Vehicle towing mechanism

Claim 1

A vehicle towing mechanism in combination with a truck having winch means for towing a vehicle; said vehicle towing mechanism comprising: (a) a proximate support member pivotally connected to said truck forward of a rear portion of said truck and extending rearwardly therefrom and longitudinally therewith; (b) a first riser tube attached to said truck rear portion; (c) a second riser tube telescopically received relative to said first riser tube so as to telescope along a generally vertical axis; said second riser tube having a clevis attached thereto and surrounding and supporting said proximate support member; (d) means for selectively vertically locking said second riser tube in a telescoping position relative to said first riser tube; (e) a sleeve member telescopically received relative to said proximate support member; (f) an elongate main support member having a first end and a second end; said first end being telescopically received relative to said sleeve member and said proximate support member; said main support member including: (1) an upper wall, a lower wall and spaced side walls interconnecting said upper and lower walls; (2) said side walls being vertically aligned and formed of a high tensile steel and prestressed into a bowed configuration having an upward curvature in a vertical plane from a longitudinal center thereof toward said first and second ends thereof, respectively; (3) said lower wall being fixedly attached to said side walls near a bottom thereof; and (4) said upper wall being fixedly attached to said side walls near a top thereof after said side walls have been prestressed whereby said upper wall acts to retain said prestressed side walls in said bowed configuration; (g) a wheel-supporting apparatus adapted for securely engaging and supporting a set of wheels of the vehicle to be towed, said wheel-supporting apparatus including: (1) a pivotal adapter telescopically received relative to said main support member second end; (2) a crossbar having first and second ends and a center section; said crossbar center section being swingably connected to said pivotal adapter and extending generally transversely therefrom to allow rotation of said wheel-supporting apparatus in a generally horizontal plane when said main support member is horizontally aligned; (3) first and second transverse arm members telescopically received relative to said first and second crossbar ends respectively; (4) first and second wheel-engaging devices connected to respective first and second arm members; each of said wheel-engaging devices having a rotating section and a fixed section; said fixed and rotating sections each having a longitudinal component and a transverse component; (5) said wheel-engaging devices having a first position in which said rotating section transverse components are spaced from and generally parallel to respective fixed section transverse components and said longitudinal components are generally coaxial; said wheel-engaging devices when in said first position thereof defining wheel-receiving spaces; (6) each of said wheel-engaging devices having a second position in which said rotating sections are rotated away from said wheel-receiving space such that a respective rotating section transverse component is positioned inwardly of a line projected through an inner edge of said fixed section longitudinal component; (7) wheel-retention means comprising first and second chain units each including a hooking section and an extension section; each of said hooking sections being connected to a respective rotating section transverse component; each of said extension sections being attached to said crossbar center section and extending through a longitudinal bore in a respective fixed section transverse component and being adapted to respectively engage said chain hooking sections; and (h) a lift mechanism including: (1) a support cable having a first end and a second end; said cable first end being operatively connected to said tow truck winch means; (2) a support peg attached to and extending upwardly from said pivotal adapter; (3) sheave means attached to said sleeve member for guiding said support cable; (4) said support cable extending through said sheave means and being connected to said support peg at said support cable second end, whereby the vehicle towing mechanism is lifted upon operation of the tow truck winch means.