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01-06-2024, 01:38 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2023
Posts: 75
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Quote:
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.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Bill
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Excellent suggestion Bill. I shall do that!
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01-12-2024, 07:08 AM
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#2
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 286
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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.
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-gonzo628
-2006 3124 KB
-2016 Dodge Durango R/T
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01-16-2024, 01:46 PM
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#3
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Site Sponsor
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 48
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hitch ball lock
Hello all, 2019 2720QB , loving it !
I usually pass a long shackled lock through the hitch holes when the hitch is engaged both while driving and when parked. A little extra security never hurts.
Happy and safe camping !
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01-16-2024, 05:00 PM
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#4
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 2,837
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I'm going to throw out a guess here.
With the advent of the back-up camera, that bolt may be to prevent the coupler from accidently closing while backing the tow vehicle.
On the underside of the coupler, there is a "shoe" that grabs the underside of the ball. On most couplers, that tongue has an adjustment nut. That nut can be tightened (slightly) so that the "Tongue" will grasp the bottom of the ball with a very small amount of play. If you tighten it too much, the coupler may not close all the way or close so tight that it will wear on the ball. It should just barely touch the bottom of the ball with the coupler closed.
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TrailManor Elkmont
640W solar- 230AH LiFeP04 Battery
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01-16-2024, 05:32 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2023
Posts: 75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavery
I'm going to throw out a guess here.
With the advent of the back-up camera, that bolt may be to prevent the coupler from accidently closing while backing the tow vehicle.
As far as the coupler being loose on the ball, I have a few thoughts.
Are you using a 2" Ball? A 1 7/8" ball is too small.
Is the coupler (maybe) a 2 5/16" coupler? 2 5/16" couplers are common on most travel trailers. If that coupler was only used "on a small number that came to them from their supplier", I would be suspicious that it could be a 2 5/16" coupler. If that's the case, just buy a 2 5/16" ball (if you are using an Anderson WDH, that gets complicated and I may be able to help).
On the underside of the coupler, there is a "Tongue" that grabs the underside of the ball. On most couplers, that tongue has an adjustment nut. That nut can be tightened (slightly) so that the "Tongue" will grasp the bottom of the ball with a very small amount of play. If you tighten it too much, the coupler may not close all the way or close so tight that it will wear on the ball. It should just barely touch the bottom of the ball with the coupler closed.
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Hi Wavery,
This has become a long and tedious thread to go through but yeah. Those questions about ball and coupler size were gone through already. All is correct as far as that goes. It's a 2 inch ball going in to a 2 inch coupler.
The bolt and nut, depending on how far back or forward they are, do make a very slight difference in how much the coupler can rotate. I played with it though and the difference was so small that it made me doubt that that was even the purpose. Could also be a secondary fail safe as the latch does get stopped by the bolt in some scenarios..
Should probably have occurred to me or someone else that a ring on the top side as shown in the earlier picture would work perfectly to guarantee a closed latch. I think if the ring would have broken off it's weld then it would have been easier to guess but since nothing looked broken it was harder to guess that it just came bad and without that ring right from the factory. (or the supplier as TM explained)
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01-12-2024, 07:24 AM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,110
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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
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01-12-2024, 07:36 AM
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#7
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 1,840
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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.
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2000 2720SL (Rebuild Project)
2002 2619 (Parts TM)
SMARTER THAN GOOGLE!
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01-12-2024, 10:20 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2023
Posts: 75
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Quote:
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.
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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!
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01-12-2024, 11:56 AM
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#9
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,110
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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
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01-12-2024, 12:52 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,110
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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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