Field of the Invention

[0001 ] This invention relates generally to tow hitch coupling for vehicular wheelbarrow transportation.

Background of the Invention

[0002] A wheelbarrow is a relatively large implement and the vehicular transportation thereof by gardeners, construction workers and the like is difficult without a vehicle having sufficient tray or roof rack space.

[0003] Various prior art arrangements have proposed wheeling wheelbarrows on dollies or towing wheelbarrows by handle so that the wheel thereof contacts the road but which are not feasible for public road or highway transportation.

[0004] The present invention seeks to provide a way to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative.

[0005] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

Summary of the Disclosure

[0006] There is provided herein a tow hitch coupling for vehicular wheelbarrow transportation.

[0007] The coupling comprises a hitch mount which is connectable to a hitch of a vehicle. The coupling further comprises a wheelbarrow mounted bracket which mounts the hitch mount to carry a wheelbarrow on the hitch mount in use without any part of the coupling or the wheelbarrow touching ground. As such, the present coupling can be used for public road and or highway transportation.

[0008] The bracket preferably attaches to a front of the wheelbarrow so that in use, the wheelbarrow can be wheeled to the mount and then pivoted upwards by the handles thereof so that the bracket mounts the mount, and the wheelbarrow is carried upright on top of the hitch mount. In this position, the wheelbarrow takes up little space rear of the vehicle and fits between the tail lights which must remain visible.

[0009] The bracket may comprise a clamp which clamps to the tray braces of the vehicle. The clamp may be adjusted along the tray braces to adjust the height of the bracket so that the bracket can engage on top of the mount when the wheelbarrow is wheeled up to the mount in use.

[0010] The bracket may use a mounting plate to mount to a mounting assembly of the mount and the offset between the clamp and the mounting plate may be adjustable to adjust the extent to which the mounting plate extends in front of the wheelbarrow.

[0011 ] When attached to the tray braces, the bracket is concealed between the tray and the wheel of the wheelbarrow thereby not substantially affecting the normal use of the wheelbarrow for wheeling, tipping operations and the like.

[0012] The mounting assembly may comprise a latch which latches the mounting plate of the bracket to prevent the wheelbarrow disconnecting from the coupling. The latch may automatically latch when the wheelbarrow is pivoted onto the mount and may be released by kicking a kickplate whilst pulling against handles of the wheelbarrow. The latch may be lockable to prevent unauthorised removal of the wheelbarrow.

[0013] Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0015] Figure 1 shows a tow hitch coupling for transporting a wheelbarrow on a vehicle;

[0016] Figure 2 shows a side elevation view of the coupling;

[0017] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the coupling;

[0018] Figure 4 shows a further perspective view of the coupling;

[0019] Figure 5 shows an underside perspective view of a mounting assembly of the coupling;

[0020] Figure 6 shows an end elevation view of the coupling; [0021 ] Figure 7 illustrates a wheelbarrow mounted bracket of the coupling going into a tray of the mounting assembly;

[0022] Figure 8 illustrates the racket engaged by the tray of the mounting assembly; and

[0023] Figures 9 - 1 1 show a side elevation view illustrating how the bracket pivotally mounted onto the mounting assembly.

Description of Embodiments

[0024] A tow hitch coupling 100 for vehicular wheelbarrow transportation comprises a hitch mount 101 and a wheelbarrow mounted bracket 102 which mounts the hitch mount 101 in the manner shown in Figure 1 to carry a wheelbarrow 103 on top of the hitch mount 100. As can be seen, no part of the hitch mount 100 or wheelbarrow 103 touches ground.

[0025] As is further shown in Figure 1 , the bracket 102 may attach to a front of the wheelbarrow 103. As such, in use, the wheelbarrow 103 can be wheeled up to the mount 101 and then pivoted upwards by the handles 104 thereof so that the bracket

102 mounts the mount 101 and the wheelbarrow 103 is carried upright on top of the hitch mount 101 in the manner shown in Figure 1.

[0026] The bracket 102 may be configured to attached to vertical tray braces 105 of the wheelbarrow 103. Furthermore, the bracket 102 may be configured to attach at more than one position along the vertical tray braces 105 so that the height of the bracket 102 can be set with respect to the mount 101 when the wheelbarrow 103 is wheeled to the mount 101 in use. Specifically, the bracket 102 would be attached to the braces 105 at the appropriate height so that when the wheelbarrow 103 is wheeled to the mount 101 , the bracket 102 is just above the mount 101 so that the wheelbarrow

103 can be pivoted upwards so that the bracket 102 engages down into the mount 101.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the bracket 102 may comprise a clamp 106 which clamps the tray braces 105. The clamp 106 may comprise two clamp plates 107 which clamp either side of the tray braces 105. [0028] The clamp plates 107 may be sufficiently wide to span between the braces 105 and preferably wider than 200 mm. In embodiments, the clamp plates 107 are approximately 277 mm wide.

[0029] Inner faces of the clamp plates 107 may have teeth to immovably engaged the braces 105.

[0030] The bracket 102 may comprise threaded rods 108 extending through the clamp plates 107 and having locking nuts 109 which can bear oppositely against the clamp plates 107 along the threaded rods 108.

[0031 ] The bracket 102 may further comprise a mounting plate 1 10 and the position of the locknuts 109 can be adjusted to adjust the offset of the clamp 106 and the mounting plate 110. As such, the extent to which the mounting plate 110 extended front of the wheelbarrow 103 may be adjusted by making adjustments to the locking nuts 109.

[0032] The hitch mount 101 may comprise a towbar 11 1 horizontally holding a mount assembly 1 12.

