Wrap some tape on it, make some shims out of margarine container lid!!! That free play is there for a reason. So you don't need a hammer to get the damn thing off!! If you don't shim it ,can be irritating when you go over a bump or rough pavement. Super easy fix and doesn't take 5 hours welding and milling machine to fix!!!
I couldn't figure out why you went thru all that work for such a small issue until I seen your little trailer with practically no tongue weight and then it made sense ,that must drive you nuts over bumps and potholes. All my trailers have enough tongue weight where that's not necessary and my titan 2.5 receiver actually fits very tight and is so heavy it kinda stays in place.Nice TIG welding and machining work!
Thanks! Yeah the truck acts as resonator for that rattle and it is annoying. As for the machining, I could have easily just used the grinder for the bevel, but I just picked up Ol' Millie so why not make it more complicated! However, I'm starting to question if the trailer is like a BigTex knock off or something because the axle seem too far forward and, from the comments below, the safety chains are not the right size.
Incredible shop and equipment. In the beginning of the video, even the Receiver was loose? I put a couple spot welds on the top at the front of the male portion and 2 on the bottom at the back. File down carefully then if necessary, put a couple on the sides of the 2" HSS bar. no more rattles. 5/8" SS Bolt drilled and tapered with good padlock for pin. 35 minutes, 2 beers. Always grease the receiver.
Thats awesome and if i'm understanding how it works properly then it actually solves two problems: 1) it eliminates the rattle and 2) around here people are known to steal hitches even with a lock pin, doesn't look like they'd be able to get yours or at least not as easily as they can get the next guy.
Nice video. We use bacon grease as our cutting fluid. It works great and it's a lot less expensive than buying cutting fluid. Try it someday. Since you have dogs, pick up the filings after finishing each job, dogs will eat the coated bacon greased filings and the results will be catastrophic. Good luck.
1. Drill hole under the receiver toward the rear and tap it 2. Place hitch into the receiver 3. Place short bolt with nut into the tapped hole 4. Tighten bolt till firm and then tighten lock nut. 5 minutes work mate Nice TIG welding though!
Looks like me and my uncle have a project to do this weekend. The rattle when not pulling a trailer is annoying and sounds horrible on our gravel/dirt roads. (I'm too lazy to take it off and keep putting it back on) awesome job man.
That piece you install will actually act too as a deterrent so nobody steals it. Another way to fix the drawbar loose/rattle is to drill a hole down through hitch and weld a nut on and use a bolt you tighten up. That’s not my idea CFMOTO has that design on their hitch on their ATV so the bar doesn’t rattle. Very simple fix prevents rattle and nobody steals it unless you have tools.
I have also tried this and liked the outcome, until I had to change out the receiver for something else. I had the welded one in, for about a year and after a Colorado winter, it rusted and seized in there. I took some negotiating to get it out. One of the main reasons for me going this route.
Nah that bitch ain't rattln now!! great job! IMO you made the whole rig safer cause it's not wiggling all around wearing down and fatiguing the metal like it was doing! Man buys a product doesn't do what it's supposed to man takes matters into his own very capable hands and comes up with a viable solution! That's the American way! awesome!
They make a bolt on rattle preventer for about $20.00 that goes around the hitch at the receiver. Works quite well for those who do not have a machine shop.
With the tools you have I would just run two beads of weld on each side of the part going into the hitch then mill each side for a perfect fit. Much easier than adding a bolt.
A couple SS tack welds on top side at front and underside of rear of the male portion then file/grind for tighter fit. A couple on the sides too if necessary. Keep the receiver greased inside.
LOL all that cutting grinding and welding. 😎 Ok if your bored and have a machine shop. I bought a hitch clamp from amazon for $10 and bolted it on. I pull a 9k trailer and it works perfect. Now I’m bored 😑
Don''t have a shop like that, so I just laid thin wide beads on the top and both sides of the stinger and ground them down until they fit tight in the receiver....KISS
This is a grate idea , as retired trucker I could not Stan to feel any slop in the fifth wheel hauling a trailer , someone explain to me why make a hitch with so much play in it ? Every time you move off there's a clang , specially with a heavy load. I have used this idea and it works perfectly .
Thanks for this! I, as well don't have the equipment or knowledge, but I'm thankful for showing your wisdom at finding a solution! I've tried using 'shims' in the past, which work to some degree, but it's just not a solid solution!
I built up with weld the front and back of the outside of my receiver mating surface and ground fitted it so it would just go in. Then I slid the receiver in as far as it would go and re-drilled and reamed the pin holes from both sides. Everything was and remains tight wiithout any problems.
