Adjustable Stationary Hitch for Level Trailer Loading Indoors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions require maintaining the ATV trailer tongue connected to a towing vehicle during loading and unloading, making it impossible to load and unload ATVs in garages, and pose risks of damage or injury due to the trailer gate falling and tongue lifting.
Innovation Solution
A stationary hitch with a vertical post and adjustable sleeve system that allows secure attachment of the trailer tongue to a garage floor, ensuring the tongue remains parallel to the ground and includes locking mechanisms to prevent theft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the trailer tongue is connected to a towing vehicle during loading and unloading, then the trailer remains stable, but it becomes impossible to load and unload ATVs in garages
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary hitch acts as an intermediary support structure between the trailer tongue and the garage floor. It provides a fixed mounting point that replaces the towing vehicle's hitch during loading operations, allowing the trailer to be positioned and stabilized within the garage without requiring connection to a moving vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The stationary hitch is pre-installed and positioned in the garage before the ATV needs to be loaded. The adjustable sleeve can be pre-configured to the appropriate height, and the ball connector is ready in place, eliminating the need to move the trailer out of the garage and reducing setup time for loading operations.
2Ease of operation
If a movable stand or platform is used to support the trailer tongue in the garage, then loading and unloading becomes possible, but the trailer gate falls and tongue lifts causing damage or injury
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a movable stand that supports the trailer tongue from below (causing the gate to fall and tongue to lift), the stationary hitch inverts the support mechanism by providing a fixed mounting point that maintains the tongue in a stable, level position parallel to the ground, preventing the harmful effects of gate falling and tongue lifting.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable sleeve with multiple holes at different heights provides dynamic adaptability, allowing the ball connector to be positioned at various heights to accommodate different trailer types and configurations. This ensures proper alignment and stability for each specific application, preventing the tongue from lifting and the gate from falling.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sleeve height is fixed, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate different trailer heights
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable sleeve is segmented with multiple holes positioned at different heights along its length. This segmentation allows the sleeve to be configured for various trailer heights by selecting the appropriate hole for fastener attachment, providing versatility without requiring multiple complete hitch assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the height parameter of the ball connector by using an adjustable sleeve that can be positioned at different vertical levels. The spaced holes in the sleeve allow for discrete height adjustments, accommodating different trailer heights while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A stationary hitch having a flat base for installation on a flat garage floor surface, or other surface, and includes a vertical pole extending therefrom that has spaced aligned holes formed to receive pins for mounting a slide at a selected height that includes a right angle arm extending from a forward face to provide a seat for maintaining a trailer ball connector that receives a trailer tongue cup connector for mounting the trailer, at a selected height, to maintain the trailer bed in a rigid flat attitude such that, when the trailer tail gate top edge is lowered to the floor, the trailer tail gate forms a stable ramp that an ATV, or the like, can be safely moved up and onto the trailer bed.