Dumb question regarding Trailmanor Hitch

[Bill]

Tim -

I can't imagine how you found that. It looks just like Rob's photos, for sure.

Rob -

You might try the following. Go to Walmart and buy a 2-5/16" hitch ball. Take it home and see if it fits in your coupler. If it fits, keep it. If not, take it back to Walmart.

I'm still having a lot of trouble with the idea that the bolt has anything to do with keeping the coupler tab closed - or open - or any of the other Mickey Mouse related actions that appear to be happening. And using a piece of cheap florist's wire to keep a 10,000-pound-capable trailer hitch latched to its tow vehicle is ludicrous.

But I am completely out of better ideas.

Bill

 

[rtcassel]

Tim -

I can't imagine how you found that. It looks just like Rob's photos, for sure.

Bill

I did a Google image search on "trailer coupler", paged through many images, then followed the associated link.

 

[Rob Culver]

Tim -

I can't imagine how you found that. It looks just like Rob's photos, for sure.

Rob -

You might try the following. Go to Walmart and buy a 2-5/16" hitch ball. Take it home and see if it fits in your coupler. If it fits, keep it. If not, take it back to Walmart.

I'm still having a lot of trouble with the idea that the bolt has anything to do with keeping the coupler tab closed - or open - or any of the other Mickey Mouse related actions that appear to be happening. And using a piece of cheap florist's wire to keep a 10,000-pound-capable trailer hitch latched to its tow vehicle is ludicrous.

But I am completely out of better ideas.

Bill

Hi Bill,
I mentioned earlier in the thread that I did try the 2 5/16ths ball and it absolutely was too big to fit.
I agree that using that bolt to keep the tab closed is very mickey mouse. All the more so with the florists wire. If there was a different fastener to the bolt other than the wire it would seem a little more plausible. But still an odd design. And yet it does basicly work.

 

[rtcassel]

linch pins??

Rob - would something from this page work?
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/linch-pins/

There is a link on the original page that I posted that leads to an emailed catalog of trailer coupler stuff. There are several linch pins pictured in the catalog.

 

[rtcassel]

Last picture in the trailmanor.com 2720 series section

https://trailmanor.com/2720-series/#iLightbox[gallery_image_1]/9

Could this be your coupler? The picture is not very clear. I cannot see a bolt.
Is that a linch pin with a curved u-shaped wire portion that could fit against the bolt?

 

[Bill]

Tim -

No, that isn't what we are looking for. The picture on the TM site shows the same coupler that I have on my 2020 2720QS. There is no bolt. And the "curved u-shaped wire portion" is actually not a silvery wire or a bent metal rod, but is simply the new-and-glossy edge of the upper metal part of the cup.

The first pic was extracted from the photo you referenced on the TM site. Clearly no bolt, but the "curved u-shaped wire portion" seems clear. The second pic is my hitch, with a bit different lighting and some dust on it. A closer look confirms that the u-shaped wire is actually the glare from my garage ceiling lights, reflecting from the edge of the raised cup.

Bill

 

[rbhtrail]

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 !

 

[Rob Culver]

Update from Trailmanor

Tim -

No, that isn't what we are looking for. The picture on the TM site shows the same coupler that I have on my 2020 2720QS. There is no bolt. And the "curved u-shaped wire portion" is actually not a silvery wire or a bent metal rod, but is simply the new-and-glossy edge of the upper metal part of the cup.

The first pic was extracted from the photo you referenced on the TM site. Clearly no bolt, but the "curved u-shaped wire portion" seems clear. The second pic is my hitch, with a bit different lighting and some dust on it. A closer look confirms that the u-shaped wire is actually the glare from my garage ceiling lights, reflecting from the edge of the raised cup.

Bill

I had given up on Trailmanor responding to this issue but they finally came through. They told me that my hitch was part of a small number that came to them from their supplier that was missing a ring piece that was supposed to be welded to the top side of the hitch. You can see the ring in the picture they sent me.

Now that makes sense and when you put a pin through the holes on the lift tab it absolutely will hold the hitch in a locked position and keep it from opening!

They will mail the ring piece to me and then I'll take it to a local welder to have it welded to the rest of the hitch. All at their expense. As a second owner of this TM, I don't think any warranty covered me but they're covering it anyway.

Wow! I'm feeling like the resolution of this very odd problem is finally in sight!