Nice weld, good thought. Although poor design. The shear load isn't being taken by the pin anymore. The bolt at the back is now load bearing. The sulution is to provide constant downward pressure to take up any slack in the receiver. Allowing the hitch/receiver to work as designed wile preventing annoying movement. I'm betting the constant fore then aft loading from acceleration and deacceleration will cause the nut to loosen. Potentially even slightly elongating the bolt and causing again, a loosen condition. One way to go about it, but much better methods around.
I am most definitely sure there are better methods out there. This one is the one that I came up with. I haven't ever had to re tighten the bolt. When I have had to change receivers, the bolt was still tight. But you have a good point!! I just removed the bolt and checked it with a new nut (full length of threads) and it seems to thread fine, so I do not believe there is any elongation. Also the back plate is still flat. Thanks for watching and your comment! Much appreciated
Lot of work if you have multiple hitches. I have a hitch for each one of the balls I tow with. I don't have any major play in any of the hitches either. 2 and 1/8" reciver on truck 2" hitches. Some buy the 2" hitch and use it on a 2.25" reciver and wonder why so much play
It wasn't until about a year later that I upgraded the hitch platform on this truck to a 2.5" receiver. That's when I realized how worn the inside of the 2" receiver was, 150k miles on the truck and probably 80k of that towing. Also after this video I sold that trailer and upgraded, and modified all my trailers to use the 2-5/16" ball so I only have to have one draw bar.
That's ok for a light weight hollow hitch and a small trailer. It's not a good design for heavy pulling . You need to stop the movement at the entrance of the receiver. You don't need a full machine shop to build this design. The bridgeport is just a nice touch everyone would like to have.
The pin is in shear no matter how you look at it. However, when the receiver is loose there are dynamic forces acting on the pin when you brake and accelerate. The "chucking" of the the receiver on the pin is more of a detriment than not. That's not to say that this is better on the pin or vice versa they equally have flaws, but with this fix, I am taking the dynamic forces out of the equation.
job well gone, why not just bolt it together, the whole purpose of the slide out hitch, is the ease with which it is removed, your idea is great if you do not need to change or remove regularly. here in Australia some of the hitches have an adjustable grub screw, this can be adjusted to remove rattle and still allow for quick and easy removal, or just pack with grease this also stops a lot of the rattle. The way you have done it , the danger of the hitch retaining pin falling out and the hitch assembly falling out with your trailer has been nullified as your bolt and plate will not allow the hitch to slide. interesting video, looking forward to seeing more
Thanks for watching! I'd be interested in seeing the type of hitch you are referring to. I don't really have to swap the hitch out that much, but because of this I now carry a 15/16" wrench in the truck in case I do.
Good solution if one has a professional level shop like that. Most people need some other approach without welding and machine work however. I have an idea percolating which involves two pieces of angle stock with two holes each, one in front of the receiver and the other across the ball mount at the rear. The two angle irons would be joined by long bolts, washers, and nuts. The question at this point is whether the two bolts will clear the hitch pin.
I agree that not everyone has the equipment. And when I made the video I was actually working on making kits one that could be welded and one that was a complete modified reciever. My business insurance advised against the liability of the product, so only the video was presented.
This was awesome and worked great, I bought a center press, work table, heavy industrial drill press, and oh ya, a barn to put in all in. The good news, no more loos hitch, the bad news, 76,900.00 the make it. 🥸
Wow that's nice, but I do not have a machine shop handy. So I ended up using a muffler clamp and a couple of big washers. Cost all of $8.00! For a stainless steel unit and hardware.
I used an old spring plate from my jeep cut it in half and put the raised edge on the hitch and clamped it to the receiver with a u bolt. It dawned in me after I saw about the same design on a bike rack hitch mount setup. Idk if it's good for towing but it works for racks and baskets just fine and if ya have junk around like me it's almost free.
Good luck with that 1/4" bolt and single nut staying in place to keep your latch secure. I have seen lots of those vibrate loose. At least put on a second nut and jam them together. Better would be to get a pin designed for that job.
Bolt front to back to stop up and down slop? That'll just stress the pin and your bolt until one of them loses. What grade is that bolt? Nah bolt down Not gonna beat that pin. Just tack weld a narrow wedge of steel along the top of the drawbar, place it so when fully inserted (yeah sorry) just when yer pin lines up, the wedge/ramp is forcing down on the draw bar. Then when under breaking/ going over bumps, it wedges in tight slop free. Under severe load it can still move freely tho so stuff doesn't break as often.
So far no breakage anywhere. I just mentioned to another person above that i removed the bolt and checked for elongation. So far everything seems legit. Thanks for watching and commenting! All is appreciated.
