Coupling arrangement between a halftrailer and a tractor

Claim 1

IN A VEHICLE OF THE TYPE HAVING A HALF-TRAILER COUPLED TO A TRACTOR, AND WHEREIN THE HALF-TRAILER IS PROVIDED WITH A SINGLE AXLE AND THE TRACTOR IS PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF SPACED AXLES, THE PROVISION OF MEANS COUPLING THE HALFTRAILER TO THE TRACTOR SUCH THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE HALFTRAILER IS DISTRIBUTED IN PART TO THE AXLE OF THE HALF-TRAILER AND IN PART TO BOTH AXLES OF THE TRACTOR, THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTED TO THE AXLE OF THE TRACTOR HAVING A RESULTANT WHICH LIES BETWEEN SAID AXLES, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: A PAIR OF CONNECTING RODS, EACH CONNECTING ROD INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS, MEANS CONNECTING SAID PORTIONS OF EACH ROD TOGETHER IN AXIALLY ALIGNED RELATION WHILE PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBETWEEN, MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF THE PORTIONS OF ONE OF THE RODS TO THE TRAILER OF ANGULAR MOVEMENT ABOUT MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES, MEANS CONNECTING THE OTHER OF THE PORTIONS OF SAID ONE ROD TO THE TRACTOR FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT ABOUT MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES WHICH ARE RESPECTIVELY PARALLEL TO THE FIRST SAID AXES, MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF THE PORTIONS OF THE OTHER ROD TO THE TRACTOR FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT ABOUT MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES, ONE OF WHICH AXES CORRESPONDS TO AN AXIS OF ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF THE SAID ONE ROD ABOUT THE TRACTOR AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE OTHER OF THE PORTIONS OF THE OTHER ROD TO THE TRAILER OF ANGULAR MOVEMENT ABOUT ONLY A SINGLE AXIS, THE LATTER AXIS BEING PARALLEL TO ONE OF THE AXES ABOUT WHICH SAID ONE ROD IS ANGULARLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE TRAILER, SAID LATTER AXIS BEING LOCATED ON THE OTHER OF SAID AXES ABOUT WHICH SAID ONE ROD IS ANGULARLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE TRAILER, ALL OF SAID MEANS WHICH CONNECT RESPECTIVE RODS TO THE TRAILER AND TRACTOR BEING ARRANGED TO MAINTAIN THE RODS IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT RELATIVE ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP IN WHICH AXIALLY EXTENDING LINES FROM SAID RODS INTERSECT AT A LOCATION BETWEEN THE AXLES OF THE TRACTOR.