Pintle ring type trailer

Melville · Jun 3, 2004

What are the advantages of a pintle type hook up trailer? I see them on contruction sites and heavy equipment. Has anyone rigged up or have any ideas about pulling a pintle type trailer behind their tractor. A pintle type is the kind of reciever that uses a ring rather than a ball. I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas to share.

Patrick

LarryRB · Jun 3, 2004

I have a Bri-Mar 12,0000 trailer and pull it with my Dodge diesel heavy 3/4 ton picj up.. I have the pintle ring and rather this over a ball hitch. You do have to get use to a little slack on take off. The good thing is, people are always asking can I borrow your trailer? For one, no.. For two, once they see a pintle they realize they can't pull it anyway.. I get, can you do it? and the answer again is no.. I don't want to attempt putting a car on a basically much higher trailer, trying to get over the radical incline for loading/unloading said vehicle.. It does make it much easier on me and have always had a pintle hitch anyway and am quite comfortable with them..

DavidJ · Jun 3, 2004

The biggest advantages are greater flexibility in the joint, easier hookup and greater load rating.

755inNY · Jun 3, 2004

once they see a pintle they realize they can't pull it anyway 

It should not make any difference whether it is pintel or ball. My two trailers (10K and 6K gross) use a ball but when I need to use my neighbor's 12K trailer with pintel, I just insert the pintel mount into my receiver.

Jeff

Soundguy · Jun 3, 2004

There are also ball's with flip up pintle latches on them.. kinda combo-ish setup.

Soundguy

Gary_in_Indiana · Jun 3, 2004

That's what I have on the dump trucks.

If you use one of those 'Convert-A=Ball' set ups with that hitch you never have to change anything but the ball and can pull virtually anything. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

RayH · Jun 6, 2004

Ive pulled both and currently have a light weight trailer with a ball and a 10000 lbs trailer with a lunette ring. The pintle hooks up real easy. I can usually get it close enough on the first backup. Just know what your trailer should look like in the mirror and keep backing until it bumps then pull forward 1" and its there. The drawback of a pintle arrangement, as everyone else has said is the lash or play when taking off or stopping.
Oh, and it has been a convieneint excuse to not lend the trailer out on at least one occasion. I dont advertise that Ive got a 2" receiver insert with a pintle on it

LarryRB · Jun 6, 2004

More than convenience as an excuse. I did say the people in question do not respect anything that they borrow even from their own parents. I just happen to be a married by family, uncle.. I say no, I mean no one borrows my equipment and besides you haven't a CDL B license for one, and secondly I use pintle arrangement.. Goes a lot deeper in meaning than another excuse, believe me..

dos_perros · Jun 6, 2004

I have a Canadian military trailer with a lunette ring and pintle hitch on my truck. In addition to prior posts, i.e. ease of hook up, flexibility of joint in off road use, etc. also note the following. You can't back up your trailer, with any degree of ease, because it will not follow a straight line. You can learn to manuver your vehicle, but this variety of hook up is not designed to back up an attached trailer.

755inNY · Jun 6, 2004

You can't back up your trailer, with any degree of ease, because it will not follow a straight line. 

Interesting comment.

I primarily use a ball type hitch and every once in awhile I use a pintle type. I have never noticed any difference in backing either type of trailer. I have had to back the pintle style into some tight spaces. Curving drive way, then straight back to spot attached trailer between two other trailers.

Now that you have told me that it can't be done easily, I probably will have trouble with it from now on /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Is it the pintle that is the problem or is it a "short coupled" trailer (i.e trailer axle is close to hitch pivot point)? A short coupled trailer is always a challenge to back up even with a ball type hitch.

Jeff

dos_perros · Jun 6, 2004

The combination of a lunette ring and pintle basically represents two rings attached together. Since there is no solid linear connection, when you back up, the two rings slide. The trailer, when backed up, will slide to one side or the other and eventually jack knive. If you have had success backing in a straight line with a lunette/pintle, stick to whatever method you're using.