It its placing some load onto the bolt. A grade 8 bolt will have a yield strength of around 120,000 psi (tensile is about 130k psi), which is adequate. As long as the hitch pin hole (on the reciever) is not excessively oversized from wear, there is little to no travel of the draw bar to cause stretching or breaking of the bolt.
HA! Yeah, well I well I had a locking one but lost the key! When I was on the road, that bolt was all I had in the toolbox the fit! Thanks For Watching!
Thats a lot of work when all you have to do is put on a square U bolt on the back of the rear receiver that works on all the draw bars with no welding.
Kinda, defeats the purpose of a removable hitch. I've tried the bolt on clamps that work but they are a pain to use and you don't have to get down in the mud to tighten and loosen them.
Fred Ziffel given that that trailer looks like a 3500lb trailer the chains look adequate. They also look like they came that way from Big Tex. But to address your point, the chain looks like it may be 1/4" or 5/16". The lowest grade of 1/4" chain has a break strength of 1,300lbs. So... the chains are adequate for the load cap of that trailer.
Great video. I am not a fan of 'silent movies' (without story cards) but even if you do not care to speak I like the actual shop sounds. It is best to ignore the 13 year old 'experts' that are still confounded by Tinker-Toys and Play-Dough in their parents basements. Another option is to weld it solid like trailer hitches used to be...
This was one of, if not the first video I posted to YT that I actually edited. Tried using the GoPro studio thing and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to have the audio play while speeding up the video.
I have to say this is a great idea, it's called making something better for you. All the haters and sissy boy comments are just out of jealousy. Great idea👍👍 and easy to watch video.
I just drill and taped a hole on the bottom and side of the receiver and install a bolt in each hole that can snugged up. If later the holes strip out I will weld a nut on the receiver I have thought of machining the bolts with a bit of a step and drill the hitch as for the step to go into. This would be a safety in case the pin falls out for some reason.I would use grade 5 for I think grade 8 would be too brittle
With just the bolts right now Great. I have not stripped then out yet.(if I do I will weld nuts onto the receiver) I pull a trailer that weighed out just above 7,000 lb. If and when I get time I am going to try the ideal I wrote about of machining the bolts down a bit so they stick in through the hitch as a safety and the shoulder will push against the hitch to stop the noise.
That's a good idea when you don't want to rattle. I'm not sure why it would matter if it did or didn't. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. But it does seem to help. You don't want the shock that the tow vehicle is receiving to get transferred to your trailer. Since the receiver has a little slop, that will reduce the shock it will receive from the tow vehicle. Just remember, the more rigid you make things, the more chances they may snap rather than flex.
Mike Miller If you've ever seen a Colorado road and the effect it has on a light or empty trailer... that's why you wouldn't want it to rattle. With the rattle, the truck frame becomes a resonator of the sound and it carries through the cab. So you're kinda saving your sanity on a trip around town! :) Removing the slop in the receiver isn't going to hurt anything as it is not part of the design of the tow operation. The slop comes from two pieces of steel without tolerances for internal and external dimensions. Predesigned slop would be in the ball and tongue, if any, and even there you'd want a very snug fit. Having that slop in the receiver especially when transferred to the receiver pin could cause a shear force which would cause more problems. There is plenty of flex in the trailer frame and suspension to keep things from breaking.
JevWorks If this works for you, that's great. I have been towing trailers for a living for many years. When I first started, I thought the slop (looseness) in the hitch was due to wear. I contacted the manufacture and they informed me this was engineered part of the design. If there is any looseness between the ball and coupler, the worn ball or coupler needs to get replaced. Looking at your trailer from the video, it's obvious the trailer axles are not far enough to the rear of the trailer. That will cause rattle and swerving as you go down the road. If the trailer axles are in the correct location, the load weight is too far behind the axles.
Yeah, I agree the axles are too far forward for my liking, but that is how this model is from Big Tex. Supposedly it is more of a "atv hauler" than what I'm using it for. Eventually I will build or buy a deck over with more load cap and preferably tandem axles. As for the looseness being part of the design, it is. However, it is more of a safety design so that a press fit receiver does not become stuck or wedged into the hitch platform by rust or debris. It is not by design for actual trailering or load applications.
You should know though that your statement got me thinking maybe it was part of the design and I wanted to know why, in case i was doing something wrong. So I called Curt's technical department and what they said is in my previous reply.
Your Safety Chains are not nearly strong enough. Link should be 3/8" minimum Rated Chain. I simply ran a couple weld beads on the top of the bar at the back and the bottom of the hitch bar at the front of the receiver. Grind them down until it is a snug fit, Grease them and Done!
This is actually a good idea! I don't have that trailer or truck anymore. But I might try to just stretch a length of the tube over drawbar instead of cutting an gluing.
You’re now towing/pulling with the thread on the bolt? You’re pulling the hitch into the receiver? It’s pulling the pin the opposite direction of when you normally tow? So technically the pulling force is on the threads? If the threads give out then the pins comes in
Great video... Just the audio left me bored... If not for the absolutely amazing and informative content I'd have left... But I like your solution and might try that for my work rig
Thanks! All the chips stay in the Mill/ Drill area, and the dogs stay out of that area. Thanks for your concern though always nice to see people that care and notice things that I don't. Thanks for watching!
I don't always have gloves on when using Millie, but sometimes I do cause I forget! Also I think I kept the gloves on so my camera hand stayed clean! Thanks for watching!
awesome work, but I wager 90% of the viewers were looking for some type of fix that didn't require about 6 giant tools no one owns.
At first I was like yea that's exactly my problem , but then saw the fancy tools ...back to rewording google search.
97 % lol
Wrap some tape on it, make some shims out of margarine container lid!!! That free play is there for a reason. So you don't need a hammer to get the damn thing off!! If you don't shim it ,can be irritating when you go over a bump or rough pavement. Super easy fix and doesn't take 5 hours welding and milling machine to fix!!!
Good job all I need now is a million dollar shop and 2 blind dogs ! Good job !
You are one crafty kinda guy, I wish you were my neighbor & we were good friends. Great Shop Dogs...
+Mr BreakRAK hey thanks for watching! We might be neighbors and can be friends anyway!
I couldn't figure out why you went thru all that work for such a small issue until I seen your little trailer with practically no tongue weight and then it made sense ,that must drive you nuts over bumps and potholes. All my trailers have enough tongue weight where that's not necessary and my titan 2.5 receiver actually fits very tight and is so heavy it kinda stays in place.Nice TIG welding and machining work!
Thanks! Yeah the truck acts as resonator for that rattle and it is annoying. As for the machining, I could have easily just used the grinder for the bevel, but I just picked up Ol' Millie so why not make it more complicated! However, I'm starting to question if the trailer is like a BigTex knock off or something because the axle seem too far forward and, from the comments below, the safety chains are not the right size.
Fuck yeah! Now I just need to spend 8,000$ to get those drill presses and I'm set 😂😂😂
🤣😂 Right?
Incredible shop and equipment. In the beginning of the video, even the Receiver was loose?
I put a couple spot welds on the top at the front of the male portion and 2 on the bottom at the back. File down carefully then if necessary, put a couple on the sides of the 2" HSS bar.
no more rattles. 5/8" SS Bolt drilled and tapered with good padlock for pin. 35 minutes, 2 beers.
Always grease the receiver.
Thats awesome and if i'm understanding how it works properly then it actually solves two problems: 1) it eliminates the rattle and 2) around here people are known to steal hitches even with a lock pin, doesn't look like they'd be able to get yours or at least not as easily as they can get the next guy.
This is very true. We have the issue mainly at the park and ride garages and airport parking.
Nice video. We use bacon grease as our cutting fluid. It works great and it's a lot less
expensive than buying cutting fluid. Try it someday. Since you have dogs, pick up the
filings after finishing each job, dogs will eat the coated bacon greased filings and the results will be catastrophic. Good luck.
1. Drill hole under the receiver toward the rear and tap it
2. Place hitch into the receiver
3. Place short bolt with nut into the tapped hole
4. Tighten bolt till firm and then tighten lock nut.
5 minutes work mate
Nice TIG welding though!
I thought of this exact thing, but not the lock-nut. Thanks for your input!
Looks like me and my uncle have a project to do this weekend. The rattle when not pulling a trailer is annoying and sounds horrible on our gravel/dirt roads. (I'm too lazy to take it off and keep putting it back on) awesome job man.
That piece you install will actually act too as a deterrent so nobody steals it. Another way to fix the drawbar loose/rattle is to drill a hole down through hitch and weld a nut on and use a bolt you tighten up. That’s not my idea CFMOTO has that design on their hitch on their ATV so the bar doesn’t rattle. Very simple fix prevents rattle and nobody steals it unless you have tools.
I had the same issue. Some welds down the length on 2 sides and ground down to fit. Been this way for 5 years and no further rattle.
I have also tried this and liked the outcome, until I had to change out the receiver for something else. I had the welded one in, for about a year and after a Colorado winter, it rusted and seized in there. I took some negotiating to get it out. One of the main reasons for me going this route.
Nah that bitch ain't rattln now!! great job! IMO you made the whole rig safer cause it's not wiggling all around wearing down and fatiguing the metal like it was doing! Man buys a product doesn't do what it's supposed to man takes matters into his own very capable hands and comes up with a viable solution! That's the American way! awesome!
Hey, thanks for the compliment! Thanks for watching also!!
