Receiver hitch??

Anonymous-0 · Mar 1, 2011

Bought and installed a Curtis brand hitch and ball mount for my wife's vehicle. Makes me nervous as he!! when pulling the horse trailer because it rattles so much. Don't do it with other trailers that are loaded. Guess the horse trailer is balanced enough to keep the tongue light. Anyone dealt with this on a hitch? On the verge of just welding the ballmount in place.

Dave

Lou from Wi. · Mar 1, 2011

They used to make(don't know if they make them anymore) a plastic shim that went around the square part of the hitch,it would stop the rattles and squeeks,and hold tite,without sacrificing any safety issues.If you want we can try to see if they are still being made over here and get you a price.
Regards,LOU

Russ from MN · Mar 1, 2011

In the states the 2" usually rattle and the 1 1/4
are so tight when they get rusty you have to drive
them out with a sledge hammer! On receiver type bike
racks they have a tightening mechanism to keep the
bike rack from flopping around, maybe you could do
something like that.

Old Roy · Mar 1, 2011

I was just talkin to Red Green -- you know that feller from Canada ? he said ya need to cut a hole on both sides of the trailer and slip a 2X6 across the width and have the horses rest their belly on it keeping their back feet off the floor transferring the weight to the front making more tongue weight. LOL

Seriously I have taken a plastic antifreeze jug and made a shim. may only need to do one side.

Old Roy · Mar 1, 2011

Thats a good idea too you mean like a drilled hole with a nut welded over it ? that would also deter people from stealing hitches .

VADAVE · Mar 1, 2011

Seriously if it is that loose you need more weight on the tongue. At least 40% or about 400 lb. If the trailer is too balanced it will sway from side to side.
A story--I remember getting a 1 cord load of firewood on a 5 X 8 trailer that was so well balanced, loaded, you could pick up the tongue and move the trailer around. Coming home thaty trailer started swaying and i was watching the car behind me back off broken only by the passing of the trailer across my vision. That was at about 40mph. After getting it slowed down and changing my short we came home at about 30mph cause it was nice a stable there. We DID adjust that trailer tongue weight.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 1, 2011

You could always shim under the receiver hitch with some 12" long shim stock, or an old hacksaw blade, or some such similar item of the necessary thickness.

Ryan - WI · Mar 1, 2011

I feel your pain. My wife's hitch does that when we have a 5x10 behind it empty and go over a bump. My suggestion would be to go to the local home improvement store and buy yourself a pack of plastic shims. These are the same size and shape as the traditional wood shim but made of a composite.

Take one of these and slide it in on top of the ball mount and tap it until snug. Don't put it on the bottom as that will take the weight when the trailer is loaded. When you pull the pin to take out the hitch the shim should come right along with.

OliverGuy · Mar 1, 2011

Drawbar is worn some? You can always weld a
little on the drawbar and grind it to make it fit
tighter

Revredneck · Mar 3, 2011

Red Green would advise you to wrap the drawbar with duct tape, the handyman's secret weapon!

Receiver hitch??

Anonymous-0

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Lou from Wi.

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Russ from MN

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Old Roy

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Old Roy

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VADAVE

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Anonymous-0

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Ryan - WI

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OliverGuy

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Revredneck

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