Swivel jack assembly

Abstract

The swivel jack assembly is used with trailers to vertically position a trailer tongue for mounting onto a hitch of the towing vehicle. The swivel jack assembly includes a jack-mounting bracket welded to an outer housing of the jack, and a tongue-mounting bracket mounted onto the tongue portion of a trailer. The jack also includes a novel swivel mechanism for pivoting the mechanism in either an upright support position or a horizontal stowed position. A cup-shaped section of the jack-mounting bracket nests within a cup-shaped section of the tongue-mounting bracket. When in the upright position, the jack extends vertically and may be used to raise or lower the tongue and support the trailer. The swivel jack assembly keeps the trailer in a level position when the trailer is disengaged from the towing vehicle. The swivel jack assembly is pivotally mounted onto the trailer tongue such that they can be pivotally repositioned to a stowed position when not in use.

1. A swivel jack assembly for repositioning a trailer tongue, the swivel jack assembly comprising:
 a tongue-mounting bracket for engagement onto a trailer tongue, the tongue-mounting bracket including a first cup section, the first cup section having an aperture;   a jack-mounting bracket including means for locking attachment to a jack, the jack-mounting bracket including a second cup section with an orifice disposed therethrough, the jack-mounting bracket orifice being in general alignment with the tongue-mounting bracket aperture when one of the cup sections is nested within the other cup section; and   a locking mechanism for securely retaining the jack-mounting bracket to the tongue-mounting bracket when the cup sections are nested together, the locking mechanism including a shank extending through the jack-mounting bracket opening and the tongue-mounting bracket aperture, the shank having a released position and a secured position;   
       whereby the shank is in the released position when the tongue-mounting bracket pivotally rotates relative to the jack-mounting bracket from an upright engaged position to a stowed disengaged position, the shank is in the secured position when the cup sections are nested together and the jack-mounting bracket is securely engaged to the tongue-mounting bracket in the upright engaged position. 
     
     
       2. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shank is in the secured position when the jack-mounting bracket is secured in the stowed disengaged position. 
     
     
       3. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism includes a bushing having a hollow shank and a bushing head, the bushing head abutting the jack-mounting bracket, the bushing shank extending through the orifice in the jack-mounting bracket. 
     
     
       4. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism includes a spacer, the spacer preventing the jack-mounting bracket from abutting the tongue-mounting bracket. 
     
     
       5. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a bushing extending through the orifice in the jack-mounting bracket, a fastener having a fastener head disposed onto one end of a shank, the fastener head being accessible from the jack-mounting bracket, the fastener shank extending through the bushing and the aperture in the tongue-mounting bracket, a washer encircling the fastener shank, the washer abutting the tongue-mounting bracket, and a locknut threadably mounted onto the fastener opposite the fastener head, the lockout being in cooperative engagement with the fastener head to retain the jack-mounting bracket to the tongue-mounting bracket. 
     
     
       6. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first cup section has a generally convex configuration and the second cup section has a generally concave configuration, the second cup section nesting within the first cup section. 
     
     
       7. A swivel jack assembly for repositioning a trailer tongue, the swivel jack assembly having an engaged position and a disengaged position, the swivel jack assembly comprising:
 a tongue-mounting bracket for engagement with the trailer tongue, the tongue-mounting bracket including a first cup section, the first cup section having a generally convex configuration with an aperture disposed therethrough;   a jack-mounting bracket including means for locking attachment to a jack, the jack-mounting bracket including a second cup section with an orifice disposed therethrough, the jack-mounting bracket orifice being in general alignment with the tongue-mounting bracket aperture when one of the cup sections is nested within the other cup section; and   a locking mechanism for securely retaining the jack-mounting bracket to the tongue-mounting bracket when the cup sections are nested together, the locking mechanism comprising a fastener, a bushing, a locknut, and a washer, the fastener having a fastener head and a fastener shank, the fastener shank extending through the bushing, the fastener head being accessible from the jack-mounting bracket, the bushing extending through the jack-mounting bracket, and the locknut being disposed on the shank opposite the fastener head;   
       whereby the shank is in the released position when the tongue-mounting bracket pivotally rotates relative to the jack-mounting bracket from an upright engaged position to a stowed disengaged position, and the shank is in the secured position when the cup sections are nested together and the jack-mounting bracket is securely engaged to the tongue-mounting bracket in the upright engaged position. 
     