They make a bolt on rattle preventer for about $20.00 that goes around the hitch at the receiver. Works quite well for those who do not have a machine shop.
With the tools you have I would just run two beads of weld on each side of the part going into the hitch then mill each side for a perfect fit. Much easier than adding a bolt.
A couple SS tack welds on top side at front and underside of rear of the male portion then file/grind for tighter fit. A couple on the sides too if necessary. Keep the receiver greased inside.
LOL all that cutting grinding and welding. 😎 Ok if your bored and have a machine shop. I bought a hitch clamp from amazon for $10 and bolted it on. I pull a 9k trailer and it works perfect. Now I’m bored 😑
Don''t have a shop like that, so I just laid thin wide beads on the top and both sides of the stinger and ground them down until they fit tight in the receiver....KISS
That's what I did on mine a few years ago and it's still holding up fine.
Nice job, nice welds too!
Thank you sir!
This is a grate idea , as retired trucker I could not Stan to feel any slop in the fifth wheel hauling a trailer , someone explain to me why make a hitch with so much play in it ? Every time you move off there's a clang , specially with a heavy load. I have used this idea and it works perfectly .
Thanks for this! I, as well don't have the equipment or knowledge, but I'm thankful for showing your wisdom at finding a solution! I've tried using 'shims' in the past, which work to some degree, but it's just not a solid solution!
Powerstroke98 I had tried everything as well! Shims included. nothing worked until now.
I built up with weld the front and back of the outside of my receiver mating surface and ground fitted it so it would just go in. Then I slid the receiver in as far as it would go and re-drilled and reamed the pin holes from both sides. Everything was and remains tight wiithout any problems.
It’d be funny as hell to have a thief on camera trying to figure this out😂
Nice weld, good thought. Although poor design. The shear load isn't being taken by the pin anymore. The bolt at the back is now load bearing. The sulution is to provide constant downward pressure to take up any slack in the receiver. Allowing the hitch/receiver to work as designed wile preventing annoying movement. I'm betting the constant fore then aft loading from acceleration and deacceleration will cause the nut to loosen. Potentially even slightly elongating the bolt and causing again, a loosen condition. One way to go about it, but much better methods around.
I am most definitely sure there are better methods out there. This one is the one that I came up with. I haven't ever had to re tighten the bolt. When I have had to change receivers, the bolt was still tight. But you have a good point!! I just removed the bolt and checked it with a new nut (full length of threads) and it seems to thread fine, so I do not believe there is any elongation. Also the back plate is still flat. Thanks for watching and your comment! Much appreciated
The Shear Load IS being transferred to the pin, it is just now pre-loaded.
That is a large 5/8-3/4" bolt being used.
@@gordbaker896 Only in one direction though. Its the pin when pulling and the bolt when braking.
Lot of work if you have multiple hitches. I have a hitch for each one of the balls I tow with. I don't have any major play in any of the hitches either. 2 and 1/8" reciver on truck 2" hitches. Some buy the 2" hitch and use it on a 2.25" reciver and wonder why so much play
It wasn't until about a year later that I upgraded the hitch platform on this truck to a 2.5" receiver. That's when I realized how worn the inside of the 2" receiver was, 150k miles on the truck and probably 80k of that towing. Also after this video I sold that trailer and upgraded, and modified all my trailers to use the 2-5/16" ball so I only have to have one draw bar.
That's ok for a light weight hollow hitch and a small trailer. It's not a good design for heavy pulling . You need to stop the movement at the entrance of the receiver. You don't need a full machine shop to build this design. The bridgeport is just a nice touch everyone would like to have.
draw bar will still move in the receiver under varying loads, won't this just cause the pin to wear and break ?
The pin is in shear no matter how you look at it. However, when the receiver is loose there are dynamic forces acting on the pin when you brake and accelerate. The "chucking" of the the receiver on the pin is more of a detriment than not. That's not to say that this is better on the pin or vice versa they equally have flaws, but with this fix, I am taking the dynamic forces out of the equation.
job well gone, why not just bolt it together, the whole purpose of the slide out hitch, is the ease with which it is removed, your idea is great if you do not need to change or remove regularly. here in Australia some of the hitches have an adjustable grub screw, this can be adjusted to remove rattle and still allow for quick and easy removal, or just pack with grease this also stops a lot of the rattle. The way you have done it , the danger of the hitch retaining pin falling out and the hitch assembly falling out with your trailer has been nullified as your bolt and plate will not allow the hitch to slide. interesting video, looking forward to seeing more
Thanks for watching! I'd be interested in seeing the type of hitch you are referring to. I don't really have to swap the hitch out that much, but because of this I now carry a 15/16" wrench in the truck in case I do.
