Cheap Hitches, Big Loads, and Gravity

Tim4

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Do you all have those mini roll-off dumpster where you are? I pull a few on occasion and this morning picked one up that had some concrete and dirt in it. I had painted lines on the inside of the can so the guys would know where the over load level was. It was loaded about right. They had it loaded a bit heavy to the front but that happens sometimes and is actually better than being loaded too heavy in the back.

I got it winched up on the trailer, it felt a little heavy but it towed pretty good. The front tires were a little light on traction but just enough to remind me to be cautious.

I drove maybe five miles or so to the dump site and just as I stopped prior to pulling onto the scales, the front tires skidded a bit, something went "FLUMP" and made a dragging sound.

Uh Oh, no good.

As it turns out, after traveling five miles through town and a few back roads, the hitch folded up after I reached my destination.

The truck is a spare that I put on the road a few months ago until I get one of the four wheel drives back on the road.

Careful out there, you never know when you'll be sharing the road with questionable equipment.

I've been dragging trailers all over heavens half acre for fifteen or twenty years. At one time I had ten total trailers with active registration so I wouldn't exactly call my self a rookie.
 

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Shadetreemechanic

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Impressive. Those side plates look awfully thin for that load, probably just a class one or two receiver. I have always thought it was dumb that you can sell a light duty receiver that will accept a 2 inch hitch. I think they should limit the light duty receivers to a 1 inch hitch so this doesn't happen. Most folks think that if it will take a 2 inch hitch its a "heavy duty" receiver.
 

franklin2

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How was it getting out of that mess? I am wondering if your jack on the tongue of the trailer lifted it up? Did any of that give you a clue what your tongue weight was?
 

Tim4

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How was it getting out of that mess? I am wondering if your jack on the tongue of the trailer lifted it up? Did any of that give you a clue what your tongue weight was?

It happened at the dump site so I drove to the unloading area and emptied the box. With the load off of the trailer, the hitch is now several inches off the ground and doesn't make that horrible scraping noise anymore.

The tongue was heavy enough that I twisted the safety chains one turn to take a little slack out. It really wasn't terrible.

The heaviest that I've ever crossed the scales in an old Ford diesel with trailer in tow was two years ago at 29,000 pounds. Nerve wracking trip that was.
 

riotwarrior

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First glad no one got hurt, that's the main thing right;Sweet

bit of heat and a hammer that will straighten right up...no worries mate

Sounds to me that perhaps for all the towing you do and done, may want to investigate yer gear a bit better and perhaps not OVERLOAD ***** any more???

Just because a trailer can take a given weight and maybe even legally, does in no way make it safe to do so if the truck and hitch are NOT designed for it.

cookooStop risking life and limb, be it yours or others for $$$$ it's just plain stupid!

Nice wiring too BTW:rotflmao

END RANT
 

Tim4

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First glad no one got hurt, that's the main thing right;Sweet

bit of heat and a hammer that will straighten right up...no worries mate

Sounds to me that perhaps for all the towing you do and done, may want to investigate yer gear a bit better and perhaps not OVERLOAD ***** any more???

Just because a trailer can take a given weight and maybe even legally, does in no way make it safe to do so if the truck and hitch are NOT designed for it.

cookooStop risking life and limb, be it yours or others for $$$$ it's just plain stupid!

Nice wiring too BTW:rotflmao

END RANT

I get where you're coming from.

Back in the day, I was perfect and it was during that time that I spent a lot of time criticizing others too.

;Really
 

OLDBULL8

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I've been dragging trailers all over heavens half acre for fifteen or twenty years.

Looks like this trailer went to Hell's half acre in the last 5 +miles.

I would bet the frame to hitch bolts were loose and fell out or just plain sheared. That hitch is done for, please don't try to use it again. Always check your equipment before use.
 

Black dawg

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Any idea what the equipment was rated for? What was actual load weight?

I saw a 2500 dodge the other day pulling a bumper pull 7k gvw trailer with NINETEEN round bales on it. Bale number 20 was sitting on the side of the road, and he was sitting and wating for help. I was going to stop and take a pictuire, but new I would end up telling this guy how ridiculous his load was.
 

riotwarrior

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I get where you're coming from.

Back in the day, I was perfect and it was during that time that I spent a lot of time criticizing others too.

;Really
Seriously?

Not me with post of how I pulled xxxx lbs which is what...within stock recommendations of the truck? Ya right, seriously you are putting people at risk with behavior like that....I don't condone it, I call it as I see it.

I call :bs:bs when I read it.

Hitch if not this time, clearly from your excerpts has been over loaded many times. No wonder it failed.

It is not about being perfect, it's all about SAFETY
 

OLDBULL8

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I get where you're coming from.

Back in the day, I was perfect and it was during that time that I spent a lot of time criticizing others too.

Although that comment was not pointed at me. What you posted in the first place should have been posted in the "TOWING and HAULING" forum. If you don't want criticizing, don't post stupid actions about yourself. Amen.
 

Tim4

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It is a Reese brand hitch. I cannot find a data plate plate on it and neither can I find it in a catalog online that would tell me what it is rated for.

This is the first heavy load that I have hauled with this particular truck and certainly not the heaviest load hauled over the years.

I understand that there is a safety aspect that must be addressed.

There was no reason, based on my past experience, to expect this particular failure.

The post was made for the benefit of those who may be encouraged now to go and re-examine their own hitch set-ups.

Obviously, the more enlightened among us have no further life lessons to learn and are free to spend their days poking people that are still learning.

:D :hail :dunno
 

Tim4

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Although that comment was not pointed at me. What you posted in the first place should have been posted in the "TOWING and HAULING" forum. If you don't want criticizing, don't post stupid actions about yourself. Amen.

Didn't know there was such a place. See, I am still learning.
 

franklin2

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I have done a little head scratching on this before. It seems as you get to a class 3 and higher hitch, it's no longer "dummy proof" as far as things fitting together. Except the class 5 is supposed to have a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 opening instead of a 2x2. But it looks like to me you could use a class 3 or 4 and not really know the difference as far as things fitting up.

Maybe that hitch you have on the truck above was a class 3 instead of a class 4?
 

sjwelds

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Just bring it down to my weld shop and we'll custom build you a freakin' hitch with 1/2" thick side plates and a 4" sq 3/8" wall cross tube and grade 8 5/8" bolts and I'd like to see you bend THAT sucker!!! LOL end hijack.....
 

junk

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I had a hitch like that one time on my truck. It had the bolt in center bar between the two rails. One day I loaded something and noticed the hitch move independent of the truck. Crawled under there and the horizontal bolts on the hitch were loose. I was glad I caught it and it scared the hell out of me. I replaced that hitch with a higher strength one later.

I just put a curt (15300 i think) on my 93. Nice class 5 - 2" receiver hitch. I was very impressed with it. I would highly recommend that as a replacement. I pull a big enclosed bumper pull trailer that can gross 14K by itself so I wanted a hitch that could take it.
 
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