     
       8. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the shank is in the secured position when the jack-mounting bracket is secured in the stowed disengaged position. 
     
     
       9. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the bushing has a hollow shank and a bushing head, the bushing head abutting the jack-mounting bracket, the bushing shank extending through the orifice in the jack-mounting bracket. 
     
     
       10. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the first cup section has a generally convex configuration and the second cup section has a generally concave configuration, the second cup section nesting within the first cup section. 
     
     
       11. A swivel jack assembly for repositioning a trailer tongue, the swivel jack assembly comprising:
 a tongue-mounting bracket for engagement onto a trailer tongue, the tongue-mounting bracket having an aperture;   a jack-mounting bracket for locking engagement with a jack, the jack-mounting bracket including means for locking attachment to a jack;   a swivel connection between the jack-mounting bracket and the tongue-mounting bracket, the swivel connection comprising a nesting engagement of a first cup section disposed within the tongue-mounting bracket and a second cup section disposed within the jack-mounting bracket,   the jack-mounting bracket orifice being in alignment with the tongue-mounting bracket aperture when the cup sections are nested together; and   a locking mechanism for securely retaining the jack-mounting bracket to the tongue-mounting bracket when the cup sections are nested together, the locking mechanism including a fastener shank and a bushing, the fastener shank extending through the jack-mounting bracket opening and the tongue-mounting bracket aperture, the bushing having a bushing shank and a bushing head, the bushing shank being hollow, the bushing head abutting the jack-mounting bracket, the bushing shank extending through the orifice in the jack-mounting bracket, the fastener shank extending through the bushing shank and being in a released position when the tongue-mounting bracket pivotally rotates relative to the jack-mounting bracket from an upright engaged position to a stowed disengaged position, and the shank being in a secured position when the cup sections are nested together and the jack-mounting bracket is securely engaged to the tongue-mounting bracket in the upright engaged position.   
     
     
       12. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the shank is in the secured position when the jack-mounting bracket is secured in the stowed disengaged position. 
     
     
       13. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the locking mechanism further comprises a bushing extending through the orifice in the jack-mounting bracket, a fastener having a fastener head disposed onto one end of a shank, the fastener head being accessible from the jack-mounting bracket, the fastener shank extending through the bushing and the aperture in the tongue-mounting bracket, a washer encircling the fastener shank, the washer abutting the tongue-mounting bracket, and a locknut threadably mounted onto the fastener opposite the fastener head, the locknut being in cooperative engagement with the fastener head to retain the jack-mounting bracket to the tongue-mounting bracket. 
     
     
       14. The swivel jack assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the first cup section has a generally convex configuration and the second cup section has a generally concave configuration, the second cup section nesting within the first cup section. 
     
     
       15. A swivel jack assembly for raising and lowering a trailer, said swivel jack assembly comprising:
 a jack having an outer housing;   a first mounting bracket connected to said jack housing;   a second mounting bracket connected to said trailer; and   a swivel connection for permitting rotational movement of said first mounting bracket relative to said second mounting bracket, the swivel connection comprising a pair of elements at least partially engaged with each other, wherein one element is a protrusion integrally formed with and extending from one of said first and said second mounting brackets and the second element is a recess disposed within the other one of said first and said second mounting brackets,   wherein the protrusion extends into and engages with an internal surface of the recess and rotational movement between said protrusion and said recess is permitted during engagement whereby the protrusion engaging with the internal surface of the recess forms nesting cups.   
     
     
       16. The swivel jack assembly of claim 15 wherein said first mounting bracket is permanently secured to the jack housing and said second mounting bracket is removably connectable to the trailer. 
     
     
       17. The swivel jack assembly of claim 15 wherein the protrusion has a first centered aperture therethrough and the recess has a second centered aperture therethrough. 
     
