This invention relates to lifting and towing apparatus for vehicles and more particularly to a rigid metal towing bracket adapted to be mounted on a front cross member of a vehicle frame.
The prior art is replete with various towing hitches or brackets adapted for mounting on vehicles. An example of one type of hitch bracket is found in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,736 issued Nov. 4, 1986, to T. L. Shanks which discloses an adaptor plate for attaching an accessory such as a trailer hitch or winch to the bumper of a vehicle. The plate includes an accessory mount or a wedge insert insertable into a mounting frame or bracket. A tongue and groove assembly cooperates between the bracket and accessory mount for holding the accessory mount in position.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,523 issued July 31, 1945 to H. A. Hicks, et al. discloses a vehicle body structure showing a reinforcing member having a pair of longitudinally spaced flanges welded to floor portions of the body. The flanges are stepped to dispose successive flange portions so as to underlie floor portions to which they are respectively welded.