Trailer coupler rebuild
- Thread starter Tebbsjeep
- Start date
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
I'm not sure that it can be. I don't see any adjustment points to remove the slack, either. It's a pretty simple job to weld a new one on.
I bought it from a guy that got rear-ended in it. It messed the ramp up pretty good, but he told me he had Big Bubbas look it over and they gave it the ok. Obviously they missed the coupler being loose. It will raise off of the ball almost a half inch, but not come off completely. It tows very well other than that. I'll probably grab this coupler to replace it:
Coupler
Coupler
I’m not a huge fan of that type of coupler but Chance uses hitches more in a year than I have in my whole life so if he says it’s good I believe him. I would however get an adjustable height one if I were to ever cut mine off and start fresh. It’s an easy security measure at the very least.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
This one.
Plus this one.
I've seen this one tear several times. Right behind the collar where the frame meets the coupler.
Theives will absolutely steal your trailer, no matter how ugly it is. @jeeper makes a great suggestion on the hitch pins.
If anyone on here needs this coupler changed out, I'll do it for cheap if you can bring the trailer to my house.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
This one is my favorite. It's on my dump trailer and my Jeep Dolly.
RockChucker
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Highland
AMPLOCK U-BRP2516 RV/Trailer Coupler Lock (fits 2 5/16 inches Coupler) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NUNFKS...l_i_W41E4S1ZET7H559QRHY3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is the lock I have. Wasn’t cheap. But I store a vehicle in my enclosed periodically and don’t want it walking away. But it won’t work with the couplers Chance prefers
This is the lock I have. Wasn’t cheap. But I store a vehicle in my enclosed periodically and don’t want it walking away. But it won’t work with the couplers Chance prefers
This brand specifically, or just this style?
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
This brand.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
I'm usually safety 3rd but...
Be advised from engineering standpoint using removable hitch pins instead of tight bolts severely lessens the strength of that hitch to trailer coupling.
It makes the coupling rely almost entirely upon the sheer strength of the pins.
Instead of the clamping friction of using bolts.
I would advise against it in heavy load applications.
5/8" hitch pins each (assuming the usual grade 5) would have 22,000lb+/- 5% static shear strength. Dynamic loads on a trailer can easily double or even triple it's actually gross weight. (Grade 8 is 27k).
The reason a center pin on a standard 2" reciever hitch doesn't see that load directly is- at ~10" deep - you see lots of frictional force from side loading (downward specifically) the receiver tube.
A hitch coupler is fairly loose in the C channel and at best it's 2" deep.
Easy solution is quality grade 8 bolts (with proper sized unthreaded shanks) and an impact to remove/ reconnect the coupler quickly.
And I love that idea. I may cut the standard hitch off mine and do that.
If you're under the safe weight of failure on those two hitch pins, go for it. But for hauling your rig, and implement or a dump trailer think twice and at least check your weights.
Be advised from engineering standpoint using removable hitch pins instead of tight bolts severely lessens the strength of that hitch to trailer coupling.
It makes the coupling rely almost entirely upon the sheer strength of the pins.
Instead of the clamping friction of using bolts.
I would advise against it in heavy load applications.
5/8" hitch pins each (assuming the usual grade 5) would have 22,000lb+/- 5% static shear strength. Dynamic loads on a trailer can easily double or even triple it's actually gross weight. (Grade 8 is 27k).
The reason a center pin on a standard 2" reciever hitch doesn't see that load directly is- at ~10" deep - you see lots of frictional force from side loading (downward specifically) the receiver tube.
A hitch coupler is fairly loose in the C channel and at best it's 2" deep.
Easy solution is quality grade 8 bolts (with proper sized unthreaded shanks) and an impact to remove/ reconnect the coupler quickly.
And I love that idea. I may cut the standard hitch off mine and do that.
If you're under the safe weight of failure on those two hitch pins, go for it. But for hauling your rig, and implement or a dump trailer think twice and at least check your weights.
I put a little bit of thought into that when I did my hitchpins, but when I looked at brand new trailers they were just as loose and floppy as my hitch pins are. I was slightly nervous a couple of times about the hitch pin idea, but it has proven to be more than sufficient for me. Of course I’m no engineer, so take your own risks in life.
If the hitchpins are not sufficient, I don’t see a problem drilling a hole through the end of a grade 8 bolt and using it as a pin. No matter how hard you tighten them, the channel is not going to pinch tight against the coupler
If the hitchpins are not sufficient, I don’t see a problem drilling a hole through the end of a grade 8 bolt and using it as a pin. No matter how hard you tighten them, the channel is not going to pinch tight against the coupler
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
Yeah there's definitely no clamping force with this style coupler. The Jeep Dolly uses hitch pins, but my dump trailer still has bolts. I used an impact to install the bolts when I moved the coupler down a few holes and it rattles around just as much as the one with hitch pins.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
Nothing wrong with Curt.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
As with anything else, absolutely.