Towed vehicle with means for connection to fifth wheel of a towing vehicle

Claim 1

A towed vehicle comprising a frame, front and rear ground engaging wheel assemblies each spring mounted on said frame and located in such a manner that the center of gravity of said vehicle is situated between said front and rear wheel assemblies, whereby the wheel assemblies support the entire load carried by the vehicle, a gooseneck secured to said frame and projecting forwardly therefrom terminating in a free outer end, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said gooseneck adjacent the free outer end thereof and having a plunger reciprocally mounted therein, said plunger projecting downwardly from said gooseneck and having a plate with a king pin secured thereto for coupling with the saddle of a conventional fifth wheel of a tractor towing vehicle, said cylinder and plunger acting in conjunction with a compressible medium to cushion loads between said gooseneck and the towing vehicle means, preventing relative movement of said plate and the saddle of the fifth wheel on the towing vehicle, a collar rotatably mounted on said cylinder, said plunger being rotatable relative to said cylinder about the axis of rotation of the collar and means interconnecting said collar and plunger causing the same to rotate in unison while at the same time permitting reciprocal movement of the plunger.