Display Unit For Ball Mount Hitches

Abstract

A display unit for ball mount hitches includes hitch ball hangers and ball mount hangers received on a horizontal support beam. Each hitch ball hanger has two vertically-spaced cantilevered forks to support six hitch balls by their necks. Each ball mount hanger has a cantilevered bar to hang three ball mounts by their hitch ball post holes. Both the hitch ball hangers and the ball mount hangers have slide brackets to toollessly attach to the horizontal support beam.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A display unit for ball mount hitches, comprising:
 a horizontal support beam;   a hitch ball hanger, the hitch ball hanger having a fork with cantilevered tines defining an opening sized to receive a hitch ball in a neck of the hitch ball, so the hitch ball can be hung by the fork with a ball of the hitch ball on top and a post of the hitch ball hanging under the ball, the hitch ball hanger having a support bracket which mates with the horizontal beam so the tines extend generally horizontal and generally normal to the horizontal beam; and   a ball mount hanger, the ball mount hanger having a cantilevered bar sized to be received in a hitch ball post hole of a ball mount, so the ball mount can be hung by the bar extending through the hitch ball post hole, the ball mount hanger having a support bracket which mates with the horizontal beam so the bar extends generally horizontal and generally normal to the horizontal beam.   
     
     
         2 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein the display unit comprises a plurality of hitch ball hangers and a plurality of ball mount hangers which can be simultaneously supported by the horizontal beam. 
     
     
         3 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein the tines are of sufficient length to support a plurality of hitch balls. 
     
     
         4 . The display unit of  claim 3 , wherein the tines slope downward away from the support bracket, to a front trough. 
     
     
         5 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein the bar is of sufficient length to support a plurality of ball mounts. 
     
     
         6 . The display unit of  claim 5 , wherein the bar slopes upward away from the support bracket. 
     
     
         7 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein hitch ball hanger comprises at least two forks spaced so each fork can independently hang a hitch ball with the ball of the hitch ball on top and the post of the hitch ball hanging under the ball. 
     
     
         8 . The display unit of  claim 7 , wherein the two forks are vertically spaced. 
     
     
         9 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal support beam comprises a flat, and wherein the support bracket of the hitch ball hanger and the support bracket of the ball mount hanger each comprise a corresponding flat which mates with the flat of the horizontal support beam to support cantilevered weight of the hitch ball and cantilevered weight of the ball mount. 
     
     
         10 . The display unit of  claim 9 , wherein the horizontal support beam is rectangular, with a height greater than its width. 
     
     
         11 . The display unit of  claim 9 , wherein the support bracket of the hitch ball hanger and the support bracket of the ball mount hanger can slide horizontally along the horizontal support beam. 
     
     
         12 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal support beam comprises a front flat, a top flat and a rear flat, with the front flat and the rear flat each being generally vertical, wherein the support bracket of the hitch ball hanger and the support bracket of the ball mount hanger each comprise a corresponding front flat, top flat and rear flat which mate with the flat of the horizontal support beam to support cantilevered weight of the hitch ball and cantilevered weight of the ball mount, and wherein both the hitch ball hanger and the ball mount hanger can be toollessly positioned onto the horizontal support beam so as to be supported in place. 
     
     
         13 . The display unit of  claim 12 , wherein the support bracket of the hitch ball hanger and the support bracket of the ball mount hanger each comprise a triangle on a top side of the top flat, the triangle providing strength to the support bracket as it mates over the horizontal support beam. 
     
     
         14 . The display unit of  claim 13 , wherein the triangle includes a label plate face. 
     
     
         15 . The display unit of  claim 1 , wherein the tines of the hitch ball hanger are formed of a folded sheet metal blank having a horizontal support surface extending between two vertically extending flanges. 
     
     
         16 . A hitch ball hanger for use in a display unit for ball mount hitches, comprising:
 an upper fork with cantilevered tines defining an opening sized to receive a hitch ball in a neck of the hitch ball, so the hitch ball can be hung by the upper fork with a ball of the hitch ball on top and a post of the hitch ball hanging under the ball;   a lower fork with cantilevered tines defining an opening sized to receive a hitch ball in a neck of the hitch ball, so the hitch ball can be hung by the upper fork with a ball of the hitch ball on top and a post of the hitch ball hanging under the ball, and   a support bracket configured to support the upper fork and the lower fork, so the tines of both the upper fork and the lower fork extend generally horizontal, with the upper fork hanging its hitch ball vertically above the hitch ball hung on the lower fork.   
     
     
         17 . The display unit of  claim 16 , wherein the tines of the upper fork are of sufficient length to support a plurality of hitch balls, and wherein the tines of the lower fork are of sufficient length to support a plurality of hitch balls. 
     
     
         18 . The display unit of  claim 16 , wherein the tines of the upper fork and the tines of the lower fork both slope downward away from the support bracket, each to a front trough. 
     
     
         19 . A display unit for hitch balls, comprising:
 a horizontal support beam comprising a front flat, a top flat and a rear flat, with the front flat and the rear flat each being generally vertical; and   a hitch ball hanger comprising a support bracket with a front flat, a top flat and a rear flat which mate with the flats of the horizontal support beam to support cantilevered weight of a hitch ball hung from the hitch ball hanger, wherein the hitch ball hanger can be toollessly positioned onto the horizontal support beam so as to be supported in place, and wherein the support bracket of the supported hitch ball hanger can slide horizontally along the horizontal support beam.   
     
     
         20 . The display unit of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 a ball mount hanger comprising a support bracket with a front flat, a top flat and a rear flat which mate with the flats of the horizontal support beam to support cantilevered weight of a ball mount hung from the ball mount hanger, wherein the ball mount hanger can be toollessly positioned onto the horizontal support beam so as to be supported in place, and wherein the support bracket of the supported ball mount hanger can slide horizontally along the horizontal support beam.