Cars, trucks, and sports utility vehicles are frequently used as towing vehicles to transport a towed vehicle, such as a trailer. Trailers are often designed to secure and haul cargo and be towed behind a towing vehicle. Trailers may be arranged to haul specific types of cargo such as boats, automobiles, consumer products, and the like.
Towed vehicles or trailers are typically supported by a frame that may be attached to the towing vehicle. A portion of the trailer frame may extend beyond the body of the trailer, toward the towing vehicle. This extended portion, called the tongue, may usually be formed by connecting two pieces of the trailer frame at a predetermined angle. Typically, a trailer frame coupler may then be attached to the tongue of the trailer. The trailer frame coupler may be shaped and sized to be connected to or engaged with a portion of the towing vehicle, such as a hitch ball.
Jacks and jack assemblies have long been used with towed vehicles or trailers. Typically, a jack assembly may be secured to a trailer, such as to the tongue of the trailer. The jack assembly may be utilized to assist in supporting or stabilizing the towing trailer in a level horizontal position while the trailer is uncoupled or detached from the towing vehicle by elevating one end of the trailer off the ground. In addition, a jack assembly may often be used to assist in engaging the towing trailer with the towing vehicle or disengaging the towing trailer from the towing vehicle. A jack assembly may also be utilized to change the vertical position or height of the tongue of a trailer, since the tongue may be mounted onto or dismounted from the hitch of a towing vehicle.
Typically, a jack or jack assembly may be mounted to the trailer tongue or directly to the frame coupler of a trailer. Traditional trailer frame couplers may include any appropriate means for securing or connecting the jack to the trailer coupler. Depending on the height of the trailer or jack being used, however, it may be advantageous to mount the jack at different heights relative to the trailer frame. It may also be advantageous to mount the jack at a specific orientation in order to allow various features of the jack, such as a handle, to be accessible.
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USPTO Backgrounds