? on loose hitch pin

[wilnis]

Hi-=Have an 04 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel that I put a Putnam class V on at least 4 years ago. Lately pulling my 6000# trailer I've notice it "bumps" when I start off and I thought I must have put a 1/2" pin in but it is a 5/8" and the hitch pin hole on the receiver is loose. I've "fixed" it by putting a 5/8" bolt and cranking it down, but I'm concerned that a class 5 hitch could have this happen. My questions are, have others had their pin hole loosen up?? What did you do about it? Are there other hitches that I should have used?? Do I need a new hitch??
My wife said she thinks the couple of times a year we pull hay racks and they bang and bump loosened the pin hole, but they are no heavier than the horse trailer with 2 horses.
Thanks in advance. Bill

 

[Diamondpilot]

Putnam makes a great hitch. Is it the hole on the hitch or the bar? I have had this happen to both hitches and bars. On the hitch it was my fault by overloading a 10,000# hitch by 6,000#. On the bar it was soft metal. I actually took pictures and emailed the company president. Found his info on the net and he sent me a new bar.

Check it over and if its the hitch you will need to replace it sooner or later. The only way around it is to have a welder build it up and even add 1/4" plates to both sides and use a longer pin.

Chris

 

[wilnis]

Chris-Thanks for the reply. It is the hole in the receiver. I pull usually about 40 times per year, a 6-7000# horse trailer about 100-150 miles each tow. I use a weight distributing hitch (Reese) all the time except pulling the hay racks. I'll be looking at a new hitch. Anything I could do to prevent it from happening again? Thanks Bill

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would contact Putnam. They are good people. 6,000# is nothing. I used to pull that with a Ford Ranger with 4.10 gears and a 4.0 V6 with a factory Ford hitch rated at 5,000#. I can not guarantee you anything but I have been in the trailer business for some time and have had great luck with them.

As for new hitches I would step upto a 2.5" unit. I have a Reece Titan on my F-250 rated for 14,000# I think. I have pulled 25,000# with it and no wear at all. I also have a 2.5" unit on my F-350 but its the factory one. Its built very well also and I have pulled 25,000# behind this truck 15 or so times 30 miles each way. It pulls about 16,000# 150 miles each weekend from late April to early November with some longer 800 mile trips sprinkled in.

Also do not use a hardened hitch pin or bolt. Let it wear and throw it away and buy another new $4 pin instead of a hitch.

Chris

 

[wilnis]

Chris - Thanks again for your advice. I'll contact Putnam to see what they say. Bill

 

[Diamondpilot]

Take pictures and do your homework. Find out who one of the higher ups is and send him or her a nice email with the photo's. Dealing with Joe Blow on the other end of the phone will probably not get you anywhere.

Tell them you bought the Putnam because its know to be a quality product, ect. I am sure your truck came with a factory hitch so I am guessing you upgraded because you did not trust the hitch they put on the. If I remember right I had a 03 or 02 2500 Dodge and the hitch left a lot to be desired and was only rated at maybe 6,000#. Way to light for a 3/4 ton.

If you do decide to buy a new hitch go 2.5". All the manufactures are going to this for the HD trucks. I have been running them on my Diesels since 2004 and will not go back. 2" hitches are fine for gassers but towing real loads needs something stronger. I have bent a few bars and broken a few 2" hitches so I am done. It will be the new standard on HD trucks and already is factory on Ford and GM.

Another good brand I use, actually just put one on my bosses Jeep Monday, is Curt. Curt is all American made and has a really nice finish. I get them through E-trailer.com cheaper than I can order them from my supplier.


Chris

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Ditto on Curt...I use their WDH and sway controls...nice quality and price.

 

[HarleyScooter]

wilnis, you have received some good information so far. From a welders point you could get a piece of copper and wedge it tight to the inside of the receiver and run a small bead around the inside of the hole and redrill to 5/8" you could also tack a heavy 9/16" washer to the outside if you wanted and drill through that, if you marked the location of the washer prior to welding the hole and then tacked it on it would also help in drilling the hole in the correct position. As for the receiver I find most of the hitches I have had lately have a very sloppy fit bar to receiver which would allow most of the starting out and stopping load to be on the pin, even with the tongue weight binding the bar into the hitch I feel this creates the wear on the hole. I have run small beads on the bar and ground them to fit the receiver at a tighter fit. Just some things to think about.

 

[wilnis]

HarleyScooter-Thanks for the reply, I like this option and have a buddy who is a good welder and has been helpful with other projects in the past. Thanks again. Bill

 

[lostcause]

wilnis, you have received some good information so far. From a welders point you could get a piece of copper and wedge it tight to the inside of the receiver and run a small bead around the inside of the hole and redrill to 5/8" you could also tack a heavy 9/16" washer to the outside if you wanted and drill through that, if you marked the location of the washer prior to welding the hole and then tacked it on it would also help in drilling the hole in the correct position. As for the receiver I find most of the hitches I have had lately have a very sloppy fit bar to receiver which would allow most of the starting out and stopping load to be on the pin, even with the tongue weight binding the bar into the hitch I feel this creates the wear on the hole. I have run small beads on the bar and ground them to fit the receiver at a tighter fit. Just some things to think about.

i'll second that on sloppy hitches. my 2006 gm 2500 factory hitch is extremely loose compared to any i've had in the past. i wonder if they loosened them up slightly to stop drawbars from rusting in. i've had this happen with 2" solid drawbars. they don't have any corner radius and are tight to begin with, and it doesn't take too long to rust in if left.

i generally take them out fairly often if not for anything other than saving shins, but the 1 ton bought a couple years ago came with a permanently rusted drawbar. i've heated it as much as i want, since there's a fuel tank right in front of it. i'm going to end up cutting the hitch out and making a new one.