I usually just let it rust between the hitch and the receiver.
Your not the sharpest knife in the drawer,what happens when you try to change out?Explain that please.
Dean Sarow you need a new sarcasm detector, obviously yours is not working.
Great solution but way beyond my skill level - love your puppies though!
+Tim Filipi thanks!
Good solution if one has a professional level shop like that. Most people need some other approach without welding and machine work however.
I have an idea percolating which involves two pieces of angle stock with two holes each, one in front of the receiver and the other across the ball mount at the rear. The two angle irons would be joined by long bolts, washers, and nuts. The question at this point is whether the two bolts will clear the hitch pin.
I agree that not everyone has the equipment. And when I made the video I was actually working on making kits one that could be welded and one that was a complete modified reciever. My business insurance advised against the liability of the product, so only the video was presented.
Nice dogs, BTW you should never wear gloves near any power tool that rotates. Be safe
This was awesome and worked great, I bought a center press, work table, heavy industrial drill press, and oh ya, a barn to put in all in. The good news, no more loos hitch, the bad news, 76,900.00 the make it. 🥸
Wow that's nice, but I do not have a machine shop handy. So I ended up using a muffler clamp and a couple of big washers. Cost all of $8.00! For a stainless steel unit and hardware.
Kevin Voyer Awesome! glad it worked out. I saw that dohickey after I made this one.. :/
I used an old spring plate from my jeep cut it in half and put the raised edge on the hitch and clamped it to the receiver with a u bolt. It dawned in me after I saw about the same design on a bike rack hitch mount setup. Idk if it's good for towing but it works for racks and baskets just fine and if ya have junk around like me it's almost free.
Another example of how any job worth doing is worth doing well.
Thank you! Glad to see there are some left that still believe that!
Good luck with that 1/4" bolt and single nut staying in place to keep your latch secure. I have seen lots of those vibrate loose. At least put on a second nut and jam them together. Better would be to get a pin designed for that job.
+Coy Patton Hey thanks for watching and the comment! I've since changed out to a spring clip lynch pin. Much better and tighter fit!
Bolt front to back to stop up and down slop? That'll just stress the pin and your bolt until one of them loses. What grade is that bolt? Nah bolt down Not gonna beat that pin. Just tack weld a narrow wedge of steel along the top of the drawbar, place it so when fully inserted (yeah sorry) just when yer pin lines up, the wedge/ramp is forcing down on the draw bar. Then when under breaking/ going over bumps, it wedges in tight slop free. Under severe load it can still move freely tho so stuff doesn't break as often.
So far no breakage anywhere. I just mentioned to another person above that i removed the bolt and checked for elongation. So far everything seems legit. Thanks for watching and commenting! All is appreciated.
How does this help anyone who doesn't have a machine shop?
You could totally do this with an angle grinder and a stick welder.
Isnt this putting the force of the trailer pulling onto that bold?at least until it fails or stretches and the hitch pin moved back to rear of hole?
Love the video and nice welds
It its placing some load onto the bolt. A grade 8 bolt will have a yield strength of around 120,000 psi (tensile is about 130k psi), which is adequate. As long as the hitch pin hole (on the reciever) is not excessively oversized from wear, there is little to no travel of the draw bar to cause stretching or breaking of the bolt.
all that technology and you used a bolt for a lock pin in the hitch? Do you know how many times the nut falls off and out comes your bolt.
HA! Yeah, well I well I had a locking one but lost the key! When I was on the road, that bolt was all I had in the toolbox the fit! Thanks For Watching!
Thats a lot of work when all you have to do is put on a square U bolt on the back of the rear receiver that works on all the draw bars with no welding.
11 how to install a universal trailer hitch on a 98 Jeep Cherokee Sport 6 cylinder automatic four-wheel drive
Kinda, defeats the purpose of a removable hitch. I've tried the bolt on clamps that work but they are a pain to use and you don't have to get down in the mud to tighten and loosen them.
It is still removable. I don't change the receiver enough that removing it is a pain.
There’re still gaps between tubes. Looks like firm but not really.
With the tools you've got and the time you took to do it, bro I wouldn't have worried about the hitch. Just build another car!! 😂🤣😅
Lolz, I ain't that skilled! 🤣🤣
Also less chance of getting your hitch stolen.
best solution for this matter thank you
Amazing idea to Stop Receiver Play. But You Need to Use Stronger Chains between Trailer an tow Vehicle.
You Need To Stop Putting a Capital Letter On Every Word. You Aren't Writing a Title.
Stronger chains?
Oh Tay ....Buck Wheat!
