Question Was Asked By - Bob S

What Can Be Done About Pintle Hitch Banging and Jerking

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Question:

I recently purchased a used utility trailer that is equipped with a lunette ring coupler. The ring has a 3 inside diameter. The pintle hitch that came with the trailer is a combo ball/pintle for 2 receiver. The lunette ring fit on the pintle is very loose & sloppy which seems to cause wild trailer movements when traveling at speeds greater than about 45 mph. Are there pintle hitches designed specifically to hold 3 ID lunette rings? This feels very unsafe.

asked by: Bob S

Expert Reply:

Honestly, that is the nature of a pintle hitch. They do not fit snug and will have quite a bit of play. You will hear and feel the trailer buck and jerk with a pintle hitch, but as long as you are not exceeding the weight capacity of any of the components they are very safe. Because they are completely captive, two rings interlocked, they are quite strong.

We use them quite a bit on our farm for pulling stuck trucks, dragging fallen trees and hauling gravel. I have never seen one fail.

You can change from a combo pintle/ball to a fixed pintle like part # 63015 and it may fit more snug. You could use a cushioned combo with a pintle sleeve that will fit more sung and the cushion will absorb some of the shock and reduce the bucking and banging. We have the cushioned combos available with chromed steel sleeves and balls, part # PH2.

I have added a link to all of our pintle hitches so you can see if anything will help in your situation.

expert reply by: Patrick B

Question:

he problem Im having is that when Im pulling the trailer at freeway speeds, if I start to slow down slightly for traffic the trailer starts whipping back and forth and the issue seems to stem from the fact that the extremely loose fit of the 3 inch ID lunette ring allows the trailer tongue too much lateral movement. The trailer gets to point its nose wherever it wants, in effect until I brake hard or accelerate. Its a short trailer with a compressor. Maybe I have other issues that I need to check? A true pintle hook might improve things as well. I wish I could install a conventional coupler but this trailer was built in England and the drawbar/lunette ring is also functioning as a mechanical brake actuator of some type.

asked by: Bob

Expert Reply:

If trailer is not riding level, adjust the pintle to a lower setting. If you can get the trailer slightly heavier on the nose, it can eliminate some of that lateral movement. You can even go a bit nose down, below level, to eliminate some of the movement.

Changing to a true pintle may help a bit, but I think getting the trailer level or slightly nosed down would help you more. You may also want to adjust the load on the trailer. If you can move some weight forward on the trailer, closer to the vehicle, you should be able to eliminate most of the lateral movement you are experiencing.

I had another idea that may interest you. Depending on the weight of the trailer, you may be able to use a different kind of coupler. It works like a traditional ball mount as far as coupling goes, but it attaches to a trailer a bit different and consequently has a significantly higher capacity than most ball couplers.

Atwood part # 80281. It would bolt to a channel bracket, part # 8978, that would be welded to the trailer. This will eliminate the banging and still might have enough capacity. This whole setup would have a 14K capacity.

I have linked an FAQ on trailer couplers for you to view.

expert reply by: Patrick B

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