 

[Bill]

I agree, that makes a lot of sense. But it still doesn't tell us (me) what the bolt is all about. Since the bolt appears to have no function on the upper side of the hitch, and isn't attached to anything under the hitch, could it simply be removed? As it is, it looks like a knuckle-buster when you raise or lower the tab.

They will mail the ring piece to me and then I'll take it to a local welder to have it welded to the rest of the hitch. All at their expense. As a second owner of this TM, I don't think any warranty covered me but they're covering it anyway.

In my experience, TM is really good about this kind of thing. They go out of their way to bring more-than-required service and satisfaction to their owners, and always avoid pointing fingers at their suppliers.

Bill

 

[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.


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.

 

[Rob Culver]

I agree, that makes a lot of sense. But it still doesn't tell us (me) what the bolt is all about. Since the bolt appears to have no function on the upper side of the hitch, and isn't attached to anything under the hitch, could it simply be removed? As it is, it looks like a knuckle-buster when you raise or lower the tab.

In my experience, TM is really good about this kind of thing. They go out of their way to bring more-than-required service and satisfaction to their owners, and always avoid pointing fingers at their suppliers.

Bill

I agree with you Bill. The Bolt could be removed with no consequences once that ring is in place. I think the Bolt does act as a secondary fail safe though. If the lift tab slides back towards the bolt without being lifted up, then the bolt stops the hitch from opening also. It's not a good way to stop it since I could imagine alot of force actually breaking the bolt and it's also possible for the lift tab to go up and over the bolt too. The florists wire would help prevent that but we both agreed that would be a pretty mickey mouse way to do it.

I'm glad to hear that this Trailmanor service of paying for the mistake when they didn't have to is the norm for them. I think it might not necessarily be normal for other errors but the hitch is not something you want to mess around with at less than 100% perfect! lol ... I think..

 

[Rob Culver]

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.

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)

 

[Shane826]

So according to TrailManor this is the coupler that was used. They don’t know what the bolt was for, and no longer use it (they didn’t say why).

https://trailervalet.com/shop/blackout-series-5000-lbs-a-frame-coupler-2-inch-ball/

The website isn’t exactly helpful either but maybe a little Google action could shed some light on what the bolt is for.

 

[rtcassel]

Lowes has this coupler on its website (out of stock)

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Trailer-Va...-000-lbs-A-Frame-Coupler-2-in-Ball/5001564379

There is a review with someone's fix so that it can be locked.
There is a question about how to keep it locked. Answer: call Trailer Valet

 

[Bill]

This is actually a little scary. A trailer hitch that won't lock. The supplier can't supply any. Big RV supply places, and even Amazon, don't carry them. The outlets that bought a few can't get any more. The supplier's web site has no real information on the unit - all queries lead to "We are working on a description and will post it soon." A bolt that has no apparent function, but is in the way of the actuator. A Trust Pilot Rating of "Poor".

Rob, your question wasn't so dumb, was it? Good for you for persisting. And I'm glad the Forum was able to help you find a way to at least lock it down.

I have my thoughts, but no real info.

Bill

 

[Shane826]

Might be worth taking it to a trailer shop and having an Atwood coupler (that’s what is on all my TMs) welded in place of this thing.

 

[Rob Culver]

This is actually a little scary. A trailer hitch that won't lock. The supplier can't supply any. Big RV supply places, and even Amazon, don't carry them. The outlets that bought a few can't get any more. The supplier's web site has no real information on the unit - all queries lead to "We are working on a description and will post it soon." A bolt that has no apparent function, but is in the way of the actuator. A Trust Pilot Rating of "Poor".

Rob, your question wasn't so dumb, was it? Good for you for persisting. And I'm glad the Forum was able to help you find a way to at least lock it down.

I have my thoughts, but no real info.

Bill

There are alot of dumb questions. Maybe even the majority... lol. That was a very "concise" summary, lol. And I'm feeling alot better about this critical component than I did when the thread started. Thanks to you and others that weighed in!

 

[Rob Culver]

The Final Final Word

There are alot of dumb questions. Maybe even the majority... lol. That was a very "concise" summary, lol. And I'm feeling alot better about this critical component than I did when the thread started. Thanks to you and others that weighed in!

For $115 I found a local welder to weld the ring piece that Trailmanor sent me.
Works like a Champ!