Dumb question regarding Trailmanor Hitch

[Rob Culver]

Originally Posted by Bill

You might send a query to Paul Wipf at the factory, with a clear picture, and asking him if the hitch is OEM. He will undoubtedly pass the query to Jacob, who knows the mechanics of the TM best. At the same time, you might ask for the mfr name and model name.

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Bill

Excellent suggestion Bill. I shall do that!

[gonzo628]

Couple thoughts / Questions come to mind. You mention slop/play in the hitch when it is fully closed. Is it possible this is the wrong size coupler (2 5/8, vs 2)? If not that, any pictures of the underside of the coupler? In the closed position, it isn’t the bolt that should be holding the hitch on the ball. There is a little “shoe” that should slide in behind the ball and pinch it in place.

[Bill]

That's a really good thought. You should also check the size of the hitch ball. As Gonzo suggested, it should be 2", and not one of the 1-7/8" units that are commonly available. The number is often stamped right into the top of the ball.

And you should also lie down on your back and look upward into the cup as you open and close the hitch lever, just so you understand how the hitch works. Not many folks really know what is going on in there. You should see the "shoe" that Gonzo mentioned slide back and forth. I remember being surprised when I finally did that, years ago.

Bill

[Shane826]

The other way is true as well… There were a handful of TMs built with 2-5/16” couplers, so if you’re using a 2” ball that might account for the slop. This did occur in South Dakota on a very select few TMs. A call to the factory might shed some light.

[Rob Culver]

Originally Posted by Shane826

The other way is true as well… There were a handful of TMs built with 2-5/16” couplers, so if you’re using a 2” ball that might account for the slop. This did occur in South Dakota on a very select few TMs. A call to the factory might shed some light.

Thanks for the replies guys. The hitch on my truck is reversible with 2 5/16ths on one side and 2 on the other. I tried putting the 2 5/16ths ball in the open coupler and it definitely didn't fit.

When I say there's play in the coupler, I mean that there's a slight movement of the lower side shoe of the coupler as you move the upper side in the two positions I show in the pictures I just uploaded. Interestingly though, the coupler closes tighter in the position in which it looks more open on the top side. In other words, as you begin to lift up on the tab it initially closes the shoe tighter. So that's a good sign.

I bought a pin that Bill showed previously in the thread. When I put the pin in with the square of the pin right next to the bolt I can still lift up on the tab quite far. So far up that you would think that the coupler is actually open. However, I tested it and it's then impossible to open the lift tab far enough to completely free the ball and uncouple as long as the square of the pin is butted up against the bolt.

So now I'm thinking that perhaps this really is the intended design for how it's all supposed to work. Paul at trailmanor answered my email that this was a factory hitch for which they do NOT supply that pin. Why not I wonder? He copied Jacob for further info about part numbers etc and no reply for a couple days on that so I'm not expecting that Jacob will reply further.

While it's technically possible to lift the square part of the pin up and over the bolt and the lift tab at the same time to open the hitch while driving. This seems extremely unlikely to happen. The pin prevents the coupler from opening as long as it pinned against the bolt. So it seems quite possible that this is the intended design.

But I'm still quite happy I checked it all out just for the peace of mind and understanding and I appreciate all the feed back from this thread to help me do that!

[Bill]

The "square end of the pin" has nothing to do with the operation of pin itself or the coupler. Its position should be irrelevant to anything. It is simply a springy retainer clip to keep the round body of the pin from falling out of the coupler and onto the road.

One last question, and then I'll drop out. What is that snarl of fine silvery wire on the rearward end of the lift tab/lever? Is there some kind of trigger under the tab? Never seen anything like that before. Unless you can identify a specific purpose, I would remove it.

Bill

[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

[Rob Culver]

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

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!

[rtcassel]

https://cowintools.en.made-in-china....r-Coupler.html
It has the bolt and little ring at the front. I could not find a 2 inch version.

[Rob Culver]

Originally Posted by rtcassel

https://cowintools.en.made-in-china....r-Coupler.html
It has the bolt and little ring at the front. I could not find a 2 inch version.

Very interesting. If you click on your link it shows a part pretty much identical to what I have. But in the picture it looks like the lift tab is going OVER the bolt when the latch is in the closed position. I can see that even if I position the bolt as far forward as possible it would still not be possible to close the lift tab over the bolt that way in my case.

On the other hand though I figured out a use for the metallic string. When I use that to wrap around the bolt and hold it in the position shown in my photo that I just took, it holds the latch in a more closed position of the shoe on the bottom than if the tab is not butted against the bolt. It also eliminates the play.

So this is definitely the best way to secure the closed position of the latch. It's a little hard to believe that something looking so jerry rigged was the intended design. Perhaps there is a different type of fastener to keep the lift tab butting up against the bolt?

Thank you much for that link!