer in order to align a towing ball on the vehicle with the socket portion of a trailer hitch mounted to the tongue of the trailer. The pointer assembly, including an elongated pointer and mounting means for mounting the pointer to the rear portion of a vehicle, is configured to accommodate virtually all vehicles. The target assembly includes an arcuate surface formed such that all points on the surface, in a predetermined plane, are equidistant from a preestablished center point and further includes indicating means for indicating when the pointer is perpendicular to the adjacent portion of the arcuate surface. When this perpendicular relationship is indicated, the pointer will be traversing the center point, which is mounted directly above the socket assembly, and thus the ball and socket will be aligned.

A hitch guide mechanism is disclosed for connection to a first tongue having a ball hitch thereon which is for mounting to a frame of a vehicle and a corresponding second tongue having a ball hitch socket for mounting to a frame of a trailer. The ball hitch includes a threaded stem and is received through a bore of the first tongue and is maintained by a threaded nut. The hitch guide mechanism includes a first member which connects to the first tongue and has a portion which extends generally vertically above the ball hitch. A second member connects to the second tongue and has a portion which extends generally vertically above the ball hitch socket. The first and second members can include separably removable sleeves. The portions extend a sufficient height when the members are so connected as to be rearwardly viewable when seated in the vehicle.