What's new
What's new

Pintle Hitch on trailer

Joe Miranda

Titanium
Joined
Oct 19, 2004
Location
Elyria Ohio
I have a question about my trailer. I have a pintle hitch and when I bought it the "eye" was left a little loose so it could rotate and the nut that secures it is pinned in place so it can't back out. It's kind of cool that way in that it allows for some movement and self-alignment as I'm towing. But I have been thinking lately that it is likely stressing that way and could eventually lead to a stress fracture/failure. But if it's torqued tightly would that also cause stressing that might eventually lead to failure?

Do you guys know if this is standard operating procedure or ...?
 
The, admittedly few, pintles Ive been around didn't have any motion on the eye. They're solidly bolted to the trailer tongue.

Sent via CNC 88HS
 
My pintle does not have any play. I think any alignment is supposed to come from the "ring". A pintle with a lot of play in it would give me the heebie jeebies.
 
I have a question about my trailer. I have a pintle hitch and when I bought it the "eye" was left a little loose so it could rotate and the nut that secures it is pinned in place so it can't back out. It's kind of cool that way in that it allows for some movement and self-alignment as I'm towing. But I have been thinking lately that it is likely stressing that way and could eventually lead to a stress fracture/failure. But if it's torqued tightly would that also cause stressing that might eventually lead to failure?

Do you guys know if this is standard operating procedure or ...?

Gonna need a pix.

FWIW I have a pintle that came off an army truck, and it does swivel.
 
If you're towing down the highway you don't need a swivel. (This is why most pintles don't swivel) If you're towing across the rocky off road trails of Moab you will need a swivel. (This is why Diggers Army pintle does swivel)

See how much you get just from the "play" between the fixed ring and the fixed hitch. If you need more let it swivel. If you don't need more then it's your call.

Thank you,
Mr.Smith
 
I have a question about my trailer. I have a pintle hitch and when I bought it the "eye" was left a little loose so it could rotate and the nut that secures it is pinned in place so it can't back out. It's kind of cool that way in that it allows for some movement and self-alignment as I'm towing. But I have been thinking lately that it is likely stressing that way and could eventually lead to a stress fracture/failure. But if it's torqued tightly would that also cause stressing that might eventually lead to failure?

Do you guys know if this is standard operating procedure or ...?

All the trailers with pintle I ever used were US Military.
Ability to swivel is essential to rough terrain use.

Might not matter for paved roads, though I see no HARM in it. I'd float it.

You'd have "some" fretting corrosion - AKA frictional wear. I'd probably treat it now and then with Wurth's HHS-K or HHS-200 "hinge lube" or pack it with a decent graphite grease..if I had one.

The goods - at least the GI ones - are otherwise so much overbuilt that part should be just about dead-last to fail from towing stress.

Largest one I used? "Dolly, semi-trailer converter" 100,000 lb rated single axle. To tow a 40 ton field-mobile cryogenics plant Air Products had built too short in the nose to get a GI dual-axle tractor under the fifth-wheel of. And tandem axle was about all we had, so.

Pintles, in general, make ball hitches look a sad joke.
 
All the big truck stuff I have been around has a swivel. Bigger trucks have air tensioners on the hitch so the ring can't really twist in the hitch.
 
A lot of big trailers with lunette rings do swivel or articulate as mentioned. They are shaft mounted for that reason. A ring on a plate that bolts to the trailer frame should be tight. That movement is allowing a shear action. I have a few trailers with lunette rings all have the ring solidly fixed, including a 20 ton equipment trailer.

A pintle hitch has more articulation than a ball so unless you are doing some really harsh terrain the design itself should provide the movement you are seeking.

Steve
 
You don't see a lot of swiveling pintle hooks without also having a (coil or air) spring, those reduce the clunking. Military lunette rings often swivel as they are round and threaded, a lot of the smaller commercial ones are fixed to the mount couple of bolts in shear.

I have a lunette ring on my 6x12 landscape trailer and I love it. Sure it bangs around some but its so fast to hook up and no one can borrow it :D
 
That doesn't look like any lunette ring (learned a new term) I've seen, it looks likes a lift eye. It's probably strong enough, but I'd want that nut tight to make use of the eye's shoulder for bearing instead of just the shank.

Here's what I'm accustomed to seeing-
Capture.JPG
 
Here are a couple of pics. Let me know your thoughts.

That's a damn ugly piece of work there.

I've done the same trick to retain a hand tightened nut, but you need to add some washers
between the quick pin, and the nut, to run the nut up closer to the steel piece.

Thereby tightening up your slop.
Which is excessive, and causes the problems I'm seeing in those pix.
 
Definitely excessive - I keep meaning to add washers - no I mean it - really I do - just haven't gotten 'round to it - but yes - I will!

It's a really nice little trailer - 14' dual axle with brakes on one axle and tires are about two years old and solid decking, re-wired with leds, new safety chains etc. I bought it because it was a 14' and I thought it would be adequate for most of our needs - until I bought a backhoe for my tractor - now I'm looking for an 18'.

If anybody wants to trade I'm open.
 
The ring should be at least sung. Here is a ring with studs this is on my 20 ton trailer, it has a large flange with a bolt that also clamps the ring to the trailer frame.

I know the pictures suck, it is too sunny and the area needs mowing.
 

Attachments

  • 20210728_104540.jpg
    20210728_104540.jpg
    101.2 KB · Views: 109
  • 20210728_104550.jpg
    20210728_104550.jpg
    87.9 KB · Views: 104
its so fast to hook up and no one can borrow it :D

USTA BEE they were scarce and harder to just hook-up and make-off with.

But.. ENOUGH folk have realized their advantages that not only are square receivers for lunettes now dirt-common, so, too are reversible & combo with one or more balls AND one side set up with a pintle.

Which can ALSO serve as a far safer emergency / recovery towing anchor than trying to secure chain or strap to a ball.
 
Be the first on your block to put the eye on the truck.....the pintle
on the trailer....:D

Not hard. Put a square receiver on the trailer tongue - same as the tow vehicle.

Do whatever pulls your load!

Outriggers might be wise?

I recall some optimists in 'nam as had mounted a 50 cal to the common post in an M-151 ordinarily meant for an M60 30 cal.

The heavier fifty was better-off ring-mounted to a 5-Ton --- or at least a Dodge 3/4 ton.

I came along as they were into a firefight. Jeep was partially hull-down on a claybank, hence already TILTED! Gunner would fire a three round burst, silly featherweight M-151 with long-travel suspension was offering to tip OVER and spill the gunner out on his ass and pin him UNDER it!

You wouldn't think you'd be laffin' in the middle of a firefight, but then again? Stupid s**t is still comical!

:)
 








 
Back
Top