Ford designs pivoting trailer hitch
Ford engineers have designed a trailer hitch that pivots out of the way in which when not in use.
Described in a patent utility revealed by the United States Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on July 26, however filed by Ford again in 2021, the hitch receiver can transfer in order that it is parallel with a car’s rear bumper. It is in any other case a typical receiver that may accommodate a ball hitch or varied equipment like bike racks.
Ford pivoting trailer hitch patent picture
With the hitch pivoted out of the way in which, it is now not protruding the place it might grow to be an impediment to individuals’s legs when strolling across the again of the car, or scrape in opposition to the bottom if the car is pushed up a very steep incline, Ford notes within the utility. It additionally eliminates the necessity to take away the ball hitch, making issues a little bit extra handy for people who tow continuously.
The tubular receiver can be hooked up to the car’s body by way of a pin that enables it to rotate, with a lever arm that locks the receiver into place when it is stowed or deployed. The meeting might be moved by an electrical motor mounted behind the rear bumper, Ford suggests within the utility, which might flip a screw that causes the hitch meeting to pivot. This might be managed from contained in the car, Ford notes.
Ford pivoting trailer hitch patent picture
Patented concepts do not all the time translate into production-viable options, however given the significance of pickup vehicles and SUVs to Ford’s backside line, this one could have a greater probability than most of creating it onto a manufacturing car.
Toyota, in the meantime, has tried to patent retractable and moveable tow hooks. As an alternative of comfort, the automaker seems to be extra centered on security with this concept, noting in patent paperwork that protruding rigid-mounted tow hooks can transmit influence forces to different components of a car throughout a crash.
