Should I replace my 2" trailer hitch?

[CH4Ohio]

Hate to be the contrarian here . . . but . . . having gone through about a dozen investigations of hitch "failures" on commercial equipment, the tendency is to immediately blame the hitch when it was simply pushed beyond it's limits or not used properly.

I never did see an answer to whether you had a pin through the safety lock when you did this. With enough banging and pressure applied you can cause pintle hitches and most ball hitches to pop off if the safety pin that's REQUIRED to hold the hitch mechanism in place isn't installed. The use of a pin isn't optional.

IF THERE WAS NO PIN INSTALLED -- I'm not sure why the amount of force used matters or really how you're estimating that. If it was downward force on the back of the trailer causing upward force on the hitch at the ball, it seems that you simply defeated the spring mechanism that wedges up under the ball because the safety pin wasn't there to keep the robust latching mechanism in place.

If nothing is bent -- and that should be visible and apparent -- and you didn't have a pin in it -- what's the value in replacing a perfectly good hitch? The new one will do the same thing with no pin.

Just my opinion.

 

[4570Man]

Get a new one and get a better one that the junky stamped one.

 

[not2old]

There is an adjustment on the underside. Make sure you remove all unnecessary slack when the hitch is locked on the ball. That's probably the reason it came off.

 

[fried1765]

I have 5 trailers from 22' flat to 4x8. They all now have 2 5/16 hitches. Over kill I know but no more changing stingers. I vote replace it with one standard size.

I have 2" for all small trailers, but 2-5/16" for large trailers

 

[Streetcar]

I have a small 6'x10' trailer that I was using to pick up an awkward piece of farm equipment. During unloading, I pushed down on the back of the trailer with my loader forks pretty hard and the result was I popped the trailer off of the ball upfront. It was snapped on tight so my question is, did I damage something in the hitch internals and should I replace the hitch? It's bolt-on and looks like this:

View attachment 705304

What do you think?

Inspect the hitch if nothing is bent why go through effort and expense to replace good hitch

 

[sixdogs]

Hate to be the contrarian here . . . but . . . having gone through about a dozen investigations of hitch "failures" on commercial equipment, the tendency is to immediately blame the hitch when it was simply pushed beyond it's limits or not used properly.

I never did see an answer to whether you had a pin through the safety lock when you did this. With enough banging and pressure applied you can cause pintle hitches and most ball hitches to pop off if the safety pin that's REQUIRED to hold the hitch mechanism in place isn't installed. The use of a pin isn't optional.

IF THERE WAS NO PIN INSTALLED -- I'm not sure why the amount of force used matters or really how you're estimating that. If it was downward force on the back of the trailer causing upward force on the hitch at the ball, it seems that you simply defeated the spring mechanism that wedges up under the ball because the safety pin wasn't there to keep the robust latching mechanism in place.

If nothing is bent -- and that should be visible and apparent -- and you didn't have a pin in it -- what's the value in replacing a perfectly good hitch? The new one will do the same thing with no pin.

Just my opinion.

There was a pin installed when I popped it off and in removing the old hitch it appears the underneath locking linkage is compromised and deformed. It could also be that the ball socket on the hitch is shaped a little different than it was when it was new. I'm replacing the whole thing because it only costs $20 and the old one has been on for 25 years and lots of miles.

It's dead time for me because I'd rather be doing something else but that's the way things go sometimes.

 

[CH4Ohio]

There was a pin installed when I popped it off and in removing the old hitch it appears the underneath locking linkage is compromised and deformed. It could also be that the ball socket on the hitch is shaped a little different than it was when it was new. I'm replacing the whole thing because it only costs $20 and the old one has been on for 25 years and lots of miles.

It's dead time for me because I'd rather be doing something else but that's the way things go sometimes.

Thanks. That answers my question about the pin. And since it's bent we're no longer speculating about whether it needs to be replaced. I appreciate the response and additional info.

 

[Renze]

Last time i replaced a trailer hitch it cost me 22 euro. We have 50mm here in europe, which is slightly under 2"

For that money i wouldnt take risks, i have once overturned a trailer when the load shifted behind the axles and lifted my car: the headgate broke, shifting all planks back...

The cast aluminium ball socket cracked when i saw the underside of that trailer in my rear view mirror, whilst being swung around 190 degrees smashing my ball hitch stuck in an oak... i couldnt pull out on my own power.

When ball couplers are as cheap with you as they are here, its not worth any risk to save a few bucks.

 

[Thomas]

Why take chance replace it.

 

[sixdogs]

Last time i replaced a trailer hitch it cost me 22 euro. We have 50mm here in europe, which is slightly under 2"

For that money i wouldnt take risks, i have once overturned a trailer when the load shifted behind the axles and lifted my car: the headgate broke, shifting all planks back...

The cast aluminium ball socket cracked when i saw the underside of that trailer in my rear view mirror, whilst being swung around 190 degrees smashing my ball hitch stuck in an oak... i couldnt pull out on my own power.

When ball couplers are as cheap with you as they are here, its not worth any risk to save a few bucks.

That's what I thought. For $20, problem is solved and any issues down the road are not going to happen. Besides, I had bent internals.