     
       18. The swivel jack assembly of claim 15 wherein the swivel connection further comprises a bolt and a nut, the bolt attaching the first mounting bracket to the second mounting bracket through a first centered aperture in the protrusion and a second centered aperture in the recess. 
     
     
       19. The swivel jack assembly of claim 18 wherein the swivel connection further comprises a bushing, the bushing extending through at least the aperture in the first mounting bracket. 
     
     
       20. The swivel jack assembly of claim 19, wherein the bushing further includes a head for abutting against the first mounting bracket. 
     
     
       21. The swivel jack assembly of claim 15 wherein the protrusion is cup-shaped and generally circular in cross-section. 
     
     
       22. The swivel jack assembly of claim 21 wherein the recess is cup-shaped and generally circular in cross-section. 
     
     
       23. The swivel jack assembly of claim 22, wherein the recess includes a peripheral wall that is substantially continuous and the protrusion includes a peripheral wall that is substantially continuous. 
     
     
       24. The swivel jack assembly of claim 15 further comprising means for selectively locking the jack into a vertical position and a horizontal position. 
     
     
       25. The swivel jack assembly of claim 15 wherein the protrusion is a generally centrally disposed convex cup within the first mounting bracket. 
     
     
       26. A swivel jack assembly for mounting to a trailer, comprising:
 a jack;   a jack-mounting bracket;   a trailer mounting bracket;   a swivel connection for permitting rotational movement of said jack-mounting bracket relative to said trailer mounting bracket, the swivel connection including a pair of axially aligned apertures and a fastener extending therethrough, the first aperture in the jack mounting bracket and the second aperture in the trailer mounting bracket, the jack mounting bracket including an integrally formed and generally protruding member extending therefrom and having the first aperture centrally located therethrough; and   a second protruding member extending from the trailer mounting bracket and having the second aperture centered therethrough, wherein engagement of the first protruding member with the second protruding member forms nesting cups.   
     
     
       27. The swivel jack assembly of claim 26, further comprising a bushing, the bushing extending through the first aperture. 
     
     
       28. The swivel jack assembly of claim 27 wherein the bushing has a bushing head abutting the jack mounting bracket. 
     
     
       29. The swivel jack assembly of claim 26 wherein the protruding member is generally circular in cross-section. 
     
     
       30. The swivel jack assembly of claim 29 wherein the second protruding member is generally circular in cross-section the protruding members together with the fastener, enable pivotal rotation of the jack mounting bracket with respect to the trailer mounting bracket. 
     
     
       31. The swivel jack assembly of claim 30 wherein the protruding members are cup sections and are each integral with a respective one of the jack and the trailer mounting brackets. 
     
     
       32. The swivel jack assembly of claim 31, wherein the protruding members each include a peripheral wall that is substantially continuous. 
     
     
       33. The swivel jack assembly of claim 30, wherein an exterior surface of one of said first and second protruding members engages an interior surface of the other of said first and second protruding members. 
     
     
       34. The swivel jack assembly of claim 26 further including a wheel yoke and a wheel, the wheel yoke attached to an end of the jack. 
     
     
       35. The swivel jack assembly of claim 26 further including means for selectively locking the jack in a vertical position and a horizontal stowed position. 
     
     
       36. The swivel jack assembly of claim 26, wherein the generally protruding member extends from the jack mounting bracket toward the trailer mounting bracket. 
     
     
       37. A swivel jack assembly of the type having a jack, a jack-mounting bracket, a trailer frame mounting bracket, a spring-loaded locking pin, and a swivel connection having a bolt connecting the jack mounting bracket and the trailer frame mounting bracket and enabling the jack mounting bracket to pivotally rotate with respect to the trailer frame mounting bracket, wherein the improvement comprises a pair of nesting cups,
 the first cup having a first centered bolt hole and disposed in the jack-mounting bracket and the second cup having a second centered bolt hole axially aligned with the first bolt hole and disposed in the trailer frame mounting bracket.   
     
     
       38. The swivel jack assembly of claim 37 wherein the swivel connection further includes a bushing having a bushing shank extending through the first bolt hole. 
     
     
       39. The swivel jack assembly of claim 37, wherein the pair of nesting cups each include a peripheral wall that is substantially continuous.