Yes, Watch the video at the beginning and his Safety Chains are way too light. Needs heavier gauge chain.(Stronger)
Fred Ziffel given that that trailer looks like a 3500lb trailer the chains look adequate. They also look like they came that way from Big Tex. But to address your point, the chain looks like it may be 1/4" or 5/16". The lowest grade of 1/4" chain has a break strength of 1,300lbs. So... the chains are adequate for the load cap of that trailer.
$100,000 shop or $20 hitch clamp? Seriously though, nice shop.
Nice job. I sure miss having access to a full machine shop, my buddy closed his business. :(
Great video. I am not a fan of 'silent movies' (without story cards) but even if you do not care to speak I like the actual shop sounds. It is best to ignore the 13 year old 'experts' that are still confounded by Tinker-Toys and Play-Dough in their parents basements. Another option is to weld it solid like trailer hitches used to be...
This was one of, if not the first video I posted to YT that I actually edited. Tried using the GoPro studio thing and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to have the audio play while speeding up the video.
Technology is not always my friend either...
I have to say this is a great idea, it's called making something better for you. All the haters and sissy boy comments are just out of jealousy. Great idea👍👍 and easy to watch video.
+Sam Shipley Hey, thanks for your positive comments! Thanks for watching!!
I just drill and taped a hole on the bottom and side of the receiver and install a bolt in each hole that can snugged up. If later the holes strip out I will weld a nut on the receiver
I have thought of machining the bolts with a bit of a step and drill the hitch as for the step to go into. This would be a safety in case the pin falls out for some reason.I would use grade 5 for I think grade 8 would be too brittle
Allan C Interesting solution. I haven't thought of that. How does it work for you?
With just the bolts right now Great. I have not stripped then out yet.(if I do I will weld nuts onto the receiver)
I pull a trailer that weighed out just above 7,000 lb.
If and when I get time I am going to try the ideal I wrote about of machining the bolts down a bit so they stick in through the hitch as a safety and the shoulder will push against the hitch to stop the noise.
Sorry I answer above
Why not just add a bead to where they meet and grind until perfect?
I've done that before, it works, just trying something new.
That's a good idea when you don't want to rattle. I'm not sure why it would matter if it did or didn't. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. But it does seem to help.
You don't want the shock that the tow vehicle is receiving to get transferred to your trailer. Since the receiver has a little slop, that will reduce the shock it will receive from the tow vehicle.
Just remember, the more rigid you make things, the more chances they may snap rather than flex.
Mike Miller If you've ever seen a Colorado road and the effect it has on a light or empty trailer... that's why you wouldn't want it to rattle. With the rattle, the truck frame becomes a resonator of the sound and it carries through the cab. So you're kinda saving your sanity on a trip around town! :)
Removing the slop in the receiver isn't going to hurt anything as it is not part of the design of the tow operation. The slop comes from two pieces of steel without tolerances for internal and external dimensions. Predesigned slop would be in the ball and tongue, if any, and even there you'd want a very snug fit. Having that slop in the receiver especially when transferred to the receiver pin could cause a shear force which would cause more problems. There is plenty of flex in the trailer frame and suspension to keep things from breaking.
JevWorks If this works for you, that's great. I have been towing trailers for a living for many years. When I first started, I thought the slop (looseness) in the hitch was due to wear. I contacted the manufacture and they informed me this was engineered part of the design.
If there is any looseness between the ball and coupler, the worn ball or coupler needs to get replaced.
Looking at your trailer from the video, it's obvious the trailer axles are not far enough to the rear of the trailer. That will cause rattle and swerving as you go down the road. If the trailer axles are in the correct location, the load weight is too far behind the axles.
Yeah, I agree the axles are too far forward for my liking, but that is how this model is from Big Tex. Supposedly it is more of a "atv hauler" than what I'm using it for. Eventually I will build or buy a deck over with more load cap and preferably tandem axles.
As for the looseness being part of the design, it is. However, it is more of a safety design so that a press fit receiver does not become stuck or wedged into the hitch platform by rust or debris. It is not by design for actual trailering or load applications.
You should know though that your statement got me thinking maybe it was part of the design and I wanted to know why, in case i was doing something wrong. So I called Curt's technical department and what they said is in my previous reply.
Good info, Ive never thought about removing the play like this. Thanks for the tip. Ive never used wd40 as a cutting oil. Where is your shop?
Don Juan thanks for watching! It's probably not a viable solution for everyone, but it works for me in this case. The shop is located in Denver, CO.
i put a small bead of weld on the corners of the hitch and dress them to fit
Great solution if you tow a lot and leave the hitch in most of the time.
Your Safety Chains are not nearly strong enough. Link should be 3/8" minimum Rated Chain. I simply ran a couple weld beads on the top of the bar at the back and the bottom of the hitch bar at the front of the receiver. Grind them down until it is a snug fit, Grease them and Done!
