Large Crack/Tear on trailer hitch

[Rick Henderson]

I just got back from a 5000 mile trip with $50,000 worth of cars and found the hitch almost touching the ground. The crack is more of a tear and I didn't see it when I fueled up about 25 miles earlier.

It must of happened last night when I went through Seattle in a construction site. I was so darn lucky. I will show some pictures after I get it replaced.

I just hope this won't ever happen to anyone else. I heard of a whole family killed from a run away trailer.

[Mark Rinker]

Scary story. Some questions:

1) Would the safety chains used, and their attaching points have been successful in keeping the trailer attached, if the hitch had completely broken away?

2) How much tounge weight did you have? What kind of bumper?

3) Please describe the trailer capacity, axle configuration, and car(s), their combined weight, and their positions on the trailer.

I have towed hundreds of thousands of miles with OEM hitches on my 2500HDs, only one issue when a work bodied truck was converted back to a 8' box, and two OEM bolts that stablize the hitch to the bumper were omitted. All that occurred was a 3" sag that couldn't be corrected with a hydraulic jack and the weight of the truck.

The OEM bumper was then replaced with an expensive aftermarket Putnam 'Class V' bumper, that eventually did the same thing, and had to be reinforced with additional steel at a fab shop, because it didn't have anything to tie it to the OEM bumper, either. A waste of money, and I threw away a perfectly good OEM unit for a tube steel gimick, IMO.

The 2500 series frame rails are strong enough to hold the 'pull' or 'push' of large loads, but not the downward 'twisting force' of too much tounge weight, especially if the bolts that stablize the OEM hitch vertically to the bumper are removed. These bolts are near the chain loops on the OEM setup.

I am betting these bolts were gone if you were running an OEM bumper, or you were running an aftermarket Class IV or V bumper that doesn't tie vertically.

[Rick Henderson]

Mark,
Sorry we just got the new hitch on and I will only have 3 hours of sleep before I have to finish the delivery.

The hitch is a OEM and I am using a Imperial two car trailer. It wasn't loaded any different, but the difference was that I went through a extremely rough road in Seattle.

I will get to your questions hopefully tomorrow night.

[Mark Rinker]

Better luck to you.

If the new hitch mounts to the same frame locations, they will likely need to be reinforced, if previously bent and now fatigued by the OEM hitch failure. My frame has plate steel reinforcements in that area. Your new hitch MUST tie to the OEM bumper or you problem will likely repeat, regardless of the number of frame mounting points. Many aftermarket hitches use tabs, where the OEM unit has much more surface area to frame contact, spreading out the downward twisting force of tongue weight.

Something was wrong with the setup, or load. Construction areas are extreme, but to be expected. My '01 did the Alcan with a stock OEM hitch and 12,000# of boat. There were 100 mile stretches of constant rutted gravel and frost heaves that were worse than any construction areas I have encountered stateside.

As for the sleep thing - be careful out there. DOT will turn you upside down and shake you if caught hauling for hire without logging and getting required downtime. Don't overcommit and underdeliver. Undercommit and overdeliver.

[DmaxMaverick]

I think the "bolt to the bumper" thing depends on the hitch design. I have a Drawtite class V hitch, and it does not bolt to the bumper, and has no accomodation for it. I've had over 4K hanging on it, and there was no flexing, and the gap between the bumper and hitch didn't move a bit. The hitch, however, is much longer (and thicker) than an OEM like hitch, and bolts to the frame with 4 bolts on each side. There were only 4 OEM bolt holes in the frame for the hitch, and I had to drill 2 more on each side. When I originally installed it was rated for 12K. A year after, Drawtite uprated the hitch series to 16K (CA DOT changes). I think the bumper bolt idea lets them get away with a lighter (and cheaper) hitch platform, by using the bumper to share the load. All hitches are not created equal. If you are bending the frame, you have other issues.

http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/tdpforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=287&stc=1&d=1177361623

[Mark Rinker]

Its impossible to compare different hitch designs, load experiences, etc. in this format. However, I do know where the issues were, and weren't.

The Putnam hitch used a poor design with tabs which concentrated the load in three small areas. That was where the frame bent. You can bend the frame material with a cresent wrench and arm strength for the same reason - all the force is concentrated in a small area, rather than spread out over two mated surfaces.

http://www.putnamhitch.com/25000_pdf/25002%20Installation%20Instructions.pdf

Are you suggesting that the mobile home in the picture is applying 4K tongue weight? With 12,000# in tow on my C4500, I'd estimate the pin weight to be no more than 2K, and it still settles the bed about 1".

[oneton]

Just one more reason I'm changing everything over to either a goose or a fifth wheel. I'm tired of worrying about overloading the tag. I'm always towing at or near max at 10,000# without a weight distribution hitch ( In all reality I should only be towing 7500# with it)


I just bought a nice 30' open goose for the cars and know I wonder why I waited so long to get another? :(







David

[Mark Rinker]

Agreed. That is the way to correctly carry lots of pin weight. Now, if I can find a hydraulic marine trailer manufacturer that makes one! Everything I find uses a pintle style hitch.

[DmaxMaverick]

......Are you suggesting that the mobile home in the picture is applying 4K tongue weight? With 12,000# in tow on my C4500, I'd estimate the pin weight to be no more than 2K, and it still settles the bed about 1".
At least that. Even with the airbags full up, it still sat down on the overloads pretty good, and the front was up a couple inches. That thing was really old, filthy, and full of stuff. This load didn't go down the highway behind my truck, just out to the road where the "pro's" (that couldn't move it out of the hole and down a dirt road) could hook up to it. I understand what you are saying about the frame, and a poorly designed hitch can certainly do that. If a person wants to save money, that's fine. Just don't save it in the wrong place, and a hitch you will use for heavy towing isn't the place. I could have saved over $150 by installing a "no name", but couldn't get myself to do it, and I'm glad I didn't. Drawtite, Reese, etc. is more than just a name. RBW, as popular as it is, doesn't impress me on their designs. Surprisingly though, Uhaul has pretty good stuff, but I think they rebadge other mfg's products. When I ordered my truck, I had the dealer add the trailering package, but delete the hitch.

[Mark Rinker]

And for what they are intended to haul, I think the GM OEM hitches are underrated, and really overdeliver under heavy use.

By the time you need more hitch than OEM provides, its probably time for a gooseneck or fifthwheel plate, anyway.

The aftermarket creates a problem by marketing an endless array of adapters and work-arounds for hitches. I swear that someday I'll see a 30,000# pintle adapter for a 1" 1990's Ford Taurus hitch... :)

[DmaxMaverick]

I agree, it isn't hard to get over the OEM rating with some of the trailers I've seen on the road today. But, I've ripped OEM hitches out from under them before. I don't use it much for highway towing, but do ocasionally (more frequently, lately) have to haul large/heavy tractors (Cat's and such), oil pipe (heavy!), stumps, and of course, the rare mobile home. I do have a 5th wheel/GN hitch for my heavy highway towing.

[EdHale]

Mark,

I knew a guy in the Atlanta area that had a gooseneck trailer made for his SeaRay 290 Sundancer. If you are interested in the manufacturer I will see if I can find it for you.

[Mark Rinker]

Sweet. I would be glad to talk to anyone making gooseneck marine trailers, might even have my current trailer streched and converted. Send contact info to mark_rinker@hotmail.com.

Thanks!

[EdHale]

I sent you the information to your email address yesterday afternoon. Good luck. Ed