Towline reel

Abstract

A towline reel assembly having a cable wound on the reel, is to be removably connected to a receiver mounted to a towing vehicle. The reel is pivotally wound to the tubular hitch to allow pivotal movement in the vertical plane. A latch is provided to latch the reel at a selected pivotal position. The reel is further mounted to the hitch to allow pivotal movement in horizontal plane. A cable cover is positioned to enclose the cable wound on the reel. This cable cover has a slit through which a free end of the towline cable is extended.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A towline reel assembly to be removably connected to a receiver mounted to a towing vehicle comprising: 
 a rotatable reel having a hub and an axle with a longitudinal axis;    towline cable wound on the hub of the reel;    a tubular hitch to be removably connected to the receiver of the towing vehicle;    means for pivotally mounting the reel to the tubular hitch for pivotal movement of the reel with respect to the tubular hitch in a vertical plane; and    latch means for latching the reel at a selected pivotal position.    
     
     
         2 . The towline reel according to  claim 1  further including a locking means for locking the reel at a selected rotated position.  
     
     
         3 . The towline reel according to  claim 1  wherein the tubular hitch is divided into two members and the two members aligned coaxially and connected together with an elongate plate having one end fixedly secured to one member and the other end pivotally secured to the other member to allow pivotal movement of the two members with respect to one another in a horizontal plane.  
     
     
         4 . The towline reel according to  claim 1  further including a pair of squared “U”-shaped hand-hold members positioned in an orthogonal relation each spanning across and spaced apart from the reel with the free ends of each member attached on either side of the reel to the means for mounting the reel to the tubular hitch.  
     
     
         5 . A towline reel assembly to be removably connected to a receiver mounted to a towing vehicle comprising: 
 a rotatable reel having a hub and an axle with a longitudinal axis;    towline cable wound on the hub of the reel;    a tubular hitch to be removably connected to the receiver of the towing vehicle;    means for connecting the axle of the reel to the tubular hitch;    a cylindrically-shaped hollow cable cover positioned to enclose the cable wound on the hub of the reel;    the cable cover having a longitudinal axis positioned to run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the axle of the reel and the cable cover having a slit extending through the cable cover and positioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cable cover; and    the towline cable having a free end extending through the slit.    
     
     
         6 . A towline reel assembly according to  claim 5  further including a hand crank for manually rotating the axle of the reel.