Trailer hitch/loop thingy...what the hell is it? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Kekoa
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You'll find them rated for different weights. 5000 and 10000 lbs. seem to be the chinese made choices.
To use in a 2" square receiver you can buy or make a simple heavy plate/square tubing slide-in adapter to mount the pintle, like so:
To use in a 2" square receiver you can buy or make a simple heavy plate/square tubing slide-in adapter to mount the pintle, like so:
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semlin
curmudgeon
thanks, what i had in mind was item B below with its own dedicated receiver bar. I no longer have a pintle mount on my 80 since i cut off the rear cross bar and added a bumper from 4x4labs. this is princess auto here and the price is $C. a bar that bolts up to bolt on pintly is about $40 so slightly cheaper if I could find a good price on a pintle but the dedicated bar suits me now.
I bought the B style at an Academy sports. They had two and looks like they were trying to get rid of them, I got it for like $50, JC Whitney also has a small selection of the pintles. Might want to look locally at some outdoor stores to see if they have anything like you want because these are pretty heavy and shuipping might be expensive.
Sorry, it's late. I actually bought two inch reciever style like the one snook has pictured. Time for bed, Later.
I have been using the D style above, but now I need to sell it as it doesn't fit with my new rear tire carrier.
It is the best of both worlds it has a two inch ball built into the hook of the pintle.
Rezarf <><
It is the best of both worlds it has a two inch ball built into the hook of the pintle.
Rezarf <><
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
I'm not comfortable with the trailerball/pintle hybrid. The shank of the ball is still the weak point. While any chance of twist leading to shear is much reduced compared to a staight ball hitch, it is still a single shear and IF the shank fails the ball is coming out.
In my world, the biggest use of a pintle on a Cruiser is for recovery. Snatching. And the hybrid pintle/ball is not as suitable for this use as a standard pintle.
Mark...
In my world, the biggest use of a pintle on a Cruiser is for recovery. Snatching. And the hybrid pintle/ball is not as suitable for this use as a standard pintle.
Mark...
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Mark,
Should the same caution be taken with a reciever style recovery point? Like the pintle B or the reciever shackle??
I have never seen comments towards these regarding safety and I would assume (maybe that's the problem) that the 1" shank of that ball is way stronger then the 5/8 pin used to hold a reviever in?
Should the same caution be taken with a reciever style recovery point? Like the pintle B or the reciever shackle??
I have never seen comments towards these regarding safety and I would assume (maybe that's the problem) that the 1" shank of that ball is way stronger then the 5/8 pin used to hold a reviever in?
I am using style A in the picture.
Please note: two years ago I was on a trail in the Selway (Idaho) and was trying to reverse the trailer uphill on a tight trail. The trailer jacked to one side, and sheared all the connecting bolts (4) right off the reciever.
I had to drive into Kooskia and find a set of larger (1/2") grade 6 bolts, drill out the pintle plate and reciever plate and replace all the bolts. No problems since then. Just a heads up on using these, or any, hitch on the trail.
M
Please note: two years ago I was on a trail in the Selway (Idaho) and was trying to reverse the trailer uphill on a tight trail. The trailer jacked to one side, and sheared all the connecting bolts (4) right off the reciever.
I had to drive into Kooskia and find a set of larger (1/2") grade 6 bolts, drill out the pintle plate and reciever plate and replace all the bolts. No problems since then. Just a heads up on using these, or any, hitch on the trail.
M
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
The Dude said:
If the pintle is bolted on to a strong bumper or crossmember Then you have 4 1/2 inch (grade 8 if your smart) bolts that have to fail in tension (much higher stresses needed than in shear) before it can come loose. This is how I MUCH prefer to see them attached (although I do have a couple rigs that I use receivers front and rear to attach pintles).
Any receiver mounted recovery point will probably have the pin as the weak link. Unless there is a flaw in the unit. FWIW, I strongly recommend NOT using a receiver pin to secure anything that will be subjected to strong forces (like a snatch strap recovery).
Do you know who made your pin? Do you know how strong it really is? Is it quite likely purchased at Wal-mart and made in Mexico or China in a plant with no quality control to speak of by workers making .02 USD a day?