DKinWA · Jun 6, 2004

dos_perros,

I'm not sure why you say this hook up is not designed to back up an attached trailer. It's the only thing used on log trucks and dump trucks around here and they definitely do a lot of backing up with trailers. I've never had a problem with one and I don't know of anyone else that has either.

From your description of your setup, it sounds like you need a bigger hook or smaller ring. If it's sized right, there really isn't that much room for the ring to move in the hook. I doubt on my dumptruck there's much more than 1/2 to 3/4 inch of room for the ring to move on the hook.

Personally, after using the pintle/lunette setup, I hate the typical ball hitch. It's too easy to set a latched hitch onto the ball and not realize that it isn't locked down to the tow vehicle. With the pintle, one quick look and I know if it's locked down and ready to go.

dos_perros · Jun 7, 2004

"I've never had a problem with one and I don't know of anyone else that has either."
Well, now you have heard of one. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Can also, confirm of others with same experience as I.

AndyMA · Jun 7, 2004

I've been driving Pintle hooked up trailers for at least the last 30 years and have had no trouble backing them up. I find no difference betwen them and ball connected. I don't buy the explanation about jacknifeing. I think if a trailer won't backup well it's usually because it's a short trailer or something is wrong with the setup.

Andy

kevinj · Jun 7, 2004

I also been running them for about 30 years and they back up fine. Some of our Michigan 42 wheelers can be a challange to back up at times !!!

DKinWA · Jun 8, 2004

I stand corrected /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I don't have near the hours Andy and Kevin have (I've only been pulling a 10 ton equipment trailer behind my dumptruck for about 2 years or so), but I'm still puzzled by your experience. Any chance you could post a picture of your rig ready to go sometime? It might provide some insight into the problem you're having. I'm inclined to believe like Andy that the length of the trailer may have more to do with the difficulty backing up than the pintle.

kevinj · Jun 8, 2004

I do not drive for a living anymore but maybe you could post a picture of your outfit so we can see what you have. Many drivers I have trained tend to over steer. I have pulled a 10 ton delivering things like a 580 super K and simialr size dozers for a rental outfit and the Redihaul 10 ton pintel always backed up fine. Most of our delvery was back in or street unloading. The pintle wil center in either direction under power ( circle within a circle ). If you have a Miller tilt top then the wheel base is shorter and if you have a tandem truck it will make backing up a little more of an issue. We at one time had a single axle dump trailer for a special operation and we pulled it with a standard twin screw tractor so that combination would get away from you in a hurry. Due to the special needs of that account we had to back in about 2 city blocks and around 1 corner and then dump jackknifed.

dos_perros · Jun 8, 2004

I don't have a picture handy but can provide a good description. My trailer is a military spec Canadian two wheel unit designed for off road use. It has a standard ring lunette that is OEM. The lunette/tongue is aproximately two and half ft. long. The truck has a HD slide in pintle hitch. I use the trailer for hunting, camping, hauling etc. For its purpose, it is an excellent piece of equipment. I am an advocate of the hitch sit up because of it's flexibility and ruggedness. But, as mentioned, it cannot be backed up worth a #%#^&. Friends with similar U.S. military trailers have the exact same experience. That's my story. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

kensfarm · Jun 8, 2004

A couple months ago I bought an old military dump trailer.. it has a metal tag attached that says U.S. Airborne on it.. gives the weight.. dimensions, capacity. At some point.. someone welded a pin hitch over the pintle ring. I do have a picture.. tried to brighten it up some so the hitch was clearer. The hay bale is where I sit to bottle feed the calves.

kevinj · Jun 8, 2004

( My trailer is a military spec Canadian two wheel unit designed for off road use. ) So is this like 6' from pintle ring to wheels??? If so even a ball hitch will not back up well. Anytime the power unit is longer than the trailer you will have more trouble backing it up as the trailer can track quicker than the power unit. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif