Time for a pintle hitch?

[LD1]

Never seen one break like that.

For our wood hauling trailers we use 2" hitches. 5000# rated hitches and 5000# couplers. And I would guess that the average load of wood + trailer weight goes into the 6-7k range and a good 1000#+ tongue weight. Have hauled hundreds of loads over the years and never a failure

 

[tcartwri]

Can't believe you bent it with that load.

That's a defect for sure.

 

[aczlan]

Can we get a closeup of the break? Looks almost like its been broken on one side for a while and it got enough force on it to bend...

Aaron Z

 

[jimmysisson]

I have to say I broke one of Northern Tool's 5-ton pintle hooks with my log trailer. Probably 6,000# on the trailer on an off-camber downhill-left turn. I think the hook slid over to one side of the (too-large) ring, and the sidehill twisted the hook well beyond what a normal load would be. It was a clean break, no prior cracking, by appearance (scrapped it, no pix). The hook rides in a 2" receiver on the rear of my Norse winch - I'm glad the hook broke and not a stay link or lower 3-point arm or the winch. And I'm glad I hook up the safety chains every time I move that trailer - saved my bacon that day.
For some reason I still like the pintle in the woods.
Jim

 

[4570Man]

I towed with them all the time. They are horrible. Clunking around and sloppy. Beat the heck out of you trucks towline. Why not a ball. I have a setup rated for 18,000#. Ball is actually rated for 25,000# but the hitch itself is only 18,000# My GN is a ball and rated for 30,000# Chris

A GN ball is another story. It is a little hard to tow a GN behind a tri axel dump truck.

 

[jwstewar]

A GN ball is another story. It is a little hard to tow a GN behind a tri axel dump truck.

I've seen it done. A couple years back I saw a truck pulling a backhoe on a trailer and I kept looking at it thinking it didn't look right. It was a tandem axle dump truck pulling a tri-axe goose neck trailer. The neck of the trailer was lower real low and he had some type of hitch that went up somewhat. And away he went towing that gooseneck trailer with a dump truck.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

You are correct that it most certainly not with that load. Just some old pictures.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Never seen one break like that.

For our wood hauling trailers we use 2" hitches. 5000# rated hitches and 5000# couplers. And I would guess that the average load of wood + trailer weight goes into the 6-7k range and a good 1000#+ tongue weight. Have hauled hundreds of loads over the years and never a failure

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Can we get a closeup of the break? Looks almost like its been broken on one side for a while and it got enough force on it to bend...

Aaron Z

When back and looked at my origional post and see what you're looking at but it's actually not cracked, only bent.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I suspect part of the problem isn't so much being overloaded, but rather picking it up too high with the 3ph. The trailer is far too small to hold enough weight to bend that hitch, if it was used as it was designed to be. When lifted too high, it changes the angle that the force is being applied. Get a new, decent quality hitch and don't pick it up so high. Pintle hitches are made for hauling loads like dozers and such, not an 8'x12' farm trailer.

Careful you don't fall off that horse!

 

[MMagis]

Careful you don't fall off that horse!

Perhaps you misunderstood?

 

[Diamondpilot]

A GN ball is another story. It is a little hard to tow a GN behind a tri axel dump truck.

A ball is a ball. Bothe are 2 5/16"

Chris

 

[NorEaster]

A ball is a ball. Bothe are 2 5/16"

Chris

Lowes sells 2-5/16 balls rated for 10,000lbs, the one on my hitch is a Curt and is stamped 25,000lbs. Are you saying that the Lowes ball is underrated, or the Curt ball is overrated?

 

[bdog]

I love pintle hitches. First started using them on my dump trucks. Will be switching all my tag trailers to them. If you get a properly size matched lunette eye and hitch they don't bang around too bad. If they are way mismatched you get a lot of clanking.

They are so much more secure than ball hitches and you never worry about putting a 2-5/16" trailer on a 2" ball.

 

[Wagtail]

I suspect part of the problem isn't so much being overloaded, but rather picking it up too high with the 3ph.

That part makes sense... or hauling the load/trailer over constant bumpy/rugged terrain. 'cla-dunk' 'cla-dunk' 'cla-DUNK'

 

[aczlan]

Lowes sells 2-5/16 balls rated for 10,000lbs, the one on my hitch is a Curt and is stamped 25,000lbs. Are you saying that the Lowes ball is underrated, or the Curt ball is overrated?

Lowes also sells 2-5/16 balls rated for 12,000#, 14,000#, etc and 2" balls rated for 6000#, 3500#, etc.
They make balls in various ratings for various uses.

Aaron Z

 

[schmism]

here is a 16K forged one.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/346808-time-pintle-hitch-4.html
or 17K forged rated for 2500lbs TW (vertical load)
https://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mounts/Curt/C45340.html

 

[Diamondpilot]

Lowes sells 2-5/16 balls rated for 10,000lbs, the one on my hitch is a Curt and is stamped 25,000lbs. Are you saying that the Lowes ball is underrated, or the Curt ball is overrated?

HF sells breaker bars I can bend in Hal's while Craftsman sells ones I can not. Like anything in life you can buy cheap products or good ones. My 2 2 5/16" balls are rated at 25,000#. The weak part of my setup is the 2.5" hitch itself rated at 18,000#

To answer your question, the 10K ball is a light duty version that would not handle a standard 10K trailer.

Chris

 

[LD1]

Shank size and type of steel are big factors in the ratings. Curt has a nice chart for some different sizes.

Trailer Hitch Balls

Shank size makes a big difference on weight ratings.

But look at 2-5/16" balls with 1-1/4" shanks. They list 3. 12k, 14k, and 20k. Whats the difference? I have no idea but assume stronger materials.

Same way with inserts.

Can get welded square tube type with ~6k capacity or forged one piece ones with 16k capacity. Or the welded on balls on a solid shank up around 16k capacity.

Design, material, size. All factors on strength.

Similar to chain. Gr30, Gr43, Gr70, Gr100, etc. Vastly different strengths of the same size chain. Just better material.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

hhmmm ball hitches huh? Never seen one rated for 100k though. Pintle? Yupp, better believe it. 100k GVW 20k GTW Pintle and oh btw, thats 20% tongue weight for all the super truckers...