Instead use a grade 8 bolt to hold your receiver mounted pintle in the tube. A 5/8 inch grade 8 bolt, in a double shear configuration has a failure point of over 54,000 pounds.
So long as the top latch of the pintle stays closed and works properly (no reason that it shouldn't) then the ball is prevented from twisting and the shank is in a pretty straight shear configuration. IF it was the equivilant to a grade 8, then I would assume that it would be stonger than the 5/8 bolt I referenced eve nallowing for thr 5/8 bolt being in double shear (I don't have this numbers in front of me right now though). BUT... the true strength of the ball is an unknown (back to the who made it and how it was made question)
I'm a little leery of the cheaper pintles available on the market for the same reasons. I actually prefer to use Mil-surplus pintles or buy from local industrial suppliers where I can look over the item before purchase.
That said, I've never seen a pintle break or a reiever pin sheer (yet?). I just don't ever want to.
EDIT... I HAVE however bent receiver pins when snatching. Before I decided that I didn't want to trust them anymore.
Mark...
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Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
Mike S said:
I've never seen (and wouldn't use) a pintle that had smaller than 1/2 inch bolts to mount it with. And I wouldn't use less than grade 8 to mount it, for exactly the reason that you discovered.
Mark...
you guys wanting to use the pintle hook for snatch recovery, keep in mind what it's attached to. On the 80 for instance if you bolt it to the "bumper" it really is attached only to a relatively thin crossmember.
They do rate this at 5000+lbs abroad IIRC but it still is not the strongest part of the truck... If you were to bend it, it may even pull the frame rails in?
They do rate this at 5000+lbs abroad IIRC but it still is not the strongest part of the truck... If you were to bend it, it may even pull the frame rails in?
Thanks for the replies Mark. I am using 1/2" grade 8 bolts to hold it to my rear bumper.
I have also reinforced the cruiser cross member with a 1/2 steel backing as you will pull the bolts through the stock location...
I have also reinforced the cruiser cross member with a 1/2 steel backing as you will pull the bolts through the stock location...
Mark W said:I've never seen (and wouldn't use) a pintle that had smaller than 1/2 inch bolts to mount it with. And I wouldn't use less than grade 8 to mount it, for exactly the reason that you discovered.
Mark...
Grade 8 bolts are a bit more brittle, that is why I used grade 6 - no problems now. My point was simple - a trailer can produce a LOT of leverage on the hitch without even trying.
Seeing that pintle ripped off the reciever plate made be think a bit..."Strong is good."
M
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
e9999 said:
That's why you reinforce the mounting point. If you don't, you WILL bend the crossmember when you really subject it to hard use. And you will mostlikely bend the frame rails too. Seen it and fixed it a couple of timnes. PITA!!!
Mark...
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
Mike S said:
That's a common misperception. A grade 8 has less elasticity and plasticity than a grade 5. BUT the grade five will flex, bend and snap long before the grade 8 approaches its limits. Bending before it snaps doesn't make a lower grade bolt better than a higher one which holds.
Mark...
So Mark, what is the actual difference in strength (bending resistance) between the grade 6 and grade 8 bolts?
M
M
LabRat11 said:Sorry to nit pick Snook. However, what you show is a combination ball - pintle hook. I'll never use one - an uncle of mine had one shear off the ball. The trailer disconnected and (according to him) it was a real rodeo ride to get it stopped. And yes, he was well within the weight rating.
Just a word of caution........
This is a pintle hook...
Actually here it is what I have attached to my 100 series bumper (the rear crossmember already have four holes there behind the plastic bumper).
I preferred a cast iron one piece that included 2" ball, not bolted in. This item is rated at 10k lbs but I only need up to 2k at the most.
Since there is no bolt underneath, it is less likely to drag along.
Cheers,
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Mark W said:
The hybrid's ball is not expect to be subject to a sudden spike of shear. The photos below will explain for itself assuming M416/CN101 or a trailer comes with a spring loaded pintle loop.
A) Suddenly stopped, (compression) the pintle loop will press againist the wall of pintel hook, the ball or hook is not in any contact.
B) Suddenly forward, (tension) the ball or hook will take the shear stress however the sudden spike is greatly reduce by built-in spring loaded pintel loop.
The recovery procedure is whole other level, it's brutal.
Cheers,
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