US 7,526,883 B2
Plow hitch with cam locking blocks
Charles S. Musso, Jr., Hammondsport, N.Y. (US); Tom W. Musso, Bath, N.Y. (US); and Brian Weaver, Prattsburgh, N.Y. (US)
Assigned to SP Fabricators, LLC, Prattsburgh, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Nov. 21, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/602,611.
Prior Publication US 2008/0115392 A1, May 22, 2008
Int. Cl. E01H 5/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 37—231  [37/235; 172/275] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plow hitch assembly, comprising:
a substantially horizontal hitch frame having a front end with front end effector to mount a plow, and an opposite, back end;
a lift frame pivotally connected to and extending vertically from the back end of the hitch frame, and having a back end effector for mounting to a vehicle;
an actuating system connected between the lift frame and the front end effector for raising and lowering the hitch frame and plow together relative to said back end effector;
wherein the back end effector includes two substantially parallel, spaced arms extending rearward from the lift frame for mating with respective spaced guides on a vehicle mount frame as the vehicle moves toward the back of the hitch frame, and two spaced latches for engaging a latch bar on the vehicle mount frame when the arms are fully mated with the guides;
each latch being rotatably connected to the lift frame and comprising a recess such that in a first rotational position the recess faces rearward for receiving the bar as the vehicle guides fully mate with the arms and in a second rotational position the recess faces vertical to capture and prevent the bar from moving horizontally out of the lift frame;
a latch handle extending from at least one latch, for rotating the latch between said first and second positions;
a stop surface on the latch remote from the recess;
a lock block supported by the lift frame, and abutting said stop surface to prevent rotation of the latch when the latch is in said second position;
means for selectively holding the lock block at said stop surface;
a lock handle operatively associated with the lock block, for selectively pulling the lock block away from the stop surface;
whereby an operator can operate the lock handle to pull the block away from the stop surface, thereby freeing the latch to rotate from said second to said first position;
an intermediate region between said ends having spaced apart, rigid beams;
a box frame having generally opposed, rigid walls overlying respective portions of the spaced beams;
a jack tube horizontally spanning and rotationally supported by the box frame walls;
a jack leg extending transversely from the jack tube, rotatable with said jack tube between a retracted position substantially between the box frame walls and a deployed position substantially vertical below the jack tube;
an elongated, rigid actuator slidable obliguely between the box frame walls and the spaced beams, having one end attached to the jack leg and another end projecting above the box frame walls;
means carried by the box frame for selective attachment to the actuator in (a) a first, retracted holding position, attached intermediate the ends of the actuator in which the actuator holds the jack leg in said retracted position, (b) a second, detached, actuating position in which the actuator is slidable between the box frame walls and spaced beams to rotate the tube, and (c) a third, deployed holding position attached closer to said other end of the actuator in which the actuator holds the jack leg in the deployed position;
a jack screw with expandable lift platform interposed between the tube and the leg; and
a socket at one end of the tube, operatively connected to the jack screw, for cooperating with a crank to selectively expand or contract said lift platform and thereby adjust the length of the extension of said leg from said tube.