Gord Baker someone better let Big Tex know! I bought the trailer new and these are the stock chains.
How convenient. A one hundred dollar fix for a twenty five cent problem. 🤣 if only I had all your tools
Waste of time and the average person does not have access to all of this. You can get a hitch clamp off Amazon for $11 and will do the same thing
Do you know why you can get the hitch clamp off Amazon now? You're welcome. And thanks for your purchase.
@@jevworks8385 smart man!
Drill press is 100 bucks at Hf and so is a fcaw welder 200 bucks buy you lots of future fun
Just get a bike tire tube and cut strips from it and glue to the 4 side corners, rattling gone.
This is actually a good idea! I don't have that trailer or truck anymore. But I might try to just stretch a length of the tube over drawbar instead of cutting an gluing.
You’re now towing/pulling with the thread on the bolt? You’re pulling the hitch into the receiver? It’s pulling the pin the opposite direction of when you normally tow? So technically the pulling force is on the threads? If the threads give out then the pins comes in
you do good work my friend !!
Thanks for the compliment! Thank you for watching!
I wish I had your mechanical ability. Stupid me, I just slipped in some shim material cut from plastic gallon jugs.
bastante complicado... hay en el mercado muchas soluciones para esta holgura.. bastante efectivas y mucho más económicas
Fark I hate that rattle, ended up going back to the old school tongue type.
I agree. 2 bolts and your done.
wish i had all that equipment and the skills for it
If you're close by, come down to the shop and bring the receiver. I have the equipment, I'll help you get fixed up.
I got my tin snips out and a few coke cans. Words of advice. Use empty coke cans.
Plastic shims work well
i just wrapped a layer or two of gray duct tape around my draw bar and problem solved.
I like the tape option, it has worked before. However, the tape wears out and has to be replaced. For me, this was a more permanent fix.
Wow! Nice fab work dude!! That is awesome! What kind of bit was that? The one to take down the sides and put that bevel on there? Unreal, nice job!
I think this is a great idea! I would love to see a thief try and steal that now!
Thanks! I wonder if any have tried yet?! Thanks for watching!!
Great video... Just the audio left me bored... If not for the absolutely amazing and informative content I'd have left... But I like your solution and might try that for my work rig
+Casey Johnson yeah, first video and trying to use gopro editing software :/ Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!
Ya'll don't have radios in your pick ups?
This is how Rube Goldberg would fix hitch rattle.
Well nice video but not everyone has a industrial heavy equipment in such a fine shop with doggy’s lol.
Use a large round washer rather than square. No alignment required.p
What's the big deal about a noisy hitch
Short distances, not big deal. Colorado roads however, try keeping your sanity with an empty trailer and few blocks! 🤣🤣🤣
JevWorks yeah I guess I could see that
I would have just tack welded the hitch into the reciever and if you need to remove it just grind the tacks out
Dean Kruse that's exactly what I was thinking. 👍
Jeffrey Yeager it seems like everyone is over thinking this
Maybe just weld hardface on the hitch and grind until it fits.
aún así mereces un like por tu trabajo....
Nice shop!!!
Thanks!
Nice wields.
Genius! Too bad the average guy just watches with jealousy, because he doesn't have access to the machinery required!
@larry099 Unless you had one. I use my mill all the time for jobs like this, however an angle grinder and stick welder would get the job done.
Very innovative!
Thanks!
Nice work!
christhefistful Thanks!
Why don't the manufacturer make them using telescopic SHS.
The Boxers are best part of the video 😍
if I had all those tools I would make a time machine
If you have plans or a flux capacitor, you're welcome to use all the tools in the shop! Thanks for watching!!
I shimmed mine with some thin angle.
All well and good if you have a drill press and welder. Just saying.
So save up and purchase a drill press and welder, except I think he was using a milling machine, just saying.
I like that nice would also help to not have it stolen.
Sweet welds
Thanks!
I'm worried that you dogs are going to get metal slivers in their paws buddy, good work though.
DirtRoadTraveler
Yeah made me cringe 😨
Thanks! All the chips stay in the Mill/ Drill area, and the dogs stay out of that area. Thanks for your concern though always nice to see people that care and notice things that I don't. Thanks for watching!
I don't always have gloves on when using Millie, but sometimes I do cause I forget! Also I think I kept the gloves on so my camera hand stayed clean! Thanks for watching!
$20 on Amazon
$12
Really just order a Hitch Clamp!!!! I'm out SMH !!!!
Nice work! Jealous of your shop.
Thank you!
I think I have a problem with my speakers.
i wish i can weld like that man
You can, if you believe you can! Who says you can't! Thanks for watching.