Hitch

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A MOWER BASE FRAME ATTACHABLE TO A TRACTOR FOR SELECTIVELY MOUNTING ONE OF A NUMBER OF MOWER CUTTER BARS OF VARIOUS LENGTHS ON THE TRACTOR WITH THE MOUNTED CUTTER BAR EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM SAID BASE FRAME TO MOW A SWATH OF STANDING CROP MATERIAL, HITCH MECHANISM FOR TRAILING A CROP CONDITIONER IMPLEMENT BEHIND SAID BASE FRAME TO CONDITION THE PRECEDINGLY MOWED SWATH, SAID HITCH MECHANISM COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MEMBER EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID BASE FRAME AND HAVING FRONT AND REAR ENDS LATERALLY OFFSET FROM EACH OTHER A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, MEANS FOR FIXEDLY ATTACHING SAID FRONT END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER TO SAID BASE FRAME SELECTIVELY IN EITHER A RIGHT SIDE UP OR AN UPSIDE DOWN ORIENTATION TO SELECTIVELY DISPOSE SAID LATERALLY OFFSET REAR END PORTION OF THE MEMBER EITHER TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT OF SAID FRONT END OF SAID MEMBER, A CONNECTOR MEMBER SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE ALONG EITHER SIDE OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AT SAID REAR END PORTION OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER, SAID CONNECTOR MEMBER HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH TO RECEIVE THE HITCH PIN OF A CROP CONDITIONER IMPLEMENT, AND PIVOT MEANS MOUNTING SAID CONNECTOR MEMBER ON SAID REAR END PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS TRANSVERSE TO SAID ELONGATED MEMBER WITH SAID APERTURE DISPOSED LATERALLY FROM SAID REAR END PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER A DISTANCE UNEQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE WHEREBY SAID HITCHING MECHANISM MAY BE SELECTIVELY ASSEMBLED ON SAID FRAME IN ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF WAYS TO LATERALLY VARY THE LOCATION OF THE HITCH PIN APERTURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PARTICULAR LENGTH OF MOWER CUTTER BAR CARRIED BY SAID BASE FRAME FOR PROPERLY CENTERING A TRAILING CONDITIONER IMPLEMENT RELATIVE TO THE SWATH OF CUT CROP MATERIAL UPON WHICH IT OPERATES.