Hitch Pins

[Mace Canute]

OOPS! :ashamed:You're right. I divided by 2000 instead of 1000. For some reason I was thinking of how many tons it was.

 

[schmism]

how do you people plan on generating 22,000 lbs of horizontal force on hitch pin?

 

[Skyco]

I don't think one can, unless rear ended as I mentioned...:laughing:

 

[some zilch]

even if you get hit hard enough in the rear to shear a hitch pin in 2 places, the hitch cant go anywhere, b/c the ball will hit the opening of the square tube. my guess is that if you get hit that hard, you are probably not going to be pulling the trailer home.

 

[wallace]

Guys have you ever been to the local fair when they are doing the 4wd truck pulls.........Those trucks put the pins to the ultimate test. Case you guys don't know or did realize, that sled starts out around 34,000lbs.
If you have ever seen any of the trucks hop, jump, jerk. You would have faith in the pin.
I have been around that sport for 25yrs and yet to see one hitch pin break.
I seen tons of hitches break and guys rip the receivers off but never a hitch pin break.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Guys have you ever been to the local fair when they are doing the 4wd truck pulls.........Those trucks put the pins to the ultimate test. Case you guys don't know or did realize, that sled starts out around 34,000lbs.
If you have ever seen any of the trucks hop, jump, jerk. You would have faith in the pin.
I have been around that sport for 25yrs and yet to see one hitch pin break.
I seen tons of hitches break and guys rip the receivers off but never a hitch pin break.

If you are saying that the sled presents 34K minimum resistance to being pulled and then goes up from there Id say youre in the range of bull dozer pulls. Nothing as lightweight as a pick up type truck is going to have sufficient traction to move against a 34K# resistance. Their weight would have to be in excess of 30K to have a chance of moving any distance at all.
larry

 

[Diamondpilot]

Guys have you ever been to the local fair when they are doing the 4wd truck pulls.........Those trucks put the pins to the ultimate test. Case you guys don't know or did realize, that sled starts out around 34,000lbs.
If you have ever seen any of the trucks hop, jump, jerk. You would have faith in the pin.
I have been around that sport for 25yrs and yet to see one hitch pin break.
I seen tons of hitches break and guys rip the receivers off but never a hitch pin break.

I was thinking the same thing. I can not tell you how many shrubs and stumps I have jerked on in my younger days without a single failure.

Chris

 

[Duffster]

I have seen several pins snap at truck pulls. The hopping and jerking is usually what gets them but sometimes it is in the middle of a nice smooth pull.

 

[Raspy]

I worry more about what keeps the pin in. It seems like the snap clip could easily come off and let the pin begin to walk out. I use a 5/8 bolt a lot of the time and screw on a nylock nut. The bolt is long enough that the unthreaded part is taking the load at the holes. But that's hard to change compared to a simple pin. There doesn't seem to be any foolproof and yet simple design.

 

[Skyco]

The hitch pins I use are locking ones...they have a set of 4 digit combination wheels on the end to retain the pin.
3 advantages- they can't come off and they prevent someone from easily stealing the drawbar. I also leave a receiver mounted winch on the front of my truck and it is locked the same way. Third advantage is I set my own combi and don't have to keep up with yet another key as with the common key locking pin..
Even worse I heard of a prankster once stealing the pins out of drawbars with trailers attached, then the unknowing owners went down the road and had their trailers come off the truck, with the drawbar of course firmly coupled onto the trailer.

Image below shows them- made by Trimax and a google will turn up widely priced sources for them