Vehicle towing system

Claim 1

A wheeled vehicle adapted to be incorporated in a train of vehicles in which some vehicles are trailing vehicles with respect to some of the other vehicles and leading vehicles with respect to some of the other vehicles, said vehicle comprising a load-supporting body having a front end and a back end, a pair of axially aligned and axially spaced wheels fixed to the underside of said body adjacent said back end, a caster wheel assembly secured to the underside of said body adjacent said front end, coacting means on said body and said caster wheel assembly operable to releasably connect a trailing vehicle to an identical leading vehicle so that movement of said leading vehicle exerts a pulling force on said trailing vehicle applied at said caster wheel assembly, said coacting means comprising a mounting bracket secured to the underside of said body, a wheel support member mounted for swivelling movement about an upright axis on said bracket, a caster wheel rotatably mounted on said support member, a forwardly extending flange on said wheel support member located above said caster wheel, a pin member extending downwardly from said flange adjacent the front end thereof, and a tongue member pivotally mounted on said vehicle back end having an opening at one end thereof, said tongue on a leading vehicle being movable between an upright stored position and a towing position wherein said opening in the tongue receives said caster wheel pin member on a trailing vehicle for applying said pulling force to the trailing vehicle and wherein said leading vehicle tongue is mounted on the leading vehicle by spring-loaded hinge means urging said leading vehicle tongue toward said upright position so that its coupling to the trailing vehicle is effected and maintained by the tongue opening being forceably urged onto the trailing vehicle pin member and the tongue against said flange.