[0033] A distal end of the towbar 1 1 1 may fit within a receiver 1 13 of a vehicle in the manner shown in Figure 1. The distal end may comprise hitch pin apertures 114 for the receiver 113.

[0034] A proximal end of the towbar 1 11 may be slidably retained through a sleeve 115 of the mount assembly 1 12 so that the position of the mount assembly 1 12 along the towbar 1 11 can be adjusted.

[0035] As is shown, the sleeve 1 15 may comprise a pair of locking pin or bolt apertures 130 and the proximal end of the towbar 11 1 may comprise a plurality of corresponding pairs 1 16 of locking pin apertures each of which may engage the sleeve 115 along the length of the proximal end of the towbar 11 1.

[0036] In embodiments, when the sleeve 1 15 is engaged to the most proximal pair 116 of apertures, the coupling 100 comprises a total length of approximately 670 mm. [0037] The mounting plate 1 10 may comprise lateral rocker flanges 1 17 which pivot onto the mount assembly 112. Furthermore, the mount assembly 1 12 may comprise lateral angle guides 1 18 which centrally guide the rocker flanges 117. [0038] Figures 9 - 11 illustrates the manner in which the rocker flanges 1 17 assist the pivoting of the bracket 102 onto the mount assembly 1 12.

[0039] In embodiments, the mount assembly 1 12 may latch against opposite edges of the mounting plate 110. Specifically, the mount assembly 1 12 may comprise a fixed edge 1 19 and a latch 121 having a movable edge 120. The mounting assembly 112 may latch opposite long sides of the mounting plate 1 10 between the fixed edge 119 and the movable edge 120. Specifically, as is shown in Figures 9 and 10, the fixed edge 1 19 and the movable edge 120 may be relatively close together. However, as the mounting plate 1 10 pivots onto the mount assembly 1 12 is shown in Figure 1 1 , the movable edge 120 moves away from the fixed edge 1 19 to allow for a distal edge

122 of the mounting plate 110.

[0040] As is also shown in Figure 10, the latch 121 may define an angled guide 123 above the movable edge 120 to guide the distal edge 122 of the mounting plate 110. The distal edge 122 of the mounting plate 110 may push against the angled guide

123 to displace the movable edge 120 away from the fixed edge 1 19.

[0041 ] Figure 5 shows the latch 121 being platelike and extending from a rear to a front of a tray 124 of the mounting assembly 112. Edges of the latch 121 may be engaged between the rails 125 so that the latch 121 may move with respect to the tray 124.

[0042] The latch 121 may expose a kickplate 126 from a front of the mounting assembly 1 12 which, when depressed, causes the movable edge 1 0 to move away from the fixed edge 1 19.

[0043] The kickplate 126 may move relative to a fixed flange 127 and which may be constrained by slider bolts 128 having compression springs therearound to bias the kickplate 126 away from the fixed flange 127 to automatically close the movable edge 120 towards the fixed edge 119.

[0044] The latch 121 may comprise locking apertures 129 through which a padlock may be inserted to prevent the latch 127 moving with respect to the tray 124 so that the latch 121 can be locked to prevent removal of the wheelbarrow 103. [0045] Mounting the wheelbarrow 103 to the vehicle may comprise installing the coupling 100 by inserting the distal end of the towbar 1 11 into the vehicle hitch receiver 113 and locking the towbar 1 11 therein with a hitch pin going through the hitch pin apertures 114.

[0046] Thereafter, the bracket 102 may be attached to the wheelbarrow 103. The clamp 106 may clamp to the tray braces 105 of the wheelbarrow and the locknuts 109 thereof to adjust the vertical offset of the bracket 102 and the extent to which the mounting plate 1 10 extended front of the wheelbarrow 103.

[0047] Thereafter, the wheelbarrow 103 may be wheeled up to the mount 101 so that the mounting plate 1 10 is just above the mounting assembly 1 12.

[0048] The wheelbarrow 103 may then be pivoted upwards using the handles 104 wherein the mounting plate 110 pivots into the tray 124 of the mounting assembly 112. The lateral rocker flanges 1 17 may assist the pivoting of the wheelbarrow 103. Furthermore, the lateral angle guides 1 19 may guide the lateral rocker flanges 1 07 centrally, especially given that the user may lose visibility of the mounting assembly 112 behind the tray of the wheelbarrow 103.

[0049] Upward pivoting of the wheelbarrow may cause the distal edge 112 of the mounting plate 1 10 to push the movable edge 120 away from the fixed edge 1 19 by sliding against the angled guide 123 whereafter the latch 112 snaps back into position because of the compression springs around the slider bolts 128 to lock the mounting plate 1 10 to the mounting assembly 1 12. With the fixed edge 1 19 and the movable edge 120 being horizontal, the mounting plate 120 cannot be removed from the tray 124.

[0050] The wheelbarrow 103 may be further secured to the vehicle using straps if necessary.

[0051 ] As such, the wheelbarrow 103 may be transported using the coupling 100 wherein no part of the coupling 100 or the wheelbarrow 103 touches the road surface. [0052] The wheelbarrow 103 may be subsequently removed from the mount 101 by holding the handles 104 in both hands and kicking the kickplate 126 with one foot to disengage the latch 121. [0053] The wheelbarrow 103 may be pivoted downwardly, assisted by the rocker flanges 1 17, until the wheel thereof contacts ground whereafter the wheelbarrow 103 may be wheeled in the normal manner.

[0054] The bracket 120 is discreetly engaged between the tray and the wheel of the wheelbarrow 103, thereby not adversely hindering the normal operation of the wheelbarrow.

[0055] The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practise the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed as obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.

[0056] The term “approximately” or similar as used herein should be construed as being within 10% of the value stated unless otherwise indicated.