Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill
I know I said I would quit, but that bolt still bothers me. Looking at your pic in post 3 above (repeated below), it is clear that the bolt is part of the hitch as manufactured, and not an add-on by a previous owner. So it has some purpose. It is also clear that the bolt lives in a slot in the frame of the hitch. If the bolt is loosened, it seems intended to slide back and forth, and when it does, something is being adjusted. The only thing I can think of in that area that can be adjusted is the "shoe" that Gonzo mentioned in #12 above.
In #13 above, I suggested that you lie down under the hitch and see how everything works. I'm going to suggest it again, and see if can confirm what the bolt does.
I think you have an adjustable hitch that can accommodate several ball sizes. And I think it is mis-adjusted, set for a 2-1/4" ball. That explains the sloppiness of the fit. And if I am right, it is dangerous.
Bill
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Interesting comments Bill. I just checked the underside of the bolt and it is attached to nothing. Just a nut on the underside. I can see by feeling around that it was not intended to attach to the shoe either. Not like it fell off or something.
One odd thing is that the bolt did not go all the way through the nut on the other side. So that could be messed up. If it did go all the way through it would start to limit the rotation of the shoe slightly and make it snugger as the shoe rotation would then be stopped by the protruding bolt rather than the nut. That would have a tendency to eliminate the play I was talking about. Difficult to work on though as you can't get at the nut very easily as it's being blocked by the shoe part which is not removable. But this does give me something to think about.
Moving the bolt backwards or forwards in that slot you can see doesn't seem to have an effect. It has only a very tiny effect on how much the shoe rotates before it would hit the nut. But then what is the purpose of the adjustability with that slot? The bolt does block the lift tab if you pull back without lifting it but that's about it.
Based on the fact that the bolt doesn't attach to the shoe or anything else on the underside makes me think that this is not an adjustable hitch. The 2 5/16th ball definitely did not fit inside of it and the 2 inch fits snug when you put a little downward pressure on it like would happen when it's hitched up.
I think I may end up taking this to UHaul or someone like that who specializes in hitches to get their opinion. I don't think there's any danger of it becoming unattached while driving but it could be possible that that bolt needs to be adjusted somehow to make it completely snug and correct. When you look at the underside of the hitch in the attached picture you can see that it looks a bit beat up which also makes me question if all is well.
Don't hesitate to beat this dead horse as much as you want to. I appreciate all of your comments!